Today has been a delightful day of giving heartfelt gifts to those we love, as well as spending time with our loved ones. We were thrilled to visit our friends house for an English Christmas dinner complete with Yorkshire Pudding! Yum! We pulled our first crackers and wore our paper crowns, read our jokes, and had fun. Being with my husband, son and daughter has been a real treat. Here is a photo of my daughter and I making a few more cookies last night, and some of our gifts early this morning. Christmas hugs to you all!
It is getting late, and I should be heading off to my lovely bed. It is just that I have been thinking about Christmas, how close it is and how grateful I feel. Sometimes my heart feels full to bursting with the love I feel. I have so many reasons to be thankful! So I thought I would just make a list of all I am thankful for tonight...
I am thankful for my Wonderful Husband! He is my dear, dear soul!
I am very full of love and gratitude for my Children...they are the joy of my heart!
I am so lucky to have such loving friends, I am so thankful for everyone of them, those here with me and those I have never met but share so much with!
I am so grateful for my Husband's job, that he loves what he does and feels like he is doing something great.
I am so thankful for the health and wellbeing of My family, myself and my friends.
I am so grateful for our dear Home, that houses us so comfortably and is a place of peace and creativity.
I am so thankful for our country, it's people and our leaders. Many blessings to all!
I am so thankful for creativity and the ability to express through art.
I am so thankful for my own little room where I can go to create.
I so love my two little doggies! They are pure love and I am so thankful to have them with us!
I could go on and on, but for now, this is what I wanted to say from my heart.
Merry Christmas to you all, I am full of thanks for the internet, for blogging and for each and every one of you who come by and visit here. Many blessings to you and your's!
Our family has a cookie tradition.
We bake the same ones each year, and to us they signify the holiday season.
I am sharing my absolute favorite cookie recipe with you today,
in case you are looking for something special.
Don't let the coconut fool you. I don't like coconut, yet I looovvvee these cookies!
I hope you enjoy them too!
Coconut Cranberry Chews
(The cookies on the left)
About 1 ½ cups of butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons Vanilla
3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups dried cranberries (I only put in about a cup)
1 ½ cups sweetened dried coconut flakes (I only put in about a cup)
In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 ½ cups butter, sugar, orange peel and Vanilla until smooth.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, stir to mix, and then beat on low speed until dough comes together, about five minutes. Mix in cranberries. (The mixture will look dry until it comes together as dough, if it is too crumbly to form into balls, the dough needs to be mixed longer. It should be a smooth mass.)
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on a buttered 12x15inch baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees until cookie edges just begin to brown, about 8-11 minutes. A shorter cooking time will make chewier cookies, a longer baking time will yield a crispier cookie. Let cool 5 minutes.
This recipe was developed by Nancy Jamison, Woodside California. I believe I found this years ago in a Sunset magazine (not sure though…).
Today I have been working on cards to give to my family members. I am inspired by many of you out there, whose art I see on your blogs. You are all truly talented! The images are all from PaperWhimsy.
By the way....remember I told you my husband was giving me cupboards and shelves in my art room for Christmas? Well, somehow I did not realize that it meant me cleaning out my entire room!!! I was shocked at how much I had! Half way through the moving and sorting I truly wondered if it was worth it! But, as in all big jobs..."inch by inch it's a cinch and yard by yard its far too hard!" so I inched my way through and finally did move it all. Yeah! And my husband has been doing an amazing job! It has only been a few days and they are half way built! It is going to be fantastic! I will post pics soon. (Did I mention my husband is a dear soul?)
Clicking on the images will really improve the quality of veiwing
Not long now, and it will be Christmas! Which means that we are all rushing around crafting gifts, meeting up with people, shopping, shipping and cooking. Whew! Lots to do, but still lots of fun to be had, and plenty of things to be thankful for.
