Hello, 2018!

Happy 2018, friends!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and brought the new year in with good health and happiness! We had a quick bout with the flu and have been snuggling in here keeping warm, it's been so cold in Pennsylvania, enjoying a few relaxing days after the holidays together resting up and eating the last of the treats before those resolutions begin. I meant to pop in here last week to share a few of my favorite Cracknell family photos, but I was right in the thick of it all, so better late than never!

The things I most love and look forward to over the holidays are with out a doubt our family traditions -- a trip to Wending Creek Tree Farm, decorating our tree with hot cocoa and Christmas music, Christmas Eve gifts of new pajamas and nutcrackers - fifteen years strong has grown quite the family of nutcrackers! It's so wonderful to see how our traditions have taken root. These things that we started all those years ago, that initially felt 'made up' when we decided to do them, are now ours so fully and deeply. It's a beautiful thing!











Yesterday I went to the studio for a few hours for the first time since before Christmas to stitch up a few Etsy orders all while thinking about my intentions for the coming year. I have some exciting new plans already in the works that I'll be sharing more about soon, as well as lots of sewing to be done with Love Story, my brand new collection for Art Gallery Fabrics that began arriving to shops right in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm really looking forward to giving some creative time to these pretty prints, I have so many projects planned! My Love Story LookBook should be out any day and I'll be back to share those details just as soon as it is!

From my family to yours & from my heart to yours, I wish you all a very happy, healthy and creative 2018!

Custom Princess Crowns : :

These colors are some of my very favorites -- peachy pink, dusty rose, smoky blue, and buttery yellow to name a few! These sweet floral motifs were inspired by some of my favorite things -- pressed flowers from Summer, pocket journals, craft supplies, and my washi tape collection. Together they made one of my most popular crown designs and today I'm excited to take Pre-Sale orders for these crowns once again!





Slightly different than the made-to-order personalized crowns you can find year-round in my Etsy shop, each holiday season I love to create a limited amount of a new style that can be customized with an initial or a name of your choosing!





All crowns ordered today will ship by Saturday, December 10th. They are $25 a piece plus shipping. International friends are welcome to these crowns, as well, shipping price will be for a flat rate envelope so the package is track-able. Join me on my Instagram at noon EST today to order by leaving a comment with your Paypal email address to claim, along with the initial or full name you'd like added to the crown. The first twenty to do so will receive a pretty custom crown for their little princess!! If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment. If you don't have Instagram and would love to order a crown, leave me a comment including the initial or name and your paypal email right here!



♥ Maureen

An Extra One : :

Yesterday our beautiful baby girl turned NINE! It was a busy weekday night, so we celebrated simply with a nice family dinner of her request - spicy chili, cheddar biscuits, and old fashion apple crisp! Almost every time we go out to eat she orders a side salad and a cup of chili, it's the funniest thing! There was a little bit of sewing for her birthday - a crown, of course! This year I had offered a new special Holiday Crown design and sale, and when Haila saw me sewing them up last week she asked if I could make an extra one for her birthday. Absolutely!



I love this shade of spice berry red! It's pretty and festive and is one of those colors that just looks good on everyone, don't you think? Adding in bright corals and red, dusty pink, and aqua blue made such a great color combination!



Our birthday girl loved hers and looked so beautiful!







My hope is that each of the little girls who will be receiving one of these crowns this year lights up like my girl!

♡ Maureen

Revision : :

Just a few days after this past New Year, after two weeks of no sewing, I ignored the post-holiday clean-up to start that Christmas quilt I've dreamt of making ever since I made that very first quilt a few years ago. What began with a stack of Art Gallery fabrics in Christmas-y colors, ended with a stack of HST's and a start, two scrappy bear paw blocks that I LOVED!







And then they ended in work-in-progress basket until this morning!

So often, when that hopeful quilt just doesn't happen, I humble my plan to a pillow sized project. Something doable when things get hectic, that still feels rewarding. A new plan for these beautiful blocks!



I'm hoping to have these finished as pillows to share early next week, along with a very special project that these quilt blocks inspired!!

I'm also having my first Quilt SALE! on my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Facebook page, HERE! I decided it was time to offer these up to new homes where they can actually be used & loved. Thanks for looking!

♡ Maureen

Welcome, December : :

Each December, I spend my days busy making things to sell for holiday gift-giving. This year I started with new a Holiday Fox Pillow and Personalized Crown design!









I have a few pillows and crowns still available, if you're interested just leave a comment or email me at maureencracknell@hotmail.com. I'm also having an Etsy Sale (20% off with Coupon Code: Cyber20) and Crown Giveaway HERE, in case you missed it!

We've been slowly decorating the house for the holiday, with various handmade & kid-made garlands hanging from each entryway, placing the decor and traditions we've collected here and there throughout our house. It feels magical and extra special this year. My favorite thing is to listen to the kids, as they pull out each decoration from the boxes, sharing all that they remember about each little thing.







This is and will be a beautiful season full of celebration and the love all around us, of that I am certain!



Wishing you much joy and excitement as this season begins! ♡ Maureen

Holiday Busy : :

I hope you're all enjoying the holidays! We're still expecting family tomorrow and have some fun planned for New Year's Eve. These days are busy and I haven't seen my camera or my sewing machine much since I finished up the Marvel Comic Quilt! After such a busy stretch of months making quilts and filling etsy orders it's been so nice to let go a little. I guess I needed it, because now I'm already bursting with new quilt ideas for when the time is right for me to dive right back in!

This morning I've been drinking my coffee and looking through the photos I've taken these last several days, while everyone else sleeps in. I still need to see what I can gather from my brothers and sisters, but this fuzzy, little Instagram snapshot is my favorite from the night I handed out my quilts. This moment is the highlight of my year!



