A sewing box

Last week The Brother Alan sent an email asking what he needed for  a sewing box that he wanted to put together using a cigar box.....of course I emailed back, let me and of course he said I was hoping you would say that....we do know each other so well. Wanting to keep it masculine, I found this in my stash of cigar boxes (yes I have many waiting)

found this wonderful southwest fabric at
 Jo Ann's and gathered my supplies....thread, scissor, tape measure, needles and trim and it began...







a pocket of sorts for the thread, fussy cutting for the top and a charm for the steer skull.... again wanting to keep it manly, I left the inside of the box unfinished except for the fabric...I just love this fabric and bought a full yard.

the top and the base are two different cuts...great design! and of course I made a needle book complete with some narrow raw hide for the lasso on the front and a horse charm. The inside has a page for needles and closing pins as well as a pocket for needle threaders. The seams are sealed with a nice braided trim I bought him Gutermann Threads but I think he will replace them when needed with regular threads so I left some wiggle room in the pocket.  I sure hope he likes it. I am not sure if he will know how to use the needle threader, so I will include directions. The tape measure is by Singer and looks great for a guy as it is black and plain. I love using cigar boxes for projects.
My Angelina threads arrived so I tried a small sample....

I hope the picture is clear enough for you to see the sheer piece of "fabric" made....I bought the opalescence and gold threads. I also bought the pressing sheet to use with it. Of course I was not sure about ironing right on it, so I used a piece of muslin on top. I can't wait to use my new fabric for bumble bee wings!
We are having a very cloudy day but the temp at 6 AM was 72. Possibility of rain so it will be sitting on the lanai instead of the yard today....maybe I will just stay inside to stitch with a movie.....I am off work until Saturday so plenty of time to stitch. On Monday whi9le sitting outside having my southwest hash browns and egg with toast for breakfast, a commotion over head interrupted the quiet....

A group of 5 Harris Hawks were flying and squawking  above the yard....making quite a show of it. Finally landing in the nearby trees before departing to hover over some other place. It appeared to be a family of 2 adults with 3 youngsters.  Such entertainment with breakfast! It is just about time for me to have today's breakfast---in the house--- so I will thank you for visiting and hope the pictures were not too many for one post. There is still time to join the April Card Exchange... just email me your mailing address...if you have participated before and all is the same, just let me know you want to join in by March 31st. Have a great day.

Early Birthday gift and a tequila tasting

So much for staying put and stitching yesterday. Mr H and I took a quick ride to the Mall yesterday and visited the Teavana Tea Shop......

he picked out a lovely tea cup and some Peach tea flowers as an early birthday gift for me..

The cup has a ceramic infuser and a pretty lid and saucer.
the flowers have a delicate peach taste...we were able to sample it there.  A little pricey, but delicious. I love this shop...do you have one near to you? There are always several teas to taste and someone nearby to explain and entice you. I really enjoy tea and what better way to sip than from a lovely cup!

Before the Mall we stopped at the liquor store to get info. My Brother Alan will be coming to visit at the end of April so I wanted to see if they were having anything special around that time. While there, I sampled Senior Rio Anejo sipping tequila. Now, I do not like straight tequila. I do love it in a mixed drink. But I must say, this was delicious. Oh and it is $79.99 a bottle. No I did not buy any....but it was very nice.

Then just before leaving I saw these cigar boxes for sale  

This one is small but I loved the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene. It is called Romeo's Court. It is 5x6x2 and made of cardboard.

This shiny black one is about 5 by 8 and 2 inches deep and made of wood. The logo is a brushed gold... Quixote is the brand. The same design is on the inside.

This  also is shiny black and wood. It is 7x8x 2 1/2. The  outside is just the name, but as you can see the inside has a nice picture. The brand of this one is Toro. They will make nice storage boxes for my stitching and I won't have to decorate them.I probably will line the wooden ones.

Be sure to watch for my Un-Birthday drawing....coming soon.
 Time to get some stitching in....and some breakfast too. Whatever your plans are, I hope you enjoy the day. As always, so happy you stopped by.