Welcome to the first day of Winter 2012-2013 - the shortest day of the year! I don't know about your corner of the world, but here in the Pacific Northwest, we've already entered our gloomy gray days. The leaves have fallen from the trees (except for our famous Oregon evergreens) and the gardens are barren and wet. Today's cute cafe curtains are a wonderful way to cheer up your window treatments during the winter months. As half curtains that hang on a tension rod, they cover the bottom of the window, shielding those sometimes less-than-lovely vistas while still letting the pretty white winter light shine through above. The main vertical panels are made from split fat quarters. We used the cheery Flirt collection by Sandy Gervais for Moda Fabrics. 

Charm squares are just that: charming little chunks of fabric, 5" x 5" squares from all the patterns and colorways within a given fabric collection. Moda's standard charm pack comes with 42 pre-cut 5" x 5" squares. They're a real time-saver and can make patchworking projects a delight. We used a Charm Pack of Bonnie & Camille's Marmalade collection for Moda Fabrics in a unique way for this very quick and easy pillow. The pillow front and back is made with just three simple yardage cuts (though you could use fat quarters). Then, we stitched charm squares end-to-end to create the ruffle strip. Fast, fun, and with a fantastically colorful result. 

I love watching old black and white re-runs of the original TV police series, Dragnet. The most famous "catchphrase" from this series is Detective Joe Friday's iconic line, "Just the facts, ma'am." But, here's your little-known-fact-of-the-day: he never actually uttered this line! Since old myths die hard, we'll continue the parody as the theme behind today's cute little mini clutch, because sometimes you need, "Just the necessities, ma'am." When you're running out the door, you need a little purse to hold the essentials, like cards, cash, and a shopping list. You could even use one as a mini wallet to toss into a larger bag. And this time of year, these quick and easy clutches make great gifts - especially when a gift card or a little cash is tucked inside. 

I have a small scar on the inside of my forearm from the Great Cookie Tray Debacle of 2009. If you're a multi-tasker, and most creative folks are multi-taskers, I'm sure you can relate. Just because you're doing your holiday baking doesn't mean you aren't also doing three or four other things, such as talking on the phone, scolding the children, trying to step over the dog... Soooooo, when you pull those cookie trays out of the oven, you may not be paying attention like you should. Ouch! This (and a few other scars) is why I've switched to oven mitts. They have better coverage for my hands and continue up my arms. Our adorable set is made from Malka Dubrawsky's gorgeous Simple Marks collection for Moda Fabrics. We used Fat Quarters, which are a great way to test a collection. Each mitt takes just two Fat Quarters. You can buy a complete 40-piece Fat Quarter bundle, which includes 18" x 22" cuts from all the patterns and colorways, and make oven mitts to protect your entire extended, multi-tasking family!