I'm already setting new goals and making big plans for next year. More than anything I plan to continue focusing on original quilt work, which I'm hoping will include many new patterns to offer. I'm still deciding on how much longer I will continue making and selling my crowns and even these fox pillows. I'll feel totally burnt out and then I'll see a photo I've taken, like the set below, or I receive a super sweet message from a customer and it motivates me to keep on making them!



My one, big goal for today is to get those new quilt photos to share here as soon as possible! And, to wish you all an early, wonderful start to the new year just in case I don't get the chance to blog again before then! I hope to share a little more reflecting on this year, perhaps once the holiday dust settles and if I can stop myself from looking ahead. Making plans is always my favorite!

How about you, are you making any big project resolutions? Feel free to share, I'd love to read them!!

♥  Maureen 

Finished : :

Tonight is a very special night for me! I'll be handing out eleven of the quilts I've made this year to each of my children, nieces, and nephews. To say I'm excited doesn't even begin to describe it! Creating each of these quilts in a theme, color scheme, or pattern that fits each child and offering them as my way of showing how important they are to my life has been a huge honor. I hope they become something each of them will cherish for a lifetime!





I'll be back soon with the last two quilts I've yet to share here and I hope to take lots of photos to share tonight, as well! 

Wishing you all the very best until then!  ♥  Maureen 

These Days : :

For the past almost two weeks each day there has been something to celebrate, whether a birthday, a recital, family arriving, or a Christmas tree to decorate, each day is so busy, very full, and completely wonderful! In the midst of all of this I've also been sewing my heart out, every free second I get! Today I plan to finish up and ship out the last of my Christmas orders, and then I have just one quilt left to make to reach my goal of making a quilt to give to each of my kiddos, nieces, and nephews when they are all (but one) here for Christmas!

Most recently I finished up a Princess Castle Quilt for my niece Josie -- here are a few peeks at the fabric I chose and the beginnings of it. Fingers crossed I get some time to take photos later today to share here soon!





I didn't draft a pattern for this quilt yet, but it turned out really cute with flappy shutters and pendant flags at the top of both towers with the same detail. If you have a little princess that you'd like to make a princess castle quilt for, please do let me know?! It won't take much interest to get me to create this fun one again, this time just to share the pattern once things slow down in the New Year!

Before I get back to busy today, here's a fun moment I shared recently with two of my most favorite princesses who made themselves cozy with my Chicopee & Herringbone (tutorial here) quilts! 



Happy Wednesday!  ♥  Maureen 

Holiday Happenings : :

It has been such a busy and SUPER fun stretch of days, I am getting so behind on sharing here! We've had an amazing and special holiday already, with so many plans and visitors still in the works! I have some handmade gifts I'm excited to share in detail, but until I find time for that, I want to share some photos quickly and wish everyone a beautiful weekend! I hope your holiday has been as joy-filled as ours has been!!













Much love and best wishes to you all!
♥,  Maureen

A Sponsor GIVEAWAY : :

I have a very special Friday Giveaway today, just in time for the Holidays, with Stubby Pencil Studio!!  

With Christmas just around the corner, I'm excited today to introduce Stubby Pencil Studio 

 here in my Friday Giveaway spot, just in time for all you busy, sewing Mama's & Papa's 

to check out all their amazing "green" options for creative holiday gift giving!! 

 
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Stubby Pencil Studio offers a wide selection of art and craft supplies for children that are not only high quality and affordable, but also eco friendly and fun for kids!

In their words, "Stubby Pencil Studio offers eco friendly craft supplies like crayons made from soy - not petroleum; stationery, greeting cards, sketchbooks and journals made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper - not virgin trees; pencils made from sustainably harvested wood and recycled newspapers - not dying forests. You'll also find unique eco friendly gifts, non-toxic toys, classic games, do-it-yourself kits, reusable bags, party decor and favors, and many other fun and creative eco products for kids."

 You can check out Stubby Pencil Studio at their  WEBSITE * FACEBOOK * BLOG * NEWSLETTER

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We hope you enjoy visiting their sites!! 

For this special giveaway, Stubby Pencil Studio is generously offering to one winner a Stocking Stuffed with creative goodies!

Stocking includes -- Rainbow Softdough, Crayon Rocks Holiday Set, Washable Markers, Mini Blank Books, Push-up Crayons, Frosty Friends coloring cards, Triangular Pencils, Colored Pencils Tube, Oil Pastels, Double Sharpener, Penguin Eraser, Clown Whistle, and organic Lollipops… A Value of more than $80!

In addition, Stubby Pencil Studio is offering 15% off for all MCH Readers!
Use discount code  MCSAVE15 and receive 15% off orders thru 12/31/12!

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Enter to Win!

Here's how,
 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! If you want, feel free to share a favorite holiday craft you have shared with the children in your life?! (one entry)
2. Follow Stubby Pencil Studio on facebook. Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (one optional entry)
3. My followers get a third entry! Whether you follow me here, in your reader, or on Facebook, just let me know that you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
4. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Whether by tweet, facebook, pin, blog, etc... (one optional entry) 
 
That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through Monday morning, December 3rd. Mr. Random will pick the winner and I will announce their name at the bottom of this post, here on the blog, I always try to have that up by 9 am EST!

* Note * This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no reply" or an anonymous commenter, remember to include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you, should you win! Please check to make sure you can be contacted!

 Wishing a wonderful weekend to all!!!  

* * * * *  UPDATE  * * * * *

Thank you to all who entered this past weekend's Giveaway!! 

 

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  From 350 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky winner is...

Comment #61 -- Cal, who said...

my comments are getting eaten up, but in summary, both my kids love art projects but are chaotic, so crayons mostly for damAge control right now.

Congratulations!!! I will be in touch shortly!