Sunday, February 2, 2014

Oh my Gosh, Nine Months have passed!

Greetings friends and followers,

How fast the days evaporate. We are on the edge of another spring here, again already. The chickens are big now, and supplying us with about 9 eggs a day. That makes it worth the hard work to get to that point.
I have been busy in my workshop, but mostly making Christmas gifts it seems. Thankfully, the holidays are again behind us. I seem to like all the flurry less each year. Our buddy dog has been with us a little over a year now. He is such a good dog and has made such a positive impact on our lives I recommend one for everyone.


This past summer brought lots of changes in our living environment. My husband made this wonderful deck outside our bus and we expanded our yard by half again. It is still a work in progress, but is looking pretty good these days. Trying to work at the thrift store, maintain all this and have time for my studio is the reason this blog gets updated about once a year! It happens to be raining today, a perfect blog day...






In August my daughter and family, our 5 beautiful grandchildren, moved from next door to a community about an hour and a half away. I fear I am still adjusting to the big hole that has left and mourning the day to day victories in their lives that are missed at a distance. I have been able to stay with them about once a month and usually come home so exhausted it takes me a few days to start missing them again! I am due to go again next week. We will make valentines while my daughter and son in law have their first night away together in seven years~!

This last month my pen pal, Penelope Cake, who I met online two years ago when she inquired about purchasing some of my art, came to visit all the way from Cape May, N.J. I call her my serendipity sister. Her birthday is one day after mine. We are the same age,  have been married the same amount of years, both have one child and both put milk in our coffee only when we are out. Those are just a few of the similarity's. We both love art and creating so we have formed a strong bond. She came last year also. This last visit we went to stay with the kids for a few days before hitting my studio for some joint crafting...


Penelope was a dance instructor in a private girls school in NY for 18 years. She quickly won the girls over once again by choreographing a dance for them and doing yoga with them. My daughter and I enjoyed ourselves watching. We are made of the same stuff when it comes to exercise!


Penelope and I both had birthdays in early January so the girlies were all a twitter about the special birthday breakfast they had planned and prepared. Oh my it was wonderful... the stuff diabetic comas are made of! We had home made scones with fresh made lemon curd, and croissants with ham and cheese, hot cocoa and home made donuts and birthday cake. I am not being the least bit biased when I say my daughter is one of the sweetest most thoughtful women, and one of the best mothers I know. She is a gift, and always has been.


These are the two youngest of my gems. Nico just turned a year old and Naomi, the apple of her grandma's eye is a feisty and very talkative two. Nico outweighs Naomi. The boy is built like a tank. These two little sweeties are a big part of the reason I come home exhausted (happy, but exhausted none the less).





Penelope and I spent a lot of time in my studio this visit. We created a sweet necklace out of little tiny cookie cutters that she had brought. I worked on a ham can shrine that I am currently assembling and she did some embroidery on black and white photographs that is very cool. It was good to have creative company.



I made some fun things for Christmas this year. Pinterest is my main source of inspiration. I made this for my daughter....



This next gift I made for a very dear friend of mine. She has buried two of her grown children and her sister in the last few years. She has a hard time sleeping.  I wanted her to have someone who truly understands a mother's broken heart to talk to in the wee hours. I covered the shrine with many of the names for Mary, the Theotokos. It will bring her some solace I hope.


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Every year I make a different ornament or two to give to the majority of the people I give gifts to. I only make bigger gifts for a few. Below are the two styles I made this year and both were a lot of fun. Pinterest again was my inspiration...




These are made out of bottle caps and come together quick and easy. I cut the birds out of Christmas cards from previous years and lined the back with vintage Christmas music, and viola, a very cute ornament! I had a shiny brite box that was falling apart so I recycled it for ornament cards. It worked out well I think...

These tart tins make great little frames for all sorts of ornaments, Christmas or otherwise. I am keeping my eyes open for more of them.



I made this little lady for Penelope. She wobbles back and forth on the slightest breeze and holds a banner that says "This too shall pass"... the words I live by, and a good reminder for all. 


I also made P. Cake this little Christmas tree. The idea was too cute to pass up!






I did finally finish the tin necklace I had started last spring when I last blogged. Below is a picture of it and a few other things I managed to accomplish...


These are just plain fun. I don't know if I will make anymore but sure had a good time putting these together!



These were cut from a vintage tea tin and beaded up. Penelope chose them for her birthday present.

I used rusty metal from old clothes pins for the framework of the earrings below. I love the look but they are too heavy for my saggy old ears. Someone young needs to wear them!





More tea tin earrings. I am working on different ideas for tin now. I have en-massed quite a collection and want to do some bigger pieces. I have started with a ham can shrine that is coming right along...who knows what the future will bring?



My sister in law purchased these earrings (because she wouldn't let me give them to her) when she came for our first family reunion in almost twenty years, this past summer. My oldest and youngest brother and their families managed to come from the east coast, but my two middle brothers that live right here in N. CA couldn't make it. Sheesh... Oh well...some peoples families....those of us who were there had a nice time. Not that you probably care, but here is a picture of a portion of our motley crew.



I have been having some fun with the multiple charm and found object necklaces. I have several more done but no pictures yet.


Below is a box I just finished this week for a co-worker who was married today, actually. I used the picture off her invitation for the center piece on it. It came out satisfactory. I envisioned it a bit different, but she liked it. 


Well, I think that brings me about up to date. Below is a picture Penelope took of my husband and I. Check out the fingerless gloves I am wearing. I wish I had a close up shot to show you. My daughter made them by needle felting on wool socks and they are amazing, just wonderfully amazing. 
Life is good enough...


until next time, God bless and keep you...
annie




1 comment:

  1. Ahhhhhh. Wonderful post. I feel better now!!!! You are so talented. Thanks for sharing your life with us.

    ReplyDelete