happy new year

revisiting white

snow as the inspiration for 

 returning to working on 

 some white and peaceful pieces

Merry Christmas!

the reveal

Today is the reveal date for Lorelei's  current Michael's Reader Challenge!  The challenge was to  buy the beads pictured in her post at Michaels and create a necklace, using your own stash to supplement two  extra types of beads, a clasp and a focal.

I wasn't able to find the mother of pearl faceted beads and substituted a white nebula.  The focal is a skeleton key I found packaged as "Santa's Key" at a craft show. The clasp is a toggle with a dangling sparkly heart. 


Check out the other participants:

http://silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com

 http://blog.elysianstudiosart.com/

http://threeredbeads.blogspot.com/

http://starcitystory.blogspot.com/

http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/

http://www.thistlefarmarts.blogspot.com/

http://therabbitmuse.blogspot.com/

http://lindalandig.wordpress.com/

http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/

http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com/

http://jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com/

http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/

http://deborahmpurdy.blogspot.com/

http://beadhappytoday.blogspot.com/

http://pinkicejewels.blogspot.com/

http://craftyhope.blogspot.com/

http://gr8findings.wordpress.com/

http://tropicbeads.blogspot.com/

http://melissaruth.com/blog/

http://maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com/

http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com/

a tree as story

ornaments from Paris

The first Christmas we were married, we bought a single Christmas ornament and decorated the tree with popcorn and cranberry garlands and other homemade decorations including salt dough and paper ornaments.

Early in our marriage during our first, and very brief, visit to Paris we bought these ornaments.

 ornament from Paris

2010

For thirty years now we've added to the collection, at first one or two at a tine, then as a family each of the four of us would select an ornament, usually at Chrismastime and occasionally on summer vacations. Although we are now only a family of three, our tree still tells a story through the ornaments selected and made by a family with two little girls. The decorations represent and are comprised of school pictures, musical instruments, fluffy pink birds, dancing shoes, and small toys. In recent years we've also added the ornaments that used to hang from the trees decorated by my husband's parents.

It's just a tree but each ornament tells a story.

every inchie monday

These green inchies were made by Kris of Erosion Bundles fame whose project for 2011 is Every Inchie Monday. This is a weekly challenge for interpreting the Inchie Word of the Week by creating one square inch of art with anything on it. 


Beginning on January 3, 2011.


One inch of art a week.


This sounds like a commitment I can make. 


I've made inchies before but I like the idea of experimenting with different techniques, adhering to a schedule, and the exercise of working within the parameters of the weekly words.

an inside flurry

of household tasks, and we haven't even yet gotten to the inside decorating for Christmas.


We've been painting, re-hanging stained glass, hanging new art work, clearing out clutter to make room for houseguests over the holidays.

  "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves." ~ Dalai Lama

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix

With red walls in the living room, though, in a way it looks like Christmas all year round.

sometimes there is ice

I often start projects with specific fabrics and colors in mind, although not necessarily with a specific theme or direction in mind. For this little quilt, I've cut out 25 background squares, selected the fabrics and have a general pattern in mind.

So far I've completed 4 of the squares and this is one possible arrangement. They won't be permanently arranged until I've finished all of the squares.

I love Corrine's interpretation of one of these blocks featured a couple of posts ago of ice in a frozen pond "with leaves and such trapped in the layers."

This morning I took some photographs of the ice in our little backyard pond.

Now I'm thinking that the white nebula I'm using for Lorlei's second Michael's challenge looks a little bit like ice.

Lorelei's Second Michael's Challenge

Lorelei is holding a second Michael's Challenge using these selections.  I wasn't able to locate the mother of pearl faceted beads and am instead substituting a while nebula.

Our designs are due on December 17 and this looks like another fun project!

Mrs Moen Napkin Challenge Piece

This was so much fun! This is the piece I created for the Mrs Moen Napkin Challenge.

It was hard to decide which napkin to use for inspiration but eventually I selected this one: