Janet of All Trades

I started this Blog back in July to figure out what my true trade should be. I have basically come to the conclusion that I love to create things. Be it this blog were I ramble about nothing,my brain,my parents,my need to complete a project or the lack of staying on track with an idea. Create none the less I try as my brain does not shut down and I feel the need to keep it entertained. I will continuing to explore and try to keep this blog concise and focused as much as possible and keep you updated on all the projects. Hope you all have enjoyed reading and drop me a comment once in awhile so I know you are out there. Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

My husband and I don't exchange presents for Christmas simply because we buy what we want all year long and we would rather spend the money on our niece and nephews at this time of year. I found this ring on etsy and had to have it and it just happens to be Christmas, so I guess you can call it my Christmas gift. It is from  www.etsy.com/shop/onegarnetgirl  It is the Gemini constellation with two diamonds and also comes in all other signs as well. I love that it is so simple, artistic and means something to me. Oh and it does sparkle as well!

I started to make Christmas Ornaments for my Twin nephews a few weeks before the holiday. I thought I would work on them in my spare time and possibly on my lunch hour. But I did not have enough time to get them done before so I worked on them this post holiday weekend. This is part of the whole and will post the finished product once the are in the receivers hands. They are a very simple pattern that I have had for over 20 years and a search found that the designer is still making patterns today. So stick around for the finished product!

I am in the after Holiday funk with after being in a huge rush to get things done before the holidays it seems as though I don't have any motivation to do anything. But the new year is slowly creeping up and there is a full moon on the 31st. Not sure if the full moom means anything but I will use that as my excuse for now. I do have a few things that I will be working on over the next long holiday weekend and will post the results in January!

In my family every year we would post our Christmas list on the refrigerator so everyone (including Santa) could see. Each was a piece of blank lined paper with your name at the top in red or green (there were five girls) and had about 25 spots that could be filled in. One year when I was ten, I put on my list that I wanted peace in the world. Being raised the mist of the cold war and the hostage crisis it was pretty important to me that the world be peaceful at Christmas. Being the creative parents that I was bless to have,they gave me this dove ornament in a box with images of the earth on all sides. This ornament is in a special place on my tree to remind me not only of my parents but to wish for peace in the world this holiday.

I have been thinking about consumerism this holiday season and how many in this nation are shopaholics with the credit card debt to prove it. It's like shopping is a hobby for some just to fill the time or a void. I have been a vicitum of it as well. I do like to shop too but it is mostly with a list and a purpose now. When looking for gifts I put a lot thought into it and years ago when I could not find that special gift I would make it with something I had or some inexpensive materials. My recent holiday dilemma was to find a unique gift bag and I just could no find anything worth my dollar, so I made this special little bag for my niece. It took 10 minutes and 2 pieces of felt and some left over ribbon. I think it looks great and she can use it as a decoration in the years to come. It's back to were I came from that a hand made gift means more. It's one of kind and special. So 'Tis the Season to give Handmade!

These are just the sweetest slippers ever. They belong to one of my twin nephews and have possibly inspired me to try to make a pair.  Possibly out of felt or leather since they don't look to difficult to make. I will file this one away for next year as well. The 2010 Christmas file is getting bigger!

Why do they do this to me every year. My favorite magazines show great gifts to make in the middle of December when I am already over my head with ideas and things I should have made. I love these three and will file away for some day. The heirloom seeds would be great as a Christmas card insert or a card in themselves. I might use this for Birthday cards as well. The dog bed I love and have many friends with dogs that would love this in more ways than one. I suppose it may become a chew toy for some but still a great idea because it's basically two towels and some batting sewn together. How simple! The last is the bath salts which I seem to forget about every year and they are so easy to make. Just dress them up in a pretty container or bag and your done. I guess I will files these away for next year that is if I remember where I put them!

The cards have been in the mail now for a few days and I am pleased with the results, with exception to the  amount of glitter that they shed. I started with a photo an ornament (Santa is a special Swedish ornament) and then uploaded it to Martha Stewart Living for glitter advice. I could have glittered the entire card but I would have had to started them 6 months ago. I used just one color to highlight and now looking at them I think I might have printed the photo in black and white and then accented with color. Oh well, a thought for next time. Next I adhered them to card stock and secured with a ribbon and double sided tape. Another thought is that I could have made a note inside the card that it could have been cut out and used as an ornament. Yet again, a thought for next time. All in all I think they came out very festive and hopefully not too messy!

I have some projects to complete before the holiday and include some wreath making for a our Kitchen re-design and a few other things that are rolling around in my head. So in to avoid what i should be doing I have been reading magazines. What a delightful escape unless you are me and my brain. I saw these paint collections in Sunset January 2010 and I want to use all of them, well with the exception of the High Desert, a little too pink and peach, which I thought was left back in the 80's. But I would love my Kitchen in the Southland Retro combination, it really is almost there sans the Green,White and Blue. Who am I kidding, I am not painting another room this year. Only 15 days to wait for the new year!

