Holiday Decorating and Recipes!

First, let me give you Foodgawker for yummy photos and recipes (click HERE). I got it from Simple Inspirations by Sandy (click HERE). Love it. Now, to my nostalgic decorating. Our favorite holiday decoration is a sleigh I found in a Chicago antique store about 15 years ago and a Santa doll from a store in Long Grove, Illinois, also about 15 years ago. The "helper" I've had a long time too. I have him hanging around the studio all the time. I love all the decorations and parties this season brings. LOVE it. Tomorrow I want to work on a holiday necklace. We'll see how far I get.

Oh, Tan & Bombed

The season of holiday parties has officially started! Above is a photo of a card I got from a friend many years ago when we moved to Arizona. I didn't "get it" when I read it. Then everyone began to sing "Oh Tannenbaum"! Duh! I framed it and it is the first decoration to go up each year. Hope your holiday season is off to a good start too!

Free Tutorial Wrapped Vest

I'm not even half way, but I'm having fun with this pattern. Worked side to side so who knows what it will look like. I am making mine with one side of the front on an exaggerated angle and the rest even. Probably not a good idea, but oh well, I'm having fun. I want to make a phenomenal polymer shawl pin for it too. The Seafoam Green Wrapped Vest free pattern from Michele Dupont (click HERE) of Two and Six blog. The middle photo of the gray wrapped vest pattern is from Joyce Lives Here blog (click HERE).

Free Tutorial Polymer Ornament

Coming from FaveCraftsBlog (click HERE) is Becky Meverden's free tutorial for her "Snowballs For Sale" polymer clay ornament.

Abstract Portrait

This was a quick acrylic sketch of one of our models that pose for our local art club's portrait class on Mondays. It's a strange little painting, but I really like it.

Blue Crocheted Scarf

I've been down with a toothache, but now feel better after seeing the dentist on Wednesday. I haven't been doing much clay because of the toothache. I've been sitting with my feet up and crocheting.  I worked on this scarf in a simple double crochet in an Egyptian cotton yarn. I'm happy with the color and softness.  Feeling so much better after seeing the dentist.

Face Cane Jewelry

I don't know...I just like them. Pendant and earrings of beautiful bald headed beauties. Nothing more, nothing less.

Altered Art Jewelry Display#3

Another altered art jewelry display for my booth. She will eventually have pierced ears and a tiara. I'm still working on her. The door opens to another 3 shelves and several cup hooks to display more pieces. Back to polymer tomorrow. Hope your turkey week is going well.

Altered Art Jewelry Display#2

The cutest little faces on these dolls. I just love them. They make me smile every time I see them. Yesterday's display box and this one are wired on the back to hang on my booth walls. The above photo is from yesterday's display box. I forgot to include it. I did use up some big polymer beads and quite a few of the bobbins so I was happy. The displays are very sturdy and store well in my art closet.

Altered Art Jewelry Display#1

I buy broken toys at Goodwill and use them to make altered art and mixed media pieces. When I was preparing for our local art fair, I made several Altered Art display boxes for my booth. Another one tomorrow.

Upcycled Felted Purse

I am the proud owner of one of my friend's gorgeous felted art purses. She purchases used sweaters, felts them, embellishes them and adds a cute story to each of them. The front has a cell phone holder, her signature, flowers and a tiny pocket for a jingle bell. The back has some abstract forms, patches and a flower. She took a workshop to learn how to makes these and said that her teacher told her to always put a surprise somewhere in her design and that it should always make noise. The inside is spacious and has another pocket. I just love it. Christmas early!

Trust Me

My little polymer tongue in cheek. The look is sweet and honest and yet.....you know he's not on the level.

Face Cane

Above and below are my canes. Lots of eye canes and a couple of lip canes left over for another try. I was so amazed at how perfect my fellow artists' face canes turned out. I am "OK" with mine and will play around with combinations. However, what I did learn was when you are tired, stop. Even if you are not done, or you are behind; it is better to stop than to make a costly mistake. I was in a hurry and did not keep my pure translucent separate and it messed up my nose area. But, I really had fun and am still having fun.

Free Tutorial Beaded Necklace#4

Emily Hackbarths "Garland of Fall Leaves" free beading tutorial is from Beadwork.About.com (click HERE). This necklace uses the Apache Leaf Stitch. Emily learned the stitch from Horace Goodhue's book, Indian Bead-Weaving Patterns. She believes that all beadworkers should consider purchasing this book. Horace derived the stitch from a necklace (presumably an Apache one) he saw in a museum in Phoenix AZ.

