Yeah 2010!!

Happy New Year!

Our New Year's Eve celebration will be very low key tonight.  Dinner  & then off to the movies.  My kids have been counting the days until they can see this.

I doubt I will even be awake to see the ball drop in Times Square. 

Do you remember watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve? OMG, that was tradition in our house.

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We had a great holiday with my sissy in Austin, we returned late last night exhausted.  Bags, suitcases & boxes are everywhere. Before I begin the clean up process I thought I'd share some Christmas goodness.

I introduced my family to Etsy this year, & thery're hooked.

Love this awesome crow cabinet, it's going into my studio perhaps to hold stamps?

This typewriter key pendant is precious, I'll wear it everyday...

and this tiny hinged box with velvet lining is filled with watch faces & vials. One of my resolutions this year is to use the good stuff, not hoard it.

Then my dear Auntie,  a longtime collector/dealer brought me a major goodie box.  It is filled with the most beautiful floral fabrics, lace & embroidery. Can you see the scalloped valance at the top!? I shrieked when I saw it.  She knows me very well & always brings me pretties when we get together.

These are all lace collars & some leather thingies.  Maybe they came off shoes?

Ahhhhh

We spent yesterday at Zilker park for the kids, & some shopping for Mom.

While at the park Owen brought me this for my 'collage'. These cool trees were everywhere and had little nest like bundles growing on the branches.

Found these nifty old hangers, I will use them to hang collage or banners....

and a bunch of cute stamp sized photos. I've been collecting 'lucky' things for a couple of years to use in a themed collage.

I scored this amazing old photography catalog for next to nothing, maybe because it had no cover? Anyway, didn't matter to me because the contents are fantastic. Advertisements, charts, pictures, etc. I cannot wait to use some of these pages.

And last, 2 copies of an old abstract of title dated 1930. I am so crazy for old paper of all kinds, especially with engraving & lovely graphics.  These papers include surveys, maps, fees, all hand typed (can you imagine).

I wish you a healthy, happy new year filled with fun, adventure & extreme treasure hunting!

One for the road

We are heading to Austin in the morning to celebrate Christmas with my sister's family. Just when I thought I was done, right?! So I'm back at the sewing machine to whip up a couple of last minute gifts. I really don't want to face the stores again, so I'm using what I have at home.

Everyone is stamping on muslin & I love it, so I came up with a little idea for some tea towels.

I started with some great stamps from Stampington, tea stained muslin, & plain dish towels from Target.  I think I paid $4 for 6 of them, I've used them in so many projects.

I torn the muslin & left edges raw. I like this look.

I used the Ranger archival ink in sepia, the label says it's waterproof.

Pressing after helps to seal the ink. Be careful not to slide the iron on the muslin, just lift and press.

I think they turned out pretty cute. They would also be great as a little gift bag, just fold over & add a drawstring at the top.

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On Christams Eve I got this cool package from Cherry over at Cherrys Jubilee.  I sent her some silhouettes & she sent me.............

For Valentines Day...

For everyday...

For Christmas....

And a bunch of goodies wrapped up in a sweet little doily.

Cherry is one of the first blogs I found 3 years ago when I discovered this magical world.

 I was immediately drawn to the bright & happy cottage style that she incorporates into her home & art.  Needless to say, I was honored when she asked me to trade with her.  That's whats so cool about blogging, 3 years ago I found her site & this year we traded handmade gifts. Thank you Cherry!

Done!

Every year I have a list of things I want to accomplish for the Christmas season. Every year I say to myself  'where did the time go'? Every year I'm left with a portion of the list undone, & every year I get to a point where I think 'this is it, if it's not done now it's not getting done'. Then I clean up the mess, put on my Carpenters Christmas CD, grab a mug of cider, sit back & enjoy!

Finally got all of my etsy orders sent.

presents are wrapped & under the tree....

outfits selected for Christmas Eve Church service....

goodies all baked....

nothing left to spend....

If only these would bloom!

Just one more thing to do....that is to wish you a very safe, warm & happy holiday! See you after the festivities.

