My Perspective

A christmas ornament: A work in progress.

Christmas Ornament

I recently completed this beaded and sequined ornament. This was part of a kit (set of three). The instructions had mistakes, not to mention the ornament does not match what is pictured. The bugle beads would slide up inside the red faceted beads. Fun. Not! I had to come up with ways to prevent this from happening. I used glue in some sections and rocaille beads in others. I made it work.

I am once again disappointed with a kit. Also, I am seriously irked with the deception on the manufacturer's part (picture and supplies do not match what is actually received).

With all that said, I will be making at least one more out of this kit. But first, I am returning to the Gypsy Wife quilt now that I am feeling better. (I made this ornament while resting and watching TV).

Finished Craft Project (Christmas Ornament)

This is not a very good picture and it does not do it justice. I finished this ornament yesterday (February 6, 2017). I am fairly pleased with the thing. At first, it was hard to let go of perfectionism; but, that is exactly what I needed to do with this kit. I realize that the tree is perfectly wonky; but, hey, that is how real trees are in life.

Another Christmas Ornament

I recently completed this beaded and sequined ornament. This was part of a kit (set of three). I refuse to make one more! It was tedious making this item and the instructions were horrid. After I completed this one, the extra supplies were dumped into an bin that I keep for just in case I need extras for other kits.

If a kid ever wanted to make an ornament for themselves, I think they would have a blast dipping into this bin of mine! I know I made a few ugly ones in my youth from extra supplies my mother kept; but, they sure were gorgeous in my eyes back in those days.

Christmas and New Year's "Loot"

Foreword: I would get packages of fabrics and not open them. I believe this started back in late June of 2016. At first, I would use a package as a reward for completing a block or a section of the Gypsy Wife quilt. But, I never did open up a box. So, they kept piling up. In the end, I just decided to open up a bunch of packages that were in mailing envelopes on Christmas day at the lake and the rest of them at home on New Year's Eve. Opening up the packages on Christmas day was extremely fun. (Note: Dan and I did not exchange gifts this year. Instead, we got our own gifts.)

The below is from New Year's eve and I finally got through them all on January 2nd. By the way, most of the fabrics were purchased at 50% off or more with either free or cheap shipping (e.g. flat rate shipping of five dollars).

Abby Gail photobombed my picture of the pile of packages. She made me laugh!

She looked like how I felt about these packages -- drool and slurp! Ha!

The other side of the pile of boxes.

The result of opening up all the packages. By the way, the fabrics inside the crate is from Christmas day.

I had just sat down in my chair and thought that the view was pretty. So, I decided to take a picture of the back of this pile.

I think I have a severe problem, don't you?

Final Completed Project of 2016 and Happy New Year!

I accidentally ran across this ornament kit and immediately fell in love. I had to have the kit. It reminded me of Dad and his love of birds not to mention it seems like half of my family are birders. I have always adored cardinals. So, it was perfect.

I finished the project yesterday afternoon with much fussing and such. It has been years and years since I made one of these kind of ornaments. But, while I was working on it, I was happy and content. I thought it turned out beautiful.

I had Dan hang it up in the designated spot before I even took a picture. So, the pictures below are not the best. I actually stood up on a ladder to take the first! Ha!

It is hanging in our hallway which I have turned into a "Christmas room". Yes, I am nuts; but, I do not really care what others may think of the things I do.

The big ornaments hanging beside it were made by my mother and hung over the bar every year at her house. These were the ones that no one picked for themselves and I'm glad now because they are beautiful where they are.

And now, onto a different subject. 2016 is about to end. It wasn't too bad of a year with the exception of an extreme depression time, dealing the chronic issues and the death of an old acquaintance who I was enormously fond of. She was my sister-in-law's Aunt. In spite of all this, I feel that I managed to accomplish more than I have in the past few years. The one thing that I picked up is Bullet Journaling that I believe helped me out immensely.

I am extremely thankful for so many things.

Life.
My husband, Dan.
Abby Gail, my buddy.
Family.
Friends.
The ability and space to create.

The only resolution I have for 2017 is to try to create (make things) more.

May 2017 be good to you all!

Mom's Holiday Wreath Ornament

This was a kit and I it found bagged in a small aluminum foil pan up in my mother's kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator. There was another foam wreath in the kit. FYI: I love ornament kits and have tons stored away that I purchased over the years.

