Sunday, July 26, 2020

Christmas in July (Then & Now) Blog Hop























Greetings, everyone!  Today starts the Christmas in July (Then & Now) Blog Hop.  So grab a cup of hot chocolate and some decorated cookies and snuggle  up for some holiday fun.

First I want to thank Carol of Just Let Me Quilt who is hosting this fantastic hop.  When I first learned of the hop, I jumped at the chance to join.  Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and I am always on the lookout for new trends and inspiration to make our family holiday merry and bright.  Thank you, Carol, for letting me join these reindeer games!

Carol said we could share a project we made in the past or a new one.  I thought it might be fun to share one of each.  

Then . . . 


I take pictures of the family every Christmas.  Last Christmas, I thought it would be fun to share some of those photos with the family on Christmas Eve.  I printed on photo fabric a few of my favorite pictures from past Christmas holidays, then sewed them around the edge of a round red tablecloth slated for my dessert table.  Everyone loved seeing themselves and remembering past holidays.  
   



I like setting a nice table and having a little something everyone can take home and hang on their tree.  Last year's theme was red and aqua.  The napkins were folded to look like elf shoes.  Tiny grapevine wreath ornaments were used as individual place settings, then taken home to hang on the tree.  


I pretty much decorate every room in the house, and the bathroom is no exception.  I found this cute reindeer made from towels on a Youtube video.  If you would like to make your own Rudolph , here is a link to the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSv8lY9F3d8

Now . . . 


Penquins and snowmen!  (I'm not sure what penquins have to do with Christmas, except that they are cute and perky and love snow.)  This was a pretty simple quilt to make, using the flip and stitch method throughout.  It was a lot of fun to design the little guys.    


The penquin beaks and feet are prairie points stitched and sewn down. The snowmen carrot noses are scraps of orange fabric sewn using a zigzag stitch.  The penquins' eyes and snowmen's eyes and smiles are black buttons.  The bright scarves add a little pizzazz, and the button embellishments on the snowmen's hats and fronts are a cute addition.  It's lap size, so will be perfect to snuggle under this Christmas.  

Ho Ho Ho!  That's it for me.  Wishing you a Merry Christmas in July and hoping you find loads of holiday inspiration at the other merry makers' sites listed below: 

July 27
  
July 28
  
July 29
  
July 30
  
July 31

40 comments:

  1. What wonderful Christmas ideas you have had. I love the picture ideas both on your tablecloth and your napkin holders. The penguins are priceless and oh thank you for the link for the towel reindeer.

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  2. Your family-themed projects are amazing! What a great use of photos. And I adore your Penguin/Snowmen quilt; so charming and fun!

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  3. I can imagine how much fun everyone had, looking at the photos from Christmases past. What a great idea. And those penguins are adorable!

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  4. Great Christmas ideas and I love the penguins.

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  5. OMG, lots of great ideas. Love your lap quilt. Too cute. Thanks for sharing the photo ideas - fantastic!

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  6. You have such fun decorating ideas! Love the fabric photos sewn to the tablecloth. Te penguin quilt is really adorable!

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  7. Oh my gosh...I want to spend Christmas at your house. I love your table cloth. What a fun way to go down memory lane and that Reindeer towel is just the cutest. The penguin and snowman quilt is just too adorable. I love how they have a little 3D thing going on with the prairie points too!

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  8. Oh, that's a fun idea for a table cloth. I love your penguines.

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  9. What a great idea for a tablecloth, and those shoes...love them, too! I'm with Joan on wanting to spend Christmas at your house. You really make it fun. Penguins and snowmen are an adorable combination in that quilt. So cute! Thank you for sharing your "then and now" with us.

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  10. The tablecloth is a great idea. I love the bathroom towel too. I may have to do that for my SIL who hosts us each year.

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  11. Hi Charlene! Oh, your penguins are so darn cute and I love the prairie points. The red tablecloth with pictures is such a fun idea, too. I know everyone likes to look at older pictures of themselves and it was fun for you to pick them out, too. Merry Christmas in July! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  12. So many cute ideas, and especially the penguins! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  13. I love your tablecloth idea - what a joy that must have been for your family to reminisce over the photos. Thank you for inviting us over for a visit!

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  14. Oh, my that penguin quilt is soooo cute! Love your clever table topper to share family pictures, and what fun napkin and towel folding! Thank you for the great ideas!

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  15. Thanks for taking time to share inspiration with us. You do make Christmas special for your family.

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  16. Lovely fun ideas to make your home very festive. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. What a great idea for the table cover! And I LOVE the elf shoe napkins! Clever ideas. Your new quilt is lovely as well and fun! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Great ideas! Thanks for sharing.

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  19. What great fun projects you're showcasing. Everyone of them is an excellent idea. What fun it must be to come celebrate Christmas at your house and always bring home an ornament. Too darn hot for hot chocolate and holiday cookies so I'm having a glass of iced tea!

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  20. what great ideas. Thanks for sharing your inspirational projects.
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  21. Loved all your ideas. What a great idea for the tablecloth especially.

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  22. #2 designer on the list and another cute idea! Thank you for sharing!

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  23. What a fun tablecloth! Love all your decorations!

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  24. Your snow man and penguins are so cute. thank you for sharing how you made them.

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  25. I love the penguins! I tend to prefer winter decorations to “Christmas” except nativities!

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  26. You have so many ideas! Love the penguins.

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  27. Oh, my gosh, you are so creative! I love the way you present things. I doubt I could even figure out how to fold a napkin like an elf shoe, and there you have the cute ornaments and the table cloth, too. I think the penguins and snowmen are just fun. I have a friend who is a penguin lover, and I have to make sure she sees this.

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  28. Love all your ideas for fun family Christmas decor. Are you make my a pattern available soon for that incredibly sweet quilt? I think I need to add it to my Must Make List. 😉

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  29. Thanks for sharing all your ideas. Love the photos on the table cover and as name tags! The penguin/snowman quilt is cute. I like the background color too.

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  30. OMG I love all your ideas but the elf shoes are the most clever and adorable.

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  31. Your Christmas dinners must be so awesome. Thank you for sharing your decorating ideas. The penguins and snowmen are so adorable.

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  32. The penguins are so adorable!

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  33. That table setting is a great idea for any family get-together, but I love it for the Christmas theme

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  34. What fun! I love the pictures idea for the table. Thanks for sharing.

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  35. Love the idea of the photos to add a special look to the occasion. The penquins are so fun!

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  36. Your then and now projects are lovely. I especially like the family photo idea.

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  37. Oh, that penguin quilt is just too cute! The family photo ideas are very clever!

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  38. Love the penguins and snowmen! I miss you - hope you and yours are doing well!

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  39. Such cute cute projects. I love the penguin and the snowman tho. they are absolutely darling.

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