And the New Year comes...

I am still working out the computer issue... (sigh). It seems to be dead, completely, totally, and utterly dead. I'm going to have to see if I can find someone who can extract the files from the hard drive for me, since EVERYTHING is there... in the mean time, I am going to give it my best shot at soldiering on.... So.... on we go.

The girls and I received gift certificates for pedicures for Christmas. My Bonus one had never had one, so it was great fun for all of us to go off together to enjoy. Luckily, we arrived when they were not all that busy, so we got to enjoy a very leisurely, very girlie, time. After, my Little One went off to join the Beau for the afternoon... and my Bonus One and I went to happy hour. It has been far, FAR too long since I'd done something like that. We had a great time... lots of great conversation about our lives, and it got me thinking...

The New Year is fast approaching, and it's time for me to consider resolutions for my life for 2011. I hate making resolutions, I set myself up for such failure every time I do, but one should go into the new year with a desire to better the year, right? While catching up on some blogs and doing a little more blog hopping last evening I went to visit Jill over at Untie the Ribbons. Jill is sharing intentions for 2011 this year. Intentions. I like that. Heaven knows I am full of good intentions... so... I left her a note and told her I was going to totally steal her idea. Thus is the problem when you have great ideas, they are stolen.

I thought I'd share mine with you...

1. I really would like to put more of my effort into me now. The Little One is all "grown up" now and is developing her own life (pleased to report that she has a 3.4 GPA after her first semester at college!), so my real responsibilities to her are beginning to diminish. And she has been my last excuse as to why I haven't worked on mine. It's time now to begin that process, to create for me the life I want to live.

2. My second intention is to figure out what the heck that life I want to live is. Anyone have any ideas for me?

3. To work more in my community. I'm starting the Valentines this weekend for the Hospice patients. Not sure exactly yet what I will be doing, but considering we'll be doing more than 100 of them it is never too early to begin. Then I need to find a couple of other opportunities to get involved. Anyone out there have projects in their community they enjoy doing?

4. To be more serious about creating. I've had a desire recently to paint a few needlepoint canvases. That's strange since I haven't touched it since I put my paint brushes down about four years ago. Sometimes you just have to go with what you feel though, right?

5. To have more fun. Sheer, unabashed, fun. To enjoy every day.

Not bad...five intentions. A list that is too long will never be accomplished, but I should be able to work with these, right? So... what intentions do you have for the new year?

A gentle reminder....

Or...maybe a swift prod... whichever works better. With all of the holiday stuff going on, let me toss one more thing into the mix....

The Creativity Invitation prompt for December is "home". If you are participating, don't forget to get your links to me after the New Year... You can click on the photo for all the important details.

And remember, you don't have to be a formal participant to play... so join us!

It died...

A couple of days before Christmas my laptop turned itself off... and will not turning back on. Have absolutely no idea what has happened to it. It isn't in the power cord, it isn't the battery... and, of course, it isn't backed up. That was on my list of things to do this week while I am on vacation. I'm just sick about it.

There's good news though... my Big One and my Bonus One are home and we are all spending a few days together. It is so great to have them home!

I'll hopefully be back in a couple of days with a fixed computer and all the photos I hoped to share.... in the mean time, I'm late with the ArtsyBlogger links... but go enjoy them!

Beading Arts
Come enjoy some insider information on the fabulous fiber and bead artist, Joan Babcock!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Did you run the Christmas Baking Marathon this year? Eileen did. And she still has the sore feet to show for it. But – yum – was it ever worth it!

Last Minute Stocking Stuffer
Cherie shows you how to make a ribbon and charm bookmark for a last minute stocking stuffer gift for the booklover on your list.

Peppermint Bark
A delicious easy to make holiday treat the kids will love.

A quickie...

This is so very last minute, but I had to sneak these in at the last minute... maybe not for this year, but a great ornament for next... He's an adorable triangle Santa. Very simple, and so much fun!

Here's what you need:

Two triangles of fabric. Mine are about 6" from top to bottom, the edge at the top measures 1/2", and the bottom measures 3".

One circle of pink felt about an inch across (I used a good old pot of Carmex lip balm to draw around for the pattern) for the face.

One free handed beard piece, one free handed moustache, and one "brim" (arched piece) cut from white felt.

One loop (length of your choosing) of ribbon to be used as a hanger.






Using a narrow zig zag stitch, applique the face on the triangle about an inch and a half from the top.










Add the beard (stuff lightly with polyfill if you'd like)...











Stitch the moustache in place...








Add the brim of Santa's hat... Then, lay the right sides of fabric (one with the applique, the other plain) together and stitch, using a straight stitch, 1/4" from the edge of the fabric. Don't forget to add the ribbon for the hanger at the top of the triangle, sandwiched between the layers of fabric.

