Believe!!

I'm so glad that the Thanksgiving Eating Fest is over with. I think I gained 10 pounds, just kidding. We went to spend a couple of days with my Mother's family and we like to cook. And eat what we cook. It was a nice visit, but I need to get back on track.

Since I've been away and when not away my head has been down focused on working on projects for My Creative Classroom, I thought I'd share this clock I made some time ago. It was published in my second book, Art from the Heart. Some of you haven't seen it, so I thought as Christmas is approaching quickly it would b e a fun thing to share.

This is just a regular wind up clock that I took the guts out of and made a collage on the face and closed it back up. It's one of my favorite projects from the book.

The inspiration for this came from another one I made several years before. I had an old trophy pin that my Grandmother had given me that I wanted to have out on display, but didn't want to loose it. So I made a little clock collage shadowbox to hold it. I've spent the last 10 minutes trying to find a picture of it on my computer and it's not there. I'll try to remember to take a picture and show you later.

Get your Advent calendars ready, tomorrow is December 1st. Can you believe it - only 1 month until the end of the year. Aaaargh.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Wishing you a THANKFUL Thanksgiving!

I have a lot to be thankful for this year, my health, my wonderful husband and son and a great supportive family. What are you thankful for this year? I'm wishing you a relaxing day full of friends, family - and lots of dessert!

Sewing Class at My Creative Classroom

I'm working on finishing up the last lesson for my sewing class over at My Creative Classroom and starting to think about what I'll be offering next semester. I've really enjoyed the learning process for on-line learning and am starting to looking forward to what I'll be teaching next semester. I've got one more lesson to finish up for this year and I'll be thinking about next...making a list....checking it twice - and adding a sketch or two to help decide.

To hold you over though, here's a little peak of the second Lesson from the Stitch up a Happy Holiday class ....

Right now, before I start thinking to much about next year - I'm addicted to making felted snowmen :-) Anyway, it's late and I need to get up early - thanks for stopping by, looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with family! though, we'll be missing my husband on this day of thankfulness.

Turkey Centerpiece and another SNOWMAN!

I try to volunteer in my son's classroom as much as I can, this year it's been a little slow getting going, but I think we're getting in the swing of things. I think that children that can craft - more than just color and cut up paper - are better apt to find something to do at home when they are bored - so I like to share my crafting abilities with the kids in the classroom.

This is my first "crafting" expedition this year, but I don't think the project I've chosen is going to be too difficult. Cutting and glueing to make a fun vase or other Thanksgiving decoration.

I first started with a 15 oz can that I pulled out of the recycle bin. (I washed it before I used it in my craft.) Covered it with brown felt, cut some "feathers" from construction paper and glued them on the back of the can. Then cut a head, added some googly eyes, a beak and beard. Tied a piece of twine around the can with a tag that says "Happy Thanksgiving" and glued on the head. CUTE. Hopefully we can get it done in an hour! Wish me luck :-)

I've been looking at the snowman kit I bought from my friend Monday night - and decided that I just couldn't look at it any longer, I had to do something with it. So, I made another snowman last night. It was the perfect project to work on as we watched a weird movie (Adam Resurrected). I made the scarf this time instead of using an old wool sweater, I'm thinking I like the sweater better.

I'm also thinking I like the yarn for hair as well.

But the pompom, that really is the icing on the cake. The gilding on the lilly. The piece de resistance, said with my best french accent. The orange polka dots make me happy. It's the little things in life, right? I'm not happy with my handwriting on the banner, will most likely redo that on the computer - wishing I had an old typewriter.

Now my first snowman has a friend. He just needs a wooden base to sit on!

If you are local, The Beattie Chicks are having another felted class on December 16th. This time they'll be teaching Christmasy things....I'm already signed up - can't wait.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your Friday and your weekend too! I'm teaching up to Scrap n' Stamp (Phone: 207-582-4544) in Gardiner on Saturday from 1 to 4. We're making pretty pins - and there's room for another student or two - so hope to see you!

Snowflakes....snowflakes....everywhere!

I've been thinking about snowflake ornaments ever since I went to my art group a couple Sundays ago. I saw a pretty one here, and she was kind enough to share where she purchased her large snowflakes from. Even though I ran right out and got some, I didn't end up using them on the ones I made the last couple of days.

I think the layered, different colors and textures really look nice, it gives the flake lots of weight and substance. The beaded wire really adds a lot of prettiness to them too. I realized though, after I was done - that I need to spray the backs of them. The bazzill snowflakes I used as the base are chipboard color on the backside.

To make them I had two sizes of Bazzill Snowflake chipboard, green and silver glitter, one wooden snowflake from Joann's, two snowflake punches from EK Success - one extra large and one small - I think a Martha Stewart one, beading wire and beads, a long brad - one of them was decorative and a couple pieces of bling - oh and some vintage music paper and cream chipboard.

1. Apply glitter to the snowflakes, two were silver and one was a sea foamie green.
2. Drill a hole in the center of the snowflakes when the glitter is dry.
3. Punch the large EK Success snowflake punch on music sheet paper, then also on cream cardstock. Glue the two together using Gel Medium or a glue stick.
4. Punch a small EK Success snowflake from the cream cardstock.
5. Punch a hole in the center of the two paper snowflakes.
6. Add all the snowflakes to the long brad, starting with the small paper one, then the the next largest one and so on until you've added them all to the brad. Position them so the brad closes on the backside, and close it. Give it a couple wacks with a hammer to make sure it doesn't come open when it's hanging.
7. Apply a decorative gemstone to cover up the ugly brad, if it's an ugly one :-)
8. Add a piece of beading wire, about 7" long to the largest snowflake, the Bazzill Chips that you put on the brad last and secure it with a crimp bead.
9. Add a pretty selection of beads.
10. Add another crimp bead and close the wire, leaving a loop to hang the ornament with and you're DONE! That's wasn't so hard, was it?

