Christmas in July

Its not that unusual to see snow hanging around into May and June up where I live in the Rocky Mountains.  And it is certainly not unusual to see snowmen here at my house year round.  I am still busily working on inventory for my shows this fall....and you know what that means.....Christmas!

My friend, Dawn, gifted me some floral that I have used in a centerpiece.  This is a bit more glittery than I normally do, but I love the colors:

 All of the containers I have repurposed from garage sale or thrift store finds.

 I finally finished the deer trio.  I think they will make the perfect centerpiece for a sideboard or hall table.

 This is my first attempt at a diorama in a glass case.  I liked this case because it says "Polar Optics"

I bought this lantern a long time ago.  I simply filled it with a lighted tree and added a snowman and bow.

I stained this unfinished wooden reindeer and filled it with shades of silver and red.

 This sleigh is metal and is trimmed in gold tones.  I like the way it looks with the red and gold trimming.

 I've done and sold so many of these graters.  I rusted this grater, glued on the gingerbread, added a bow and a battery operated candle.

I'm working on some angel feather ornies today and waiting for my next round of company to come.  I will post the tutorial on making the ornies later this week.  Have a good day and stay cool!

What 'cha Working on Wednesday?????

Monday was kind of a bust for me.  I spent the day with the DMV getting my van licensed and then drove to pick up miscellaneous items.  So I didn't get much done in the studio.  But yesterday I killed it....and even managed to get some laundry done!

One of my hubby's co-workers just welcomed a new baby girl.  So in addition to shopping for the little one, I also made some of these really cute items from Sunflower Friends:

They have a cute little rhyme and the graphics easily fit in a 4 x 6 bag.  Just put in a pair of baby socks and staple on the topper.  I am sure that these will be great sellers at my shows this year.  They come in blue, pink, green, and purple.

A couple of weeks ago I went in Dollar Tree.  I love that store!  I just get so many ideas!  This is a craft that I have been doing for a few years:

Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.....Just spray your $1 muffin tin with the color of your choice.  I use my favorite rusty primer.  Spray both sides.  I put a piece of jute through the hole and hang it from the clothesline.  Once it is dry, coat with a clearcoat spray.  When that is dry, just paint on the faces.  I used Light Buttermilk.  Change them up a little so they are all a bit different.  I splattered with some light buttermilk paint to replicate snow and gave it another shot of clear coat.  Attach a ribbon and you are good to go.  These look so cute in the kitchen over the holidays.  Make sure you wrap them when storing so they will not scratch.

Also at the dollar store, I found a box of seven emergency candles.  They are really short, maybe 3 or 4 inches long.  I found a free Santa graphic online and shrunk it to fit a small label.  I cut it with a paper pinker and used a glue stick to attach to a piece of brown paper.

I wrapped the paper around three candles, secured with some light twine(also purchased at Dollar Tree) and hot glued on a rusty star.  You could use a bell, or leave it plain.  You could also use a patterned paper, like gift wrap or scrapbooking paper.  I think they are so cute!  And so cheap!  These are going to be a great seller at my shows!

So I am off to get busy.  I sold a couple of dolls on Etsy and I have to get them ready to ship.  Did you know that I include birth certificates and adoption papers with all my dolls?  Check them out at my Etsy shop and take advantage of my sale.  Have a great day, my friends!  Happy crafting!

New Grubby Candles

In the craft treasures that I purchased from Jean a couple of weeks ago, I bought two boxes of cinnamon scented grubby candles.  I wasn't sure what I would do with them, but this is what I came up with:

Each pair is connected by a common wick.  I simply printed a graphic that I had used on something else before, tied with jute an glued on a tiny rusty star.  I think they turned out great!

Small Jar Candles

I got this idea from another blog, but just wanted to ask.....What 'cha think?

The fragrances so far are:  Garden Rain, Clean Sheets, Black Cherry, Sweet Pea, Lavender Fields, and Ocean Breeze.  They turned out really cute, I think, anyway.  What do you think????

Angels among us

Had a partial snow day today, so I got some work done in the studio.  It seems like I am on an angel kick these days.  I made five of these little angel ornaments.  I really love the way they turned out:

I also made a couple of stand-alone wooden angels.

I also got my package from Sandy at Olde Country Cupboard.  The candles smell delish!!!

Come back and see me soon!