Winter Solstice

I just finished this cozy read by Rosamunde Pilcher - Winter Solstice.  If you're looking for something to warm your heart this time of year, I highly recommend it.  It begins in London but the characters all end up on the grounds of an Estate-turned-hotel on the Scottish coast (a bit of a plus if you've been reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and are now interested in Scotland).  It's a bit predictable, but sweet and relaxing and heartwarming as well.  Enjoy!

Besides reading, I've been keeping busy with a bit of this and that to get ready for Christmas.  Yesterday I finished up some more felt birds from the patterns I printed at the Down East Thunder Farms website.  It's nice to simply print a pattern, cut and stitch it without having to invent something or figure it out.  Plus it's relaxing to do a little hand stitching, and the results are pretty cute!  Here are are some of the ornament gifts I made:

The eastern bluebird,

the snowy owl,

the ruby-throated hummingbied (with a toothpick beak)

the common crow,

and the chickadee!

 The chickadee is now adorning the rustic card holder I wrote about in the previous post, but most of the others have already gone to their new owners.


I've done a little baking as well.  One thing I decided to try is this recipe for homemade dog treats, one of the first things I ever pinned on Pinterest.  There are only 4 ingredients and the dough mixes up and rolls out very easily.  The neighbors on both sides of us are multiple-dog households, so I thought I'd share them.  I can't testify to how they taste, but they've got a nice cup of peanut butter in them and Cassie just loves them!

I also made a pan of this 5-ingredient Graham cracker toffee:

I topped it with chopped almonds and coconut and they are rich and scrumptious!  If you like toffee and need an easy-to-make party contribution or gift, they are perfect.  Try not to eat them all yourself!

 I only did a little real baking this year because I've finally gotten out of the mindless eating habit and I don't want to get back into it over the next two weeks.  But I had to bake at least a few cookies and I chose these:

They are the classic Jewel brooch cookies, gingerbread (from a box mix), white chocolate-dipped pretzels, and coconut macaroons.  We have enough to pick on ourselves and some to give away, so I think that'll be it for me as far as holiday baking goes (except for maybe a cheesecake for dessert Christmas day). 

Most of the shopping and even wrapping are done, so now all I have to do is the Christmas cards.  They're going out a little late this year, but better late than never!

Quick Holiday Project

I love projects that are quick, cheap, and useful, don't you?   The last few years, I've kept all the Christmas cards we received in basket on top of the piano - they're contained, but not really easy to see or read.  I've been wanting one of those wire card holders you hang on a wall, but didn't want to spring for the $25 or more (plus shipping).  I recently saw something in a catalog to display cards or photos made from old barn wood criss-crossed with twine.  I came across some birch branches in the backyard and decided to modify the idea.  This is what I came up with:

 After cutting the branches to size, I tied them together at the corners with florist's wire.  Then I strung some ribbon back and forth between the side branches and added some bows and clips.  Couldn't be easier!  It makes a nice display on the back of the front door and all the cards and photos are easy to see and read.   I can take it apart for easy storage to reuse next year... And it cost nothing!  I love it!

"Here to stay is a New Bird..."

Don't you just love seeing the cardinals in winter?  That bright spot of red among the winter grays, whites and dark greens is so cheery, I just love it.  And they are so perfect for a Christmas tree!  A whole tree decorated just with a vast variety of cardinals would be really stunning, wouldn't it?

In my bird-stitching experiments this fall, I didn't attempt to make a cardinal because I couldn't figure out how to get the crest into the folded circle pattern.  But I recently came across this website, with lots of free downloadable patterns for bird ornaments stitched out of felt, which I love. I'll probably make a bunch of these for Christmas.  However, most of her patterns are kind of flat, with just wings added and a little bit of stuffing.  I wanted the cardinal to have a bit more dimension so I found another one here.  No free pattern, but I went to the drawing board and came up with a prototype.  I decided to make his wings out of plaid flannel, and also added a stripe of it to his tail.  Isn't he cute?  I was going to give him away, but I like him so much and I have the perfect spot for him:  Here, in the middle of my ivy topiary near the kitchen window!  I have two of these wreath topiaries, so I'll have to make another one for myself.  I love these quick, satisfying projects!

