So long 2011 ~ hello 2012!

2011 has been a tough one and I am very happy to say adieu to it. 2012 is here and I look forward to it with hope in my heart that it will be a better one.

Irene, my mother-in-law in her younger days ~ she passed away in March at age 81

January means that I start my hunt for unique 2nd hand or handmade gifts ~ Christmas is only 12 months away. Antique malls, garage sales, flea markets, craft sales and the ReUse Centre are all potential locations to find such gems. Finding treasures for my friends and loved ones is such fun!

I am also hopeful that I will get more art done in the months ahead. I have a wing-back chair which is primed and ready to paint. Now all I need is some inspiration to get down to painting another fine art chair!

What great plans do you have in your head and in your heart for 2012?

Christmas Past

7 days until Christmas ... are you ready?

Remember me ...?

I used to blog here. Actually I still do, but I haven't since September!! Yes, that is outrageous, but to say 2011 has been an upside down year is a bit of an understatement. At the moment, I am busy preparing for a Christmas Craft Sale at Kings University this weekend. Here's a sneak peek at some of the goodies I will have for sale ...

Christmas Craft SaleSaturday, November 26th

10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

at King's University College Gym 

9125 - 50 Street, Edmonton

Sights of Christmas

This has been a very nice Christmas.

We've had lots of visits with friends and family.

Way too much food!

Some fun games and just a lot of warm moments.

See you in the new year!

Christmas Blessings

For the past 12 days, I have been taking part in an awesome art swap with some

of my very good friends, the Canadian Chickies.

Today, I would like to show you the beautiful gifties everyone created for the swap.

Day 1 ~ Arlene Travnik ~ Hand-Stitched Leather Bracelet

Day 2 ~ Brittni Carey ~ Mini Booklet with Turtle Dove Decoration

Day 3 ~ Mar Gray ~ Tree Magnet with Mini Painting and Easel

Day 4 ~ Kathryn Ssedogo ~ Altered Matchbox

Day 5 ~ Martha Brown ~ Fabric Joy Banner

Day 6 ~ Sabina Parsons ~ Fairy Angel in a Jar

Day 7 ~ Dawn Supina ~ Vintage Hang Up

Day 8 ~ Heather Robinson ~ Altered Composition Book

Day 9 ~ Kim de Broin Mailhot ~ Soft Sculptured Heart

Day 10 ~ Nicolette Anderson ~ Retro Beaded Decoration

Day 11 ~ Jennifer Conway ~ Bottlecap Pin and Scrabble Tile Necklace

Day 12 ~ Cindy Hogg ~ Jar Snowman

Thank you Canadian Chickies, for making the days leading up to Christmas so enjoyable.

To all the readers of my blog ...

May you have a safe holiday season filled with the warmth and love of family and friends.

Christmas Blessings to all!

Sort of a Where's Waldo moment

This is the oldest nativity set we have. We bought it when our son David was a baby.

I love nativity sets because they always have different, interesting features. My husband was admiring this one when he happened to notice that I had snuck in a 3 extra characters ~ can you find them?

Full house on a cold December night

My son wanted to invite a few of his friends from university over for a Christmas get together, so last night a "few" showed up. One of the invited guests decided to bring another 3 extra unexpected guests along with him as well, so you could say it was a tad bit snug in our little home.

There was plenty of good conversation, popcorn, Eggnogg'n Tea (the blend that become this year's favourite choice), chocolates! and a little pizza to be enjoyed by all. Also there were games including chess, 4 player chess and Things.
No one went home empty handed as everyone was given either a small handmade or 2nd hand gift.

One-of-a-Kind Ornaments for Christmas

These are three (of many) ornaments that I made to use as gifts this Christmas. They start out as clear glass bulbs, and then I added fine glitter inside the bulbs and then on the outside, I used Alcohol Inks. Each decoration is unique. In fact, when my friend and I were making these, we couldn't replicate two bulbs to be the same because the ink has a mind of its own.

These particular ornaments are winging their way to BC for my sister-in-law and her two daughters. I hope they'll like them!