I have been doing all these things this past week, hence I missed posting. I also picked my daughter and son up from university. Having them home for the holidays is a rare treat. During my crafting time, I have been making more bookmarks, and some other projects like the "Marie" shoe above. (the bookmark image is from Paperwhimsy, and the shoe template is one I have created with the idea in mind of the template we used for the slipper swap I showed pictures of earlier at Paperwhimsy.) Did I ever tell you that I just LOVE Paperwhimsy??? The ATC I made with a image from Lynn at her Koupie shoppe on Etsy.
My husband is building me cupboards and shelves in my art room, as well as helping me set up for better video making, for my Christmas gift. Yeah!!! I am so lucky!!! I wrote earlier in the fall that I would have more video tutorials coming....and I haven't forgotten. I have been trying to figure out how to do it better, and this work on my art room will help tremendously. My art area has a tendency to...ahh....explode with ephemera....somehow, and it just gets worse from there. So these cupboards and shelves will make a huge difference.
How are your holiday plans going? How are you celebrating this year? Thank you for dropping by!
Hello all! Today is a fabulous day, the sun is out, the sky is a tender blue and white clouds edged with gray are skipping across the sky. I love just sitting outside and looking up. The weather is glorious today, after two days of torrential rain. Everything is washed clean.
Today I have been making some ATCs and bookmarks for gifts. Here is one that I was inspired to do for Theme Thursday. The both images are from Paperwhimsy. I love that site!!! I chose the word because today I feel whimsical! The crown is from Michales, the company is Madame Delphine's, and they come in a string of 9 for less than $5 !!! What a deal!
I am thankful for days like today, it is one of those days that you just can't help but feel good. And I love to feel good!
This is the last day of November, and the last day of National Novel Writing Month. This was my husbands and My's second year to participate and we loved it this year as much as last. We finished around midnight last night, barely 24 hours before the deadline. Whew! If you love to tell stories or have been dreaming of writing for years and years, you may find this experience worth your time and effort. It is pure creativity! My favorite part about writing is that your characters can suddenly go off on their own and do what they like, even if it's not on your plot line! I love how the story has a life of it's own. Just like all the other artistic things I do. Today I decided to make a chiristmas ATC for a Lottery at Paperwhimsy, I pulled out some papers, an image I have been wanting to use, and somehow it just comes out how it wants too! I love it! Thank you for coming by!
It is getting to be that time of the year...... Here is an ornament I have made for Theme Thursday. I started with a piece of wood the size of a thick ATC. The image is from Lynn Palazzo at koupie.etsy.com. She is such a talented artist! I collaged the background over red glimmer mist with dictionary words for "gift". Thanks for stopping by. I am heading out the door to do a little Christmas shopping.
Hello All, I have been behind in my posts and creations lately. My Christmas gifts are coming along and I will post soon! I have been writing away each day as a participant of National Novel Writing month and I am just over 30,000 words since November 1st! Half way to the 50,000 word goal before November 28th. Such fun!
Here is a little ornament (Oh no!....blue again!) I whipped up this morning. The sun peeked out for 30 seconds today, so this is a dim view. She really is quite sparkly. I was inspired by Nancy Maxell James. If you visit her site you can see her gorgeous star ornaments. Both her and I used Paperwhimsy images, and the tinsel on my star is also from there. Thank you Nancy for sharing your creativity!
This time of year with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I begin to become more conscious of all my blessings. I am thankful for my Dear Husband, my cherished Children, our lovely home, the sweet friend here and online. I am grateful for the connection I feel expressing myself with art. I am thankful for you!
Here are more Fairy Slippers for the Paperwhimsy swap. I made these with K and Company paper, vintage lace, vintage buttons, crepe paper, vintage rhinestone pins, and German scrap. Anything not vintage I bought from Paperwhimsy, especially the lovely girl images. This project was tons of fun! I am also entering these in the Mixed Media Monday challenge as they are very much in fashion! Thank you so much for coming by!
Today I made my very first slipper. At Paperwhimsy they are having a fab swap where groups of five are making Fairy Slippers to trade! Yea! I love this idea. So, my group is doing pale blue, cream and silver. I did enjoy doing this very much and I know I will have fun doing more!
