All Over For Another Year

Well the big day has come and gone. I spent yesterday taking down the tree, packing all the interior decorations away, unloading a few on the side to go to Good Will, and cleaning house. A wonderful feeling. I am always excited to put the decorations away and I start organizing all my closets and pitching stuff . Then I go through the studio and pull stuff from there I'm never going to use. I ususally let it accumulate in boxes and then take it to our church flea market in the spring. We're laying wood floors on the second floor of our house and all the furniture had to be moved so it's a perfect time to clean out. I love the feeling of starting the New Year "unencumbered" with life's detritus. Anyone else feel the same?

I had a hard time selecting an image from all the vintage Christmas ones I've saved over the years. They're all lovely but my heart, my very being, is drawn to the Nativity scene. All the shopping, cooking, preparation aside, this is truly what this season is about. I abhor the commercialism. Give me some beautiful Christmas music, lights (I do love lights!), and Christmas mass and I'm content. My family doesn't always understand my aversion to Christmas the way the world celebrates. But I have to be true to my upbringing and myself. I don't remember too many gifts as a child but my parents had a wonderful large Nativity that went up. The building must have been 2' by 3' and the figures 12" to 15" tall. It was magical. This reason for the season was ingrained in me at a very tender age. This tiny Child in such a pathetic setting came to bring peace in the hearts of men, not crowds in the mall. He came to save us, not a sale at Macy's. He came in a humble way to remind us where our hearts should be centered. If we but calm ourselves and listen, we will hear Him whispering our name. It is my fondest wish for all of you out there to celebrate with peace and calm, love and joy, and the blessings only this season can bring.

Another Great Blog to Follow for Zentanglers and Quilters

http://janemonkstudio.blogspot.com/ Be sure to give Jane Monk's blog a look-see. She is a beautiful long armed quilter as well as a certified Zentange teacher. She does lovely work in both media.

Tim Holtz Product Giveaway!!!

http://yoursartfully.blogspot.com/ Check out this blog for a chance to win a wonderful grouping of Tim Holtz products. My fave.....

Christmas Swag

I fell in love (as did many of you, I'm sure) with the November release at Papertrey Ink, in particular her banner stamps and dies. What an easy and creative way to make this popular decorative item. I kept my first one pretty simple and just wanted to share it with you. I used SU Kraft and K & Co. Glad Tidings DP. The snippet of music paper was a single sheet I picked up somewhere ages ago. The large rosette was made with the Tim Holtz die and the smaller ones were also K & Co. The letters that spell out Christmas I got at Michaels, pre glittered. I had no place in my studio to photograph the complete swag because my studio is in a state of pre-Christmas chaos so the pics were the best I could do. You'll get the idea I'm sure. Remember to click to enlarge to see detail closer. Enjoy!

ODB Small Ornaments

Here are two cards made with the small ODB ornament stamp set and the Spellbinders Heirloom Ornament dies. Background is SU cardstock. DP is a flocked paper from Anna Griffin and the glittery pink DP is from a birthday card I received last month! Recycle! Both were colored with Copics and highlighted with Stickles. White satin ribbon was used on both. On the pink card I stamped the image several times so that I could cut apart and layer the center of the ornament. Have a great weekend everyone!

Ornament Cards

I always feel like I'm the last person to hop on a "trend" and one of this season's biggies is the Spellbinders Heirloom Ornament die. So many companies have designed stamps to fit this die. I finally ordered this beautiful Ornament set and the dies from Our Daily Bread. I love to color and these were really fun. I used Copics and lots of Stickles to highlight. Most papers were older K&Co. The images themselves were stamped on watercolor paper. I used two Martha Stewart punches and some gems. I have another post coming on the smaller of the two ornaments in this stamp set.

Check it Out! Ho Ho Ho!

I just had to share this find with you. Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen! These santa clothespins were in Michaels. A package of ten for less than $2 because they were on sale. I colored him with Copics and used DecoArt's Outdoor Snow in a jar for his hat and beard. Just barely brushed it on with a tiny little stencil brush. Quick and easy but a nice touch for a gift or card or stocking. Now everyone run off to Michaels and buy santa clothespins!

A gift for me.........(for a change)

I decided I needed to make something for me for a change since most things I make are gifted or given away. I've had the sweatshirt ready for ages. And I was determined to make this with only fabrics from my stash and I did it! You cut the sweatshirt apart, cut the front in half so you are working with 2 fronts and a back. You remove the sleeves. You need half a yard of 8 different fabrics close in color value. You make two strip sets, four fabrics in one and four in the other. Then you cut the strips apart into blocks and arrange them on the right side of the shirt. Sew the rows together. Pin to the sweatshirt and machine quilt. Sew the sleeves back on and bind the edges. If you are a quilter this is clear as crystal. If not, you have no idea what I'm talking about. Hopefully the pictures will help. This is about the 6th one of these I have made.

The lighting doesn't seem to show the colors very well but be sure to click on the pictures and even double click to get a birds eye view of what's going on. Makes me want to do another one now!

Christmas Gift Purse

I have a cute little purse for you today. I purchased the template from http://www.inkingoutofthebox.com/. She has several very nice and reasonably priced templates for sale. This box has an unusual shape and I used my newest paper collection I picked up at Michaels during the weekend after Thanksgiving on SALE! It's by Anna Griffin and is soooooo elegant. The base paper is flocked pine cones. The other two papers are in the coordinating pack. The label/sentiment is from an old set by K&Co. but the colors were perfect. The scalloped edge is an EK success punch. The ribbon is a green twill tape I purchased years ago. It's a very roomy box inside. I took a pic on the tree as well as on my sewing table so you could see the colors clearly. I hope you like it!