Baking bliss...

Some might think that baking is work.  When I get up in the morning and I know I am making things in the kitchen, I get a little tickle.  I LOVE TO BAKE...and COOK new things.  So when Christmas rolls around, I get practically giddy with excitement...ok, giddy might be a little over the top, but if you know me, it really isn't.
Ask my Rachel who is also a lover of all things baking.  When I was complaining about my mediocre cookie snowflake cookie cutter...she and Stac drove all over SL to find the perfect one.  AND did they deliver?
OH YES!!!  It was a beauty and I set right off to make shortbread and gingerbread and dream of sugarplums dancing in my head.  HA.

Anyway, the result is never quite what I had imagined in my "sugarplum" dreams but there is always next year right?  So enjoy some "eye candy"...and maybe you wished you were on my cookie list....oh and that silky white stuff being slathered on the greased lightly cookie sheet?  HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW HEAVEN..soon to be dipped into HOMEMADE FUDGE...yes, oh yes....

A little Craziness with that NOG

 Little baby Jesus....I made 80 little heads, cut 80 little felt cradles, cut 80 swaddling clothes, collected that staw and painted on 80 sets of eyes sleeping and rosy cheeks.
Yeah, it's what I do this time of year...
Worth it?
You bettcha.

Oh and to clarify...I had my mid week helpers over to swaddle and glue...that in itself is another blog post all together!

Golden Fleeceness

I have a small problem. I love fashion. I love seeing the new colors of each season, and the fabrics and textures and all that. Unfortunately, my body isn't compatible with the cuteness on the rack...so what is a girl to do? SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! I had seen a darling gold jacket in Forever 21 ( I really don't belong in there except in the jewelry department, and ok the shoes...) So, I came home and made one meself.

AND when it came to the lining of the collar and sleeves, I had this print in my stash!!!

and of course, I had to make a posy to tack onto the lapel. Now onto making over the last

Subway pretend

I have enjoyed all the Subway art that I am seeing everywhere. (no it's not the sanwich variety...).
And I am slow to get around to doing one. SO I took some time today and cut some pages out of my DI book. I trimmed em down and fed them into my printer.

I have this window that I have used for various things and I thought it would be cute to paste them into the back....

then I cut out some leaf shapes and a coil from more pages and drapped them over the top.

I also crumpled them a bit to make them more leaf like.

Now I need to make a real Subway art with all of our addresses on it. We have had so many addresses that it's gunna take a while...stay tuned.

Onto November

I have always loved November. Some might remark that it is because it is my birthday month. But at this age, birthdays are not so great a thing. The adding of the years that is...but I digress.


I love November because it is the month of Topaz. See that pretty fake stone there in the center? It is a topaz and that is my birth stone.


I was cleaning like mad today and then thought, "It has been too many days since I made something pretty..." So I put the mop away and got out my fixins. And now that I can see this bracelet close up, I notice that I need to do some glue trimming. And since I am wearing the color of topaz tomorrow to church I think I shall wear this too.


Hmmmm, coincidence? I think not.....

Just Witchy

Love this time of year and all the fun things that go with....these are my new lamp posts that I made. Yup, from lanterns that I got on clearance and pvc pipe and lots of black paint. Don't you love those crows sitting on top? Inside the lanterns are skulls that I got from Wally's with a candle light pushed down inside their brain. It lights up their eye holes so nice and creepy-like.

And here is my recycled suitcase project. Okay, I already owned the socks from girls camp pirate theme. The umbrella was recycled from navy to black with some spray paint. I did purchase the feather boa and tulle for the petticoat.

But those witch shoes were just plain fun to make....

Not sure if this is where it will hang on the big night....too close to banging those little ghouls right on the head....just a thought.

Doing with scraps

So it's Monday day night and I want to make a pair of witches boots for a Halloween project.

AND more importantly, I want to make them from materials at hand. No running to the store for supplies. My overstocked studio ought to be good for something...right?

Well, thus began the search. I had a bit of pleather left over from camp, but it wasn't quite what I wanted....I went around the house looking. And I went out to the garage, looking here and there. And then I spied it.

An old suitcase that was headed for the trash. Broken zipper, PERFECT! I took my scissors to it and soon had the makings of...yes, witch footwear!!!


I think they turned out pretty cute...or pretty witchy...stayed tuned for the end result.

It involves an umbrella, tulle, and lots of hot glue!

More Velvet and Vine

This time of year I am always drawn to the velvets and cushy soft fabrics. I love making my pumpkins....and this year brought these beauties.

T-shirt Summer Skirt

I have seen a couple of really cute t-shirt skirts this summer. Too bad too many projects get put on the back burner....TOO MANY IDEAS, NOT ENOUGH TIME...is gunna be on my tombstone!!!
Anyway, when I saw these target' shirts on the clearance rack , I bought several. I bought a 4x so I could have plenty of width for the old hipsters...and they are the same price.

