Eleven 2011 Intentions

Good round number, right? LOL And these are in no particular order.
 1. Take better care of my body – our new company gym is opening mid-January and I will HAVE NO MORE EXCUSES since I’m right there!
 2. Create something new every week – that’s 52 new creations and some of them are bound to be giveaways
 3. Shop at my local international farmer’s market at least twice a month – even though it’s a 45 minute drive – heck some people do that and more every day to work and back
 4. Do not watch a single bad rerun or even boring new show on TV just to be mindlessly watching something – my honey is just going to have to play more Scrabble
 5. Find eight fun things to do with my four older grandkids during the year so we can have a couple of outings a year with each of them individually – not an easy task with busy teenagers and one in her third year of college
 6. Be mindful of every penny I spend – is it a want or a need?
 7. Make all birthday, anniversary, and holiday cards during January and have them ready to send rather than paying $4.99 or more for a card that doesn’t really say what I want it to say
 8. Make one raised bed planter a month and fill it with good dirt. They may not all be done in time for spring planting but in 2012 I’ll have enough to plant a REALLY good garden. Use the compost in my compost pile and start another one (now that I know that you don’t need a four foot tall structure when you only have maybe a foot and a half of compost a year LOL)
 9. Appreciate that I have a loving honey to tell the same stories more than once or draw out a story until you want to squeeze it out of him without rolling my eyes or making a not-so-nice comment
 10. Spend at least 10 minutes with each of our two black Lab mixes in my lap each day – yep they’re heavy but they both think they are lap dogs. And spend equal time petting my old girl who doesn’t think she’s a lap dog but loves to be petted
 11. I’m usually always patient with people that I’m helping on the phone at my company. Try not to say ANYTHING not nice (whether muttering to myself or any colleagues around me) when I hang up – try to realize they are doing the best they can and be more patient

Happy 2011 everyone and may you be blessed with your own good intentions!

For All The Pink Lovers Out There...

Finally after many months I've finished the hot pink wreath!  Originally it was going to have wool braiding around the outside and inside edge and be in a book but when my stepfather became ill earlier in the year - there just wasn't time to get it done by the deadline.  It languished out in my studio and finally I decided to finish it for a friend for Christmas.  It's hooked in hot pink wool with flowers that are proddied from all sorts of wools and yarns and fibers.  I also wired through the foundation into each flower and beaded the wire.  The back is lined with the same hot pink wool and mounted on a wire wreath frame.  I just happened to have some thin cotton cloth that made a perfect colored bow and that's also sewn on.  Sure hope my friend likes her gift!

Here's a little tablescape for you - we had to move the diningroom table into the livingroom and add a long folding table at the end.  Last night we had our family Christmas dinner and it was one of those really special occasions.  It's unusual when we can get more than a few gathered here at once.  My step-daughter and husband and our two grandchildren, our daughter and her husband, our granddaughter (who is a junior in college) and her boyfriend.  We had a great time and good food - not your usual Christmas fare - homemade chicken pot pie, bean salad, green salad, cranberry sauce, black olives, deviled eggs, brownies, pumpkin pie, and Greek cookies.  We sat talking about families and charities and natural gardening and world affairs for almost two hours afterwards.  Just a fabulous night.  At the last minute our son and one grandson weren't able to come but we'll be seeing them next weekend and will have our own little celebration then. 

I hope you will all be making wonderful Christmas memories this week with those you love and cherish.  And may you be blessed in the coming new year.

The Hallelujah Eggs

We're having a family Christmas dinner for twelve today.  Now everyone in the world may already have known this but I didn't so I went to ehow.com to find out the best way to peel an egg.  I love deviled eggs but absolutely hate making them.  Most of the time my eggs don't peel easily (or they come out looking like egg salad) and half of them aren't even usable.  I know how to cook 'em, know to put 'em in cool water for awhile before peeling, even know you should 'crackle' them before trying to peel.  But the secret I didn't know was that after you crackle them, if you roll them in your hands like you're rolling a meatball for a few seconds, it will loosen the membrane under the shell and it will peel easily.  I JUST PEELED A DOZEN PERFECT EGGS!!!!!!!!!  Hallelujah!!!!!!!!  Let's eat!!!!!!!

One World One Heart 2011

Oh my gosh I'm so excited and can't believe it's that time of year already!  Thanks Georgina for reminding me about this.  One World One Heart will take place between January 30th and February 17th 2011 and this will be the fifth and final year for it.  Last year over 1,000 bloggers participated.   It's almost impossible to visit that many blogs but Lisa keeps the list out there for a year so you can always go back and visit later. 

