The Creative Season

This time of year is crazy busy for me.    Almost every waking hour that I am at home is spent painting and making things for custom orders and gifts. I don’t do any photography after mid November.  Here is a sneak peak of one little thing I’ve painted. (Sorry I can’t post projects here before Christmas).  My little Granddaughter Kendall loves the color purple and recently discovered owls.   I thought she might like this little ornament.

I also made about 10 of these frames for family and passed them out on Thanksgiving so they could get some use out of them this year.   I used various background papers and cut out the verse with vinyl.   Isn’t it fun?

The first Saturday in December is a big girls out day.  We get up at the crack of dawn and head out to the local Holiday bazaars, vintage shops and Christmas show.   It’s usually my Sister, Mom, Daughter in Law and a few friends and lasts ALL DAY!  (I really need to convince my daughters to go with us.)   We usually have a list of about 15 places we want to go but end up at about half of them.   We’re in no hurry.  We just want to enjoy each other’s company, hopefully find a couple of gifts and just have fun. 

I found this silly black boa at one of the vintage shops and had to show it off.   My sister forced me to wear the hat.

Last week I gave a talk at church.  It was good for me to take a couple of hours of my time to sit down, study, ponder and prepare.   It was a comfort to me.   My young women at church did a service project last week for someone in need.   This week we will be going caroling throughout the neighborhood and will be passing out goodies.  It is the Season of Peace and Love.

I haven’t made any Christmas cards.  I haven’t even bought any to send out.  That doesn’t mean I don’t care.  I can’t do it all and that’s OK.    I will spend the next week with Family and just enjoy the Christmas season. We will gather, eat, play games, sing Christmas songs and just enjoy each other’s company. My Family means the world to me and being with them is the best thing ever!

I hope the Spirit of Christmas is with your Family.  If you don’t have any family near, go out and serve others.   I guarantee it is the best feeling ever and you will be blessed. 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Flaky Folks

Can you say Snowman?   I finally got some decorations up last weekend..  Can you tell that I like snowmen?    Can you spot everything that I painted?

Can you spot Tanner?

There you have it…  a mini tour of some of my Christmas Decor….

Enjoy!  and

Merry Christmas!

Snow Globes

A snow globe is a transparent sphere usually made of glass enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a landscape. The sphere also encloses the water in the globe; the water serves as the medium through which the "snow" falls. To activate the snow, the globe is shaken to churn up the white particles. The globe is then placed back in its position and the flakes fall down slowly through the water. Snow globes sometimes have a built-in music box that plays a Christmas carol.

I imagine these cards as pretty little snow globes made out of canning jars.

Products used: PTI – Friendship Jar – Holiday Filler. Memory Box. Buttons. Twinkling H20. Seam binding ribbon. Shimmerz. Copics. Twine. Hemp. Raffia. Rhinestones. Lace. Satin ribbon. Distress ink – vintage photo. Doilies. PTI - die cuts

 

 

Wishing you and your a Very

      Merry Christmas!

 

Be Creative!

 

Candy Cane Legend

Look at the Candy Cane
What do you see?
Stripes that are red
Like the blood shed for me

White is for my Savior
Who's sinless and pure!
"J" is for Jesus My Lord, that's for sure!

Turn it around
And a staff you will see
Jesus my shepherd
Was born for Me!

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Many years ago, a candy maker wanted to make a candy at Christmas time
that would serve as a witness to his Christian faith.
He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry
and death of Jesus. He began with a stick of pure white hard candy;
white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus;
hard to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the Church;
firmness to represent the promise of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J"
to represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior.
He thought it could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd,
with which he reached down into the ditches of the world to lift out
the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker
stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes
to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received,
by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the
blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the
promise of eternal life. Unfortunately, the candy became known
as a candy cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time.
But the true meaning is still there for those who have
eyes to see and ears to hear.

***********************************

Products used:   CTMH – Grey Flannel. PTI – Distressed dots. Friendship Jar – Holiday Filler. Twinkling H20’s. Bakers twine. Satin Ribbon. Champagne mist ink. Stickles.  PTI – die cut tag.

Be Creative!

Night Before Christmas

I used CHF stamps – Night Before Christmas.  They are no longer in business.  I love all of their stamps that I have.   These are fun and a little vintage.

I made 24 of these.   I don’t get very detailed with my Christmas cards.  I make over 100 of them so they need to be quick.

Products used:  CHF – Night Before Christmas. Kraft cs. Su – Cherry Cobbler. My Minds Eye – Holly Jolly. Glass Glitter. Seam binding ribbon. Staples. Distress ink – Vintage photo. Chalks.

 

Be Creative!

Groovy Snowmen

Everyone should know by now that I love Snowmen!  These are no exception!   Just Right – Groovy Snowmen.   I ran the kraft cardstock through my Big Shot using a cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder.   The snowflakes were then rubbed with white ink.

I made 8 variations of this card.  There are 4 different snowman. (I guess I didn’t take a picture of all of them.)

Products used:   Just Right – Groovy Snowmen. Kraft CS. Cuttlebug Snowflake emboss folder. CTMH – White Daisy ink. My Minds Eye – Holly Jolly. Nestabilities. Bling – rhinestones. PTI – Signature Christmas. Copic markers. Shimmerz. Twinkling H20’s.

Be Creative!

Joy to the World

The words and lyrics of the old Christmas carol 'Joy to the World' were written in 1719 by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). The father of John Watts was a Non-conformist and so extreme were his views that he was imprisoned twice. His father's influence over Isaac was demonstrated when he choose to attend Non­conformist Academy at Stoke Newington in preference to a University. Watts was ordained as a Pastor of an Independent congregation. He wrote many hymns and Carols and was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by the the University of Edinburgh in 1728. The music to the carol is by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759).
Our grateful thanks goes to Eric Halstead for giving his kind permission to play his self sequenced midi file of this superb piano rendition of this Christmas Carol.

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

I stamped all of the stars with CTMH – Goldrush. I then rubbed them with versamark ink and embossed with a clear glitter powder.  They really sparkle pretty.   The inside of card says  ‘the Lord is come’.

Products used:  CTMH – Goldrush. Twilight. Vanilla. Verve – Star of Wonder. MS Lace punch. Emboss glitter.  White gel pen.  I made 16 of these.

 

Be creative!