A few more things added....

to the "I believe" collection.The place mats are done and the hot pads are finished, as well as the tea towel and hand towel. I will be working on my apron next, and then some tiny little ornaments.
I'm still trudging along doing hand stitching a blanket stitch around the pieces, for my mug cozies.
  There are still some other pieces that go with this design, but I feel sure I'll get them all done.  {I hope!} lol

This is over the top....

and I have no idea where the ideas came from except to say more than likely several different places, but nothing that looked like this.

I've had the red lantern looking piece for several years but nothing every came to mind on how to use it. I  think it was to be used as a door decoration, however, between my front door and my storm door, there isn't enough room to allow the outer door to shut completely, so that wasn't going to work.
  A couple of years ago my girlfriend from high school. gave me the beautiful angel that I have used in side this piece.

I added some faux berries and pine stems as well as 3 different kind of ribbon in bows and loops, both inside and outside. I also used some green jingle bells and glittered words to add just a touch of what that angel stands for {hope, joy, peace,noel}. She is well protected from the black wonder you see sitting on the step-stool {Smoky my black cat} who watched everything I did. As far as he is concerned, I just decorated his playground. lol.

I made the table cloth, and chair decorations to go with this years theme... "I Believe" {as in Santa etc.} The tree skirt also looks much like the tablecloth. This was a lot of work this year, and I'm not done yet, but I've gotten this far so I'm sure I'll make it.
I'll add pictures of the rest of the collection as I finish making it.
I think it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's that time of year again!

I'm trying to get some of my christmas decorations finished, to when the 1st comes around I can set up my tree.
  This year the theme is "I Believe" {as in I believe in Christmas, hope, joy, etc} and I have a lot to get done. This is the first year I decided to make the tree topper. Last night I finished her, and she really is quite pretty. I saw a very pretty one I would have liked to buy, but as I wanted to make most of everything this year, I opted for making something just as nice. I was going to show the how to, but it's just so simple I decided just to show what I created in stead.
 She started out with one of those cheap porcelain doll kits of head and hands. I made a simple body that ended at the knee as there were no feel, and I thought this would give her some balance. Then I created a red wire cone shape, that would set over the top of the tree. I stuffed the body, sewed it closed at the bottom and sewed the arms to the top of the cloth body. Once the glue had dried {head on top of the body and the arms in the cloth upper arms, I wrapped the wire {top of the cone shape} around her waist.
  After that it was a matter of what all I had collected to decorate her with, such as hand strung beads twisted into multiple loops, berries, velvet poinsettia flowers, three different kinds of wired ribbon, feathers and a few other little things.
  You can often find trimmings at the store that you can take apart to add to your creation. Follow your own inner creative ideas from here on out and you will surprise yourself, as well as create an heirloom to hand down to family or friends.
  Here is my little red fairy creation. She will nestle on the top of a cloud of red feathers.

The colors of Ireland

While in Ireland this past summer I had wanted to complete some watercolors. I did manage to get one done, and now it's framed and on my wall, so I'd like to share it with anyone who would like to look.
  Annes Grove was a mini castle, where I stayed for one week. I had a wonderful day painting this watercolor. It has been a long time sense I had done any painting of this nature, but, as you can see one doesn't forget how. I love the way it turned out, and I wish I had time to do others while there. As it is I came home with so many pictures I will do more this winter. I don't keep all my paintings, and less are framed, but this one is special. It's about 81/2" x 11", so it's not overly large.  A nice size for framing.

How far ahead....

Do you plan? I seem to always be at least four or five projects {and most of the time a lot more than that} ahead of myself. The list for next spring has already began to grow, and what I would like to do this winter doesn't need mentioning. It's already quite long.
  So how do you handle your lists? Don't keep one? Ignore it once it's made? Get started with the best of intentions, but end up not doing much? Welll..... procrastination is the worse enemy of getting things done. I don't have that problem, as I don't waste time procrastinating about anything. I do spend time problem solving. Big difference.
  So for you who do have that problem, it's easy to get around it.
  Pick one thing, anything you are really interested in, and work on it.
Don't think about the rest, just think about that one thing. It might help to divide up the tasks to complete the project and assign yourself days/dates to have that one part finished by. Make it simple. The easier the better to start, as it will encourage you to complete that task and move on to the next.
  The feeling one gets from completing something is the best encouragement to getting other things done. So try your hand at completing something.... not working on it.
  You might surprise yourself.