Gently turn the Santa inside out, gently stuff, stitch across the opening, and voila... you have a cute little ornament to hang on the tree.

These still have to be stuffed, and I will embellish them with beads for eyes, maybe a bit of ric-rac, ribbon or more beads... but I thought they turned out great just as they are too. If you hurry, you can probably whip up a couple, or a dozen...

More blogs...

I'm late again sharing the blogs I've run across this month. Mostly because I haven't had as much time to go blog hopping... partly because I've just been really busy doing other things... Like digging out of the ice. I'm already tired of winter, and this usually doesn't happen until mid January....

Ah well... maybe I can get in some productive blog hopping this week. Until then, let me show you some of the random blogs I happened across in the last month...

Blog links for December 2010 - January 2011

• The Artistic Life
• Du Buh Du Designs
• A Creative Operation
• Threads of Inspiration
• Right as Rain
• My Artistic Life
• Everyday Inspired
• The Tin Rabbit
• Clevelandgirlie
• A Dancing Mango

What a busy week...

A couple of weeks ago at work we were all notified that we were going to be given a couple of "bonus" vacation days before Christmas. It's being billed as an energy saving measure, and it's most definitely appreciated, but what that means is that two weeks of work had to be stuffed into one... and a pre-holiday one no less. Add to that two days of delayed starts due to ice, a door decorating contest, and a holiday pot luck at work and what you get is a week with no extra time left to blog... so time to catch up.

We have really had a hit of winter this week, and it isn't even officially winter yet. The photo above is what it looked like on my way to work on Tuesday morning, one of the delayed start days, at around 8:30 in the morning... and this is what it looked like on my way home Thursday afternoon around 4:30... ugh. Winter... and so darned early this year.

Anyway... to get everyone in the holiday spirit we had a door decorating contest this week at work. The rules were there could be one door decorated per division... and an unbiased team would be determining who the winner was. I thought I'd share some of the entries... (remember, I work in an area in agriculture...) This is the door to the Feed and Fertilizer Lab... there was some discussion about whether it would be counted as a single door, or two since it is a double...







This was the creation the IT Department entered...









And this was ours... the Fertilizer Department (it's a collage of three photos here as I couldn't get a good one of both doors together) yes, it was a two door spread, but we have already established that I tend to bend the rules a bit, and luckily, the guy I work with has no issue doing the same... and yet, even bending the rules, we did not win.



In the end, it was the Soils Lab, and their very perverted sense of humor that won... (there are a few hunters in the Division). They were awarded the first ever award in the Division history for winning the door decorating contest, a stuffed UK Santa. An award that they may keep until next year when it will be awarded to the next winner. I'd show you a photo of that award, but it was promptly kidnapped, and was being held for ransom when I was taking photos. Sadly, I had no hand in that kidnapping... and all I can say is, I wish I had thought of it first...




And now, I have two weeks off... and I really need to get busy on Christmas here at home since I've neglected it so this year. I'm going to leave you with the ArtsyBlogger links for the week... these guys have been lots more creative than I have over the last little bit... go see what they've been up to... enjoy!

Pine Cone Craft Ideas A list of 12 fun pine cone craft ideas kids can make.

Gifts for Your Favorite Crafter Things to buy for that crafty person on your list.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter Come join The Artful Crafter Christmas Parade of Crafts. Pssst … don’t miss the fabulous freebies at the end of the parade.

Beading Arts How about an entire month of fast and easy tutorials for handmade jewelry gifts?






And, don't forget... the 2011 Doodle Calendar is the December give away on the blog. I'll have it available for everyone until the end of January.

A Christmas ornament...

Soooooo... these have been in the works for a bit now... I'm always surprised at how I can take a simple idea, and turn it into a much longer adventure than it should be. It's a gift. One that I was given in abundance. I like the idea of this ornament, it's called "The Christmas Nail". For Christians who celebrate the Christmas holiday it ties in the birth of Christ with his ultimate death on the cross... and the gift of salvation.



You can find examples of it everywhere out there in the blog-o-sphere, there are a couple of variations of the poem (and I had to use my own version... the "hung" that is in what I've seen out there drives me crazy(er)... the correct word is "hanged"... thank you again Mrs. Rowland and Mrs. May). It's a nice gift to give as a reminder that the reason we celebrate is not just for the presents... so I thought I'd share.





The first step was to create the poem that is attached... easy enough in Microsoft Word. I did it on a business card template and printed it on heavy card stock... then cut it out. Layered it on a piece of red card stock, then another decorative Christmas card stock that was printed on both sides. Over all of that I added a layer of matte Mod Podge as a protectant.





