Merry Christmas

to all my bloggy buddies.... I'll have to see if I can get more organized or more enthused about blogging in the new year...

Got the little chicken in the oven...the spuds mashed and put in the 'fridge 'til later.... carrots and sprouts are simmering away... hope you are all having a nice dinner too.

It is a wintery white day out there ... -20C ... the birds are having fun with the suet and seed feeders... quite a lot of action and entertainment today.

best wishes to all...

An Easter Tree

I was determined to make myself one this year.  I think they are great...and if you Google them you will see all sorts of different types of trees.
This one is in Germany..outside.  They are a German tradition.

Traditional German Easter Tree - The traditional German Easter tree is called an Osterbaum. The tree is not merely created from flowering branches collected in a vase, but can be made from living trees and shrubs situated around the house. The vase or planter that the tree is in is usually decorated with wooden eggs set on the top of the soil as well as hung from the branches. The eggs are almost always colorful as the environment in Germany around Easter is usually drab; the tree is meant to add a colorful, spring-like touch to the home.

... I stole this photo from somebody's blog and now can't remember whose...if it is yours... please say so...
It is a lovely curly shrub isn't it? ...

Pastel origami ornaments (after our traditional Christmas colours) have been on the go for the past few weeks.  In anticipation of hanging them on an Easter Tree.

Muriel,  who makes them with me, reminded me that I better get on it if I was going to do one...it is already into the Easter week..

My 'tree" was going to be just a branch or branches and already I'd been scouting the area for some that would be good for hanging ornaments .   I did notice some perfect trees in the Safeway parking lot and was going to take my pruning shears there one evening ... but, didn't have to do it after all.


The story goes like this.

There was an Estate Sale up the block last week...and I decided to see if they had any old Corning Ware with handles (lots of the new stuff is pretty white containers, but, alas, straight sides ..no handles... )  What the heck? They are useless and dangerous.  Especially when full of blistering hot food.  I know.  I have three. They are difficult to grab with pot holders or gloves or anything really.. too slippery to hold them safely.  I'm going back to the old stuff...and, decided not to pay full price for it either.  Guess what?  I found 3 containers almost brand new.  One has hardly, if ever, been used.  .. only two had lids but I have an extra lid anyway...so, for a whopping $8 ... I have new, safe containers... wooohoo ... and, I intend to check out a few more garage sales this summer as well..for a couple more and a few extra lids.

Anyway...back to the story of my Easter Tree..hahahahha.. man, I digress don't I ??   ..." and all around the circle" la la la ..... la la ......

On the way back from the Estate Sale... with arms loaded...I spied some great branches growing in the alleyway.  Two different shrubs.. managing to grow in pavement..

I broke off a couple 2 foot branches and carried them back as well.  Planted one in my little pastel pail that I got at Safeway for $4.99 ...  added some limestone rocks and a bit of fake moss and voilà ...  my Easter Tree.

Little "Sheepie" loves it.  He stood and admired it for hours...

And,.... see the little tiny buds on the branches?  I mentioned to my sister that I thought they looked like they could bloom or something...and, she said... put a bit of water in the pot.  They probably will.  Well................. today they are looking very green..... I think they may leaf today or tomorrow... how cute will that be?  I have a feeling it might be a Nanking shrub..... they could even flower.....  I'm standing around looking at it a lot now....

hoping...............................

Happy New Year !!

Just popping in to offer my best wishes to you all for a very happy and healthy New Year.

I'm still having fun doing origami ornaments.... it's lovely and relaxing and they are so beautiful.  A friend gave me some especially interesting paper....it's all glittery and quite glam....

Somehow the last 14 were all in pastels..... hmmmm...they could be good for an Easter tree... maybe I should keep some of them out for a few months.


Did anybody save me some lovely gold foil papers? ..... I'm on the lookout....

2015..... ready, set, go!!

'Tis the season to be.... sparkly!!

... and, I've been making more origami ornaments like I do each year since I learned how to make them.  I love doing them and using pretty foil type wrapping papers.  My neighbour gifted me a strip of beautiful, sparkly, almost fabric like paper...wow...it folds wonderfully and looks great!

Yesterday I heard some little noises in the front room and poked my head around the corner to see what it was.....


(click to enlarge them!)

Uh, oh.... sure enough, there were these two on the coffee table... playing with the half done papers ............  Tuffy deciding it must be a party hat .... but, then...  complaining because it was waaaay too big for his little head.

..... then, more muttering....something about,'who the heck was it for anyway'? ....

