Humblearts Journal

Studio Friday - Retrospective

For Studio Friday this week, Tine asked us to think back on our accomplishments for 2005 and post about the ones we are most happy about.

Being on HGTV is the biggest thing that happened last year.  My little dragonfly and I enjoyed our 15 minutes of fame!

Here is a list of other big things that happened this year that I'm just a pleased as punch about:

1. Organizing the Bead Cruise

2. Getting accepted to teach at Art & Soul for next year!

3.  My bracelet project airing on PBS' Beads, Baubles & Jewels.

4.  Having my lariat reprinted in Easy Beading.

5.  My bead fairy on the front cover of the weekender!

All made for very exciting times this year.  Some of the things on my list have been hard work, others just fell into my lap.  Just little blessings that I'm amazed about.

I've been working on my marketing plan for next year.  I can't wait to see what happens next!

New Auctions

While taking a break, I decided to list some new things on eBay.  I have art beads, kits with my handcrafted beads and very cool brass pendants and beads that my Mom brought during her last visit.  Actually she gave me a huge box of beads filled with stones and castings.  The castings we agreed to sell and the stones, I greedily kept for myself!  My precious...anyway. 

Here they are, you can find them up on eBay right now.

A few felted gifts

I thought I should show you my other felted gifts, now that I'm all rested up from the holiday.  Hosting Christmas at our house, I find is very draining.  Between all the cooking and cleaning, I keep thanking God that we are so blessed to have a house that can accommodate my husbands growing family!  (All my gang are in Michigan.) 

Speaking of houses, this little squirrel family has been enjoying their crocheted tree home.  I'm such a nut, aren't I?  I just starting crocheting until it looked like a tree and then added some buttons for leaves.  It opens up in the front for the family to snuggle inside.  This was for my youngest daughter.  The mom has a little apron on and the kids' scarves, made from a striped t-shirt that I've been cutting up.  When E. opened the present she was completely silent.  I asked her if she liked it and she said, "I just can't believe it's real."  Needle felting is a simple process, but very tedious and time consuming.  I didn't do nearly as much as I had wanted to.  But that's the thing with time, there is never enough to finish all the projects I have planned!

I also wet felted two balls for my baby nephews.  After I had felted them into their basic shape, I cut them open, inserted a bell and needle felted it to cover up the hole and to apply the design.  Next, I put them in little socks, tied them up and threw them in the washing machine and dryer.  They were a hit. 

I hope you had a very enjoyable holiday and that you are looking forward to the New Year!

The Ghost of Christmas Presents

Don't you just love the movie Scrooged?   I've been enjoying watching every holiday movie that they have played on cable this week, while I worked away at gifts that have been shipped off to Michigan.  I thought I'd share a few of my latest creations with you.

Yo, ho, ho, a pirate's life for me!  Sings this wee little bear, who is just 2 inches high.  I gave him a tiny eye patch, vest and pirate hat.  Then made a little boat for him to sail away in.  This goes to my nephew.  The bear is needle felted, his accessories are felt.  (The cheap kind!)

Next we have his first mate, little Kitty, who is sporting an apron and her own carrying case/purse.  This is going to my niece.

And to my other niece, a little purse with a matching horse and a few beaded hair pins.  I also sent along a fun little scarf with 2 felted balls on the end.  Cute, cute, cute!  I tried to needle felt a horse, not so cute. 

Now I only have a family of squirrels and kittens to needle felt, 2 felted "jingle" balls for the babies in our family and matter of 7 penguins to create.  Can you tell I'm having way too much! 

Ghost of Christmas Past

Here are 5 random Christmas memories:

1. 1980 - Thinking that Santa's Christmas elves must have been spying on me at the toy store in 2nd grade.  How else would Santa have known I wanted red and blue pom-poms that year?

2.  1983 - My favorite ornaments on our Christmas tree growing up, were ones my mom and I made from a kit that year. I can still picture them.  Oh and I loved the snowflakes my mom crocheted for our tree.  (hint, hint)

3.  1989 - Discovering for the first time that the church choir director came to every Christmas Eve service a little tipsy!  (gives new meaning to the "spirit of Christmas" - wink, wink, nudge, nudge.  That just always made me chuckle.)

4.  1991 - We made cinnamon and applesauce ornaments for our first Christmas tree in college.