Thankful Thursday, Christmas Edition

This is a good time of year to stop and recognize the abundance we live with on a daily basis.  Today I am most particularly thankful for the leisure time I've been spending at home the last couple of days.  In the mad race to get everything done before the big day, it's been almost hard for me to slow down and savor quiet moments alone or with the immediate family (or the dog!).  And now that I've had some quiet and rest, I hope I can get my momentum going again when I'll need to (tomorrow!).  I'm also grateful for my husband, his job and salary which enables us to have this lifestyle, and the vacaton time he's been able to take this week.   He's been a huge help driving the girls around, shopping, wrapping, helping with cooking and clean up.  And he's always in a merry mood too!  Finally, I'm grateful for the gift of faith which is reborn at Christmas.  I pray that I'm passing it on to my children and they will find it of value throughout their lives.

Christmas Contentment

The busyness of the Christmas season is winding down.  Most of the planning, shopping, baking, decorating, and wrapping is done.  We went to an early vigil mass this evening and sang all the old familiar Christmas carols, then came home to a decadent seafood dinner with shrimp cocktail, crab legs, and lobster tails.  After dinner, we glanced outside and were surprised to see a picturesque dusting of powdery snow.  How perfect!

After I finish this post, I'll probably settle down to finish one of my all-time favorite Christmas books, How Far to Bethlehem by Nora Lofts.  I began rereading it last week, when I began to feel the stress and pressure so common at this time of year.  I was definitely in a bah-humbug mood, and not getting more than a fleeting glimpse of that Christmas cheer we all try to feel.  But this book has gotten me back on track and truly reliving the birth of Christ and the real reason for the season.

It is the Christmas story, retold from the points of view of many of the people involved, beginning with Mary and including Joseph, Elizabeth, Melchior, Gaspar, Balthazar, the innkeeper and his wife, Herod, and a shepherd.  Each character is portrayed in such a realistic way that it's easy to grasp the true human difficulties and challenges they faced.  Joseph finds his faith tested again and again, as he realizes that God is giving him spiritual guidance, but it is up to him to take action and follow that guidance.  The story of Balthazar, who is portrayed here as a runaway slave, is particularly moving, as is the story of a shepherd, Josodad, who is struggling to get over the death of his own son on a cross and is about to commit suicide, when he sees the angels singing of God's glory, and his son among them.  The book was published in 1965 but has been recently reprinted.  I have always wondered if anyone else has ever read this book and found it as moving as I have.  I was pleased to see many people felt the same way about it, according to the reviews on amazon.com.  

I am looking forward to my long winter's nap (after I stuff the stockings) and a sleepy, quiet, happy Christmas day tomorrow.  Hope yours is happy too!

Quickie Cards

Last week I needed a few more Christmas cards, so I whipped these up from some fabric, paper and ribbon scraps I had in my stash.  Every year I have so much fun doing Christmas crafts that I plan to continue making things into January to save for next year.  But then Christmas comes and goes, and January arrives, and it's out with the old, in with the new, and I never get around to it.  Maybe this year...

Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

...well, you know how the song goes!  We got a nice blanket of snow this week, so it's looking like Christmas outside, and we finally got to some of the decorating indoors too.  We put up the tree, and, for the first time, we put up this miniature Christmas village.  I inherited all these lovely houses and accessories from my parents.  It came complete with the snowy blanket, houses, lights, mirrored ice skating pond, and little figurines, so it was fun and easy to put together.  Here are a few close-ups:

The "downtown" area, with some stores, a central park, and gazebo...

...the skating pond with a bridge,

...and beyond the bridge, some victorian homes near the church on the hill.

Here is another shot of some of the stores and the gazebo.  I actually remember buying several of the buildings (the toy store & other shops here as well as some of the victorian homes) unpainted at a local craft store and painting them myself a long time ago, I think before I was married.  They don't look too shabby, even next to the store-bought models.

Hope it's looking like Christmas by you too!