Whilst those were set aside and drying I assembled the nail portion of the ornament. It could be as simple as tying a ribbon on it for hanging, but I wanted a bit of "something" added to it, so decided to do a small wrap with some brass wire. I like the addition, and it allowed me to create a loop to use to string the ribbon through for the hanging.





My original intent was to create a "tag" sort of hanger, that's why there is so much extra background at the top, but in the end, I chose to cut it off to create a more even border that I could simply string the ribbon through, that way the recipient can keep the card with the nail (to remind them of the significance) or they could remove the nail from the card and simply hang it.








A bit more trimming, a tad of finishing and it's done and done... Now all I have to do is find a creative way to wrap them, so not my strong point...

The KISS method...

I find that people tend to make things more difficult than they need to be most of the time, especially when we are trying to create things... Normally, that is not true of me, I tend to ascribe to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) theory whenever possible. But every year, these stars drive me crazy.

This is the Froebel star... you may know it as a Moravian star... it's attributed to Friedrich Froebel... that's right, the guy who proposed the concept of kindergarten. It's actually a mathematic principle disguised as a star. (Which, now that I think about it, could explain a great deal.) Aren't they beautiful? They are elegant in their simplicity, and I just love them. Every year since I found them I make at least a few.

They fit perfectly into the KISS theory that I've described above... they take four strips of paper, they are made up of a little bit of weaving and some folding... simple, right? I breeze right through them... UNTIL I get to the last step. The &%$*# folding (bending?) of that curved point that makes them three dimensional. I don't know why, but I ALWAYS try to make that so much more difficult than it is. I've made hundreds of these, and the first few of every year (three of them this year) always end up in recycling because I get this point wrong. Drives me crazy... but I guess it's tradition now. Although I found a video on Origami Nut that will make it easy from now on... thank goodness!

I have about a hundred thousand things to get accomplished by tomorrow evening, so I am off to get to at least a few of them, but I wanted to share the ArtsyBlogger links before I go get busy...

Beading Arts Mama's Minerals returns with another fabulous giveaway for Cyndi's readers!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter Calling clay and gourd crafters: do you have any suggestions to help Kathy with a cracking problem on her wonderful her clay Santas?

Paper House Ornament Create a paper house with a cherished old picture for your Christmas tree.

The big reveal...

Here we are again... the big reveal! Here is what everyone did for the November Creativity Invitation prompt... "red"... (remember, the name is linked to the blog, the photos are linked to the specific post)...

Trish made these gorgeous red earrings, and she even learned a new technique to create them! How cool is that? Didn't they turn out great?







Diana made a Chris-mouse... I think he's great...what about you? I especially like his tail... such a fun creation!









Eileen is in the spirit of the season... she made a Christmas ornament. Pretty, isn't it? You really have to go see how she does it, you may want to make some of these too!









Joyce created this beautiful piece... she's pretty talented isn't she? I love the colors, love how it flows, love how she has worked the words in...












Julie... she's created a great quilt... in reds, of course! She's titled it "Beyond the Panes". This is her 75th Priority Quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. She has dedicated it to her Mother's memory. Not only is it beautiful, but it supports such an amazing cause as well.









Maria posted several items in red... I think this is my favorite...but it could be the poppies. Be sure to visit her blog to see the rest of them, and you pick your favorite.









And mine... mine is a photograph from the cemetery. One of the series that I did that actually was the inspiration behind the prompt... there is just something about the light and how it makes that red leaf in the dying grass glow that speaks to my soul.

Now, I think I have included everyone, but if for some reason I've left someone out let me know so I can include you, I don't want to miss anyone!

Remember, everyone is invited and welcome to play the December prompt is "home"...

A gift for you...

Since I have been blogging the most popular post I've put up to date has been this one. It's received more than 1000 page views in the last month alone. Based on that I have to presume that y'all are fans of the doodles. So, as I was thinking early this fall how I would thank you all for reading, an idea came to me. I've been working on this for a long while now, and it's finally been tweaked, sized properly, and finished up... and now I would like to give it to all of you to celebrate the season and the new year fast approaching.

To wish everyone the merriest of seasons and the happiest of new years, I have a gift for you all... a 2011 desk top calendar filled with doodles.



It's a small desk size calendar, meant to be printed and then set into a CD case to use on your desk. It's relatively simple, you print out the pages onto cardstock (two months will print per page)...







... cut the pages to the size that fits (4.75" x 4.75")...











...then slip them into an empty CD case, and there you have it, your own desk calendar filled with doodles.










Not only that, you may print as many copies as you like, and give them to friends too. You may not print them and sell them as your own work though, that's a no-no... they are meant to be distributed freely to do nothing more than bring a smile.





