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Sometimes an idea is set before you even get started and other times it evolves from your idea as you go along. This is one such project.
I joined the Altered Dominos & Other Game Pieces group’s Christmas ornament swap. It was to create an ornament with the theme of “What Christmas means to me?” To me Christmas has always been about angels. I love that scene at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life where Zuzu tells her Dad that “Everytime a bell rings an angel gets its wings.” I cannot hear a bell without thinking of that.
I was going to make snowflakes with the center as an altered poker chip with an angel image. When I finished the snowflake it looked a little blah, so I added the fringy light covers I found at 
the Goodwill outlet to the back. Then that looked a bit too blah at the back so I glued in a big pearl. Now it has some zing from the front and from the back.
I also added some clear beads to the snowflakes where the joints connect to give it a bit more sparkle. You cannot see it on the angel image, but there is a wash of glitter over top.
Now I have to figure out how to package them so they arrive in one piece. Especially the one travelling to the UK. Wish me luck!
Technorati Tags: altered art,poker chip,angel,images,snowflake,pearl,mod podge,swap. christmas,ornament,cindy is crafty
I found some darling 1950s images on-line and translated them to new Rummikub pendant designs.
I love the lady pictures and think there will be one or maybe both in my future. I am getting ready for a two day show this weekend in Richmond in the VCU area.
I met the owner of the Jewelry Box at the craft fair on 43rd Street and she asked me to be a part of this First Friday weekend event. She is located in the VCU area of Richmond.
If you are in the area stop by on Friday from noon to 7p or Saturday from 10a to 4p. I will be there and thrilled to meet you!
Okay, so I couldn’t resist!
Happy Thanksgiving! I will be back next week with the regular Random Acts of Kindness Thursday post!
Sadly these will be my last ATCs for Kate’s Birthday swap. She has decided to take a break and while I completely understand her why, I will nonetheless miss the beauty in my mailbox in April. Oh well, it was awesome while it lasted!
I had the inspiration hit me as I was driving down a road over the weekend. It is a road I take for a shortcut and it is shrouded in trees and in the fall it is awash with color and leaves.
After a trip to Quilting Adventures to find the wool felt squares it came together in my head. I needle felted the pieces together and then punched the leaves from a couple of vintage books. One white and one with some yellowing to the pages. I didn’t want a lot of color, but preferred it a bit stark.
I like how it came out and hope the birthday girls will, too. I thought I needed to make 4 so there will be one in my Flickr photos and is available for trade if you are an ATC maker and interested in a trade.
And here is one of my favorite poems when I was a little girl:
Trees
by Joyce Kilmer
I THINK that I shall never see
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
I went shopping on Etsy the other day. I love Etsy and supporting other artists. I found this sweet Elf pendant in the shop of Art Play Today. She creates jewelry using her own images. I was honored to be her first sale on Etsy!
And her 2nd sale, too!
Go check out her shop. The elf in the picture is so great. Just the thing to sport for the holidays!
Kindness is contagious! Since I have been doing these posts several people have contacted me to let me know they are practicing random acts of kindness, too. That makes me smile!
Random acts can be nearly free and incredibly easy to do. You can bake cookies for a neighbor, leave candy on the desk of a co-worker, pick up an item at the store they might enjoy or pay for the order behind you in the drive-thru.
This week’s random act was to smile and say “how are you today?” to seven random strangers in the grocery store and then leave them with “have a great rest of your week!” There were a couple that looked at me like I was mad, but there were others that looked like it might have lightened their load a bit.
I find in our day to day lives we are so busy that we don’t take the time for niceties (I hope I spelled that right). We are so caught up in our lists and things we need to do when we leave that we forget to hold doors, to say thank you to the cashiers, to thank the drive-thru person for getting the order right, or to hold doors for others. We are in such a rush we hardly notice the others in our world around us. I watched a TV show a long time ago and one character said to another that they “had no concept of those orbiting around you!” OUCH!
Let’s take some time until next Thursday to acknowledge others in our orbits! You will feel better that you did!
It has been craft show prep time here at the Casa de Crafty! I have two craft shows in December and have been making some elf silhouette scrabble tiles.
I really like them and how they turned out. There is something about a silhouette that adds class to a creation. Even when it is a holiday creation.
Don’t you think?
Technorati Tags: scrabble,tile,altered art,silhouette,holiday,Christmas,elves,cindy is crafty,charm,pendant,mod podge
About four years ago I finished this tote. I knit it with over $100 worth of yarn! The yarn was free as I purchased it with a gift card I received from work for a contest. I loved the Noro yarns, but couldn’t afford them. so I bought several colors and knit it with two yarns at the same time to create the heathered look to the tote.
I literally started this tote and then ripped it out four times as I twisted the yarn when I connected it at the very first row (FOUR TIMES!). The first time, I was about 2/3rd into it when I asked a friend that knits more than I to find out I had to tear it out and start again. The second, third and fourth times, I caught it a bit sooner each time.
Finally, I finished it and then started the felting process. I washed it and felted it about three times and it ended up the size of a large travel tote. It was about three times the width and about another 1/2 on the length. I was so disappointed as I could only use it as a travel tote. I put it in my closet and forgot about it.
At a craft show a few years back, I met a lady that knitted and felted a lot. She told me that sometimes the yarn needs to rest. She encouraged me to try it again after it had rested. I didn’t. A couple of years went by and I read on this blog about a bag she made that didn’t felt well. I encourage her to try felting it again per my yarn lady’s instructions. Not sure how her turned out.
I was dog sitting at my little brother’s this past weekend and decided to try it again since I had a lot of time. I washed it and it felted to the exact size I wanted it. The felt is to thick and lovely and I am thrilled!
So finally after four years, I have my felted tote! Woohoo! I guess all good things are worth waiting for!
Picture from The Reid Report
Thanks for all that you do, have done, and sacrifice so that I can live in a free country!
This week’s random act was a little something for myself. That is okay, right? I had a really tough week last week and as I was driving down a road I saw a market stand. I stopped and bought myself an apple.
The stand’s owner was taking donations for a local children’s hospital, so I paid double the cost of my apple and told him to donate the rest! It is amazing how much difference change makes. You can read about it here, here, and here.
Cindy Is Crafty...and she makes things, too! 