Kleas

Red and White all over

Dorie hosted a Redwork Swap earlier this year and I finally, FINALLY have sent my package off to the very patient Rachael.  I had no trouble doing the redwork itself...it was just what to make out of it that was the challenging part.  Rachael said she had trouble with that part also, but made me the most beautiful pillow...check it out here, and see all the other wonderful surprises she sent me.

I went with stitching the redwork on wool. 

And since I decided to go with making a pillow, I did another design on the other side.

Both of the patterns for the embroidery came from here.  I love how it turned out with the little red ball trim around the edge.  I'm going to have to try that again sometime. 

While I had my DMC #321 thread out I decided to do this little cross stitch that I had my eye on for some time.

Girls' Choir, pattern by Gerda Bengtsson.  A fun little mindless project to work on when I wasn't feeling well. 

More red and white are these pincushions I stitched up for some friends.

And in the holiday decor department I made some little felt wreath ornaments for a swap.

My other ornaments for the swap can be seen here and here.

And lastly, another redwork on felt.

The image comes from one of my favorite children book illustrators, Lois Lenski. 

Here is a photo of it over on Flickr.

The Twelve Days of Christmas...

...as sent to me by my dear friend Jen.  Nobody has ever spoiled me before, the way she does.  What a fun and exciting beginning to Christmas.  Every day a beautifully wrapped package arriving in my mailbox.  A sweet present with a quick note.  Just knowing she is thinking of me is enough of a gift itself.  Lucky, lucky me. 

 

More felt projects

We are one sick household.  And between the coughing and the freezing temperatures, we haven't wanted to venture outside lately.  While it has been quite tiresome being holed up in the house this past week, we have been busy occupying ourselves with little projects.  I am grateful for this new magazine called Living Crafts.  Full of great handwork projects for kids and parents.  And they offer some fun free patterns on line as well.  We were looking for some felt craft Peanut could busy himself with and we started with the felted ornaments. 

 

Basically it involves wet felting inside a cookie cutter.  Peanut had the good patience to make four of them and they turned out beautifully. 

 

Later we made more felt in a baggie like we did earlier this year.  Tutorial here.  I'm thrilled to see that some others have tried the tutorial with beautiful results.  See here and here.

And I stitched them into brooches to give to Peanuts teachers as Christmas gifts.

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to post more projects we've been working on, but I've got one sick little boy on my hands who needs lots of loving right now.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Christmas Ornaments

I got an early start to making my ornaments for Amy's annual Christmas Ornament Swap.  Interested in trying something new, I went with Fimo, something I have very little experience working with.  And, I had angels on my mind.  Here's how I got started.

Little heads and limbs all baked up and painted.  It was much harder than I realized to try and keep all the body parts in equal proportion.  Before baking, I had inserted the eye pins for hanging on the tree.  Then the girls all got their faces.

Next step was to embroider their little dresses and I added some thrifted pearls for buttons.

Limbs attached and all sewn up. Last step was to add their wings made from tulle and wool hair.

Photographing is never quite as much fun unless you have a little helper.

Counting them first in English, then again in Spanish.  Yep, all there.

Background watercolor painting courtesy of Peanut. 

Ready to fly off to their new homes.  I just couldn't refuse Martha's adorable little boxes to package them in.

Settling into their new homes.

Finally, ready to go.

Funny how although I tried something completely new, they ended up looking a lot like my pixie doll ornaments from last year.  Hmmm.

Snow, snow, snow

After a day full of sunshine yesterday I feel rejuvenated and ready to handle more gray skies and more snow today.  And look, Jack Frost came to pay us a visit again.

 

With several projects in progress, I happily finished a long abandoned cross stitch. 

Not sure what to do with Ms Snow woman yet...a pillow?  maybe a stocking.  Any suggestions?

And I've been a busy making ornaments...probably my most favorite thing to make for the holidays.  I started with this embroidered one.

 

Embroidery on felt with little glass beads for snow.  My homage to Else Thordur Hansen's cross stitch designs.

We don't have an advent calendar.  I was tempted to try and make one after seeing so many wonderful and creative ones out there.  Maybe I'll get around to it for next year...maybe not.  I think this , this and this one are darling.

I hope to be back tomorrow with some more ornaments I'm working on...hopefully we will have sun again for some better photo taking.

Advent Garden

Nature's life forces have withdrawn into the depths, and day by day the sunlight decreases as we approach the winter solstice.  If we are to find light and warmth now, we must find it within ourselves and within our communities.  The tradition of the Advent Garden has evolved to present a visual picture of the inner journey that the soul must make at this time of year.   

Candle made by Peanut in preschool last week

Sunday night we celebrated Advent at Peanut's preschool with a beautiful Advent Garden.  A spiral path was created on the floor made from pine and balsam branches, pine cones and candles. Tiny lights and white silks decorated large branches of a birch tree propped against the walls.  A tree stump was in the center of the spiral.  When the guitarist began playing a young girl, wearing all white and angel wings slowly walked the spiral carrying a single candle.  She sat on the tree stump and waited there peacefully as each child had a turn to enter the spiral, walk towards her, and had their candle lit by hers.  All was done silently except for the music.  It was quite an emotional ceremony to watch as my boy participated.

Today we are trying to hold on to that feeling of light and warmth as it's been all snow...

...and ice here

where we live.

I wish you warmth and light where ever you are.    

Well, Hello December

There's been a Thanksgiving post floating around in my head.  One of gratitude.  Although the holiday seems so far in the past, I've still been reflecting on the many things I have to be grateful for.  Today seems like a good day for sharing that.  The first joy of the day was to see the sun shining in the house.

Despite the 5 degree temperature, the cold seems more bearable when the skies are blue.

I'm grateful to receive wonderful gifts, from talented artists.

These beautiful ATCs from Jen. 

And this gorgeous fabric postcard from Kristin, whose work I've been admiring ever since I first saw these amazing table runners. 

Also, I am grateful to be with a man who reads me so well.  Knows just the right words to say when I'm feeling completely distraught and so easily offers me comfort.  He is also an amazing cook, makes the best yogurt, coffee, orange bread and one of his specialities...panellets.

 

There is also this magazine...

...simply and appropriately titled NEED.  My brother-in-law introduced it to me and I devoured every page with the beautiful stories of individuals who are doing what they can to help others in need.  The photography alone makes this such captivating reading.  (Read more about it here).  To learn about the lives of those less fortunate really makes me appreciate all that I have to be grateful for.  They listed many new (to me) sites that are in need of charitable contributions.  Some of my favorites:

• HeroRat (I like to find "good" in things I dislike, and rats are in my top ten)
• UniversalGiving
• OxfamUnwrapped
• Toms Shoes

Finally, I am so grateful for all of you who stop by here.  Who offer your support and bother to comment.  I'm so happy for the many friendships that have come from blogging and I thank you all.

(Some personal issues have been occupying my mind this past week.  I dared write a post about it at 4:30 this morning when I couldn't sleep (yet again). I felt a cathartic need to just put it out there but immediately had posting remorse and deleted it.  It had reached some of you before I erased it and I just want you to know how much I appreciate the emails I've been receiving.)