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!

Random Thoughts on a Rainy Day!

Today has been one of those dark, pouring down rain all day, kinda' days!  The kind of day where you slow down a bit and, maybe, take some time to reflect on your surroundings.  I did a bit of that today.

I don't know if you have favorite objects or spots in a room, but I do.  A place that when you look at it, it just make you feel good, in a warm fuzzy, satisfying sort of a way.  I, also, have plenty of place that are "off", just not warm, fuzzy or very satisfying!

But, I want to address a couple places that I like to look at in our living room.

They may not resonate with everyone, but for me, it's this IKEA chair with the quilt throw over it and the baking soda can and bird nest accessories on the table.....just make me smile. Normally, I don't even like throws over chairs but this was a happy accident.

 

 

Bright light or.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

or dim,

it just feels cozy and comfortable to me.

My favorite place to sit is on the sofa, the photo above is on one end of the sofa and on the other end is another table with this sitting on it..............

 

two black metal document boxes but, it's what is on the other side of the boxes, that I love looking at....it is the cover of a book about the Civil War with lavender blooms sprouting above from a pot sitting on the other side of the book.

It's the colors that I love.

 

 

I know that the combination of purple and orange is an acquired taste but it is my all time favorite color combo. 

This was another happy accident, that I discovered one day, when I just looked over my shoulder and noticed the book jacket colors with the "not so real" lavender on the other side complimented each other. It was another feel good moment for me. 

I love the fact that we are all have such different taste. What is one person's pleasure might be difficult for another person to appreciate but isn't it fun!

I try to surround myself with the things I love which are usually, pretty simple and worn objects and furniture.....texture and color are what make my world spin!

Thanks for stopping by please leave a comment I love to hear from you.

I am linking to Sue's Rednesday, come with me to visit the other blogger's red message.

30 Years and counting........

 

On November 30, 1980, hubby and I were married in a small Lutheran Church in Oregon.  We had both been married before and hadn't know each other very long but we were off to face the world together.

It hasn't always been easy or fun, but we have plowed through the tough times and coasted through the good ones, built our life together and watched our family expand.....all the while loving and supporting each other!

We still laugh at each other's jokes and enjoy each other's company.  We've taken care of each other in sickness and health, for richer and poorer and we appreciate God's having granted us this time together.  We are thankful for our good health, our family, home, friends and our "fur babies".

Thank you for the best 30 years of my life, sailor!

"Grow old along with me....the best is yet to be"

A needlessly slow process.......

About 12 years ago, back when we still had an space in a local antiques mall, I bought this baby.  I found it at a yard sale......all painted white with lines and hardware that made me believe it was something out of the 1970s.

Shortly after I brought it home, hubby went to work and stripped the white paint.......well, most of it.....being something of a perfectionist he was discouraged by the amount of paint left in crevices and grooves and the grain of the wood.

By then, we realized it was not a 1970s piece but much earlier.....on the bottom of one of the drawers, we found the name of the furniture maker, JJ Cady, and the date May 1919.  On top of which, the doors held beautiful old, old wavy glass full of bubbles.

In spite of her virtues, she sat in our garage partially disassembled, partly stripped and gathering dust.  The discouraged owners not sure how they wanted to proceed.

Then our granddaughter, and her husband, thought they would like to have a china cabinet/secretary (note: the fold out shelf) and they would finish it........well, five years later.....it was back in our garage, same sad state with more dust.

Then one day I sent a photo to a dealer friend, sure! she would like to buy it!  Ooops, then second thoughts began to set in.

Did I REALLY want to sell it?  Come to think of it, there really wasn't that much left to do to finish it and where would I find another china cupboard for that price. 

So, with my newly found motivation I went to work.  I scrubbed off the grime, applied finishing wax and painted the inside.........here she is in all her glory!

I still need to go to the glass shop and order a couple shelves....but what quality and character, even with a few specks of white paint still in place.  It is a perfect rustic piece for our house. 

I will decorate the shelves and, then, I'll share the finished product...soon...well sooner than 12 years, I'm pretty sure.  Geez, I may be the QUEEN of Procrastination!!!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I have so much for which to be thankful....a wonderful family, our health and a our fun and busy retirement.  Blessings from our house to yours.

I know it's a stretch but, if you look close, there was some red paint under the white paint originally and it shows in the first photo....so, I'm taken my cabinet to show it off at Sue's Rednesday.  Also, found two new and really fun Linky Parties at Restore Interiors "Restore It Wednesday" and Primative & Proper's "Piece of Work Wednesday".