Friday, October 30, 2009

Bushel of Ornaments Continued



Mini Wall Art Quilt
6" x 6"

It's completed!  This is my version of a Mini Wall Art Quilt Ornament. Each one of those little crystals and adornments on the black felt and trees were painstakingly attached, one by one.  It looks a lot better in person.  I'm almost tempted to keep it for myself because a lot of work really went into this.

Materials: felt, rayon, corduroy, fiberfill, crystals, beads, buttons, embroidery floss, trim, misc embellishments. Hand stitched.



Feather Fly-Away
6" x 7" including feathers
4" x 4" wreath

Last night, ideas came flooding to me regarding this piece that was previously posted.  I wound hand-dyed fly-away yarn in between each of the beads which gives it a look of more fullness and aesthetic appeal.  The yarn is blended into a combination of running blue and sea green colors.  It's so beautiful, I'm always very selective what to use it on.

Each of the feathers had to be individually attached with Fabri-Tac which makes this a delicate ornament.  Everything is holding well and very secure.  I would have been more comfortable wiring the feathers onto the wreath instead; but, there weren't any stems to use. 

The final touches, each teeny tiny bead was also individually set.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Mini Wall Art Quilt Ornament


In Progress: Mini Wall Art Quilt

Here's another one in progress I had to show you because I really like how its coming out.  This one is supposed to be my Mini Art Quilt Wall Ornament. (The first one, which was very different, didn't turn out well and has been tossed to the side.) It's put together with scraps of fabric and all different types of floss.  The material ranges from corduroy to sheer organza to rayon silk to cotton. Can't wait until its done.

Bushel of Ornaments for Christmas Swaps

Here are a few finished ornaments for the swaps I'm in.  The others are still in progress. 


Snowy

Who doesn't love snowmen?  I love all types.  For my first one, I wanted something country and primitive, but not too primitive.  This is a hand-stitched 6" snowman made from cream plush felt, scraps of fabric, buttons, twigs and a pom pom.

His mouth and the snowflakes on his hat are hand embroidered.  The edging of his hat has blanket stitches.  His nose was made from clay and painted.  Blush was used for his cheeks.  To make him glisten like snow, he's been sprayed with glitter.



In Progress: Feather Fly-Away

This was actually the first one I made. Large vintage pearls were strung onto wire. (I received these from eBay. You can get a lot of wonderful vintage pieces here at inexpensive prices.)

The pearls were inter-spaced with purple aurora borealis beads from a necklace I purchased from a kids accessory store in the mall.

Moss colored organza ribbon was then wrapped around the beads and the ribbon edges were tied together to make a hanger.

Velvet leaves were added on top. Their stems are wire which made it easy to attach them. Just wrap their wire stems around the wreath and hide it under the ribbon.

A dragonfly pin with crystals was tied to the wreath at three sections (the clasp, the wing, and the tail). Since his head was missing, I replaced it with a citrine colored stone.

There's a little spray glitter on it because I like the shimmer.



Baaaaah
6" x 4"

These are the most fun and very addicting to make.  Very popular, too.  People want me to make a little herd for them.  I expect these would make great holiday craft show items from the response I received.



Another View of Baaaaah

I found a picture of a sheep and drew around it to make it the size I wanted, about 6" for this one.  (I didn't want to be bothered going to the copy store to enlarge or reduce the image.) 

Then, I cut it from black felt and stitched all the way around it.  No turning the body inside out.  Just leave the top of the sheep open so you can stuff it a bit.  Then, stitch closed.

Find fluffy, maybe a little knotted looking, yarn or wool. Tie a knot around his neck and start wrapping him up in it until he's nice and fluffy like a real sheep. You can use different colored wools, too, on the same sheep. They all came out great! You might also need a little glue to keep a piece of wool in place by his tushie.

Cut two little triangles, softly rounded, from black felt for his ears.  Bend it in half a little and glue the bottom edges together.  The top of his ears are not glued.  Glue the ears in place on his little head.  I use E6000 for mostly everything; but, you can also use Fabri-Tac, too.

Tie ribbon, raffia, or something else around his neck with a little bell.  There are buttons that come in the shape of little cow bells which would make this even cuter.  You can also use chenille pine stems to make a little wreath for around his neck, too, with a red velvet bow attached to it.  Way toooo cute.

On some sheep, I sprayed glitter to give them the look of freshly fallen snow from being out in the fields.

The hanger is gold embroidery floss sewn through the body so it holds better. In this way, the wool won't pull and become loose after years of tugging on it and hanging.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Will Work For Candy Canes! Elves For Hire!



Do you need an assistant? Or a team of them to help organize the chaos and share the trade secrets to a meaningful and joyous holiday season? We found a few great sites that actually, kind-of, offer this! Although they’re not there doing the work for you, you are guided along the Gingerbread Brick Road into creating and rediscovering what Christmas is meant to be.

Christmas Organizing acts as your very own Christmas Coach! There are so many resources you can access here. The complete list is on their main page. Membership is free unless you choose to also join their "Candy Cane Club" which is $25 for an annual subscription. Aside from the free basic membership, which offers a lot, you can also sign up for their free newsletter. On top of that, you can join their discussion group called  Christmas Organizing Yahoo Group

Another outstanding club is the Christmas All Year Yahoo Group .  The main topic is, of course, Christmas. However, once a new holiday rolls around, there are so many great decorating and crafting ideas, as well as family traditions, shared by its members. This is a very giving group that shares a wealth of information with each other. You can easily add a lot more sparkle and fun to your holidays with what you find here. Oh! I almost forgot to mention, if you love cooking and baking, check out their tempting vintage recipes.

Everyone will wonder where you came up with so many great ideas and how you effortlessly created a joyous occasion for everyone without ever looking frazzled! The stress so many often feel during this time will decrease and the meaning of the season will flood back to you as you implement the tips and tools others have learned before you.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Star Light, Star Bright



If you have the time, here's a great star ornament that's very glittery and glitsy!  Check it out at the blog below.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Big Holiday Ornament Swap!






If you enjoy making handcrafted ornaments and receiving them, then you really should check out this Yahoo Group called "Big Holiday Ornament Swap".

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BigHolidayOrnamentSwap/

An edited portion of the main details can be found on the main page.  I joined and am already sketching out designs for what to make! Hope to see you here!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Mrs. Santa's Secret North Pole Christmas Recipes!



Pssst.  Take a lookie.  Mrs. Santa's secret Christmas recipes that Santa and all the elves love!

Mrs. Claus' Family Cookbook

You can even see what her kitchen looks like!

Mrs. Claus' Kitchen

If you're lucky enough to sneak a gingerbread cookie or a fingerfull of that batter, you can scamper off to hear the two stories read by one of Santa's Senior Elves!  You just have to find 'em!