Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A Thankful 2011


Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving! Last year, I wrote an A - Z list of what I was thankful for. Seems like a good annual tradition! I'm suspecting that many of them might be the same, but I also expect some variation this year.

It's a very different year...I'm living in a new place, starting a new stage in my life, and I just started a new job at the end of September. Lots of changes, but all good ones! So, let's get this list started!! I think for now, I'll just do A, B and C! It will give me a good reason to come back and post again! LOL!

A is for Art Shows! I LOVE going to art shows! Once I start making some more art, maybe I'll even go to sell some of my creations! These adorable ceramic houses were from an art show in Berea, KY that I went to this summer. I wish I wrote down the artist's name. If you know her, please tell me who she is so I can give her the credit she deserves!


B is for Birthdays! In October, my friends Judi and Rob took me out to dinner and managed to surprise me with this piece of birthday pie! Check out the candle on it! I swear I didn't photoshop this! It really turned out this way! Amazing!


C is for Candy! Isn't this the most amazing candy you've ever seen? Seriously! This exquisite collection of chocolates is from Anna Shea's in Barrington, IL. Go there! Or at least click on the link to see the incredible turkeys that they are selling now!


That's it for today! I'll come back to share more of what I'm grateful for!

What are you thankful for this year?? Let me know!
(by the way....C is also for Comments that people leave on my blog...hint, hint!)

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, that would suffice."
Meister Eckhart

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Christmas Time is Near....


It's almost December, so I thought I'd share some of my hand crafted Christmas ornaments with you. I made a total of eight to hang on a Christmas tree at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI. Several local stores are decorating trees for the resort, and I'm glad that I was asked to create some ornaments for the tree sponsored by Roycetra Gallery!

I start my ornaments with simple house shapes that I cut out of pine. I super sand the edges so they're not sharp and nasty! Maybe someday I'll get some sort of power sander, but for now, I enjoy the meditative process of hand sanding them.


After they're all smooth, I add backgrounds which includes paper, paint and inks. The final touches are the birds or hearts that I make out of clay and paint with acrylic paint. In the end, I decided to paint them gold for the Christmas season. Some of the ornaments remind me of little packages, ready to leave under the tree!


Here's a few more variations....enjoy :)




Off to make some more more! Send me some links with your holiday creations! I'd love to see them!