Red and Green Crotons, Millinery and Angels

Bernie calls them croutons, and I always called them indoor plants.

They do great outside here in Houston and are a "must" for the planters by the front door during the fall. Crotons have green shiny oblong oval shaped leaves with veins in reds, yellows and oranges.

So I'm fudging a little today, the red is orangy red, but the Croton leaf looks like it could have been the inspiration piece for today's millinery item.

It wasn't, but work with me here....


Another Christmas hat, made using the "Jill" pattern!

Usually "Jill" is made with a closed seam in the back. One time I made one too tight and had to leave the seam open.

Turns out that "variation" got rave reviews!

Added bonus: It turns the cap into an "One size fits all" design.

On this particular one, I went full dressy with a bow, and put a gold bead on each line intersection on the side piece and the bow. Then I completely beaded the knot on the bow and added on large green accent bead in center.

The fabric is a sheer organdy, with lame type red, green and gold stripes. I under lined it with a shiny golden cotton fabric.

I love how it turned out.

The golden color doesn't work well on me though, my hair is too silvery by contrast.

The hat has looked fabulous on a friend who has deep auburn hair, and an African American woman tried it on and looked flat out drop dead gorgeous.

I have extra fabric and keep trying to figure out what to make with it. A wrap looks just crazy bright. I tried making a poncho; in it I looked like I was wearing a Christmas table cloth. The fabric is too scratchy to use as a scarf.
Perhaps inserting the fabri as a band in golden velvet would work. Then I could edge the cap in the same velvet. Maybe someday, maybe not...

More touches of gold: My angel collection!
The brass and glass pyramid display case holds my collection of wooden angels from around the world.

Each Christmas "Santa" always included a small angel in my Christmas stocking. The angel was usually about one inch high, give or take a half of an inch.

I used to have them circling the tiny 1 ft. tall artifical tree I had in my bedroom each year. With multicolored lights glowing, and the roof line lights outside my bedroom window winking away I used to stare at the colors on the angels and think of stories about the angels.

Most of the angels had little trumpets or hymnals, a lantern or a tree. One had a violin made from a sea shell.
I named some of them, and on the bottom of them I wrote their names. There was a Eunice, a Kathleen, and a Pam.

In the lower right corner you can see a little blond angel with a red orange trimmed skirt. In her arms she holds a baby doll. She was one of the angel I named. Written around the edge of her skirt I can still read the name that I printed on her so long ago...the one angel with a child. The angel's name was Laura.

PS to daughter LauraRN: Have fun in Denver today!