hurry up and craft ...

 I've always waited until after Thanksgiving,

yes, even until December 1st to start thinking about decorations, gifts, food for the holidays.

Until this year. 

 

Now I'm remembering how stressed and overwhelmed I get.

I have so many ideas of fun things to do and make...

and then I don't have enough time.

 

I started today!  November 12. My new "start" date.

 

 

I am putting together a care package for Walker.  I like to send a box of food for him to snack through over the 5 day Thanksgiving Holiday.  He and his roommates are totally capable of buying and cooking food for themselves.  This is for me. 

 

This is the first year they have a Christmas tree in their apartment too.

In fact, it is already up and glowing cheerfully in their apartment.

So, I wanted to send a couple of things for the tree too.

 

The above banner is vintage music paper, attached to baker's twine.

I figure it can go on the tree, or over a window or doorway.

 

 

I also covered these little glass balls with vintage music paper and dictionary paper, and added a sprinkling of "Stickles". This was an experimental project.  Each one I made I learned a little better way to do it.  I found the older and more fragile the paper the better.  And if the paper wasn't very fragile, crumpling it first helped a lot.  I tore it into small pieces, and adhered it with mod podge. I bought the balls at Goodwill. You can see the two I haven't done yet at the back - red.

 

I'm pretty happy with the way they came out and I think I'll do some larger ones for our tree.  Maybe one with a map on it. (by the way I got the idea from Pinterest) I liked how this egg carton fits them perfectly. I think that will be a good way to ship them and might make the boys laugh when they see them.

 

 

 I also started on decorating little tins to send gifts to the Minnesota grandchildren in. And I am working on the above shabby Christmas journal for a gift - Its almost ready to put the cover on. (in the style of the "Remains of the Day" journal class I took from Dispatch from LA.

 

 

Since we had an extra day this weekend, we even got a chance to go to Barnes and Noble this morning for coffee, and to get a new magazine full of MORE ideas.

 

Phase 1 of my Holiday plan is well underway.

 

Happy Birthday to you!

 

 

Happy Birthday mom!

 

We had a girls only brunch in honor of mom's birthday today.

(I love how the dragonfly is flying out of Claudia's glass!)

 

Jonny brought out her prettiest things.

 

 

This vase belonged to our grandmother. It has her name written on the bottom, from the time she entered a floral arrangement in it at a flower show.

 

 

Jonny made STUFFED FRENCH TOAST.

It was indescribably delicious!

 

There were flowers, and gifts, lots of talk and telling of stories.

 

Claudia made RED VELVET CUPCAKES.

YUM doesn't begin to describe them!

 

 

We did invite the guys to join us for cake.

 

We girls sang "Happy Birthday to you"

THREE TIMES!

By the third time, we sounded like the Andrew Sisters!

(or maybe that was the mimosas!)

 

Love you mom!

The Traveling man and The Tridge

 

Today is the last football game of the season.

 

I went online to capture some photos of  Midland Michigan.

 

Midland is North of Hillsdale, kind of where the thumb in the "mitten" starts.

 

about a 3 hour drive.

 

 

Apparently the only thing in Midland of note, is this "Tridge".

a three sided bridge.

Interesting.

 

It is very photogenic too, as there are lots of photos of it online!

 

I think Walker is relieved he will be getting his Saturdays back soon.

 

He keeps saying things like "this is the last time I'll wear my football-filmer gear"

 

When he gets back on Sunday, he is participating in a pumpkin carving contest.

 

I know.

 

 

Many good memories...

Three generations of Shave men.

 

 

My father-in-law, Wayne, lived almost to his 90th birthday.  I will say the last few years have not been easy on him, but for the most part they have been comfortable and he has had the comfort of his four children and their families close by.

 

As Phil writes an obituary, and we look through family albums to find good photos for a slide show presentation at the memorial service, we are reminded of all the good times.  When I first met Phil (and his family), Wayne was already retired and he had the travel bug.  They went on countless trips.  Cruises, train journeys, car trips. They went to Disneyland and Disneyworld. They went to England, Ireland and Scotland. The Panama Canal. Spain. New England in the Fall and more.

 

Later when he was done traveling, he still traveled - via Rick Steves on PBS, and he had a big collection of VHS trips: Germany, Siberia, Bavaria, India, Hungary, Portugal, Spain.

 

He used to brag that he was retired longer than he had to work.

 

He liked peanut brittle, peanut butter, chocolates and nuts. Pumpkin pies and homemade bread.

 

I think he had exactly the life he wanted.

Drowning their sorrows in pizza

Once again Walker's off traveling for the weekend. 

He left campus early Friday morning, on a ten hour drive to the upper Peninsula (Houghton) and  Michigan Tech University.

 

 

They cross this bridge (the Mackinaw) to get from Lower Michigan to Upper Michigan.

That's always exciting as sometimes there are high winds, accidents, closures, etc.

But Walker said it was uneventful and just interesting this time.

 

From his hotel room, Walker could see the river.

 

Unfortunately the Chargers lost their game.

I think they are now on the bus/van travelling home and drowning their sorrows in pizza.

 

Football season is nearly over.  One last game next Saturday.

 

 

Pinterest

I admit I enjoy Pinterest. 

But, I realize I have just been collecting "stuff".

My idea was to actually make some of the

things I pinned.

 

I'm going to try to chip away at them, and post my results.

 

You have to go to my pinterest board to find the actual

links to the projects.

 

 

This one is making doilies, with paper and punches.

 

I don't know if I should show my favorite first --

but here is is. I used a 4" square of tissue

and the above snowflake stamp.

 

This one is simpler. I realized I'm limited by the punches I own.

 

I like the border of this one, but not the interior so much.

 

I think I could use this idea on several projects:

 

1.  Use on art journal pages - layered with other art;

2.  on a greeting card;

3.  A project with a grandchild.  Kind of more like paper snowflakes than doilies.

 

They were quick and easy.  I had to iron the tissue paper.

Getting Brave

Getting brave.

I sketched this Wisteria branch from my son Alan's house,

directly onto the front of my Oct/Nov art journal

 

 

This is my kind of fun.

 

These mushrooms are popping up around our home.

My inspiration for my next watercolor project!