Well, hello everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmases...we had a wonderful holiday...very quiet...just perfect. The kids were happy, we were happy...what more could you ask for?

And now here we are...just a few days before 2012...can you believe it? Me? No.

The new year will bring a couple of fun things here at MSG, too! Yay! A new look (so if things here look funny and scattered for a day or two, I apologize...), some new features, and tons more projects & makeovers...I'm getting so excited I can hardly stand it!

In the meantime, have you entered the Pick Your Plum giveaway yet? If not, you can do so here...

Talk soon!

You've heard of Pick Your Plum, right?



Well, on the off-chance that you haven't...let me tell you all about it...

Pick Your Plum is an AH-MAZING deal-of-the-day site specifically for creative people like YOU. Just take a look at some of the items recently up-for-grabs...








Awesome, huh?

But here's the catch...there's only 1 deal offered every day...and there are limited supplies of each deal...so you have to "Get it before your neighbor does!" (That's their slogan...isn't that the coolest?)

A new deal is offered every day at 9 AM Eastern...and let me tell you, every single day holds a new fantastic product...

And see over there on my sidebar? There's a button over there that can take you right to the daily deal every single day...so, if you ever forget to check the site, you can get there easily right from my blog! Woo hoo!

Now, how would you like to win some super-cool crafting swag? Yep! That's right! Pick Your Plum is offering up a box full o' stuff from their site...$25.00 worth! Now, the contents are a surprise, but I guarantee, you will not be disappointed.

Here's how you can enter to win...(leave 1 comment for each, please)

*Like Pick Your Plum on Facebook (and let them know how awesome they are for offering up this giveaway!)

*Register at Pick Your Plum to receive the newsletter informing you of the daily deals.

*Become a follower of Midwestern {Sewing} Girl (or leave a comment say you already are).

*Share this giveaway via Facebook or Twitter (you can just click the FB or Twitter icon at the bottom of this post and it should take care of pretty much everything for you...)

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"


-Clement C. Moore

A week or so ago I shared my Christmas decor...most of which was purchased at Kmart. I was amazed by the selection I found in Kmart's Holiday Shop...everything was really just so gorgeous...and at a really great price, too!

My favorite collection of the many available was the Golden Heritage Collection by Jaclyn Smith...

So, imagine just how excited I was when I was asked to take this collection and "Decorate It Forward" to someone in need this Christmas! Seriously?!?! I love love love stuff like this...just the thought of possibly making someone else smile makes me feel awesome...

Kmart generously sent me a HUGE box filled with a million pieces of the Golden Heritage Collection...these photos do not do these pieces justice (I didn't want to unwrap them...I was afraid I might hurt them somehow)...they were so wonderful...




OK...so I unwrapped a few...I just had to see these nutcracker ornaments...oh my heck...so adorable...

I chose a family to send the items to...a family that is affiliated with our church that has come on some really tough times lately (the father, the leader of the family and the sole monetary provider, recently lost his job)...AND THEN, just as I was getting everything all re-bundled up to send along to them, I got an email from my kids' school district...one of the school's bus drivers had lost her entire house to fire just the day before...the house she shared with her husband, daughter-in-law & three grandkids (her son is in the Army)...oh my gosh, my heart sank...and I knew what I wanted  needed to do.

The school was asking for donations to help the family...oh my goodness - just 5 days before Christmas (I couldn't get this thought out of my head)...so, I divided the box into 2 piles (seriously, there was enough in this box to decorate more than 2 homes for the holidays), and took one over to the school's transportation department. I know that our decoration donation was probably not exactly necessary, but I pray that it helps give this family some degree of normalcy this Christmas...

The family that received the other box was able to provide some much-needed Christmas cheer in their home as well...and they were so happy that another family was also helped with a donation. Here are some photos they sent to me...complete with some new Christmas decor...thanks to Kmart...

Thank you so so much to everyone who entered the Karas Kustoms giveaway!

Desi @ Wee Share 9

I like Karas Kustoms on FB

Yay, Desi!


Congratulations! I've sent you an email...let me know if you didn't get it...


And enjoy your new piece of machined art!

Thank you so much to everyone who linked up their Christmas trees to my linky party...all of the trees are just gorgeous...I loved checking them all out. I got a million ideas for next year, too...

Wanna see some of 'em? Here are just a few that caught my eye...






Guess what? 4 days left...

First off, let me say thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The comments you guys left for this giveaway were so wonderful and sweet...thank you. I wish I could send each and every one of you a gift...

But we have our winners...and let me tell you...it was so weird...I was getting all nervous and excited when I was hitting the "generate" button on random.org. Yikes...it was stressful...BUT SO FUN!

Here we go...the three winners of the My Favorite Things giveaway are...

Anonymous 52

I am a follower and am so excited!!

Lindsey 13

I follow you through Google Reader! Thanks for such an awesome give-away!

Tonia @ TheGunnySack.com 120

Fantastic Giveaway! And you already know that I am a longtime follower and fan!

Congratulations, ladies!!! And thank you, again, to everyone who entered...you are awesome.

I originally shared this project with the adorable Katie at Sew Woodsy during her 12 Days of Handmade Ornaments party...these really don't take much time to make, but they can take your gift wrapped package from great to fantastic...




I got the inspiration for my ornaments when I was taking out my Christmas decor...I came across some old ornaments that the kids had made in preschool...you know the kind...the teacher takes one of the kids' school photos and puts it in as the face of a snowman or reindeer or something equally cute?

Well, I thought it would be neat to do sort-of the same thing...minus the snowman or reindeer or something equally cute...

I started searching through my photos and came across a couple of cute ones I wanted to use...specifically one of my niece, Ellie, at Thanksgiving, & one of my nephew, Grahm, last summer...I popped these into Photoshop and...

With Ellie's ornament, I frayed the edges a little to it a more whimsical look...then I used a random zigzag stitch - twice - around the photo & added a little gem to the flower on her headband...

The burlap I used on the back provided a nice heavy base for the photo...it makes the whole thing feel a bit more substantial...







Then I thought it would be fun to just use my sister- and brother-in-law's last name...I printed out the year in this awesome font and then filled in the empty circles with little brown rhinestones...the houndstooth print is 2 layers of decorator-weight fabric...

Don't have a sewing machine? You can try hand-stitching or even hot glue!

The possibilites are endless with these little beauties...truly. I think I'm going to use these ornaments as the tags on the pictured person's gift...wouldn't that be fun? To get a gift with your photo on it instead of just a plain old "to: from:?" Ooooh, I would love that...