Christmas 2018

This is the only nativity on display at my house this year. 

Craft sales and other projects took up much of my time and the results it was coming down to Dec 23 to decorate.



Then the battery in my car died on Sunday night and I had to get some help to diagnose the problem. Thanks to my brother-in-law who came when I called; my sister who drove me home at midnight, and my brother with the knowledge to determine the problem.

I borrowed this book from the lounge in the apartment building at Mom & Dad's.  I had read the Lilac Bus but the Firefly Summer and the Silver Wedding were new to me.

The Firefly Summer was long in places.  It covers the re-building of a mansion which burned down in the early 1900s.  It is in a small Irish town and the consequences of coming to town bringing American tourists is a concern.  The pub nearby will likely lose it's business, the project manager is happy to have a big project during the construction phase, the local kids used to play in the ruins and now that has changed.

There are a couple of tragedies which take place.  Again, changes are taking place with sadness and adjustment needed.

It has a great ending.




We had a wonderful Christmas lunch with around 40 in attendance.  We had a children's gift exchange and an adult exchange.  This is the wonderful food provided in our potluck. 

Mom & Dad enjoyed have their extended family to celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

We had great weather for all of us who traveled several hours to get there. 

Boxing Day was a wonderful day.   The sky was blue, the sun was highlighting the hoar frost on the trees.

The snow machines were started and those who wanted a ride got a ride across the yard and fields.

I am getting ready for New Year's Eve.

Enjoy!

More Sewing - Pot Holders

I worked on some more pot holders as gifts this year as aprons were not in much demand among my siblings.

I love the soft muted tones of the fabric in the center of this set.  The 5 inches squares were given to me by a quilter friend. I added 100% cotton black borders around the square and the back is solid black.  

The stuffing/batting is 100% cotton.

The top stitching is around the center square and well as very close to the edge to close the space where I turned them good side out.

The loop was placed in the center of the square.

I paired an olive green/khaki green organic print with an olive green solid on the back. 

This is a 8.5 inch square which brings it down to 8 inches when completed. 

The stuffing is 100% cotton.

I used my quarter circle template again this time for this set. 

I just pinned the paper to the corner and then sewed following the curved edge.  Repeated for all 4 corners.

There was just enough burgundy fabric to complete this set of flat potholders.  I have enough floral to make another set.

This was left over fabric from the shirt smock apron I made earlier.

The stuffing is 100% cotton.

I chose the half circle template for the top stitching on this set.

It was nice to use up some smaller pieces of fabric.

All wrapped up for Christmas gifts.

Christmas 2018

Merry Christmas and Holiday Wishes to all my blogger friends.  

Have a great season and I will see you in 2019!

Mosaic Monday - Recent Photos

I do have my Christmas wreath on the front door.  I updated it this year with a vintage glass ornament. It is deep red with gold dots and has a matte finish.

I used a clear wreath hanger since I don't have a gold one which would work best.

I am still working on the decorations on the inside.













I recently finished another Maeve Binchy book called the The Copper Beech which is the tree in the Shancarrig school yard.  The book follows several young people who have carved their initials in the bark of the tree.  Eddie becomes a pen pal to someone in Scotland. They share many interests and letters go back and forth between them.  They eventually share telephone calls but only after he discovers that he has been writing to the "girl".  She eventually comes to visit Ireland and decides to stay!

I broke down and bought the lastest Kate Morton book - The Clockmaker's Daughter.  It is as epic as her previous books.                                                                 It involves a long abandoned mansion, families in recent history as well as many years ago and some delightful mysteries involving a blue gem.                                                                    It is written in the from the Clockmaker's Daughter point of view who lived in the house.  I resisted just reading day and night but I have to admit the last half was consumed with little eating and a few bathroom breaks.                                         The colorful tile was a purchase at the art show in early December.  It is art by Val Enders. 

It is decorated with a process called Alcohol Ink Painting.  It is 3x6 inches.  The color is vibrant and gorgeous!  It seems that it may have a clear coat over the paint to protect it.  

It has a hanger on the back which allows it to be hung and enjoyed.

I bought this little metal yellow bicycle last week.  It was filthy but after a soak in soapy water and some tender care with an old toothbrush it was bright and shiny.

I am working on scenarios to place into for my photography.  I think a white picket fence would be great or a nice tree like the front of the Binchy book cover.

I am sharing with Mosaic Monday #7 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Gold and Green Holy Family Favors

I made over 60 of these for our Women's Ministries Christmas Brunch today.

I cut dark green linen card stock with the Sizzix Bigz Ornament #2 die which allowed me to cut 2 at a time.

I cut the Holy Family with the Penny Black Manger Thinlit Die from gold card stock.  It is attached to the top ornament with a gold star tiny brad.  The top was then adhered to the back one with quick dry adhesive.  These were pressed to ensure good adhesion.
 

