Steady Pace...

I've been keeping a pretty steady pace working on a few things for Christmas... I made a chair out of plastic canvas for my grandaughter to play with-with her Barbies. I think it turned out super caute... I'm in the process of working on the matching couch.I also finished a Sesame street fleece blanket for my grandaughter.... these fleece blankets whip up so fast when you crochet around the edges. I've still got to start/finish the spider man fleece blanket for my grandson. Wouldn't you know it? now he tells me he likes Batman instead of Spider Man... I'm hoping that he'll swing back around to liking Spider Man by Christmas! I use an eyelet tool to punch holes every 1/2 inch around the fleece to crochet a finished edge to each blanket. I put up my Christmas tree--- not over the moon loving it-- but whoop-dee-doo........ it'll doooooo~ My beloved cat Charlie is sitting on the green chair :-)I saw these candy cane seeds in a magazine and made a few... I think they are so darn cute~ So many fun things to make...so little time!

Sipping in Style~

I bought these blue "design your own mugs" at our local Dollar Tree. They had them in red, green and blue. Wouldn't they be great gifts for kids to decorate/design as gifts for grandparents? I bought four--- I had twelve in my cart at one time. I know... When we were at the exclusive Club 33 at Disneyland my hubby bought a $25 dollar coffee mug. Who does that? While he was over the moon with the mug-- I was over the moon with the vellum like tissue paper stamped with Club 33 in gold...... The paper had wrinkles in it.... *sigh* so I had to wrinkle all of it to match. Then I ironed it flat-- I think it ended up looking like wrinkled linen.
Next time we go to Disneyland, my two grandkids will be sipping in style~

Happy Thanksgiving~

enough said~

Candy cane season~

Tis the season for candy canes.... I make these every year, I'm sure everyone has seen these around for ages... Candy cane mice~ Some candy cane cats~New this year... Candy Cane Poinsettias! These are my favorite.What to do with the broken candy canes??? Well, make them into "puzzles" of course!I've linked up over at Seven Thirty Three for the Sugar & Spice post number 38~

Turkey finger puppets~

I made 20 turkey finger puppet/sucker covers for thanksgiving. Boy are my fingers sore. The basic pattern I used as the base to create these from, was the pumpkin finger puppets I made last month. It is my intention to make finger puppets each month for a whole year-- for my grandson to pass out to his friends at his preschool. Eeek... thats 240 finger puppets! Hmmm I think I'll whip up twenty-one so I can have a set of 12 to enter in the local fair next year... why not! Whats 12 more.... um, thats 252-- not that I'm counting! I think they turned out kinda caute~
Here is the pattern I made up for the turkey's feathers--- if anyone is interested. You can find the pattern for the main part of the finger puppet here.

With orange yarn, working only in the back stitches of the two joined circles... Sl st yarn at one side of the opening of the turkey (at the bottom) ch 4, sl st in second ch from hook and in the next 2 chains. Sc in the next 4 stitches and then ch 4, sl st in second chain from hook and in next 2 chains. Repeat all the way around, you should have 6 orange feathers around the backside of the 2 joined circles.

With yellow yarn slip stitch in the front of the orange using the stitches on the top circle only. Sl st the first stitch, sc next two stitches, ch 4 sl st in second chain from hook and the next 2 chains. Repeat around the edge of the top circle. You should have 5 yellow feathers when your finished.
Once the feathers are finished you add a felt body, wiggly eyes and a little beak. Easy-peasy! Next months finger puppet is going to be a "red-nosed reindeer"

Mixed Media Monday

The challenge theme for Mixed Media Monday is: boxes. I was lucky to find two vintage boxes of tinsel this past weekend at a church rummage sale for .25¢ each. I repurposed one for this challenge. I reinforced the entire box with a thin layer of cardboard as the original boxes were flimsy. I made the three printed ornaments on the box into 3 dimensional ornaments using the full depth of the box which is 3/4 of an inch. I used the vintage tinsel garland that was in the box along with other shiny silver glittered things. Of course, I had to toss in sweet Pete, I love that little fella~Here is what the box was leaning against. This used to be the base of a lamp. I bought it --shells included for only $5. I cut the cord, pulled out the metal rod and wires... painted and distressed the base of the lamp.... used some E600 glue and glued the base onto the glass bottom. Easy-peasy. The hardest part was finding the glass knob for the top. I found a curtain rod with a huge round crystal at the end at a yard sale for .25¢, I think it looks fabulous. I lurve it!