I cut right under the arms straight across the body and set that aside. It then cut several large concentric circles out of the other shirt. I just sewed them on the hemmed edge in two layers.

Depending on the length you need, you could possibly just turn the upper edge into a casing. I added another same size piece of fabric to make additional length for me. i inserted the elastic and sewed that together. I also sewed it down along the sides of the skirt casing. (this is so the elastic only gathers in the back section.)

I then used the extra t-shirt neck edge and fabric to make a rose and attached that with hand stitches.

I wore it with a gray cardigan and white t-shirt. Good thing cuz summer is a goner.

My version

I saw this Anthropologie bracelet on Pinterest and I died a little.....so I got out my old jewelry and bought some other baubles to go with....

I think it turned out great....and I have enough baubles for ah, about 10 more. Oh, yes the joys of a overstuffed craft room....

I think one with old 4-H charms and old watch faces and scrabble tiles...oh the possibilities!!!

Fine'

I am happy to announce the birth of my newest painting....yikes, it was a long time coming. I started it over a year and a half ago. That is one long labor!

More Shelving

oI really shouldn't go into DI on a regular ole day. I shouldn't go into the yard area either. There are all kinds of wonders out there....yessiree. All kinds of thingys that need some tender loving care and a good coat of paint. And for some reason this hutch hopped into my basket.


Not really, I just wanted to say that. But I couldn't pass up the deal and so yes, it came home with me.



And then as I was priming, I realized I had covered up the pretty (ghastly) flower motif that was on the front....oops. You will just have to use your imagination. It was quaint but really ugly.


Paint over that...first on the list.



Then I went out to paint the background and searched high and low for it. Hmmm. Hubby hauled a big ole bunch of cardboard stuff to the trash last week....could it be? YUP....the background piece was gone. Oh, well, that cull section in HD had a piece that was perfect.





Now onto the painting part. I had seen a stencil of Martha's and fell in love. I emailed Miss Tatertots and Jello and asked her where to get it. I rushed to Michaels and sure enough every other crafter in UT had been there before me. BAH.


But a little trip out to Michaels with new grandbaby and momma in tow, we scored! There was only one left and I snatched it pretty darn quick! I carefully put it in my suitcase and flew home.
SOOOO, back to the back----





I painted the board blue first and then realzied that was backwards-(note to self-painting at midnight is not always a great choice!) So I hauled out the KILZ and painted it white! THEN I painted the stencil. LOVE IT!!!





I nailed it on and had Neil help me lift it into place. The problem is with new and uncluttered shelves...you don't wanna clutter them up. So I went a whole day with no cluttering.

Doesn't that look nice with NO CLUTTERING??? Well, you know it won't last. Never does.

I thought my snow babes looked nice there. For now. I figure there is new cluttering coming on.

Pillows plus one

here is my newest one. I found one I liked from the Pottery barn website that said "Nest" and beings I had already done a clock with that same motif, I settled on "Home" instead. I just free-handed painting this one...I did take lettering in college, (thanks mom and dad). The color is closer to reality in the second shot.

had a great time with the pompoms....they don't show up on the bench really well, but I like em...

I think I have room for one more pillow on this bench. Then onto other stuff. More fun stuff.

Jars of Blue

Saw this tutorial the other day on how to paint glass jars to give them that aged look.
Got the vitreal paint at Michaels and painted a bunch. One or two coats depending on what you want. I loved the result . Of course that fancy yellow insulation behind them is REALLY attractive....

I also saw this blue rose with eggs and made my own version...it matchy, matches my jars....

and the cool part-a few of those glass pieces were not painted-they were that goregous blue on their own. Do you know which 2 are NOT painted?

Finished....(that feels very good!)

It feels pretty great to be done with Steven's painting. I have decided that other than the fact that I do LOVE to paint...it feels very good to go from beginning of idea to end. Not that I like all the stages in betweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen....I heard one of my favorite artists say this about it....


"the start and the end are very exciting but all that is in between is just hard work..." Al Rounds.


And of course there are places that I wasn't thrilled with but that is always true when I paint. The idea in my head never quite matches up with the result. But that is the angst that is painting.


Anyway, it is done and it is being scanned now and put on cd so I can tinker with some things and then we are going to do my first giclee'. I will probably do a limited series of signed prints. Wahoo for being done...now onto more pillowing and yes a couple of other comissions I am behind on...hummmmm.

Coconut Bliss-oh yes.

Just happened upon this fun book the other day whilst browsing in Costco..and there were many wonderful tasting looking wonders inside....


but one caught my eye right away....

oh, yes, the coconut cake bites. And with a bit of tinkering, I found MY version.

And the plate you see? Uh, empty now.