Time for Some Drawing

I enjoy drawing, but seem to rarely have time, but yesterday time was available, and I sat down for an enjoyable few hours of drawing. I drew an egg....
a chick....

a raptors head....

and a type of songbird.... none of them are necessarily realistic, but I enjoyed my time spent drawing, - the hours flew by in contented happiness.

Handmade Gifts

Now that gifts have been unwrapped, I can share some of the necklaces that I gave away.

As I was finishing these up on Christmas eve, I decided I should gift myself one, as I haven't made something for myself for a long time. And so I chose this one to give myself.

I made this one with a tree in it

It is much smaller around but deeper than the usual ones I made. I like how it turned out, but it is hard to see in the pictures.

This is also a small bezel, for my bunny loving neice.

This is the first of a new style, that I hope to try to make again. I flooded a ring with solder, attached a small ring, and added seeds, rocks and a little shell, before encasing them in resin. It was trickier then it sounds, but I have some ideas how to make it work a bit better if I try it again.

Merry Christmas

A couple of weeks ago, I took some pictures of some birds, and altered the images a bit on my computer. Recently, I added some words to the image.....

and made it into Christmas cards.
I would have liked to send each of you a card in the mail, but instead send this card to each one of you electronically. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I thank you for all the wonderful comments and support you continually give to me. I also love my time visiting so many of your blogs.

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S

X O X O X O
Kim

Handmade Boxes

I was looking around for a box for a Christmas gift, and when I couldn't find what I needed, I decided to make one instead.

It is made out of a big piece of paper and I added a piece of cardboard to the bottom to make it a bit more stable.

Before I glued it together, I decorated the top and the sides with a handmade stamp.

The box is a bit over 5 inches square, and 3 inches deep.

To finish it off, I tied a piece of ripped qauze like fabric, and tied it around the package.

This is a smaller box I made. I sewed a piece of material onto the top of it for decoration. (before I glued the box together)

Inside the box is a piece of matching material, that hides and protects a piece of handmade jewellery.

I learned how to make these boxes on line, but unfortunately I forget where. If anyone knows, please let me know!

Christmas Busyness

Just like just about everyone, I have been very busy with the busyness of Christmas. I have been gentle with myself, and have mostly enjoyed the busyness. I will get gifts bought and wrapped, the house cleaned and decorated (with the help of the hubby), and I have promised myself I will enjoy the season, and get done what I can. Today I managed to finish up the Apple Mincemeat Tarts. ... I tested them too, and they are delicious!

I started them over a week ago, when I made the mincemeat. It is best if it can sit for a few days for the flavours to blend before it is made into tarts. The recipe is below if anyone feels like making some.

Apple Mincemeat

Grate peel from 2 lemons; squeeze juice into mixing bowl. Add peel. Peel and chop (or shred with food processor) 8 apples and toss in lemon mixture. Add 2&1/2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups currants, 2&1/2 cup sliced almonds (the really finely sliced ones), 2 tsp. nutmeg, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 cup melted butter.

Store in refrigerator, stirring daily. Let flavours blend for at least 3 days.

(This recipe makes a lot of mincemeat, I either make half, or will can or freeze it for future use)

Another thing that has been keeping me busy, but in the most enjoyable way, is taking care of a friends dog.

Unfortunately for us she is going home tonight, but we have had a wonderful time with her for the past 10 days or so.

JOY!

A few days ago I decided to make a few Christmas decorations to give to friends.

The base was made out of an old piece of book board that I covered in paper. I then took a piece of handmade paper that I had added texture to (when it was wet I stamped and made marks into it to and added bits of fiber, and when dry I added colour to the high points), and glued it to the front. I added the word joy, and a hanger to the top and a tassle to the bottom....

and it was ready for the tree.

This is one I made a couple of years ago - same process, but decorated with a copy of a painting and some buttons and lace.

That one actually ended up as a swap, and in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine.

Handmade Packaging

I had made these little packages to use for packaging up necklaces and earrings that I sold at the art sales I attended. They are easy to make, and yet I really like how they look, and they use paper out of an old cookbook.

I really dislike buying paper to wrap gifts in, as I find there is spare paper all around us, that usually gets thrown away. So I decided to make some in the same style for Christmas gifts.

I started by cutting a piece of paper twice the size that I wanted the package to be.

I sewed straight across the top for decoration (not joining anything together) and then put the two edges together (without creasing the paper) and sewed them.

I then put the sewn edge in the middle front of the package and creased the edges, and sewed across the bottom of the package.

I finished it off by decorating it with stamps, folding the top edge over, and putting a torn strip of fabric on it that will be used to tie the package closed and to decorate it.

New Carved Stamps

I want to start this post by thanking everyone for the lovely comments I have been receiving lately. They all make my heart smile. I do want to let those of you that have asked about purchasing my creations that I am planning on opening an Etsy shop in January to sell a few items. I realize that January may not be the best time to do that, but that is when I have time to try and figure it out.

This week my creative time has been spent carving a few stamps

and playing with them in this book I made a while ago.

P.S. Blogger did not seem to want to work this evening, and wouldn't let me put the images in the order that I wanted them .... but at lease I got them posted!

Tea Bags, Feathers and Leaves

What do you get with you combine tea bags, feathers and leaves?

Well it sounds like a joke my kids would have asked me when they were younger, and my answer would have been "I don't know what do you get", and even though I have been playing with these three things this week, I still don't know what I will get.

My husband brought me maple leaves and pheasant feathers home from his visit to Ontario in October, and I played with them this week.

What will these pieces become? I don't know, but it was fun to play with them, and I am sure they will end up in a creation or two in the future.