I Do love a Handmade Christmas!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."-the Grinch

I do love a handmade Christmas! sometimes its really hard to come up with a handmade gift idea for someone you love,..someone you WANT to take the extra time and care for.., so I would like give my thanks to everyone who posts a tutorial or shares an idea, whether it be digital, online or in-print. even though the ideas are shared to the masses, every creator puts a piece of themselves in their own creation. that said, I'm sharing my latest hand-mand Christmas Gift for giving..Its a art-form called Scherenschnitte or Paper-cutting. Plus it's something you can do that's nearly FREE and make lovely gifts for gift-giving. This was my first attempt at Scherenschnitte. This one is for my parents, and made me think of the song "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". I cut my chosen design from paper I printed with sheet music of the song, and mounted it onto Christmas paper and board. The design is freely offered by the very talented and generous Cindy Ferguson
She has several beginner designs to choose from on her blog. Go check her out! her work is amazing. I am in awe of anyone who has mastered this art-form. Mine pales in comparison to hers..I'm wondering...How on Earth do they get such smooth cutting-lines in the tiniest of spaces??? You can bet I'll be giving this another try.
till next time!!

Spooning

Remember the silver spoons I scored while thrift shopping during Thanksgiving?? Well here they are (a couple of them). Kicking myself for not taking a pic of the ones I've already given-away.

Crafting on Sunday..(is there a vintage Day of the week towel for that?)

A couple weeks ago, I found this planter in a local thrift shop. I thought he was adorable with his mid-century spaghetti trim. No matter to me that his paint was flaking, I fixed him up, and sprayed him with a fixative to prevent further paint loss. I then Gessoed one of my plain green bottle brush trees from that store I wont mention..lol and added lots and lots of mica and glitter. Perhaps I need a few more balls, still I Love my new/old addition to my holiday collectibles.

Thrift Shops for Black Friday Deals

If you haven't guessed by now, I'm not your typical Black Friday shopper.
Did you know many thrift and antique shops also had Black Friday deals?
No Traffic, no mayhem, except that which I was part of..hee.hee..check out my daughter and me hangin' with the Blue's Brothers in Dunnellon Florida where we were visiting family for Thanksgiving.

I swear I would love these in my front yard..haa.ha! I was in Heaven! I had a blast and spent very little. I found several winking santa mugs, oops, somehow they got left out of the photo-op..(I had always wanted some of those)
Here are a few more items I scored..Keep checking back here to see the projects that I have in mind for my "new-old" treasures.




And I especially love anything Anthro,these salt and pepper shakers were too cute to pass,(please excuse the lack of lighting) and I loved these vintage tea towels too.
I would love to hear about YOUR found treasures and future projects too! :)

Recycling Men's Ties

It's been awhile since my last post.
I have so many works in progress, I had gotten a little bogged down, with
nothing yet to show..Soon Though!;-)
In the meanwhile, with Father's Day upon us..I'd been thinking about neck-ties!
Not for gifts for Dad, but for crafting!
Here are some cool recycling ideas from those ties that Dad or Hubby no longer care for. or maybe a good excuse for the thrift shops.
Here's a link for a neat little purse-lette bag from Sulky..


RickrackRuby has tutorials on Craftster for some really cute daisies made from ties.

Rick Rack Ruby also has some nice bags made from ties..check out her blog for some really
thrifty inspiration. http://www.rickrackruby.blogspot.com/

And finally came across this fantastic post by Woof Nanny!!


and WOW!!! check out Artful Ties!!..Truly Awesome!!! also posted by the multi-talented Woof Nanny.
I must have been under a rock all this time to not have discovered all her
fabulous blogs till now!!!

So this week, while you're out shopping for Dad, don't forget to pick up a little something for yourself! ;-)

Can Someone Please Pass the Glitter? ;-)

A little tacky??...maybe!..but I LOVE it anyways!!...Love it against the deep Caribbean-blue of my dining room (matched right out of a 1960's B.H. and Gardens)..The wreath was a skimpy, sad looking find at the
thrift store for a quarter!..lol...I save every little thing thinking I might "need" that someday..lol..well this was the outcome of my bits, chippy baubles, and birds that I glittered myself!..and an additional dusting of glitter all around!!..Somehow it just makes me smile!...;-)

Handmade Holiday

I was excited to see Sew,Mama,Sew has already begun her Handmade Holiday series. Every day thru November she's posting new links for hand crafted ideas for holiday gift-giving. Last year was a huge success!!
I can't wait to see all the goodies she finds this year!

Paper Creches to Print and Make

Chrechmania.com is a site I want to share with you as we all look forward to our Christmas Season preparations. I had visited Crechmania many times during Christmas' past.
they are so generous to offer several styles in free downloads so that we too may create our own paper creche's from vintage reprints. The website is also an interesting read to learn about the origins of the paper chreche...Enjoy their complimentary designs.

I'm Gonna Try This!!!

A great recycling idea found via whip up
This cute magnet was created using a tin can lid!! Punch a hole, and could be used as a really neat tag, Also a great double sided ornament too. Can lids are a great idea as a foundation or "canvas" for using your digi scraps and altered art bits!!! Unless you have one of those nifty new can openers, I think I would maybe cover the edges with some copper tape to protect from cuts too. Also one more thing to keep out of the trash! Doesn't get much better than that!!;-)

Fab deal for crafters!!

my friend Annette of Huckleberry Arts has a fabulous "Grab Bag" deal on collage sheets!
Her digi scraps and tags are fantastic!!!, and are invaluable for the busy upcoming holiday season for gifts and embellishments for your own crafts for sales.
Plus she's a super terrific gal to work with ;-)...
Snag it while you can...this offer is very limited...
have a wonderful day everyone!!!