It's so that bloggers can meet other bloggers (via their blogs) and it's so much fun and so inspiring.  I met the most incredible people last year and hope to meet even more this year. 

You can go here to read all about it.

Un Quartetto Di Alberi

For some reason (could it be Christmas?) I've been on a create-a-tree spree!  These are made with cardboard spools, yarn, and whatever whimsies I could find.  Fast, cute, and perfect for giveaways or door prizes. 

Enjoy!

Sparkly Christmas Tree Tutorial

I made a little sparkly Christmas tree today - although it's hard to see the sparkles in the pictures.  But medium cut German Glass glitter in clear was used and it really does sparkle in the light.  All you need is:

A spool and a dowel

If your dowel doesn't fit tightly into your spool,

you can tape a tiny nail to the bottom side of the dowel

Be sure to use a nail with no head

Then glue the dowel into the spool and it will fit tightly

Cover the sides of your spool with glue

and sprinkle heavily with the German glass glitter

Then let dry before you begin putting the coffee filters over the dowel

A few unbleached coffee filters

I think I ended up using about five or six

and my tree is eight inches high including the spool

Cut through the coffee filter to the center and then cut the center out

(I put several coffee filters together before cutting)

Wad the centers up into a ball, straighten them out,

then cut scallops around the edges

(these don't have to be perfect)

Cut the fluted coffee filter edge into pieces big enough

to cut a circle out of

Depending upon the size of your spool,

the coffee filter bottoms (that you scalloped)

should be big enough for the bottom of the tree

cut smaller circles as you go,

putting eight to ten of each size circle on the dowel

(again this will depend upon how tall you make your dowel)

fold the circle in half and snip the center

(so it will fit over the dowel)

Cut two stars out of the coffee filter centers to fit the top of your tree

Cut a tiny square from a little piece of white cloth or cardstock

Put dabs of glue around the edges of your circles

and dip them into German glass glitter

Shake them off and put them on your dowel

with the sparkly side up

starting with the larger circles at the bottom

and smaller circles going up the tree to the top

Leave a little room at the top of your dowel for the star

Put glue all over one side of the star and dip in German glass glitter

Glue one square of cloth or cardstock in the middle of 

the non-glitter side of your star

Place a dab of glue on the cloth/cardstock and glue to dowel

You'll have one star on each side of dowel

Then you can put a teeny dab of glue on each of the top three star points

and glue them together.

Add a ribbon to the spool if you wish

and even a sequin or 'jewel' to the middle of the star

And by the way, Diana at Splinters And Rags is where I've always bought my German glass glitter.  She's great to work with and has loads of colors and types as well as mica and other items.  Her store and email is here:  http://splintersandrags.com/ and her Ebay store is here:  http://stores.ebay.com/Splinters-and-Rags-Crafts

Christmas Gift Exchange

Tuesday night our rug hooking group has our annual Christmas party where we eat, laugh, and draw for gifts.  The gift has to be something to do with wool and hand-made.  Somehow I always manage to come up with something that ISN'T simple LOL  So this year I went with an appliqued wool box.  Chipboard pieces covered with wool and hand-stitched around the edges.  Then each is stitched to the other to make the box.  The button strings weight the lid closed.  And no, the tiny tree on top isn't hand-made but I need to figure out exactly how it was made because it's really cool.  I think teeny tiny ribbon was wound around wire and then made into a tree.  Or maybe the tree was made first and then they wrapped the ribbon.  No matter, THAT'S something for next year LOL    Oh and Santa baby, if you can find our chimney, I'd love a new camera for Christmas.  The side that has the Santa baby verse really is a fireplace with two tiny stockings hanging down.

Enjoy!

And We Have A Giveaway Winner!

The random generator gave me number 20 so...

Mya at elbows on my windowsill

won the wool box giveaway!  Mya, if you'll email me with two of your favorite colors, I'll get started on your prize.  Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments on my blog. 

Santa Baby, Hurry Down The Chimney Tonight...

Santa, I want a bone and a bag of dog treats and a dog bed and a blanket, oh and did I say a bone?  And a daily ride in the car and a daily walk, oh and did I say a bone?  Uh, Santa, maybe two bones?  Whadda ya mean I'm heavy?

Aw come ON Shadow - it's my turn, my turn, my turn - I want bones too.

And Santa wants a bigger chair!