crafting for the Library – card tree

In another Martha-inspired moment I sought to recreate her card tree. First you hunt down a collection of branches and a favorite vase or bucket. Then you choose a variety of Christmas card fronts and either use them whole or cut smaller shapes from them. A simple hole punch, some ribbon, and perhaps a bead and you've created custom ornaments. Some sort of rocks or gravel will probably help to stabilize your branches.

For my tree I stuck to a specific color scheme – blues and teals. This made it easier to sort my cards and select the ones I would ultimately use. For the most part my ribbon was too thick for the beads I had so for a few I chose to use thread.

Like all my artistic endeavors, it took me longer than I expected. However, it's a fairly simple craft and a great way to make use of favorite cards from years past. My finishing touch was a partially full box of vintage blue Christmas bulbs (another treasure from my mom's bountiful basement!).

crafting for the Library – ornamental balls

The Library hosted a series of craft programs after this year's Santa Claus Parade. I volunteered my time (I know, what was I thinking?) and pre-made some items and then was on hand to help with the actual event.

The Martha craft that I got quite obsessed with was making ornamental balls. The suggestion is to use old Christmas cards. I also did some using paint chip samples, Celebration of the Book brochures, invitations, and other miscellaneous cards I happened to have kept. It is a fabulous way to use scraps. I think any slightly heavy paper item will do.

I invested in a 2" paper punch for cutting out the circles. Each ornamental ball is made of 20 circles upon which you score an equilateral triangle and then fold up the flaps. There is no way I would have the patience to carefully cut out each circle!

After that, it's just a matter of gluing! There are 5 that point in towards each other to make a "helmet" shape. You do this once for the top and again for the bottom. With the remaining 10, you simply glue them in a row alternating pointing up and down. Glue that into a loop and then glue on the top and bottom and you have an ornamental ball!

Here is a finished product nestled in the Christmas tree:

make time, make quilts

My dear friend and partner in craft is also embarking on a quilt project for her child. We are pushing each other and encouraging each other to actually complete the darn things. So, with all the best of intentions, we put a date on the calendar in early November. I think in our ideal world, the quilt tops were to be done before that date and we would visit her mother for advice on doing the actual quilting (it's all a bit fuzzy to me at this point).

Well, we all know we don't live in the ideal world. So needless to say, neither of us had our quilt tops done by the time the pre-planned Saturday rolled around. On top of that, we discovered the patterns we had been working from were for lap sized quilts. This is different (and smaller) from twin sized. So I was attempting to do math (shocker!) to figure out a revised pattern. And then there were many errors which I can only attribute to my beginner's lack of skill and dull math skills. So, in the end, my fabulous "extra" fabric was reduced to a mountain of not-measured-right and not-cut-right scraps.

However, real progress was made! I have everything cut out and I have started sewing the rows of squares together. I was sufficiently motivated to clean my art room and moved the quilt-on-the-floor down there. So I now I can show it to people and they can actually see what it will look like.

And – big bonus here – hubby helped me to figure out how to thread a bobbin on the 1948 Kenmore and I got started using my "new" sewing machine. I have to say it is going quite well, much better than expected. I kind of like the knee lean lever over the foot pedal.

art on the walls – finally!

Funny how something so simple can sit around undone for months and months. At last we managed to produce hammer and nails at a time when the child was awake and find homes for several framed pieces (the framing itself was another thing that sat undone for months and months!).

A brief tour:

 Migrated from the basement where the computer used to me. The colors are right and the design (anyone remember this as a postage stamp?) one of my favorites.

 Hanging over the fireplace instead of propped on the mantel. It's a summery image but I think I will be leaving it up year round for the time being. Until fresh inspiration strikes.

Tucked in a cozy corner together. I threatened to not hang these at all until I acquired a third to group with them but that seemed a silly reason not to go ahead and enjoy them. I had several other spots in mind for this pair but they're just too small out in the open. I either need lots and lots of smaller ones or some large ones to mix in before I venture into those wide open spaces.

So the good news: I have walls enough to get (or create!) more art in the future!

lonely beaches are the best

This past October we visited relatives who live further north and further west... When I get that close I cannot resist the call of Lake Michigan.

Despite the bitter cold wind we bundled up and marched bravely to the shoreline to breathe deep the fresh air and contemplate the power of the waves. The late afternoon sun of autumn draped the churning, greenish waves with a golden glow. The trees were mostly bare, a few rust colored leaves lingering. The tidy snow fences were already bent and twisted by the wind, gathering drifts of dry powdery sand. Long shadows followed us as we dashed across the deserted beach, reveling in wide open space and the loud, overwhelming and powerful presence of nature.