I've been good....I think!

My goodness, this is turning into one great Christmas!

I thought I'd been a good girl this past year but, as anyone who knows me can tell you.........NOT that good!

I've already received some marvelous gifts....fabulous old badges, a gift of a tutorial on altered books and NOW, this.......Ina Garten's Apple Tart made, for us, by my friend Carol at Fresh Linens (you'll find the recipe there, too)!  It is soooo good!

A perfect, not too rich, but very flavorful dessert that is great with a dab of ice cream and a cup of coffee or tea!  Heaven!

I thought I might freeze it and serve it to the family on Christmas Eve........or maybe not, they'll never know! 

Also, today finished my last Christmas gift.......

Not the best pictures, sorry, but I like the necklace.  I used an old rosary, key, rhinestone earring, a chandelier crystal and a lovely cameo broach, I removed the pin back and used jump rings to attach it.

A little better photo of the cameo, I love the setting.

Hope your Christmas is going wonderfully, too, and that your New Year is the best EVER!

I'm linking to Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphsis Monday.  Be sure to check out all the other great blogs.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

In an earlier blog, I mentioned I was having some problems, this year, getting into the spirit of Christmas!

Well, the circumstances of the last two days have certainly changed that.......yesterday's party with my "young in spirit" old-friends  where I was given one of the best gifts, I think, I've ever received and today where a blogger friend shared a wonderful tutorial on Altering Books with me.  Wow!  Do I feel special and blessed!

First, about bloggers and how sharing they can be....that is what makes blogging so much fun and so renews your faith in people and their generosity to perfect strangers.  So, for all the negatives you hear about the internet, trust me, there are lots of beautiful people out there.

Elizabeth,the woman who organized the 12 Days of Christmas swap, has so generously shared information with me on Altering Books that will be soooo helpful this spring when I teach a class at the art center.  That was the icing on the cake, as they say!

As for........best gift I have ever received check out these photos!  All from the early 1900s, these wonderful union badges and commemorative ribbon badges.

 

 

Most of them represent the electrician's union and must have been worn at meetings and/or when a member passed away.  One badge was for the Modern Woodmen of America and one commemorates the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in 1898.  Except for the one with the buffalo,which is the smallest, all of the ribbon badges are about seven or eight inch lengths of silk or velvet ribbon with metal attachments and silver or gold lettering.

Lots of girls cry when they receive diamond jewelry...not this girl....I cried over "diamonds in the rough".  I've seen pictures of cool badges and ribbons, like these before, but did not think I would ever be so lucky as to own one, let alone eight.

My friend, Murva, who knows I make jewelry and collage, mentioned she had some things I might be able to use, her son had given to her but she had no use for them. She said she would bring them to our Christmas party and I could take a look to see if it was anything I could use....Holy Batman!  Was I surprised and delighted.

Can I take them apart and use them in my art.....we'll now, that is a different matter!  I may try to figure out a way to display them in a shadow box or frame.....but I don't think I can take them apart!

What a great Christmas this is turning out to be!

Join me at Coloradolady's Vintage Thingie Thursday, Southeran In My Heart's Inspiration Friday,  The Answer is Chocolate's Open House, A la carte's Junkin' Finds Friday  and Mr Romantic Hom Show and Tell Friday.  Remember I love comments!

Meet the old girls............

Before

1967: Mike, Gloria, Jan, Jackie and Winnie.

After

2010: Judy, Jan, Murva, Winnie, Jackie, Jean and Margaret.

I have had the good fortune to share this group of friends for many years!

The photo above show four of us "sweet, young things" all dressed up, going out for dinner to celebrate Christmas.  That was forty-four years ago....what!

I had just moved to this little town in the country from Portland and Jackie was one of the first women I met.....sweetly, she invited me to join her and some friends, Gloria, Winnie and Winnie's sister, Mike for a Christmas celebration dinner at the local golf course.

The rest is history!

We have shared births, deaths, divorces, marriages, kids growing up, grandkids growing up, a BUNCH of birthdays and some pretty crazy adventures!  Boy, do we have stories to tell!!!

Through the years we have shared the sadness of losing our friends Gloria, Mike and Norma (not pictured here).

We've, also, added precious friends Jean, Murva and Margaret who have celebrated with us for nearly thirty years.  Judy is a lovely new friend, who joined us for Christmas for the first time this year and Linda was ill and could not come. 

I am so fortunate to have these great women in my life....old friends are GOLD! 

12 Days of Christmas

Some of you are familiar with ATC (artist trading cards) swaps and other swaps that crafters and artists are participating in......well, I just took part in my very first swap.