5.  1999 - When Jess and I were a young married couple with babies in the house, we just didn't have extra money for Christmas presents one year.  I made a few things and tried not to be upset.  The Sunday before Christmas, we went to church and there was a card for us on the table.  (it was a very small church and the youth group passed out cards to each family during the month of December, so you would take yours to church instead of sending them in the mail.  I don't know why, that's just what they did.)  Anyway, so we opened the card and someone had given us $400 in gift cards, anonymously.  Of course, no matter who had given the card, we knew who to thank.

December's To-Do

Wow, and here it is the middle of December.  But I couldn't pass up my monthly to-do.

finish getting ready for Bead Society show

photos for magazine article

Christmas cards sent out!

Presents made

Organize my studio

Clearance sale

Make a marketing plan for 2006

sketches for Spring jewelry line

this week, next week, last week of the month.

Blue - Illustration Friday

Artist's Proof in Blue

Whenever I do a print, I always print an artist's proof first.  This is done with a regular stamp pad on white paper to see if there are any problem areas.  With printmaking, you never know exactly how it will turn out.

I'm going to do a few touch ups to the face and the background a bit, too much texture.  And then I'll be printing them with a nice ink on cards.  For color I use an oil based printmaking ink from Speedball. I have 3 designs for Christmas cards this year, so if you are on my list you may get a snowman or one of the other 2, you just never know! 

This is my entry for Illustration Friday, the theme is blue. 

Still shopping for Christmas gifts?  I'm having a sale on my snowmen pendants and beads.  $5.00 off each.  So you can choose a pendant or a set of two snowmen beads for $20.00.  The discount shows up in the check out.  Also, free shipping.  Aren't I sweet? Just call me Heather Claus.

A few worth mentioning

Check out this necklace that Amy made.  I love it!!!

Amy is the owner of Aplcreations, which features very original jewelry and folk art goodies.  But this, this one is something I just had to rush you all over to take a look at!

And I forget to mention Anette's cute little advent calender on her blog.  I love her little mischievous characters.  She has a limited edition of cards and calendars available too.

And how in the world did Molly Chicken not show up on my blog radar until today?  I love the penguins on her site.  Since she has the pattern there, I think two may have to spring to life on my work table.  My girls would love them. 

And one more, Claire has just started a blog, but it's already filled with great little bits for you to read about.  She's quite the knitter along with being a talented illustrator.  I'm a big fan!  I'm going to make some of the crocheted flowers.  My youngest has a cheap fake flower she's been pinning to every outfit, I need to help her out a little with that!

Advent Calendar

Here is my simple little advent calendar for this year.  I cut the paper stockings out using a template that I made.  It's just scrapbooking paper.  I printed the numbers on vellum.  Cut them out along with another square and used my little tiny craft sewing machine to stitch the squares to the stockings.  On the back of each day is an activity that the girls want to do.  We made the list a few days before December.  I printed them on a large label and cut them out.   

My favorite advent calendar has to be from Jenny.  Too cute!  Want to make one, but feel like it's too late?  I made an advent calendar last year for the 12 days before Christmas.  So you still have time!

Christmas Craftiness

Okay, time for some show and tell.  I spent Sunday evening and Monday afternoon crocheting my little heart out.  What fun, I needed a little down time!  I had picked up some soft yarn a few weeks ago for Christmas themed projects.  I wish I hadn't thrown out the paper that said what it was.  All I know is that it's fluffy and silky soft and shades of pink and green.  So here are a few decorating and gift ideas ala humblearts.

First a scarf I crocheted for one of the teens on my list.  It's a double strand of my mystery yarn in the pink and green.  I just did these little balls and a single chain in between.  I have no idea how to tell you how I made them. They start out like a circle and then I decreased the stitches as I went up.   I never follow a pattern.  Freeform all the way!

I also made a garland the same way, but with the balls spaced further apart.  This is two strands of novelty yarn, one in cranberry and the other in a Christmas green.  Again, that's all I can tell you!

And finally, what would a fiber weekend be without me pulling out some wool roving.  I made these tiny needle felted balls and needle felted the yarn around it to make the designs, it's the same yarn as the scarf.  And then I did a larger, flatter version with the spiral. (I'm thinking of whipping up a set of the second ones for a friend of mine.)  Oh, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!