I made this wreath a few years ago and was inspired to post it after seeing Eddie Ross' beautiful ornament wreath. Mine is far more complicated than his and seems to lose a few ornaments every year. I started with three different sized grape vine wreaths and a ton of glue. First I started glueing the large ornaments on the wreath and then started to work my way around. It takes a little time since you have to fit the ornaments in here and there but the results are fabulous. I store it hanging and try not to let it get bumped since it tends to shed ornaments every year. It is easily fixed with a little glue and it is ready to hang. I love how it looks on the red wall, oh so festive!

I had a half day on Monday just to use up my last vacation before the end of the year. We had a few errands to complete as well as a little wandering looking for a specific piece of furniture. We did not find it but found some art and a kitchen table that we will keep in the back of our mind for now. I also finished up my cards so that project is complete and finished hanging art in the bedroom. It is all coming together and hopefully just before the holidays. Just enough time to sit down and enjoy the January Martha Stewart Living Magazine for a few moments of creative rest. Then I spot this oh so cute mouse! I love it and I do have the basic skills of knitting if you eliminate that hat that did not seem to look quite like the photo, but this looks easier. He is just so adorable. Maybe after the Holidays I will bring this mouse in to my house!

Here is a little sneak peak of my Christmas card. This is the least of my favorites of the three designs but I think they came out kind of nice. They are simple and I wanted them to look like a Christmas ornament hanging on the card. If you look at my blog photo yesterday, this is the same photo just glittered! I am walking a fine line with the glitter and glue and hope they don't look like something an elementary student would make or do I? In any case they kept my hands busy last night and will for the next few days. Only ten to fifteen more to make and assemble. Do I really need to go to work today?

I have been giving and receiving Christmas ornaments for my whole life. When I was young I made most of my ornaments and gave them to friends and family. The tradition came from my mother who always gave ornaments as gifts. They usually all had a special meaning or note on why she had given them.Every year I open them up and remember her and her special way of making Christmas so special for all of her five girls. This time of year is sometimes tough for me since I miss her and see her in every ornament she gave me. Over the years I have stopped making ornaments due to lack of time and lack of appreciation of receivers. Not everyone likes a homemade gift I guess? But this year I am making two ornaments for two special boys. I can't show you the photo until after Christmas but they are going to be very cute (I think). It is one more thing to add to my list before the holidays, but I don't care since I enjoy the pressure to get things done!

 I am still relaxed from my day of crafting on Monday. Someone asked me what I did on my day off and I said that I sat on the floor like a kid with glue and glitter. They proceeded to say, I know what you mean that's your real life, not the one you have here at work. She then said that she says goodbye to here real life everyday in the morning and hello every night. So simple yet true since I don't think there is room in my work life for glitter and glue or sitting on the floor. But I can fit it in at both ends of the day with just a little creativity and possibly some glitter too.

My day off yesterday was wonderful. I completed about 20 Christmas cards and finished some decorating. After decorating for the Holidays and re-decorating our living room, it is as though we can not stop. Now I feel like our kitchen needs a freshening up and I fear I will need to do it before the Holidays! I had framed Woody Jackson prints in these Black frames for probably 10 years. I love the color and the theme, but it is time to move on. I had recently printed some images from Vintage Printables and was going to use them in our living room but they did not work, but they do work quite nicely in the Kitchen. Now I just have to incorporate some green into the space with a new curtain and pillows for a bench. More projects for the list!

I have been thinking about my Christmas cards and have been mulling over a few ideas. I plan to start them  over the weekend since I have a long weekend. I love to take an image and reduce it to it's most simplest form. That is why I love this Snowflake display from Southern Living Dec 09. It is so simple yet a nice holiday decoration. It was made with embroidery hoops and canvas. They are arranged on the wall in the form of a snowflake. I am thinking about using this type of idea for my cards. Just need to create a couple images and then reduce to dots. Should be hard since I think my brain can handle it and if not there is always the computer to help. Have a great weekend and I will post my cards next week!

I saw these keychains in Elle Decor and thought I could make them for some of my business customers. I work for a company that sells this type of material and I thought it would be a nice gift for the holidays as well as show off our product. Just need a tiny bit of time on the sewing machine and then insert into a card and I am done. Well done with this project, but not all the others I have on the list. I think I better stop avoiding the Christmas card making and get started since my brain is avoiding it to!

Every year I make my own Christmas cards and it is a bit of a challenge coming up with an new idea every year. The last two years I painted a little holiday scene for each card. This year I am stumped but keep rolling some ideas around in my head. I better get started since it already is December 2nd but I have been consumed with other projects but now I have time to devote some serious thinking. I love the Maratha Stewart ideas and may steal something from the glitter and the paper punch creations in November and December issues, but I have to make it mine. Maybe a combination of both or something completely different. I will have to thinking about it a little longer.

The Twine trees are done and glided. I have made ten in various sizes and currently they are in a holding area until I decide their next semi-permanent holiday location. The look very beautiful in the silver and was not too fond of the gold until I purchased a new can of spray paint. The one I was using was probably 6 or 7 years old and was dull and almost bronze (probably rust). The new can was bright and shiny and makes the trees stand out. I arranged them on shelves, that will soon be taken down soon when I paint the wall, to show how they would look with other accessories. I like them with the Snowflakes and the Reindeer since they almost look rustic because of the hairy twine. I plan to scatter them thru the living room and on the buffet once some of the other projects we have been working on are completed. This was a fun project although a little time consuming but general quite easy.