What that means is, a lovely woman named Elizabeth hosted the "12 Days of Christmas" altered art swap.  Twelve artist signed up to do their interpretation of one of the twelve days of the song.  After completing their 12 pieces, they were to wrap them, send them to Elizabeth and receive back, in the mail, a set of eleven different 5 by 5 inch original works of art.

I got busy an made mine, so excited to see what I would get in exchange! 

Beginning yesterday, a Partridge in a Pear Tree Monday,  women in my group began opening their packages...one day at a time..and here is mine.....Day 2, Two Turtledoves.

Drum roll please....................

And here is how it came together.............

 Using hand painted paper, made by Ann Munson, I cut the white background, laid down the bingo card and cut a small piece, for the bird's background, from the wonderful paper Ann had painted.

   Here are the pieces laid out and ready to assemble.  I cut one bird from tea dyed muslin, to make it darker and to give depth to the piece, then the white bird is cut from batting with red polka dot fabric for its' tail.  I stamped the back of a Bingo piece with the number two, cut some mesh from a fruit bag and made feet from vintage artificial flower pistils.  Not shown, is the leaf I stamped and cut out of a page of text.

Placement determined, it is time for the glue!

Next came the wrapping for the package.  I placed each card in a cellophane bag on which I had glued a piece of sheet music, some red paper then a white sheet stamped with a bird cage and I added two red birds.

The packaging process.....almost done..........

Voila'...........the packaged gifts, ready to mail!

Since we weren't "legally" suppose to open our packages until December 13 and I have trouble following directions....(I have opened mine, shhhhhh don't tell anyone)....and love every one of them.....but you don't get to see them until December 25.  OR.....you can follow Elizabeth's Altered Book Lover where everyday for the next ten days she will be showing you these wonderful cards or come back here for the great reveal on Christmas Day!

To read more about this swap go to Jackie Smith's blog.

The Christ in Christmas!

 

These small figurines of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus are a part of a set that belonged to my parents, so they have very special to me.  Because they are small they don't show up very well just sitting on a tabletop but when placed under a cloche....Voila'.... they are immediately raised to a the level of importance, visually.

  I placed a small round mirror on a white plate that acts as the base for the figurines.  I set the plate on a dollar store fir wreath then wove a battery operated string of small lights.

 

I added the antique blue silk ribbon bow last! 

Simple things that elevate this meaningful and most important symbol of Christmas, the reason for the season.

I am linking today to A Stroll Thru Life's Cloche Party

and sally's Blue Monday.

Slowly getting in the swing.....

I am having trouble getting my Christmas spirit "on" this year!  Usually, I start buying gifts in July and am getting excited about all of the Christmas hub-bub about now...not this year!  But, I can feel it....slowly....slowly creeping in.....I'll get there, I just may have to play a little "catch-up".

In the honor of Blue Monday, here is my very beginnings of Christmas decorating 2010!

It started with this two tiered wire basket and some of the Hydrangeas I dried this year.

I added some shinny silver Christmas balls, some ribbon and some lace.....and set it all on a silver platter...easy peasy, as they say!

 

I'm not sure it's staying on the dinning room table but if it does it will be surrounded by a few Snowmen, of various sizes and descriptions!!

Joining the parties at Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphasis Monday and Faded Charm's White Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to comment.

Altered Book Fun.......

I just finished two altered books, one will be a Christmas gift, the other is for me! 

This one is mine and it was a fun project that I have worked on, one page at a time, whenever  the mood struck over the past year.  The book base is a dollar store photo album's cardboard pages.

Opening page.....

Page 1...A gesso painted page with sheet music, piece of cardboard, photo, ribbon and postage stamp.

Pages 2 and 3

Page 2.....when cars were king!

   Page 3......it's juice time!

Page 4.....I dream in French on an old ledger page!

Page 5...."All nature is but art unknown to thee"!

Pages 6 and 7.....

Page 6....Birds eggs and postage stamp!

Page 7....My great-grandmother and friends picnicking in Norway!

 

Pages 8 and 9............with a half-page between.

Page 8....Dragonfly on sunflower stamped page with a touch of cardboard and a small stick!

Front of half-page...paper and lace!

Other side of half-page...tickets and hand overlay!

  Page 9....The working woman is a force of nature!

 

Pages 10 and 11.........

Page 10....Seed packet and a real dried pansy!

Page 11....Girls who wear glasses with cloth and paper!  

Last page, page 12.....watercolor and ribbon roses!

In this case, I am not going to alter the cover of this book, I like it as it is, and I think it works with art that is inside.  I may decided to add some flourishes later but for now......I really like this worn, faded blue cover bound together with metal rings!

 

   Hope you enjoyed viewing, as much as, I enjoyed creating!