Finding the Silver lining

For sometime now I have been getting "glimmering", of new ideas and designs and a few whole new directions to go in. Then it dawned on me, why I am happiest when I'm creating. At that time, in that space, I don't need anyone else's approval. What I make or create, is only responsive to me. What I like or how I like something to look, I have the say on what is used and what is discarded. I don't need a bunch of people sitting around telling me what looks best, and that frees me to be as creative as I can be. And then, as I do like to share what I create, if others enjoy it, than all good, and wonderful. If they don't, then they can go and do their thing.
   It reminds me of the one year at a craft sale I was at, watching two little old ladies walking around, and "judging" what they saw. Mostly they were telling each other, "Oh I can go home and make that." But what would you like to bet they never did?
  The art of being creative, be it simple, or involved, is something special, not to be ignored or put down. Shared... yes every time we open our "door" to show someone what we have made, created, or designed, and each persons creation is unique and special.
  I find it very distasteful when one person takes over, and then tells the others {be it openly or in private emails} to ignore what someone has done because it's not correct or whatever terminology she cares to use. But what that boils down to is control, crowd mentality, destroying the creative spirit. All I can say is shame on you, if your guilty of this and far worse, trying to "kill" off your competition so you won't have to compete. Where this will leave you eventually is stagnate, uncreative, and lacking in forward thinking and involvement in new skills, as well as being just plain behind the times.
  I've seen what people become when they have no-one to challenge their thinking process. It becomes very one sided. You don't have to agree with the other person, but for pity sake, are you so desperate you have to resort to such tactics?
  I'm not in business, nor do I plan on ever being in business. What time I have left is for sharing what I have learned, gleaned, or created, and that is my right, no matter what you have to say.
  If others follow your suit, then they can miss out on whatever I can share from a life time of learning, and creating as well, and I'm not sorry about that as I think they are sheep following a goat. Someday, they just might wish they had been a bit less... stupid. Sorry but you call a spade a spade.
  Anyway, when next someone tries to share something with you, be a bit more open. And look a little closer at what is offered. It's called "finding the silver lining".

STONEHENGE

Last but not least on this day's tour was Stonehenge. I really did walk among the stones. You couldn't touch them, but there I was non the less, standing where I never thought I would ever stand. Right in the middle of the stones, and then I was all around the center, taking pictures. Many had other people in them because we were allowed in 23 at a time for 25 minutes. But I did manage to get many shots with no-one in them. I have over 100 pictures, so again I can't, and wouldn't anyway, share all of them as this turned out to be very personal for me. I felt a deep resonance within the stone circle, that even now I can still feel. I will be forever glad I was able to make this tour. So if they tell you, or someone says, I wasn't there..... Here are the pictures to prove I was.
  We were there at sunset, and it had been raining part of the day. The wind was blowing and it was cold out there. But it was worth it.

The Roman Baths

After I sprinted down to meet up with the group, I found I had time to see the baths myself, so I took off and went through the roman baths.
What follows are pictures of the baths {not all of them of course, just to many to show you all of them}. I went around the top part first then dropped down to the lower level, with rooms showing uncovered parts of the old roman baths, pools etc.

These are a model of what it would have looked like back went it was built.

These pictures are of the cathedral there in Bath.

Me in front of the main door.

From here we went to a little village called Laecock.

Marionette

  While in france I had bought a little marionette doll but when I had looked later it was the wrong one. I just received in the mail the correct one and this is Puss & Boots. The one I had bought. It is porcelain and really cute. Although I can't read a word of french, someday I'll have to translate what the enclosed paper has to say.
 

The Red's of Fall

  I went out tonight and took pictures of all the beautiful fall colors in my trees and bushes. I haven't seen color this vivid in a long time. Look at all the different shades of red orange and yellow blends.
So enjoy.... it's fading fast, and the Canadian Geese were flying over tonight. Sure signs of winter coming.

And the last rose of summer. They bloomed endlessly.
Now I'll be looking forward to spring and a riot of color in my Irises.