Recently in Easy Home Decor Category

Happy New Year and thank you for your continued 
interest, and support, of Bluebird Gardens Quilts 
and Gifts. 

During the 14 years we've been in business, you have 
helped guide what we've made and offered, and I
personally appreciate hearing from each one of you!

In response to your requests, in 2012 we are making and 
offering more US-made baby quilts, such as 
Ninepatch Teddy Bears baby quilts, with patterns on both
sides including flannel.

We are also making more quilts with environmentally-friendly 
bamboo fill instead of cotton. If you haven't touched bamboo 
fill, it feels like cashmere and unlike cotton, is easily grown,
farmed and yes, it can also be easily washed. It costs a little
more than cotton but if more quilt manufacturers start using it, 
prices should come down.

Some of our new, bamboo-filled baby quilts are your 
personal favorite themes like Winnie the Pooh. (photo)

One of your favorite all-time  gifts is back, our 
quilter's goodies bags, now offered either as a 
quilted bag and or Hello Kitty bag.

It's been fun hearing from some of you who were 
counting on Santa getting your Missouri 
2012 Natural Events Calendars. 

Although Missouri Department of Conservation 
is sold out, we  still have some in stock.

Howard Furniture Care has added a wonderful 
new lemon-based furniture polish to their 
product line which doesn't leave a hazy build-up
 like other, spray products with a lemon scent. 
Still trying to  decide which one I like best, 
the orange oil or the new lemon oil!

If you're in mid-Missouri, stop by the new 11,000-square foot antique and art store
Route 66 Antiques and Art off I-44 exit 189. Antique primitives, art work and
our retail shop is there - plenty of space for vendors if you want to join us!
Call Martha Willy at 573-426-3300.

Poinsettias are a personal favorite but don't make it past the holidays. If you were
 given a Poinsettia, here are some tips on after-holiday care.

Thanks again for your support, emails and friendship, and here's to an exciting 2012!


 

 

I have a soft spot for owls - all birds, really - so this custom quilt was quick to catch my eye.

Katie's Chi Omega custom quilt has charming custom owls reflecting the personality of sorority members. What a great way to celebrate a sisterhood!

This charming custom quilt was featured at Piece and Plenty Quilt Guild's October 2011 quilt show in Rolla, Missouri.

One of my favorite places to shop for original art and prints for personalized gifts and special occasions is Orval Reeves Art Gallery, off Cedar Street in Rolla, Missouri.

Housed in an older white home across the street from Ozark Actors Theatre, Orval Reeves Art Gallery is a great place to find unusual and one of a kind art and collectibles including  including original art, some by Orval Reeves himself.

A reknown artist in his own right, Orval Reeves captures wonderful mid-Missouri nature scenes in original oils.

Orval Reeves also has a great eye for wonderful home decor pieces including paintings, prints, pottery and art glass, and has encouraged a number of wonderful local jewelry artists to share their creations.

Orval Reeves Art Gallery is also the only place in mid-Missouri I know where you will find one of the hottest current collectibles - Chinese pottery thousands of years old.



In these days of reproduction pottery masquerading as originals, it's nice to have a place like Orval Reeves Art Gallery where I can pick up a piece of collectible pottery as a Valentine's Day gift and be assured I'm not paying top dollar for a knock off piece.

Charlotte

 

Besides enjoying lovely changing fall colors, fall is time to restock Bluebird Gardens baby quilts, throws and quilts for upcoming holidays and Mother's Day.

We often get asked to make custom quilts out of favorite cartoon or nursery characters.

Most companies who have copyright of a design will not give permission for one quilt to be made; if they do, they ask for a hefty licensing fee, which makes making one custom quilt prohibitively expensive.

On the other hand, we've been offering US-made quilts out of stamped, pre-licensed fabrics like Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh and Looney Tunes for years.

These handmade theme quilts honor copyright licenses and still provide easy home decor theme quilts to complete that baby nursery or personalized gift you want to give.

Have a favorite quilt theme you can't find? Let us know and we'll be glad to try to help you find it, or make it for you!

Charlotte

Last week one of our customers challenged us to come up with Christmas ornament kids could enjoy during, and after the holidays.

Since these are young kids, we didn't want to use anything breakable so we started with crocheted snowflakes each of them can take home and enjoy through winter.

We also added  ladybug magnet scissors they could use as ladybug ornaments hanging from the scissor part of the ladybug. No ornament hangars required, just loop around the end of an artificial tree branch.Bent paperclips also make easy, inexpensive hangars.

After the holidays, kids can take these ladybug magnet scissors home, apply to a metal surface and use the blunt-edge scissors with paper crafts.

Ladybug magnet scissors ake great stocking stuffers, too!

Charlotte
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You have such cute ideas, anything easy for Halloween?

Hi Leslie,

One of our favorite things to make to decorate for Halloween were black garden spiders.
Not only are they easy and fun to make, but one of my brothers uses them for gardening!

You'll also find an easy recipe for spider web cookies on the same page as how to make the garden spiders.

Charlotte