Baby-blankie Cherubs

It has been on my mind lately that I wanted...no, that I needed a banner/swag across my kitchen hutch. You know... in keeping with my "more is better" mantra. I was lucky enough to pick up these two baby cherubs for .50¢ each. These little plastic cuties were originally gold in color, a few squirts of some flat white spray paint and some stain to distress them fixed up that little problem in no time. I added some shabby chic fabric to update their little "blankies" and added some fluffy feathers to their wings and of course a top hat. I'm thinking 2011 is going to be all about top hats~ I was going to create a swag with some kinda thanksgiving sum'thin-sum'thin but I didn't think "you turkey" would fly with some folks-- some people have no sense of humor! So, I opted to use something I had purchased several years ago and had stashed away-- a glittered happy holidays banner. taaaaaaaaa daaaaaaaaaaa... finished in no time flat. While we are in the kitchen, I'll show you another baby-blankie cherub. This one sports a tutu and a strand of vintage pearls along with her pointy party hat. She hovers over the candy cabinet that holds all my grandkids chocolates and suckers~

When its over....

thats the time I fall in love again....... Soooooooo happy to have survived my very first craft boutique. A huge thank you to all of those who wished me well, I think it really helped!! I think it went rather well. I made over a hundred buckeroos in the 3 1/2 hours I was there.... along with the $25 I had to pay for my 8'x8' spot. I sold things rather cheaply, lets face it no one wants to pay big bucks for something/anything, me included! I'm only sharing one photo of my space cause lets face it, it was all crammed together with no order what-so-ever! I was told I was going to have a rectangle table-- so I had envisioned what I was going to do--- and there sat the biggest round table I have ever seen... in my spot... so that set the stage for disorder rather quickly!I enjoyed talking with the talented people who had a space next to mine. Very delightful people who had some amazing cards, candles and other neat things for sale that they had made. The gal on the other side of me was selling handmade fabric purses for $30 bucks each-- I overheard her say she sold nothing... *gasp* they were cute and well made... but you've got to price things cheap... thats my thinking away..... and I guess it worked cause I've got money to burn! *woot-woot* eh gawds, what am I going to do with all the leftovers?

Boxes are packed~

I got everything packed up for the craft boutique tomorrow. I ended up filling 8 boxes full of things to sell. I have an 8' x 8' area--- and all of this is going to take up that space and more I'm sure. My goal is to make the $25 dollars spent on the space--- which I am hoping I'll make back selling to the other ladies who are setting up their spaces before the door opens. Never miss an opportunity to get rid of junk... er... fabulous treasures!! Here is a funny photo of my grandaughter sporting the top hat I made for her for halloween. She really has a tough time smiling when its not heart-felt.lol... I'm still laughing~

Tags & top hats~

I've made some more things to sell at this Saturdays crap craft boutique. I whipped up one tag... Liked it so much I made a bunch more. I made a top hat...Figured... why fire up the glue gun to make just one... so I made a total of five. I also added some fairies to some metal Christmas tree ornaments. Its been a very productive few days.... I don't know what the near future brings on me being as productive as I'd like. I've got an appointment with a specialist to see about my painful shoulder. Its either a torn rotator cuff or its pulled out of the socket. All I know is-- it hurts! You would be so surprised to know how much you use a certain part of your body when you can't fully use it or it hurts to use it.... *sigh* I need to go cut and glue something to make myself feel better~