I love angels............

Angels have a special meaning for our family. I made some out of wire this Christmas season. They were way harder than I thought they would be. It took me all one evening to squeak out two attempts. I had to find rocks under a bridge (no snow there)and wire from hubby.....

Tis the Season.............

Since we are having lots of family for dinner this week, I thought I would make some table decorations. We are eating in the 'common room' of our condo complex and I wanted a festive look.....

Just like the picture..........

I don't normally post food, but I tried a new recipe from a cookbook the kids gave me. "Swiss Chard and Gruyere Tart". I don't really know when you are supposed to serve this. Is it an appetizer ? Brunch? Dinner? Anyway we will have it with dinner tonight, family is coming - good guinea pigs.
I am glad I started this early today. Mix, refrigerate,

roll, bake, cool, chop, saute, mix, bake again...

Smells good.....

Smells good, but this was harder than it looks. Thank you Pinterest for the idea. After clicking on the project, I realized the instructions were in Norwegian (.. or something). I could not figure out how to take thin peels off of the orange - must be a special tool. So I just stuck cloves in and tried to make a pattern. Thumbs are sore. Wrist is sore. Mess all over the kitchen and it wasn't THAT much fun. But for what it is worth, it looks a little festive.

this week...Mmmmm

This week, I made a dessert that I found on pinterest. Looks good, haven't tried it yet.

While I'm at it...............

After making the warm fuzzys, this week I decided to make another heat bag. I left my old one down south because it is so heavy to carry in luggage and we always hit it pretty close to the weight limit on the plane. So this is my creative attempt for this week, not very artistic, but homemade just the same. And useful.

I have the 'warm fuzzies'

This week winter has arrived and I am dedicated to keeping warm.  These are little hand warmers made of flannel and rice (like a heat bag idea) . You heat them in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds and they will keep your hands warm in your mitts for up to an hour. They are not as good as the commercial ones ( that work for about 8 hours - but who is out that long?) but I like that you can reuse them over and over.

Better late than never.....

This week I was on vacation, so it was a simple one. Still, enjoyed it and liked the end result. Had a few pieces leftover...oh well.....

"Overall" it was a good week !

Right up to speed on this one. Although, last time I sewed some overalls, I mentioned they were for wee Maddy, but they weren't, these ones are. The last ones were for Sqeak. I hope they fit.

This week - DIY or, 'These Boots Were Made for Walking"

This week was tough. Was out every night, but I did manage a small DIY project. My feet are a little wide (more like platters at the end of my legs) so I decided to stretch some boots that I had bought a while ago. What do you know, - it worked ! A little rubbing alcohol and some damp newspaper and viola - done.

This was fun !

Well, this week was fun. A quick, easy project and I was satisfied with the results. Saw it on pinterest (where else).
I like the way they are a bit 'sloppy', I don't like projects that have to look perfectly symmetrical, I prefer a more 'relaxed' look, I guess that is why I enjoyed this project so much. I ended up putting them in the laundry room. If anyone asks, I'm going to tell them that I got a good deal at Pier One Imports ;).

It's been quiet around here - well, not really

I finally got my out violin out after several months of ignoring it. I had a great time and plan on working on some music again. The orchestra at church has started up again, but I have bowed out for this session.  I may pick it up again in the spring. I find some of the music a bit advanced for little ol' me and it does take time to attend practises and to practice at home. But I still enjoy making music !

A "Bright" Idea?

This week I thought I would try something different. I got this idea from Pinterest (as usual). The picture showed the luminaries in a kind of 'sea glass' green and blue and although they looked great, I prefer 'warmer' tones. So I went for amber glass. They are 'okay', but I think if I ever do it again I would use shorter jars and maybe find ones that don't have screw tops, these look way too much like used jars from the recycling bin  -  hey wait a minute - they are!!

I think these will get relegated to the deck next summer.
After I took this picture, I sealed the outside of the jars and I actually liked it better, it sort of toned it down a bit.

Back to the Drawing Board

Well, I am falling back on an old favorite this week. Got my sketch book out again and quite enjoyed it. I know I need some more lessons, but for now I will leave that for another time, and I will just keep dabbling.

