Blessings to You!

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

Can it really be that another year has flown by? It's been filled with ups, downs, art and life, times of struggle and unspeakable joy. This was the year I started my blog, the year I met and cultivated new friendships, the year I started sewing again (or maybe I'm just collecting fabric? ha) I pray the new year brings more of a focus to my art, a closer relationship with God and my family, a cleaner house *wink*, more joy than I've known before. I pray the same for you too.

Our Christmas was a special time spent with family and my parents in their new abode. We rounded out our Christmas with the movie 'Night At The Museum'. Great family time! I hope your celebration was as memorable.

This New Year weekend finds us moving quite slow. A couple of us have bad colds/fevers and DH is down with back spasms. I forsee a very sedate New Years celebration. My weekend plans to clean my art room have fallen by the wayside. I've been reading so many wonderful artsy magazines and blogs while cooped up here in the sick bed, that I'm itching to create. Several new blogs I've found that I love and want to share:

http://www.atelier455.com/
http://littlebirds.typepad.com/
http://michellecaplan.blogspot.com/
http://funkyfinds.blogspot.com/
http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/
http://allsorts.typepad.com/
http://ervilhas.weblog.com.pt/
http://soulemama.typepad.com/soulemama/
http://www.rosamurillo.blogspot.com/
http://www.artistamuvek.blogspot.com/
http://www.on-my-desk.blogspot.com/
http://paperlily.blogspot.com/
http://rusticrelics.net/blog/
http://theblackapple.typepad.com/
http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/
http://www.thesmallobject.com/stenopad/wordpress/
http://www.camillaengman.com/misc/index.htm

http://norththreads.blogspot.com/
http://pamkittymorning.blogspot.com/
http://sweetpeas.motime.com/
http://sweetrepeats.blogspot.com/
http://pinktrees.typepad.com/

http://newgreenshoes.squarespace.com/
http://www.tagsaletales.blogspot.com/

http://tinas-space.blogspot.com/

http://nancydooren.blogspot.com/

http://boobyfish.blogspot.com/

I rec'd many wonderful things for Christmas including a Clover Mini Iron and a GC to Borders. I'm excited to pick up a few art books. I'm looking at Collage Unleashed and I saw that Audrey recommended Mixed Media Explorations. I would love it if you would share your favorite art books. I don't want to buy books I will just peruse and then leave on the shelf. I want useful books.

Have fun making New Years resolutions you won't keep. As for me, I don't think I'll make any this year. I think I'll just wing it! *wink* Happy New Year. May your year be blessed.

Reading & Dancing

It's like the holidays make me lazy. Okay, not lazy because I've been winter cleaning rooms and closets like I'm a mad woman since we're on a break from homeschooling. But I mean lazy in the sense of I want to sit around drinking tea, eating Hershey's kisses (favorite flavor shown) and reading. Reading all the time. Reading everything! I think it started when I got the next 2 books we're reading in book club, from the library. I ended up getting more books from those authors. Plus it seems all my shows are already in repeats so who wants to watch TV?

I read these over the weekend:
A Cup of Tea by Amy Ephron
One Sunday Morning by Amy Ephron
Eyes of Elisha by Brandylin Collins
Dread Champion by Brandylin Collins

Reading these:
All Cracked Up by Patsy Clairmont
Francesca's Kitchen by Peter Pezzelli
The Children of Men by P.D. James
Not Your Parents Marriage by Jerome Daley

What are you reading? I need ideas for my next library visit!

DD Alex went to her first dance this past week. I swear she was just my baby and now she is 14 and dancing the night away... *sigh* She is in the black and her friend Sarah is the princess on the left. Aren't they beautiful?


Okay, back to closet cleaning...

Christmas Craftiness

Ahhh, the Christmas season is upon us! I'm not ready! I guess you can never be 'ready' according to the list you form in your head. It will never be perfectly according to what you want. I think the process of getting ready for Christmas is the joy in the season. At least I'm holding onto that thought, since I already feel so behind...

I made an advent garland (click to see larger) for the ScrapAddict design team and we've been taking off a booklet each day in December and writing things we're thankful for, and then hanging them on a little Christmas tree. Examples of a few thankful thoughts (remember, some of these are from children *wink*):
- God and Jesus
- family
- friends
- Chipotles & Rooster Booster Lite (can't imagine whose this was!)
- my 2 cats
- sister
- my girls, especially when they laugh out loud
- 7 yr old girls who conduct an orchestra in their underwear (it was happening at that moment. ha)
- art, any kind of art (from DD)
- hot cocoa and coffee
- snow and winter weather
- mom and dad
- heat, water, light, warm beds and clean clothes


I'm working on some simple ornaments (made with copies of old postcards) to include in secret santa packages and christmas cards. You can't really tell by the pics but there is glitter in various forms on each piece and the bird has a jewel eye. The background is green sequin waste. I'm thinking they need maybe some fake berries woven into the bottom or a clip of some kind? Not sure yet...


And here is just a taste of some other things I'm working on. I'll share them soon. (sorry, scanner scanned a bit wacky, but you get the idea.)

I'm behind in my Christmas cards. Besides the swap I did awhile back (and made 10 cards), I only have 1 card made so far. I like this new design though. Found something like it in an older Martha Stewart book. Great way to use up ribbon scraps. Hopefully I'll get a few more made soon. I have another planned with buttons. Stay tuned!

This picture of the girls (above) will be inside when I send out the cards. Aren't they adorable?! Happy December!