Barbara McGuire Face Cane Workshop

We spent Saturday learning the details of building depth in our eye canes. Barbara McGuire giving us tips on building our polymer clay palette much like a painting palette. We all had a new found respect for face canes. Oh my goodness. I have always wanted to try a face cane, and am so very glad that I had the opportunity to learn from Barbara. She is a wonderful teacher; professional, efficient, informative, patient and funny.

Free Tutorial Beaded Necklace#3

Another one of Jennifer VanBenshoten's gorgeous designs. You will have to supply the pendant for this one. Maybe whip one up from some polymer clay. Beadwork.About.com brings us the free pattern for this beaded spiral necklace (click HERE). I love the deep brown with the teal.

Free Tutorial Beaded Necklace#2

This free pattern is from Jennifer VanBenshoten. She calls it "Gotham City Brick Stitch Necklace". Beadwork.About.com brings us the free tutorial (click HERE). Gorgeous for the holidays.

Free Tutorial Beaded Necklace#1

Could the photo be any smaller? Ugh. But, what a pretty necklace by Chris Franchetti Michaels. The free tutorial is from Beadwork.About.com (click HERE). Love the colors.

Free Beaded Earring Pattern

Emily Hackbarth's "Holiday Harvest Corn" free bead pattern from Beadwork.About.com (click HERE). These can be made into earrings, a pin or pendant.

11-11-11 Polymer Necklace

One of the new necklaces I finished. I really love translucent canes.

Free Tutorial Polymer Necklace

Another of Barbara McGuire's free tutorials from HGTV (click HERE). It consists of leather and polymer clay. Beautiful.

Free Tutorial Earrings

A free tutorial for Barbara McGuire's earrings and earring stand from HGTV's Carol Duval's Show (click HERE). I'm featuring free tutorials while I'm busy getting ready for Barbara McGuire's stay and two day workshop.

Free Beaded Turkey Pattern

An odd photo of the earring, but it is all that is available on Fave Crafts (click HERE). Really a cute free pattern.

Polymer Bracelet

I finished up two bracelets and three necklaces last night. I am happy with them and happy I will be clearing my work table this morning to start conditioning clay for the weekend.

Beads, Sand and No Art Fair

I textured this painting with fine glass beads in the red stripe and extremely fine sand in the yellow-green stripe. Love how it looks in the light. Didn't love Saturday. The weather was too bad; too windy and too cold. In our part of Arizona, there are probably 3 or 4 days out of the whole year that are too rainy, cold and/or windy to go out. Saturday was one of those days for me, so no art fair. We were up at 4:30 a.m. with the trailer and car loaded and at the site at 6:00. I waited around for a while and then made the decision it was just too windy to risk it. Hours later, the rain did stop and the winds lifted and the sun came out. It was a first for me. Not a good feeling. Now, I need to put it behind me and get ready for an exciting 4 days with Barbara McGuire, starting on Friday, Nov. 11th. I've never done a face cane and am so looking forward to an intense workshop over the weekend.

Textured Abstract

Kind of says how I am feeling. We couldn't set up Friday afternoon because of high winds. I'm posting this late Friday night and I'm pretty worried the weather is not going to cooperate for Saturday's Art Fair. I worked hard on making some changes to my booth and was looking forward to seeing how it all fit together. I used a few ideas from my Pinterest board from the Booth, Display, Blog & Marketing board. I really get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. Well, off to get a good night's sleep and see what Saturday brings or doesn't bring.

Preparing For the Art Fair

Finishing up the paintings and packing for the Art Fair. I really like how this tissue collage came out. Very happy with it. We are going to set up the tent today which makes Saturday a whole lot easier. I'm just hoping the winds don't carry my tent away overnight. I'm very excited, happy and looking forward to tomorrow.

Dexter's Shower Curtain

On the last minute, I decided to make a "Psycho" shower curtain for Halloween. I set up in a small area on the side of our house and hung the plastic liner on the clothes line and started splattering a couple of colors of red acrylic paint. Spritzed it with some water and let the red drip down the curtain. The wind came up.................... and I had red paint all over the back of our trailer, the trailer's license plate, the propane tank, the rocks, you name it. We had some wind damage to our roof from the last wind storm, so I had a repairman come to give us an estimate. Unfortunately, he came the afternoon after I was done painting. He walked all the way around the house and stopped dead at that red splattered side yard and was speechless. Took me a minute to realize and then explain my crazy idea of the shower curtain and that it wasn't really blood. Honest.