Christmas is coming

I’ve been getting ready for Christmas, which means getting projects done that will be given as gifts. Of course, in order to keep the surprise, I’m not ready to share any photos of the projects that I’ve been working on.

I’ve also been working on making Christmas cards and I look forward to being able to send those out to family and friends. I keep thinking of things that I can add to the cards, but I need to keep them simple in order to get them mailed out in time.

The real reason of the season is the celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s a time that many think of those less fortunate than themselves. We should remember this throughout the year. I love giving Christmas gifts to others. There is joy in the recipient receiving the gift, even if I cannot see them open it. It’s a way to give to Jesus, since we can’t physically give to him directly.

1 Chronicles 29:9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

1 John 3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

Christmas Snowflake ornaments

I made beaded snowflake ornaments for Christmas presents this year. They were a hit with the family. Some were bigger than others, but they were each unique and beautiful. Most of the patterns came with just a picture, so I had to figure out with trial and error how to stitch them. I was able to get 1-2 snowflakes done in an evening, so they are something that is fairly quick to get worked up. I had read to use floor wax to stiffen them up, and I ended up using Quick Shine Floor Finish. I was amazed at how much stiffer they were after just one dip, but I think next time I will probably do a second dip just to make sure that they remain stiff.

Jewelry set #3

I didn’t take a picture of the 2nd jewelry set that I made. It was black and gold and I wore it with a black dress that has gold glitter at the bottom that fades as it goes up. My biggest accomplishment, in my eyes, was that nothing broke throughout the night. The picture here is my 3rd set that I’ve made now and I really like the way that it turned out. I used beading wire for the necklace, memory wire for the bracelet, and a headpin to make the earrings. I’m starting to feel comfortable enough with my jewelry that I would let someone else wear the pieces.

My first completed jewelry set

I recently finished my first jewelry set. It took a littler bit of work because i decided to use simple wire loops to connect the individual beads together. I would put the bead on the wire, and create a simple loop on each end. I used looping pliers to create the loops. Artbeads.com has some great instructions on simple wire loops here.  The three smaller beads in between the bigger beads are strung on one piece of wire instead of individually.  They were too small to do individually, and I thought putting the three beads together looked better.  I’ve had someone tell me that they thought these pieces looked professional, which is a huge compliment in my books, especially since this is an early piece of jewelry.  I don’t want my jewelry to look cheap or homemade.  I look forward to completing more pieces of jewelry in the future – maybe even get to the point of being able to sell it.

Adult Coloring

I started adult coloring a short while ago.  One of the big advantages that I’ve found with coloring again is how relaxing it is.  It soothes my mind and can be accomplished in a short while, so you also have that feeling of a job well done.  Or at least a job done.  There are many free coloring pages that you can find with an internet search to try out.  That’s where I started, and after I decided that I did like coloring (wasn’t much of a surprise to me), I started buying the adult coloring books at craft stores.  I also bought some better quality colored pencils on Amazon, and you can find those here.  Here are a few examples of pages that I’ve colored.  I seem to like coloring pictures of people the best, as that is what most of my coloring books are.  The peacock pictured below is out of one the stained glass window coloring books.  For those, I always put a plain white sheet of paper behind the page that I’m coloring so that I can see what I’m doing better. Otherwise, the extra lines from the page below distracts me.

 

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!  I consider myself a creative person and love everything crafty.  When people ask me what kind of crafts that I do, I don’t know where to start.  I scrapbook, cross-stitch, crochet a little, sew, and I’m a photographer.   Basically, I’m willing to try just about anything crafty.  I’ve been doing cross-stitch for over 30 years and doing photography for over 25 years.  I made some beaded ornaments for Christmas, and really enjoyed it, so I’m starting to try my hand at jewelry making.  I have a dedicated room in my house for crafting – partly because I need a place to put all my craft supplies!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton