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Snowflake Trees  I am always looking for new ideas for crafts and it seems like this (2018) has been the year of the tree.  I have made wooden slat trees, twig trees, fleece trees and yarn trees just to mention a few.  My friends and relatives know that I am always up for a new project and my sister-in-law recently shared an idea for a snowflake tree that she saw in a gift show in Lincoln.  She shared a photo of the tree along with a "I'll bet you could make one of these...." and the challenge was on. My first discovery, after spending over an hour with my Cricut trying to cut snowflakes, was that the weight of the paper is very important. (I have an older model Cricut Expression) I finally settled on Southworth parchment paper (24lb) that I purchased at Walmart. I tried using printer paper, the pages of a book (I'm still trying to get this to work because I think it would be a great gift for teachers & readers) and some other paper I had on hand but settl...

Wooden Quilt Blocks AKA "Barn Quilts" I am a born and raised Nebraskan--a state where you are never more than a 15-20 minute drive from a barn or a field of corn.  I grew up in a small town half-way between Omaha and Lincoln and my sister married a farmer who works sun up until way past sun down during the spring planting season and the fall harvest.  I currently live in Omaha where I can see a field and a Target store from my window.  I first saw barn quilts about 12 years ago when a l ocal FBLA group   created 12' x 12' designs for area farms as a fundraiser.  I have always wanted to create a scaled down version that would fit in a garden or front porch.   As it turns out, I have made several in the last year and have one displayed in my garden (see at right), another for a neighbor's porch and a couple of small ones that I hang seasonally above the cabinets in my kitchen. You will find excellent web sites that share patterns, examples and...