Frikkles, on the other hand, decided he would claim the one with turquoise and pink papers.... because it matched his big ol' hand made glass bead..... and ...he loves that colour!

I tried to explain to them that they were actually ornaments for the tree .... and, now .....they are lobbying to sit next to them in the tree when I hang them........ hmmmmmmm... trouble comes in all sizes ........

Makin' babies....

... maybe I had some of you there...hahhaha.... don't ya just love deceptive titles?  Sort of a regular on the news and great for selling scandal rags near the checkouts at the grocery store.

I'm making my walnut mice babies...that's what I'm really up to ... for the tree....and to give away.  They are pretty cute and almost everybody wants one for their own tree... why wouldn't they?
                                                                               

Remember last year when I was panicking that I would be buying a Safeway BBQ'd chicken for Christmas dinner ? ...(turned out I didn't have to resort to that, but, it was close) .... because this was where my oven was still sitting on the 21st of December  ..... in the dining room!  Because the cabinet guys couldn't get things right.  Not this year.  All is done ...but, now...I don't have my new dining room table and chairs..oh, well...we still have the old one....and I ain't taking it out til I see the new one in the back of a delivery truck!  which may be first week in January...or not......

having fun making more of these....

Sadly.... only a few at a time...my hand still can't grasp needles or do much precise folding ...before the elbow gives me grief.

Save your pretty foil-y type papers.....even some chocolate wrappers work beautifully.

I can point you in the right direction for folding instructions.... or send you some more detailed pics if I can't find the site... or...we just ask fellow bloggers to help us.  That's how I found a site again last year.

Then, it's just a matter of sticking some points into some other points...ahhahahha...and voila.... a cute little origami type tree ornament.  Attach a gold or silver thread... or ...well, any colour you like, really ...why not?  Make them your own.  Sometimes I like to add a little tiny gold or silver bell....or some beautiful beads ....  my tree is full of these things.   Folks will be able to choose one or a couple to take home with them from the tree.
 Photos in the camera... will upload them tomorrow.... off to physio now...... still at it.   How I wish there was more good stuff happening with this poor old arm.  It is taking sooooo long to notice any appreciable difference...

Recycling the good stuff....

Just a little blurb about yesterday's Christmas card in my tree...well, actually.... the several cards in the tree...every year.  Yesterday's was one from my sister one year ....

I hate to throw away pretty cards... especially those with a bit of bling and also some special meaning. They are perfect for that dark spot...or that wonky spot or ... well, anywhere in the tree actually, where you want a bit of "something" that the balls and other decorations just aren't providing....


This one I just cut around the edge of the gold trimmed centre of a lovely card.... it stays in the Christmas decorations box....been there about 6 years now.... love it...

Store bought cards are horribly expensive and some are perfect for this... and... those beautiful handmade cards? .. well,  they 're just too special to chuck in the garbage.

With some, I save the whole front of a card...some, I just save the middles...or maybe only a particular piece.  Yesterday's ... the whole front...cut with deckle edged scissors...and strategically placed in the tree.. lights shining just so onto it.

You can make labels or tags with the smaller pieces... or use them on your own handmade cards next year... or... well, I am sure you can think up other uses for them as well.  I have a box full of them for when I think of other things to do with them.  It doesn't take up any space at all in my big storage area... just stack it with my other 4 or 5 boxes of things.  The origami papers (oh, yes...don't forget...save all the beautiful foil type wrapping papers too...for those!!  (they only need 3 pieces of 3 X 3 inches each) If you don't want to make any...save it for me! Send me a few bits and pieces in a card envelope.... hey!  I could make you a few and send them back to you next year.... hahahha... oh, yeh...what else?

There is a box of walnut mice....another box of whole cards for making boxes... some boxes of greenery for making some table centres and arrangements.. and,  ... oh, alright, alright....... I admit it.  I have several more boxes ...of all sorts of things for Christmas and other crafts.  Sigh...

Must p.u.r.g.e.  Maybe it's time to give away some of the stuff I just know I'm not going to use anymore.... wish I knew locals who want to do some crafting....

here are the links to last year's card posts...

Better get a move on... today I'm making soup from the tiny chicken carcass... foccaccia bread to go with soup for supper...another 'nog loaf....and oh, ... better do some treadmill.  The Christmas goodies are beginning to show...around my middle.....

.

Pretty papers ......

Hey, what day is it? I am still in sparkly stuff mode! Ahhhh...who cares? I am not putting it all away yet anyway. Nope...not me. I am playing with papers, cards... walnuts and hazelnuts... all the little fun things I like to do for a few days prior to boxing it all up for another year.