There is even a page for you to add your own note if you want to give it as a gift. And, just how do you get this cute little thing? Check over on the freebie page. You'll find jpegs of all 7 pages that you may right click on and print... they are designed to print to the American standard 8.5" x 11" sheet. Or, if you are like me and never seem to get a clear print from that, email me and I'll send you the PDF file.

Here's wishing EVERYONE the happiest of holidays and a magnificent new year!!!

December Creativity Invitation Prompt...

It's where you hang your hat... It's where you can always go... It's there you learn about life and love and expectations... This time of the year, it's where everything is centered, so what is more appropriate for the December prompt than...

Home...

If you've never played along, remember, EVERYONE is invited to... you don't have to "formally" join the group, just have fun with the prompt!

Here are the rules...

• Interpret the prompt "home" in whatever way you wish.

• If you blog, create a post about it by Monday, January 10, 2011 (I can't believe I just typed 2011)... I'll write a post and include your link for your project on Friday, January 14, 2011.

• If you don't blog, just upload your photos to the Flickr group, or email them to me (ACreativeDreamer (at) gmail.com), add a bit about how you interpreted it, and you'll be included.

If you're late, don't fret... I'll just include it later... The "Official Rules" are here(you'll note if you go there I am already breaking a couple with the dates... we enforce them so stringently!)

Let it be...

I really like this...

Note added 12/7... Sadly, it seems the creator of the video has removed it from YouTube... sad, it was a great video.


And, while we are all here, let me share the winner of the repurposed book...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

55

Timestamp: 2010-12-05 23:02:19 UTC

And the winner is...

Katiejane said...

This is so pretty. And you are so generous to give it away! I love the colors.

09 November, 2010

Email me with your address Kate!

Tomorrow I'll be posting the new prompt for the Creativity Invitation for December... and the "Big Reveal" for the November prompt will be on Friday...

Let's catch up...

It's been longer than usual since I posted... a day under the weather, and work has been a tad busy... and I just haven't had a chance to get to the blog... so let's catch up because I have a few exciting things to share with you...

It's snowing! Look out my kitchen window... isn't it beautiful? I've spent the last hour watching the sky lighten and the snow fall so peacefully. We're expecting a good deal of this today, and I am looking forward to how lovely it will be when it's finished. (Y'all know I will not be this excited about snow a month from now... so enjoy it with me.)




I've been playing in the new space... and I have discovered I don't really care for Celluclay. Maybe I just don't have the hang of this product, and maybe I will find it more interesting if I work with it more (and, since I have 5 pounds of this stuff I guess I will be playing with it more), but right now... not so much.








Even after adding some paint... not sure that I really like it much. I've got a bit more to do before this little guy is finished, so I am trying to hold of judgment... but it's not looking good. Any hints or tips or suggestions from those of you who have worked with Celluclay would be greatly appreciated!





***This portion of the blog post when originally written, contained a couple of links to Overstock.com as well as a promotional code that was given to my readers for a 10% discount. I had been contacted by a representative from Overstock offering this discount, I did not seek it out. The email I received from them read:

Hi,
What I am looking for is a written post about Overstock.com anywhere within your blog entry with clickable product links from a list of links I send you and ask that you choose no more than six to post. The discount code is also included in the post which is available to you and your readers; good for 10% off all overstock products and does not expire. I also provide you with a promo code for free shipping on electronics. Can't wait to hear from you!
-Elyse

On March 31, 21011 I received another email that read:

Dear June,

Thank you for participating in Overstock.com's discount program. Unfortunately, it has recently come to the attention of the Marketing Department that some of the links used on your site to promote the discount program violate Google's paid links guidelines found here: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66736. It is possible that your site could be penalized by Google because of this linking, which could significantly impact traffic to your site.

We’ve also ended the promo codes associated with our discount program because of other websites using the code without our knowledge. We are very sorry to have to take this action. Pulling down the links will help avoid frustration for your readers.

Therefore, I have removed the links and the promotional code for Overstock.com. ***

I am off to put the finishing touches on a gift I am making... and maybe start a project or two... have a cup of tea and watch the snow fall...

And, of course, before I go, I want to share the ArtsyBlogger links for this week... wander over and see what everyone has been doing...

Christmas Sweet Treat
These chocolate covered cherry snowmen are super fun to make, and even more fun to eat!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Who couldn’t use another tote bag? Here’s a Koi Beach-Themed Tote from Eileen for your beach holidays or just to use when you miss the beach and warm weather.

Beading Arts
What can you do with a handful of circuit breakers?

Homemade Gift Book Ideas
Want a personal and unique gift? Cherie gives ideas on how to make a homemade gift book.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!