And yes, I did notice that I have been creating heavily in the same blue colors lately. It is my favorite color, though I think I may challenge myself to make something without blue!
Paper Whimsy has a wonderful shop filled with all kinds of artsy fun (I bought the paper I made the slipper out of and the image from there). And the artists on the Forum are true treasures!
Hello everyone! Back to crafting again and having a really good time.
I got this idea from the theme of this past Theme Thursdays challenge. It is"favorite colors". Mine are aged paper and blues. I began with just a cheap little wood container from Michael's (I think it cost me $1.00). I crackled it, aged it and added the interior decorations. I think of it as a glorified greeting card : ) I have a dear friend that I want to give this to. I hope she likes it.
Well, I am back and well enough to begin to post again! Photo's are piling up as well as things I want to share with you all. So this is the first in what I hope will be many more. I am excited to begin sharing things I make as Christmas gifts for others. I hope to post "how to's" as well.
The first gift I have created is apin cushion made in an old silver baby cup that I found in a parking lot! It is beautifully tarnished and dented with age. A lovely little flower I made, centered with a old rhinestone button, is the main focal point. I used a vintage rhinestone bracelet to trim around the rim, and assorted vintage pearls.
It has been on my heart, that I would like to give gifts made with love this year for Christmas. So this is a beginning.
At Marie Antoinette Mail Art we are having an apron swap. This is one I have made for it. I used some lovely quilting material, vintage napkin, vintage doily, vintage buttons and a vintage rhinestone button. I did really enjoy making this! I would love to make some more.
I apologize for my absence this past week. I have been experiencing a physical challenge. I will be back soon! The photo above is of a little tussie mussie I made as a thank you for a friend of mine in the spring. With this photo I would like to say "thank you!" to all of you that so kindly visit my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you!
Happy Thursday! What a beautiful day to create. Today I have been making a vintage "Marie" apron, and stopped for a while to create this little ATC for Theme Thursday. I enjoyed the break from all the sewing I have been doing lately. This ATC is a little dark for me, and the words just came to me. I am not sure what "Dark Beauty" means! LoL!
I have been working away this past week on several projects for swaps. Above are parts of 6x8 fabric book pages for a journal page swap at Marie Antoinette Mail Art group. At first I thought I was never going to be able to do this. I do sew, but not a lot. I found though, that the more I did the easier it became and the more creative ideas I had. It turned out to be delightful work.
How exciting to be learning new things! I took a class with Suzi Blu on drawing doll like girls. I really enjoyed that. So when Suzi announced her Marie Antoinette painting class I joined right in. I have been learning about drawing and shading and layering. This photo shows the painting about half way done (It is 12 x 24"). It has gone through many changes already and will go through even more, since it needs much more shabbiness (birds and a basket too). I will post again when I finish it. If you double click on the pic you can see it better. Thank you for coming to see : )
Here are some photos of items I have just finished for swaps.
The Royal Treat Art Bag is full of things for the crafty witch to create with. Bits n Bobs (embellishments), This and that (paper ephemera) A treasure box to dig in.... and lots of other surprises for my partner Catherine over at Marie Antoinette Mail Art. I had so much fun working on this one! I hope Catherine loves it : )
The Act cards are for another swap at MAMA. I did fuss with these! There is a bit of story on the back of the cards to go with some of the fronts.
You may come over for a visit and see a different looking blog. I am looking around the internet for an upgrade to the simple banner that my son and I made. It has been fun trying on new backgrounds. The Background Fairy has some beautiful pages. The one I am sporting now comes from there. It is not exactly what I was looking for, but the best I have found so far that does not clash with my header. I love her work, but I need a certain green and gold to match mine. I have a picture in my mind of old text paper background. And for now, my site might change on and off as I try on new looks! I might even try a new header. It is so much fun to play! The pic is from my new camera. I am learning how to use it and very happy with the results! In the mean time, I am working on about a dozen different projects that I hope to post about this week. See you soon!