I decided to take the kit for myself. I thought I could repair the one pictured; but, the damage was too severe. I ended up cannibalizing the old one to make a brand new one with the extra foam wreath. (There was not enough supplies to finish a new wreath.)

The maker of the kit is LeeWards which is no longer in business and, after many stores closed, it became Michaels. The kit was dated 1976. I also found a sticker price of $1.89. Wow. I was eleven or twelve years old when this kit was packaged together for sale.

Vacation {December 19, 2015 - January 3, 2016)

Our vacation was a combination of a staycation, a road trip and a day trip. We did some work on the house including the hallway. After all, a hallway is a room too. That will be a separate blog post.

{Most of the loot from road trip to Granbury, Texas}

On December 23, 2015, we went on a road trip to Granbury, Texas stopping along the way at a few old town squares. We first stopped at Georgetown, Texas. I absolutely loved this square and want to return in April for the Red Poppy Festival. There were several antique stores. And, I was pleasantly surprised to discovered that Thundercloud Subs popped up on the gluten free radar. So, we went there for lunch.

We also stopped by Salado, Texas. I am not going to lie. I was disappointed with the town. There didn't seem to be a legit square! However, we did find two antique stores and a quilt shop.

We took off from there going through some small towns along the way (not stopping). We went through Meridian because they supposedly had a courthouse. Let me tell you, they did have a courthouse; but, the town itself was depressing (dead). Maybe the atmosphere had something to do with my initial impression of the courthouse; but, as much as it is a nice old building, I was not impressed.

We stayed in Granbury, Texas over Christmas and shopped the square. I loved their town square. They had a variety of shops including a quilt store which I will not be returning to due to the fact they snip and tear their fabrics instead of cutting them. I know there is tons of debate (pros and cons) on this method of cutting fabrics. I am not going to argue or debate about it here; but, it always makes me cringe inside. And, I dislike all the little strings it leaves behind not to mention one of my fabrics is now skewed from the force of tearing. I just prefer cutting with scissors or rotary cutter.

Anyway, did you know that Granbury, Texas has a beach? Yes, a beach! I was shocked. I made Dan stop by on the way back to the hotel Christmas Eve. We walked along the shore for a few minutes and it was peaceful. There is just something about being by a body of water that brings peace to my soul. A beach is a plus!

We visited my brother and his family on Christmas day. I had an absolutely wonderful time and was so happy to see the young kids again. My oldest grand-niece (11-years old) gave me a lovely little candle she made herself.

We returned home on December 26, 2015 stopping along the way at a few places. We first stopped in Clifton. Texas. A town square was not present; but, old style town buildings existed along with a couple antique shops. I picked up a cheap bench that I plan to re-purpose for the cats. Once we put it in place, the cats immediately started getting on top of the bench and looking out the window. And no, it's not going to look like this when I'm done.

By the way, I love looking in storefront windows. One of the shops in Clifton. Texas had this humorous Snowman scene. It just made me laugh and I had to snap a picture.

We had lunch in Waco, Texas. While there, I went searching online for antique and quilt shops. I discovered there was a quilt shop called Tomorrow's Quilt nearby and their facebook page indicated they were having an after Christmas sale. So, I told Dan that we are going and I am so glad we did because I ended up purchasing fabrics for 50% off which included clearance fabrics!

And then, we went to McGregor, Texas. There is a store called Cedar Chest Antique Mall. Holy Moly! That place is HUGE!

I ended up grabbing a three legged table for $20 at a booth in "The Market" part of the antique mall. I plan to clean, strengthen and either paint/stain the table. In the meantime, Dan is using it for what I intended which makes me happy.

By the way, I found a mini lane chest that had an image by Patty Butters with a 1996 copyright by Lane. It was Dan who saw the tiny copyright and determined that was legit. I never seen anything like this before and assumed someone ruined the box. You can see a hint of the image on the box between the his and her signs in the top picture.

We arrived home real late but happy. At least, I was happy. Dan was just tired. Ha!

We took a day trip on January 2nd to Lockhart and New Braunfels on January 2nd. Again, the purpose was old town squares and antiquing.

I don't know how I ended up with six mini lane chests from our adventure of the day. But, both Dan and I were shocked! I often would never see one on trips like this one. And, all of them were reasonably priced!

There are subtle differences among them. Some have feet. Some have what I called a slightly raised bottom and others are extremely plain (no feet or ridges on the bottom).