While everybody is making their New year promises...I am just enjoying some gifts of perfect paper from a neighbour...and a bunch of new cards to sort through. Wheeeeee!










Oh, look... chocolate box wrappers.... all foil-y and shiny and so perfect.

I bought my first little origami ornament several years ago.










Actually, I bought 3 because I didn't know if I would ruin them all trying to figure out how they were constructed. I still have all 3. That number must mean something... because they are made with 3 pieces of 3 inch square paper. I took one apart and it took me 3 days to figure out how to put it back together again. Each year when I try to make another...it takes me 3 tries to get it right. I don't know if I could explain in less than about 33 pictures and plenty of uhm-ing... how to do it. And, I have searched for a tutorial on it...but have not been successful. Have never seen a picture of one quite like it. Anybody know what it is called?










Look at all the beautiful colours I've made... hahah...then I got really silly...and made some half the size ...ohhh, was that fiddly!
(update Jan 6, 2008) Hey..I just saw that tiny ones can be used for earrings!














This is my favourite that I have made so far. A beautiful patterned tissue paper combined with chocolate box foils. String a golden thread, add a bead or two and look how beautiful they are. They are such fun to make.














...... and, this.... this will be my first doll of the new year. A beautiful Northern Star Mermaid by Judi Wellnitz and cover girl for December issue of Doll Crafter and Costuming.

She is a tiny thing .. and I began by sewing up the hands just to see how tricky they would be to turn ... ..not bad. So, then on with the face.. I always like to do the head first.. then the body. I am in the process of drawing and colouring her face now, but as we all know.. real life seems to interfere with fun stuff. Plumbing fiasco yesterday.

Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits!!!

That's what we used to say all the time as kids when a new month began. You are supposed to say it first thing before you utter another word ... for good luck. Olde Englishe I think ...

I borrowed this little pic of some bunnies I saw somewhere ... I really thought they were cute and figured some day I might try making me one just like them. sorry I can't remember where to give them credit for it.......










Anyway... new day, new week, new month ... and new "stuff" to do. This foot is still playing merry hell and I am getting reeeeeeallllly ticked with it all. According to the MRI it is healed. So, why then can I not take a step without pain? When does that end? What can I do to speed it up? How can I get much exercise if I can't walk? Yes, I can do stretches and arm exercises but it just is not enough to deal with the osteo.. I am going to run into more problems if I can't get going and darn soon. This is way too many months of inactivity .. I need to be doing weight bearing exercise. I am making an appointment with my doctor this week and I will have plenty of questions. I need answers. How can a person do ANYTHING to help a situation if they don't really understand the problem? Or am I just trying to be too logical here? oh, yeh ... silly me ... they don't like that do they?

okay..on to other things...

OMG it is October! It happens every single year doesn't it?!

Summer is going along so swimmingly; although somehow this year it sped past in a heartbeat (perhaps because I had deadlines with dolls and bears ?) .. well, I am using that excuse anyway. But, how would it do that with no golf, no gardening, no motorcycling ?.... I didn't have enough strength to walk on uneven surfaces like the lawn for fear of turning this ankle again and putting me back to square one! Couldn't hold up the bike ....

The various flowers bloom and then others take their place ... (I am quietly pleased that it is working exactly as I planned it when I planted!) Lovely colour continually interspersed with the shrubs in the gardens. All of a sudden there are a few rainy or cooler nights ... daytime temperatures drop from the sleepless nights of +28's to +21C... which is wonderful .. perhaps a slight warning of sorts and before we know it; September .. lulled by perfect sunny days .... BBq's and drinks under the "brolly" ... later September, and daytime highs down to +14C ...... unbelievably some of the leaves begin to turn and some of the flowers in the pots look a bit leggy and peaked. It drifts into early fall, but we don't want to even think that quite yet so we ignore it . .... .... just enjoy the lazy days of peace and quiet... so quiet in the neighbourhood now that the few kids are back in school ... lol .... if I open the windows all I can hear are little sparrows and chickadees playing in the bird bath and even an occasional bee or fly buzzing past the screens .... I think about how quickly the time will begin to spin into overdrive by October .... and then .. all of a sudden .. it IS October! For crafters it is already imperative to get busy with certain projects for Christmas. Darn it. Snuck up on me again. Every year I think I might do a festive craft show table at a little venue near me ... they have some really beautiful and artsy "stuff" at that one. Some year.....