Yesterday I was able to go to the flea market at the state fairgrounds. I love poking around this and that and finding unusual bargains. This trip did not disappoint me at all. I found more than a wonderful place to get vintage buttons, I found some new friends! Above is a pic of a small chest of draws that was just full of gorgeous old buttons and other interesting odds and ends. While I was sorting through all the treasures I talked with a few others there and the woman that was selling the goods. We were all talking about what we did with our finds. Sandra, the owner, was getting advice on selling in an Etsy shop. Two women gave me their cards so I could go to their web sites and blogs and see their art. (I do not have cards to share as of yet, but I am hoping to soon) We all had a lovely time looking around and chatting. It was a joy to meet these creative women, and when I got a look at their sites I was amazed at their incredible talent! What a treat!
This evening I was feeling well enough to make this inchie that I put on a piece of metal to create this necklace. It felt really good to make something! This weeks Inchies and Twinchies challenge was "Vintage Sweetness".
To everything there is a season.... A time to rest.... I have been recovering this week and have not had the pleasure of creating art. I am dreaming of all I will do as soon as I have healed. It is amazing all the ideas that dance through my mind! I leave you with this photo in place of where my Theme Thursday art would be. It is such a lovely heart and such a healing green color! Nature's Art.
I do love doing the weekly challenges offered online! I find that I become inspired by the theme or prompt and also by seeing what other artists are making. I end up making something I would have not thought of before! Go look on the site at all the amazingly creative art that has been posted already.
This necklace idea just came to me as I was contemplating what I could make that is "round" which is today's "Mixed Media Mondays" theme. I look around my art room at all kinds of stuff until I happened upon this old rhinestone buckle. Then I chose the ribbon, and the vintage pearl drops. The hardest part was picking out what would go in the center, until I finally decided on the old topaz button. I really enjoyed making this. It is not quite finished as it has taken quite a bit of time today and I need a vintage clasp. I will post another photo when the back is properly done.
Here is a little book I made for Small World Of Inchies and Twinchies. This week's theme is "buttons". Each page is 2x2 inches. The book starts with "old button, new button, yellow button, blue....cute as a button.....(the little girl is from Paperwhimsy)
Vintage Ladies is this weeks Theme Thursday. I took a little time off from my big project to do this. I have always wanted to do something with this image. It is from Digital Collage Sheets to Go. I also have a Inchies and Twinchies entry waiting in the wings. Maybe I will get it out later. It was great fun too!
I am 50. A halfway mark? Maybe. Life can be very long, and its a good thing too, because it has taken me all these years to grow into who I really am. Someone who loves to make things, all kinds of things!
I am currently working on an art piece 12 x24 inches, by far the largest thing I have made in mixed media. At first I was scared of the size...and my lack of experience...and then I heard a little encouraging voice whisper... "so what....do it anyways". And I immediately thought, "yeah, so what, what's the worst thing that could happen?"
I realized that just doing it, just taking the steps to do it would teach me so much that I could never learn just thinking about doing it, or reading books or watching others do it....
So, I am doing it, this huge painting of "Marie". And I am learning so much! And I am feeling so good as I do it, I know I am in the right place.
I am posting this wonderful video about loving art, and having doubts about living the artist you are. I hope you enjoy it as well.
Happy Monday Everyone. What a fab day it is too. There is the smell of autumn in the air. It is overcast here, but in a lovely way that the heavy clouds cushions all around... there is a cleansing wind as well. I suddenly want to take a walk in the woods and drink in the beauty and stillness. Today feels like a sacred day, a day of new fresh beginnings.
This is just what I needed today after a night of tossing thoughts around instead of sleeping. Today I choose to clean out my thoughts and embrace beauty. Let go of worries and concerns and focus on all the incredible possibilities and goodness that abounds in my life. I am thankful for the creativity that I am able to recognize and enjoy. I am thankful for the love that is all around me.
I love waking up Thursday morning knowing there is a new challenge a foot! How fun! So today's challenge is a "halloween" ATC and here is my entry. I found this little girl on Etsy at Cassi's Creations.