The gift of friendship

One of my first blogging buddy's was Dorthe of Den Lille Lade, a truly gifted maker of dolls & other beautiful things. She always has a sweet word for me & has encouraged me in many ways. We recently made a Christmas trade & look at who arrived all the way from Denmark.

Dorthe calls them frairies, I think she's my Christmas angel. The workmanship is impeccable. I have admired them from pictures, but to hold her in my hand is quite different.

I love her eyes & the expression on her face.

And look at her wings! A buttefly helps her fly!

She included a tag, see the map? Can you read it? 'Bornholm-Where I live' I Love IT! Every time I think of Dorthe I'll look at her tag & know where Bornholm is. Dorthe, my angel- fairie is magical & will sit in my studio after the holidays. Thank you so much!

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My dear friend Charlene of My Hearts Ease hosted a wonderful Christmas tea for her gal pals yesterday. What a treat during this busy time to spend time in beautiful surroundings, eating yummy food & giggling with your peeps. Her house is absolutely darling, every nook & cranny. I was too busy eating to take many pictures, but I did manage to get a couple between mouthfuls.

The table was gorgeous, LOVE the centerpiece!!

And this wreath hangs in her bathroom! You know I am in awe of anyone who includes the potty in their seasonal decorating. I bought Christmas Sponge Bob Dixie cups for the kids, does that count?  Thank you Charlene for taking time out in this busy time to pamper your friends in such a special way.

The holidays have always been a time of reflection for me. As I look back over this past year I see so much to be grateful for. A loving partner, three amazing healthy children, a safe home, close & supportive family, the list is long. Among the things I am thankful for this year are the friendships I value so, so much. I have tried very hard to keep my blog light hearted, but at risk of getting too mushy I have to say that this year has been life changing. To start this blog where I put my life & art 'out there' for all to see was so frightening. It took a month for me to hit the 'publish' key on my first post, but the support I've received has made this blog thing addicting! I look forward everyday to reading about all of the creative & fun things my friends are doing. Reading your comments gives me cofidence to push myself further & take more risks. To friends near & far, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Dirty Little Secret

There is a fine line between having really cool collections for crafting & being a hoarder.

I think I may have crossed it.

Okay, so it's a little worse with all of the Christmas stuff going on....but still.

I think my husband is planning some sort of intervention. ' A&E' showed up on the phone caller ID.

(Don't you love the hanging drawer pull?)

The first step in recovery in admitting you have a problem, so I asked Santa for some help.   He's going to assist me in a studio re-do & I can't wait! I spend so much time looking for supplies, that by the time I get ready to sit down & work it's dinner time.  It's exhausting! I looked at all of the wonderful studios so many shared during Karen's party, 'Where Bloggers Create'.  How do you do it? They were all so pretty & clean!

I found this at the bookstore yesterday, perfect timing! I am a big fan of Lynne Perrella's art. It's a really beautiful book, filled with insight into some amazing artists their studios & how they create. So maybe, if I'm lucky & stick with my program I can participate in WBC Part 2!

Christmas Crafting Part 2

A simple bouquet of felted white flowers.  

That is what I made last night while watching 'A Christmas Story' with the family. It was a great night. Fire roaring, kids all cuddled up watching their Daddy's favorite Christmas movie.

I think they make a sweet embellishment on a plain paper gift bag. I added a simple tag, a bag of my shredded sheet music & listed some in my Etsy shop.

Then I made some tags using a technique I learned from Lesley at Flatwood Folk Art Studio.  It is an awesome process of layering paper, chaulk & a photo transfer.  I made a boy tag too...

Today we hung some of the garland Lily made.

We are having so much fun this year, the kids are at such a great age. Last year they were still afraid of Santa, this year they got to have breakfast with him! It is such a magical time of year, and wonderful to see through the eyes of my children. I get so much joy from passing down traditions from my own childhood, and also creating new ones. My son asked today if we could 'put on our jam's and blankets, then go driving in the van to look at lights'.  I think that's a new tradition!