I need to document what I have and share the history I have found on the chests in the near future.

We also purchased the above confusing item for $36. We cannot figure out if it is a nightstand or an end table because it has a weird cutout hole for electronics in the back of the item. but, we plan to replace the backing, sand everything down and paint the item re-purposing it in our house.

And on the last day (January 3) of our vacation which also happened to be Dan's birthday, we went to a RV Supersale Show. It was a fun adventure!

Merry Christmas! (And, a Finished Craft)

Completed on December 10, 2015 using instructions and fabrics from Sweetwater. I made these ornaments for the youngest members of my family, the grand nieces and nephews. I hope the kids like them. I think they turned out so cute. These are so easy to make and requires no sewing (except for threading the hanger onto ornament).

I had to refrain from posting about these cuties due to the fact that maybe some of their parents read this blog. I wanted them to be surprised too. So, this post was written in advance and scheduled for late on Christmas day.

We Saw His Star....

I hope everyone will have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Wordy Wednesday {Christmas Time 2013}

Dinner table all set -- so pretty.

(The stockings belong to my brother's family and were rehung after being raided.)

We had a very good time just relaxing, visiting and vegging out. There was much fun to be had playing Cribbage -- the one game I love playing most. We also played a game of Hand and Foot the night before we returned home. It had been eons since we played and I forgotten how intense the game can get. I do hope we get to play more often.

The bird, cooked by Dan, turned out pretty good. I must confess that I am wanting something different. Not sure how or what. We need to experiment with different recipes throughout the year. However, I am not sure if we will find the time or the inclination to do so with all the other projects we are working on. We tend to just take it easy with weekend meals because we are often so tired after working hard all day.

I have to mention that my sister-in-law and I went to the local factory outlet mall and I am so glad we made that trip because I scored three pair of new jeans for the price of two at $7.98 each. I needed new jeans desperately as my old jeans were either a tad too big or too messed up from working around the house (covered in stain, paint, etc., and etc.) I need to remember to NOT wear these new jeans while working on projects.

I hope everyone that celebrates Christmas (or Hanukkah or whatever you call it) had a very good holiday time! I know we did.

A Week In Pictures (#14)

Well, I said I would endeavor to post week #14 last Friday. I never made it due to sickness. In fact, I am still sick. I even lost my voice (Laryngitis) and let me tell you it was not fun. So anyway, here is a week in pictures Enjoy.

Source: iheartfaces.com via Lee Ann on Pinterest

Wrapped 12/21/2012

I wrapped my wrist with lots of bracelets. This works, correct?

Warmth 12/22/2012

These mittens were made for my brother’s family by our Grandmother. I still have a few of my own from her including some socks.

Bokeh 12/23/2012

I did not spend a lot of time with this and honestly, I did not really care. But, this turned out pretty good, correct?

Twas the Night 12/24/2012

…to party and pig out on delicious food!

Unwrapped 12/25/2012

All the papers and boxes ended up in a neat pile in the center of the room. And no, these are not ours…

Toy 12/26/2012

Dan collects Mustang cars and for the first time in several years, he found a couple.

Favorite Thing 12/27/2012

I have had this pen bag for a very long time and I do love me some Sharpies and more.

A Week in Pictures (#11)

Christmas Lights (outdoors) 11/30/2012

We put up Christmas lights for the first time in years. It is not much; but, it is a start. Next year will be more as I hope to buy some outdoor lights on sale after Christmas.

Source: iheartfaces.com via Lee Ann on Pinterest

From here on, I am doing the

i heart faces: {1 Photo – 32 Days} December Photo Challenge.

I am not actively participating in the challenge itself by posting to other forums such as instagram, twitter (with hashtag, #iHeartFaces), flicker, blogs and more. I am just taking a picture of the day and sharing them via post(s) on my blog.

Me (Introduce Yourself) 12/1/2012

{To see a larger image, go here}

I am a wannabe DIYer; but, in reality, Dan does most of the hard work while I just have the vision. I am actually scared of power tools; so, I will only use them when he is around. On this day, Dan was working on putting up the new casings around the doors. He needed three hands; so, he asked me to help. He gave me the nail gun and showed me where to shoot it on the casing. The first time I hit the trigger, the air coming off of it blew in my face and I let out a tiny scream. It scared me to death. Well, not really seeing that I am still alive. Ha! I kept on using that sucker until all side casings were up. I actually had fun in spite of being terrified!