For our little 'Ladybug'

Well, another one done just in the nick of time. No sooner do I post a blog and go "Whew!", I have to think of next week's project which will come sooner than I think!

Anyway, this one is for our littlest member of the family, 'Ladybug'. I find it difficult to know if something is going to fit while I am sewing it.It seems that sewing patterns always fit a bit bigger. That is okay, but I don't want it to be a half a year before they are into it. On the other hand, it would be agonizing if it were too small !
Now, on to the next.................

Whew, got this one done just in time - well, mostly done.

This week was a bit of a rush, before I know it, another 7 days has gone by and I have to find something to show for it. This project actually spanned over the last two weeks. It is a pair of overalls for S and J's little man. The pattern was pretty complicated - way too many pattern pieces. I still have buttons and whatnot to apply, but it is basically done.

This week - white on white !

Well, this week is a little out of synch. I actually completed these projects a few weeks ago and the one I'm working on this week isn't quite finished yet.
So here is the white on white canvases. I saw the idea on pinterest.com. I was going to use wooden letters and then paint everything over in white, but I used white letters from the scrapbooking section at Michaels instead. It was harder to do than it looks. I tried a few designs before I settled on these. I tried a simpler phrase shaped in a abstract heart and honestly, it took all morning before I reallized I just couldn't get the proprtions right. I spent the better part of the next day finding quotes that were - not too long, - not too short, - not raunchy, - not too 'preachy' etc....

The kids are getting these for Christmas, and I am fairly certain they don't ever look on here so I will post them.
Next time, I will check for quotes that don't over use the letter 'e', - had to go out and buy several more sets of letters !!

Another Week - does this count?

Well, another week has gone by and what have I accomplished ?  Well, this week I did start on some sewing projects, but since I haven't got much to show for them yet, I will post my DIY item.

I an always 'dealing' with my hair. I look like a middle aged woman with an afro, so I made my own hair product. It is supposed to mimic the expensive salt spray products. I have no idea if the product I made is even close, since I have never bought the pricey stuff. I did use it this week, though. No one commented on my hair one way or the other. Nothing new.

Week 4 - Mmmm=mmm

I'm not sure if this counts, but I have decided it does. My blog - my rules. 
 I don't normally bake, and although I wouldn't blog everything that comes out of my oven, I am counting this.
It is ,I guess, considered candy and I don't normally make that kind of stuff but we are going out to the lake next week with lots of family and I thought they would enjoy this.

I got it from the website pinterest.com. And, actually, it didn't come from the oven at all as it is a no-bake recipe. It is made with oreo cookies, cream cheese and chocolate. I do wish I had made a smaller hole in the icing bag  so the white chocolate didn't come out so 'blobby'. Mmm-mm

Week 3 - Herb Markers

Well, here is my project for week 3. I have a little garden with a few veggies and herbs. I like to dabble a bit with caligraphy so here is what I did. It didn't take long, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. So here it is for what it's worth.....

Take 2

Well here is my attempt for week 2. Not sure if it is a hit or miss, but I had fun doing it. It is only a dollar store hat with some buttons sewn on.

Got the idea from a jacket I saw that had buttons sewn on all over the collar. The funny thing was that the owner spent alot of time assuring me that she bought it that way and hadn't done it herself!

First Attempt

Well, not such an auspicious start. These looked way cooler in the picture I saw. I think glass looks best, and maybe I didn't use the right kind of paint. They don't look as 'elegant' as I thought they would. They will probably end up in the recycling box at the end of the week.

Here we go !

OK
Here I am trying to jump start my creativity. I am going to try to finish a DIY project every week. It may range from a craft, to trying new music on my violin or simply an at home shoe stretching endeavor,. I will try making gifts, repairing something around my home, photography sewing and who knows what else. I will take pictures of my projects and hopefully see some progress in this area.
I have been recently inspired by a posting on facebook about a site called pinterest.com. It is FULL of great ideas. I have also been made aware of how lives can change in a blink of an eye and find myself wondering that if I looked back on my life, would I think that I had wasted too much time on things that I really think are of little value (playing solitaire comes to mind) ?
So here goes......