The JOY satin ivory ribbon was cut to exact 8" to ensure I had enough to do the lot.  I used a piece of heavy card cut to 8" inches long.  I then wrapped the ribbon front to back until the roll was empty.  I then added the elastics to keep the ends I place while I cut the ribbon at both ends.  The 3yds on a roll produced 13 8" lengths.

I folded the ribbon with the words facing away from me and the pushed the fold through the ornament hanger.  The 2 tails were pulled through the loop and pulled taut.

The ends were trimmed at a slant with scissors.

A great reminder of the Reason for the Season.

Game Night - CH - 1st Letter Game

I headed to Compassion House to lead time playing the 1st letter game.

We start with a phrase that describes an object.  We take the first letter of each word and place them vertically on a sheet of paper.  Then those in the group try to guess what the object is based on these clues.

One little red wagon ornament. OLRWO.

I have prepared a 10 prizes for those who guess the right phrase to describe the prize.

The box of Christmas cards are a result of my making the left overs of the 3 classes held in November.  It holds 10 cards.

The Metro Mug was a hit.

The pastel micro fiber dish cloths were appreciated.

These were a few of the items I had in my goodie bag.

We had a great time and then I shared a cup of tea with a couple of folks.

Photo Coasters

With the poor results from my last sale I decided that I needed to expand my products with my photography as cards and calendars are not as sought out as they once were.  After a lot of thought, tossing and turning in the middle of the night the idea of photo coasters came to mind.

With a bit of research on-line and digging through old craft supplies which I kept through the de-stashing this summer I found Chipboard Coasters.  Being square they pair up really nicely with the 4x4 photos I have designed for photo calendars.

Digging through what I had on hand a put together several sets.  It was a long process as 3 times one has to wait while things dry and press.   I am very happy with the end result.

I backed the coasters with fleece because that is what I had on hand, it does not ravel and is easily cut with scissors or a rotary cutter.

Cardmaking - CH - Class 5

Style 2 - Designer Paper Split.  I bought these 12x12 glitter papers together but don`t have a designer or manufacturer.

This is very versatile paper in that it has lots of colors.  The bottom piece is cut 4 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall.  The top piece is cut 4 inches wide and 1.75 tall.  These are taped together on the back.

I added a kraft ribbon over the join which was taped to the back.  This layer was then adhered to the front of a nice pink card.

The greeting was printed with colors from the designer paper.  It was punched with the 2 inch oval and adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

I created kits with kraft card and pink ribbon and green card with red ribbon.

Style 3 - Square - The ornament element is 3.25 inches square.  It was adhered to a 3.5 inch red layer which coordinated well with the ornament color. Creating a hole with a push pin, I added a clear crystal brad in the center and pressed the prongs apart on the back.

I chose a deep burgundy card which matched well with the background color on the accent.  I glued a piece of gold moire paper to the card front leaving a small border.

I wrapped a piece of gold ribbon around the card front and taped the ends to meet under the accent layer.

The accent layer was then adhered over the ribbon with 3D foam tape aligned with even borders top, left and bottom.

Style 8 - This card was designed with Stampin Up elements.  I chose a Garden Green card base.

The diagonal stripe designer paper is from the Be of Good Cheer DSP set.  It was cut to leave a small border of card color.

I cut a 6 inch length of Cherry Cobbler Tulle and wrapped it around the DSP in the bottom third of the layer and taped the ends to the back.

The greeting was created with ivory metallic card stock cut with one of the SU Apothecary Framelits.  It is attached to the card front over the tulle with 2 tiny green brads on the bumps on the right and left sides. The greeting was color printed and punched with the SU Word Window and mounted to the label with 3D foam tape.

The designer paper layer was then adhered to the card front.

The felt wreath is from the Stampin Up Stitched Felt Winter Wishes Embellishment Set.  I added a Cherry Cobbler bow made from thread which is held in place with a Bling Zot.  The wreath was attached above the tulle with Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive.

Mosaic Monday - recent photos

I attended this play last week.

I met a couple friends downtown and we had supper at the mall.  We met another friend at the theatre.

This play was presented at our local theatre. The playwrights are Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon.  The director was McAlear.

The story follows the Mary Bennett who is unmarried and visits her sisters at Pemberly where Elizabeth lives with husband Mr. Darcy.

Some of the story line was quite silly.  A tree in the drawing room was a curiosity.

Since I was going to be downtown I took advantage and spent several hours at the Royal Alberta Museum which finally opened Oct 3rd after being closed for several years while the new building was being constructed.

Natural History Gallery

The dioramas are there.  I love how this animals are placed in their natural environments. The paintings are so well done.

The Gem room has been put together wonderfully.

The stones are very well displayed.  The lighting is terrific, the labeling is great and there is lots of space.

This is Ammonite.  I love the red and green in this piece.

There are gems, ore, precious metals, and a bunch of wonderful stuff.



Human History Gallery

These blue and yellow dishes were produced in our province in Medicine Hat. Who knew?

A beautiful copper kettle.

The Indigenous people feature in this gallery.  There are lots of great objects to see and learn about. 

In four hours I did not cover it all.  Maybe half so I will be going back.

My body was happy to sit down and have something to eat.

I loved the visit.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #4 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bayleaf.

Card Exchange

I made a couple of these cards for my card exchange buddies.

I started with a black card and then added a layer of sparkly paper leaving a small border.

I cut a black card stock star with the Stamping Up Star Framelits.  I mounted a silver glitter star which was a bit smaller.  These were adhered together and it was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

I created the greeting with the SU Modern Label punchie and the Word Window punchie.  It was also attached to the card front with 3D foam tape.

These are going in the mail and I hope they will be delivered.

Framed Photos

I framed this beautiful Ninebark - Summer Wine blossoms in a gorgeous champagne frame. 

It features a warm champagne pearl mat with a white one behind. 

The frame is 9.5 inches square with an opening for a 5x5 inch photo.

I had lots of comments on the framed art but sadly no one chose to taken home from the sale yesterday.







At the sale yesterday, each vendor was asked to donate an item.  Items were arranged into gift bags and about 20 gift bags were drawn throughout the day. Folks filled out their names as they donated to enter the sale.

This the cute frame I donated.  It is a 6x6 frame featuring a floating 4x4 photo.  It was about 2 inches deep so it stood on its own. 

I chose 2 of my 4x4 calendar images and tacked them together.  They were sandwiched between 2 pieces of glass. One can then see an image from either side.  This side is a Blue Morph taken at the Butterfly Museum.

It would make a great photo for Instagram photos as it was very easy to access and change the photos at a whim.

Photo Cards - Craft Sale

This is a photo of tree rings from a very old tree at the museum.

I chose auto enhance and it brought out some beautiful color and textures in this object photo.

Another shot from the museum.  This is a lava related rock from the gem room in the Natural History exhibit.  This is a great place at the museum.

I loved how the light shine through these amber colored transparent areas.

This is a fish net rolled into a ball in the Human History Exhibit.  It was displayed along with tools like fish hooks, and needles used in the repair of the nets.

Photo Cards - Frameable Art - Craft Sale

I love the leaves on this bush with their rounded ends and beautiful coloring of green transitioning to red as fall arrives.

My best guess is this is the Barberry - Crimson Pygmy bush.  I love the shadows captured along with small and medium leaf sizes.

With that coloring it could almost do a Christmas card if you did not expect it to have snow.

Love it.













Here I have captured a group of maple leaf tree seeds back lit by the morning sun.

I love how as your eye goes up the photo the seeds become darker and but still outlined by the light providing texture to the overall image.









A red poppy converted to the 4x6 format for this card.

It was taken at the Community Garden this summer.

These all make wonderful all occasion cards.

A note to the friend, a birthday greeting, the maple seeds could be a sympathy card.

You may recognize this image which I submitted to a photo competition this summer.

Resized into a 4x6 for photo cards.

Love the calm water and the water drops on the leaf.









These cards are easily framed in the 5x7 frame.  Arranged singly or in a trio would quickly perk up a room, front hall or office area. Great value too.  I`ve selected a small profile frame in basic black with makes the most of the Nine Bark flower in the photo.

Christmas Photo Cards - Craft Sale

I have been spending a good chunk of time working on still life photography as the weather outside is less conducive to being out with camera.

I filled a vintage hobnail candy dish with Christmas ornaments.  I chose a variety of sizes, shapes and finishes. Some were shiny others matte; silver, green, red were the colors I chose; and I had round, pinecone, stars and hearts for shapes.

I decided to make the silver heart the focal element.  Shiny surfaces are hard to photograph because your camera as well as anything else near ends up reflected in it`s surface.














This is a resin Nativity home decor item which I bought recently.  I loved the colors in it and it had enough relief to make it interesting.  It stands on it`s own.  I created a gold background which mirrored it`s warm tones and provided a nice bokeh effect.

I am not providing an insert in my photo cards to it`s nice to have the sentiment on the front.  I created on with a light sentiment but the one with the dark base is by far the best one.








I originally created this image for a Christmas card order a while back.

This is one of my stained glass Nativities with a tealight in behind.   I love the soft seamless background and how the pink is picked up on the bottom of the image.

I translated the image to a 4x6 format and printed a few in the different colors.

I have a good variety so they should appeal to quite a few buyers at the sale tomorrow.