Dan knew I needed to come up with a new picture of me and he suggested the idea of me using the nail gun. I loved the idea and set the camera and tripod up. I had Dan push the trigger (on the camera) since he was readily available. In the end (the last shot and above picture), we went for the real thing because all the other pictures looked fake. I told Dan I would fire on three. He pressed the shutter on three and this is the result. I was actually trying to smile and keep my eyes open; but, holy crap. That gun scares the bejabbers out of me. The picture of me actually makes me laugh!

By the way, if you are new here, you can go to my About Me page. My life is still in chaos; but, it is happy chaos at the moment. My sewing and cutting table is still at the furniture shop. So, I haven’t done any sewing lately. It is just as well considering that room is a disaster and still needs to be unpacked. I am slowly unpacking; but, it is taking time because I am determined to put the fabrics onto “bolts”. It does not help that I am “unfocused”. I’d start a task and then remember to do something else only to return to the original task two hours later. Dan can testify to this problem of mine if you ask him. Ha!

Elf 12/2/2012

This is a childhood beaded craft Christmas ornament. My mother had us kids make a lot of beaded ornaments while growing up. I do not know which one of us made this particular one – most likely all three of my older brothers each made one (there are three of these total) as sticking pins in a plastic doll is a tough thing to do. The red felt like texture on the doll has faded and discolored throughout the years. However, it is still a darling little ornament.

What You’re Reading 12/3/2012

In Every Flower by Patti Hill. Third in the Garden Gates series. Christian Fiction.

I bought the first three books of this series on an extreme clearance. All three are okay reads. I just recently read this quote from this particular book and it made me chuckle.

She spoke over her shoulder. “I have a new theory about global warming, and I’m dead serious about this, so don’t you go pooh-pooh-ing it. You know, don’t you, that there are 40 million baby boomer women in America, all being taken off their estrogen at the same time? Every room I walk into shoots up thirty degrees. Now think of 40 million women hot flashin’. I know I’m right. Get yourself somethin’ to drink, sugar, while I cool down a bit.”

Shadow Play 12/4/2012

This idea is not unique in itself. This is one shot, one picture, taken on a timer. I had to wait until after 3:30 p.m. because it was raining and cloudy most of the day. The sun finally came out and I was glad because I did not know what else I would have done. I do not think I will ever do this again with cats as they are very uncooperative subjects. I also do not think I will ever do something like this again which requires some heavy editing of the photo itself. However, I am very pleased with the result. It is not perfect; but, I am satisfied. It will do.

Someone I Love 12/5/2012

This is my Grandmother, Viola Mae. I love her very much.

I had a really hard time with this category. I love my Dan; but, he is away at work during the day and he is not a very cooperative subject (I think he does not like getting his picture taken). I love all my brothers. I love my nieces and nephews and all their children. I adore many of my cousins and enjoy seeing their children grow up virtually. However, these people are not readily available for me to take pictures. Plus, I am not comfortable posting pictures of people (besides Dan and me) on this blog.

I love my mother and my dad. I wanted to take a picture of a favorite picture of them together; but, I do not have one printed yet. I am planning to get one printed and hang it out up the wall in the hallway along with my Gram.

The above picture will have to do.

Burst of Red: Wide Angle lens 12/6/2012

{To see a larger image, go here}

This was my toughest challenge yet. By the way, red doesn’t translate well into the pictures – especially lights!

I had a tough time choosing a favorite among the few that turned out well. They are all very different. The above picture was taken with my wide angle lens. You can get that starred effect with any lens if you understand lighting, aperture and all that crap. I am still struggling with the concepts; but, I understand so much more these days because I am forcing myself to practice and not only practice, but think about those things.

Bonus Image I:

Burst of Red: Macro 12/6/2012

I wanted to show you what happens with a macro lens if you can figure it all out (how to get stars). I thought it was cool effect because it had more star points!

Bonus Image II:

Burst of Red: Psychedelic 12/6/2012

Apparently, I was messing with the camera trying to figure out things and I did not realize that I pressed the trigger. Unlike many people, including my husband, I cannot hear the shutter opening and closing. Also, I have the preview screen turned off to save the battery. As a result, I did not realize a picture was taken. I laughed upon opening up this one to view. I feel this is a happy accident. I also think this picture is rather cool. Of course I would. I am weird like that. Ha!