Craft Sale Pix

I finally made it down to the Putnam Arts Council holiday craft sale this afternoon to see all the beautiful artsy gifts available this year.  There's always a great assortment and this year is no different - as you can see above, handmade wire jewelry, hand thrown ceramics, even handmade journal books this year!  Notice at the top the basket with the antler handle.

There were some beautiful art cloth pillows and some wooden signs with cute quips and quotes like "Simplify" and "To thine own self be true."

 My bracelets were along this wall with some ceramic bowls, dog biscuit ornaments, and blown glass baubles.

Here is a closer shot of the display.  Look - two of the eight bracelets sold!  Maybe I'll bring over a couple more, and a few more necklaces and earrings too!

 Here are a few more shots of some of the beautiful gifts for sale - if you're local, check it out Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 pm!

Holiday Sale

I'm happy to announce that some of my charm bracelets will be included at the Putnam Arts Council's annual holiday craft sale!  If you're local, stop by to see all the beautiful gifts and support local artists!

Mindful on Monday

Last week I brought eight mixed-media charm bracelets over to the Putnam Arts Council for their annual holiday sale.  I'm thrilled that I'm able to participate, and hoping many of them sell.  The bracelets I brought over had various themes, including Christmas, winter, and what I call my "Bohemian Blue," one of my favorites (see them all by clicking here).  I pretty much sent over my entire inventory (I do have a few still at home) but it's in the back of my mind that they'll call me in a couple of weeks asking if I have anything else (wishful thinking, I know, but I want to be prepared!).  So I've been back in my craft space again, trying to knock out some additional bracelets of various themes, and hence the mess pictured above!  I also have a sewing project not quite completed, and some presents that need to be wrapped and shipped, so I feel a bit like one of Santa's elves at this time of year:  busy, busy, busy!

Even so, I took advantage of the milder weather yestereday and hung the pine garland and lights around our door and down the wrought iron railing.  I was glad to have that much accomplished, and felt pretty chilled afterwards (even though temps were in the 40s rather than the 20s)...

,,, so I rewarded myself and warmed up by finishing off the last piece of cheesecake left over from Thanksgiving!

I used my mother-in-law's "killer cheesecake" recipe, which was scrumptious - creamy and rich!  The springform pan I have is 13", so it takes a lot of cream cheese to fill, and this recipe didn't let me down (it calls for 16 oz of sour cream and a cup of heavy cream as well - no wonder she calls it "killer"!).

So on this "cyber Monday," I'm mindful once again of balance - keeping busy but not overdoing it, enjoying guilty pleasures after some outdoor activity, taking things one day at a time and trying to stay in the moment...

What are you mindful of today?

Much to Celebrate

There's always lots to celebrate this time of year, but we had an exceptionally merry time this year, beginning Christmas Eve.  We attended an early mass at our local church and came home to a dinner of royal proportions, including shrimp cocktail, crab legs, fresh cheese ravioli, and broiled lobster tails drenched in butter!

After we ate and cleaned up, we spent a quiet evening together, and then came my favorite part of the whole season:  the stillness of the holy night.  I got to enjoy a few peaceful moments alone after all the work was done for the day.

 The morning brought a dusting of magical Christmas snow and a flurry of present opening, which never seems to last very long!  Then a hearty Christmas breakfast and another flurry of activity preparing for a big family get-together.  Here we all are!  It's surprising not one of is is making a goofy face in this shot!

 There was plenty more eating and general merry making, including some hot-tubbing

and a musical interlude provided by my lovely and talented nieces!  

It was fun to have real children in the house again, as mine are all adolescents now and not half as energetic and spontaneous as my brothers' kids.  What a fun time!

This year, we also celebrated my oldest daughter's 16th birthday!

It's hard to believe that it's been 16 years since we brought her home from the hospital and began this exciting, rewarding, amazing, (and sometimes scary - notice the pink hair!) journey called Parenthood!  She has grown into a lovely, sensitive, caring, fun, smart young lady and we're so proud of her!

And to top it all off, last night my husband and I got to spend a little time alone to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  We certainly had a lot to celebrate this year!  God bless us, every one!