So, I just had an idea pop into my head on a fun way to use them altogether - hoping to do that soon.....when I've got a lot of other projects completed!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great DAY!

Felted Snowmen, AGAIN!

I put the final touches on my snowmen - hot glued their arms in, added some glitter to their bases and hats, added a piece of cream felt to the bottom of the wooden disk, and made a litte purse out of a green felt ball and some wire. I am in love with how they came out, the red one is my absolute favorite though! The one with the green scarf - well, his head is to big. He needed a smaller snowball :-)

The one with the green scarf I turned into a little ornament. For the hanger I used red beads and pearls, to resemble a cranberry and popcorn garland, I also added a metal believe charm from Tim Holtz. I think the reason I like the one with the red scaft best is the size of the base he sits on. I didn't have any of the larger wooden disks when it came to finishing it off, so I had to use a small disk.

If you ever get a chance to take a little class making felted people, don't hesitate. It's fun and very relaxing. Plus, it's always fun to try something new!

thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day.

Wet Felted Snowman Class

I took a fun class tonight from my friends Hannah and Leslie. They've been hard at work on a new venture called the Beattie Chicks, you can see the schedule on Leslie's blog. The class tonight was all about making wet felted snowmen. OMG, we had so much fun! Here's the group of snowmen that were made, my two are in the front row - they are the ones with green and red scarfs.

Here's Hannah, introducing us to felt.

Here's Leslie, wearing the felt :-)

Hard at work on my snowman ball.

Trying to put it together, a little bit different from everyone else.

Hoping I don't get my finger, I'm sewing on seed beads, only to take them off again because I didn't like they way they looked.

Here's my Mom (in the center) with her co-worker Valerie - on the right.

Here's my man, I'm going to have to hot glue the branches in for the arms because I couldn't get them all the way through, but he's so cute. The scarf is made from a piece of felted sweater.

If you live locally and can get to any of the classes put on by Leslie and Hannah - I highly recommend it. The classes are well thought out, they supply all the tools and stuff you need - they are great teachers, and they work so well together, and the price is very reasonable! It was a very wonderful class! THANK you ladies!

I've got a sick boy on my hands, will probably end up taking him to the Dr. tomorrow as he's got a fever that keeps fluctuating between 99.6 and 101, hoping it's not the swine.

Zentangles+Tired Boy=Long Afternoon

So, thought I would share some pictures from our class, this is a picture of my boy BEFORE the class started, notice the smile??

this is the smile that can only be found on his hand, at the end of the class. Note the ink is on his hand and not the paper??

Beginning to get frustrated, after about 1 1/2 hours. Doing great, but so ready to be done. Wants it to be perfect the first time out.

2 Hours after the class started, see the tears?? Wanting to be in the car on the way home. Still doing GREAT for being 10 and never Zentangling before.

Hiding his face from the camera, but I can still see him, LOL.

2 hours and 15 minutes into the class, he's resorted to taking pictures instead of tangling.

Trying to make him laugh, didn't work really.

Pictures he took of my tangles.

2 hours and 30 minutes into the class, not wanting to get back to it and a little upset that I reminded him about the "rules" of taking an adult class with me.

Pictures of his tangles. I think he did pretty good, considering we sat in the back of the class, the teacher was working on a 11 x 17 pad at the front of the class and it was hard to see and he's only 10. I have always encouraged him that his work doesn't need to be perfect but he wants it to be the very first time out. I hope he can get over that and understand the learning process. He's a very creative soul and it would be sad if he gave up being artsy because he wants to be perfect!

He did say that he enjoyed the class - just wish it had been a little shorter and a little easier to see the "process" of doing each tangle. He (and his teacher) want me to show the class how to do it. Thinking about that one, not sure if I could handle a class full of these emotions, LOL.

Thanks for stopping by....and a quick reminder - my Sewing class at My Creative Classroom starts this Friday. I know the date has changed a couple of times, but it's REALLY starting on Friday, I promise.

hug a VETERAN today!

As we honor Veteran's from around the country, remember to hug yours if you have one, I'll be huggging mine before he goes on his fishing trip!

I'm taking my boy to a Zentangles class at Absolutely Everything today, will post some pictures later as I can.

Snow Flake Ornament

I made this pretty little paper snowflake ornament today at my art group. One of my friends, Pamela, brought all the punches, buttons, glue and glitter so we could make them. She always make the coolest things, thank you PAMELA for bringing all the goodies for this! LOVED making it, wishing I had made several more now!

It's been a crazy busy day, so ta ta for now.....gonna relax and do some embroidery for an upcoming deadline (tomorrow, he he)

THANKS for stopping by.

just playin' around with Zentangles

A couple weeks a back I stopped in at my favorite store in Topsfield, MA for craft supplies and got to talking with the owner, Kate. She recommended that I take a class called Zentangles, that it was a lot of fun. So, after a little research on the internet, I got myself a cheap notebook to see how I might like it.

Wow, I am loving Zentangles! It's really a fun way to relax...and get a cramped hand too, LOL.

I just grabbed a regular old notebook, so sorry about the blue lines, but I didn't want to waste any time waiting for a new notebook....now that I know I LOVE this I think I'll be getting myself a fun, new notebook just to ZENtangle in!

I'm taking my boy down to Absolutely Everything next week so he can learn how to 'tangle, won't you?

Enjoy your weekend, and thanks for stopping by!