Of Visual Interest...

Been a while since I've been around... Much going on and not a lot of time or energy to devote to blogging.  Actually, I must confess that I've recently discovered Pinterest and now, unfortunately, I spend more time ADMIRING and "PINNING" crafts and "diy" projects than I do DOING them!  Ugh, it's terrible!  I need an intervention!

Today, however, I went out into the garage and grabbed my old coffee can full of "hardware" - nuts, bolts, screws, washers, etc.  I've been collecting such "treasures" for years - much to my husband's dismay - always expecting to one day find the perfect project for which they could all be used.  I thought, at one point, that I could learn to weld and turn a pile of rusted metal into some beautiful, sculpted piece of art.  Ha!  Welding is an art, in and of itself, and I am NOT gifted thusly.  Whatsoever.  Anyway...

So I dragged out the coffee can and dumped its contents onto a large piece of craft board, left over from some long-ago school project for which I'd bought too much stuff because I was in a last-minute panic (I know you know what I'm talking about!).  As best I could, I sorted the pieces by type: screws, nails, bolts, washers, weird and unidentifiable things...square things...things that looked like bolts, or maybe screws, but had washers around them that wouldn't come undone...  I ended-up with eight, sweet little piles of metal; some of it rusted, some of it shiny and new-looking.  I was enchanted.

The original idea was to grab some pieces and glue them to something...an idea I'd found on...yes, I admit it, Pinterest.  I was going to make a trivet.  Or maybe a really cool little gift box.  But, instead, I just sorted everything and realized I had a really cool picture on my hands.  Visual interest.  And I figured I should just quit while I was ahead...

In With the New...

Is it just me or do you, too, find yourself overwhelmed at this time of year because you put things off until they simply can't be ignored any longer?  Things that could have been done pleasurably and with ease turn into odious tasks because you try to do in a matter of hours what could have been done over the course of several days...

Although this is EXACTLY what I did this year (as I always do), I have to say - I'm really happy with how things turned-out.  All of my gifts were handmade; baskets of honey-roasted and spiced nuts, toffees, bbq sauce, fig spread, garlic confit, peppermint bark - I even did little paintings of pine trees for the gift tags.  It's something I've dreamed of doing for years, making everything myself.  And maybe, just maybe, I've learned something; maybe next year I'll start making things the week before Christmas, rather than two days before...

Anyway, I've been off this last week, doing little more than relaxing, Isabella's home from college for winter break.  The family's been spending lots of time in our jammies, eating bad food and watching movies.  A few nice hikes thrown in for good measure, just so we wouldn't feel too much like sloths.  And, for me, a little bit of crafting, just because I felt the need...

My fascination with mushrooms seems to have...mushroomed! I got a field guide and a "grow your own" kit from my mom for Christmas and I've been out taking photos (although that camera - the "good" one - has pooped-out again, so I'll have to wait to post those pics).  I just can't seem to get enough of the little fungi..

(These were crafted with Fima Modeling Compound)

At any rate, I'm ready for this new year, ready to use this clean slate to full advantage.  I hope you all feel the same and have lots of great things on the horizon.  Happy New Year!  May it be happy, healthy and creative!

Eggceptionally Cute

A few weeks ago, drooling over Lisa Jordan's beautiful blog, lil fish studios news (link found in "My Blog List" below), I came upon a photo of two adorable little egg-cup pincushions, fashioned by Lisa's own hands.


Pure inspiration.

Within days of seeing Lisa's photo, I went online and ordered five wooden egg-cups; I could scarcely wait until they made it to my mailbox...

I painted them (I also had a hard time waiting for the paint to dry!) with acrylics.  The "cushions" are made from little rectangles of air duct filter (weird, I know, but necessity is the mother of invention, after all) folded over into squares, with a thin strip of steel wool sandwiched in between (this is at Lisa's suggestion - the steel wool keeps the pins nice and sharp).  I cupped the squares in the palm of my hand to achieve a roundish shape and put a cotton ball in the center.  Then I twisted a scrap of fabric around the outside and tucked the twisted end into an egg-cup, which I'd prepped with a bead of crafter's glue around the inside lip.  The finishing touch for each was four pearlized pins, in colors that picked-up on the overall theme of the individual cup.

This was a REALLY fun and inexpensive project (the egg-cups were .89 cents each at www.caseyswood.com!) and will make perfect stocking-stuffers for all of the seamstresses in my life.

Happy Crafting!

Furry Thief

Just wanted to share these pics of one of the little critters who come to steal the birdseed I set-out every day (sorry, the photos are a bit blurry - still haven't had my good camera repaired).


Usually, our furry little crooks (there are two, as far as I can tell) come in the late afternoon, jumping from our roof to our deck with a resounding thud; this, however, was a surprise morning visit.

I'll be picking-up some unsalted peanuts tomorrow, just to give the birds a fighting chance...

Bud Vases

Last weekend, I stopped by SCRAP (Scrounger's Center for Recycled Art Parts), a non-profit organization in San Francisco and GREAT! spot for finding bits and pieces of old wood, glass, fabric, etc.  What you see here is the result of that visit: A measure of salvaged window (door?) trim, with three little glass bottles fastened to it by hot-glue gun.  I drilled a couple of holes in the trim - prior to affixing the bottles - ran some ribbon through, and tied it off.  Just add water and voila! - hanging bud vases.

I plan on making more of these (still have alot of leftover trim), but next time, I'm going to add some beadwork to the bottles before I affix them.  My challenge will be to get the jeweler's wire - on which I'll string the beads - to lay nicely on the bottles.  Any suggestions would be most welcome...

Little Treasure Revisited

Remember this pretty little thing from a couple of weeks ago?  Well here it is, fully-restored.  I wonder if it was this nice when it was brand new...

My dad stripped it, put a whole new top on it, fixed the hinges, replaced the inside shelf, reattached the strip of wood that separates the top and bottom compartments, and then stained it.  Like all of the furniture he creates or restores, it turned-out beautifully!

Wish you could get a good look at the handle and knob, which were what ultimately convinced me to rescue this piece; once my good camera is repaired, I'll take some nice up-close shots so you can see what I'm talking about.

Home Sweet Home

I wanted to share this before too much more time passed: Last Saturday, the 24th, a few friends got together for an afternoon of crafting and cocktails.  While we drank mimosas with pomegranate seeds floating in them (very pretty!), I was FINALLY! able to finish painting the birdhouse my dad built for me several months ago.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any "before" pictures, but this was built with scraps of mismatched wood and has a hinged roof (for easy cleaning).  While my Stellar's Jays and mourning doves are too big to take-up residence, I'm hoping the sparrows or juncos will give it a try...