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!

Snowmen Clothespins

I always love it when it is warm and dry so I can take some of my messier crafts outdoors.  I have been making these clothespin snowmen for several years and I nearly always sell out.  I buy the clothespins at the dollar tree.  It is the cheapest place around but you do need to look at each one before painting and cull out the broken or irregular ones.  I have an old table that I keep in the back yard that I use to paint or rust things on.  I lay out all the pins and spray them with white paint.  When they are dry, I turn them over and paint the other side.

 When they are all dry, I bring them inside and using a sharpie, I dot on eyes and buttons.  Some have their faces on the long piece and some on the short.  See below.

 I put mouths on some.  Some I leave without.  I use a fine line marker for this.  I try to mix it up a little.

 For the noses I use orange paint.  Again, I try to make it so no two are exactly alike.  If you use a small brush, you can dot it where the nose begins and drag it in the direction you want to make it look like a long carrot.

 I save all my scraps and this is the perfect use for them.  Small thin strips are tied around the "neck" or joint of the pin.  I display these in a large bowl or basket.  Customers love to go thru the bowl, finding the right ones.

You can use these to decorate packages, hang on the tree, or even put on a piece of jute for a garland.

Happy Summer!

It has finally started to heat up here in the Rockies.  Normally June is a fairly wet month for us but this year, not the case.  I have been busy with the garden and out of state company.  Hub's sister from Illinois was here for a short visit and we had a bbq for the family.  My five year old granddaughter stayed the week with me while her mommy was out of town.  It was great fun, but busy.  We went to the movies, went shopping, had a picnic, went to the park, walked in the woods, and went to a mini amusement park called Tiny Town.

I did finish up a couple of items for the fall shows:

I bought a couple of these oars at the thrift store.  I painted one of these a couple of years ago and it sold immediately.  I still see it show up now and again on Pinterest.

 This one has been rattling around in my brain for a while.  I bought this white spindle at a Home Depot a year or two ago.  The moulding I purchased at the thrift store for $1.  I glittered the "wings", painted a wooden ball and drilled holes across the top of the head for the wire hair.  (I sell these little wire springs in my Etsy shop)  Added a halo and some pips and you have the perfect 38" tall skinny angel!

Have you checked out my Etsy shops?  I have lots of supplies at this one  and antique and vintage items at this one.   

Have a great week, my friends!            

New item!

Gotta share this new item that is so easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.  It is from a pattern from Country Friends, but as always, I have adapted it to my own taste.  I made six of these little guys, and plan to make a whole bunch more:

Cute, huh?  He is about seven inches tall and sits on a bed of greenery and pip berries.  I used some pre-made candle rings on some.  He has moss on his hat and a rust colored bell on the rim and has a dusting of mica flakes to give him a llittle bit of sparkle. 

I will be selling these on Saturday at my show at Conifer High School.  Hope you can stop by and see me!

Pretty in Pink

I thought I would try my hand at doing a few of my own creations this weekend.  So either using my own patterns or improvising patterns that I have, I came up with some new items.  The first are my little annies, which I'm calling Pretty in Pink:

I actually made four of these, but two have the traditional red hair.

Last year, I bought a little felt deer at a craft show.  It wasn't handmade, but I felt that I could make one.  Though these are just my first attempt, here is the way they turned out:

And lastly, I bought a hog scraper (yes, I said a hog scaper)  a few years ago.  It has just sitting around and I never really knew what I was going to do it.  So here is what I came up with.  This one is my own design.

Have a great week everyone.  I am off mid-week for a girls' weekend for the big bday.  I'll have pics when I get back.....