Some Last-minute Gifts

Advent Begins

Once school begins in September, it isn't long before we're seeing Halloween costumes and candy in the stores, the leaves change and fall, it's November and Thanksgiving, and suddenly December is upon us!  The last four months of the year just seem to fly by!  And even though I've been thinking about Christmas since September, and trying to get as much as possible done early on, I always feel a mild sort of panic settle in when I see that 12 in the month column.  So many things to think about, plan, accomplish in these few meager weeks!

So this year, I bought myself an early gift:  the little Nativity pin you see above.  I found it at Darlene Hardenbrook's Etsy shop Freeheart1 (where she has some beautiful polymer clay pieces - the design of this one is so special, she had it copyrighted!).  I hope it will be the perfect little reminder to myself not to get caught up in the anxiety of rushing, buying, wrapping, overdoing, but instead to take it one moment and one day at a time, and try to prepare my heart for the Savior's birth.  Amen to that!

Upcycling Plastic Bags

I've been a little slow getting my groove back, partly because I'm just not feeling particularly motivated (see previous post) and partly because of the construction project going on in my studio area, which has left my worktable completely covered with stuff that used to be on shelves and has made the atmosphere down there not very conducive to creativity.  But a few weeks ago I had started playing around with a way to recycle plastic bags which I read about in a recent issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine.  You basically start with white plastic bags (but not the thin grocery-store kind), putting several layers of plastic between two sheets of baking parchment and fusing them together with an iron set on a medium-hot temperature.  The plastic shrinks and wrinkles a bit from the heat of the iron, but if you keep the iron moving in a circular motion, it smooths out and fuses nicely into a base material.  Below is my first attempt, where I used a thinner, cheaper white plastic and then fused shapes cut from other colorful bags.  I layered it over some heavy interfacing and stitched an abstract design with black thread all around the shapes. Then I pressed it one more time because some of the shapes weren't quite fused all the way.  Unfortunately, the cheap white plastic shrunk just a little more, causing the interfacing to curl.  It was a good first try, but my second attempt today was more successful.

 This time I used a thicker white plastic bag and a cooler heat setting.  I only needed two layers of the white plastic, and then I fused on the red and green shapes.  When it looked the way I wanted, I stitched it onto the interfacing with decorative threads and free-motion-stitched some words and fun shapes.  They'll make nice holiday coasters, don't you think?  They look pretty good considering most of the materials were free!

Are you making any holiday gifts using recycled (or other) materials?

Art is Work

One of the quotes me from the book Imagine by Jonah Lehrer that stuck with me is "Art is Work" which Milton Glaser has hanging in his studio.  I've been working at coming up with 15 or more different red and green charms to use on some Christmas-themed jewelry.  Below are some shrink film charms and the different attempts I had to make with the same rubber stamp.  First I used the stamp on the white opaque film in two different shapes (on the left), but they looked too small.  Then I used the translucent rough-n-ready film and colored the back with colored pencils (in the middle).  I liked it, but I wanted to add the words "Merry Christmas" on it somewhere.  In the next version, I stamped the words "merry, merry, merry Christmas" around all four sides of the stamp and colored the back with a red pencil.  I liked the design, but the red background made the words difficult to read.  Finally, I made the last version with only a border colored red so the words are visible.  Success at last!

 Below are some of the additional charms I've come up with.  Most of these did not require quite as many attempts before I got it right, but there is always some trial and error.  Now that I've got most of that worked out, the bracelets should come together pretty quickly.  I'll have time to get them photographed before the holiday rush...  and hopefully make some sales!

Getting a Head Start

Last year I was a little disappointed that I didn't have any sellable items prepared for the Putnam Arts Council's annual holiday art sale.  The year before, I managed to sell a few bookmarks and lavender sachets.  This year, I thought I'd get a head start making charms and see if I can produce a few bracelets and maybe some earrings and quilted coasters as well.   Here are a few samples.

I still have some embellishing to do on the coasters and I just ordered some silver-plated chain and toggle clasps to complete the bracelets.  I think the button Christmas tree charms are my favorite so far!  I'd love to make more of them, but I need to find some more smaller buttons for the top of the tree.  I have bags of green buttons but only a few that size!