Thinking Back on the Past 2 weeks...4 Thank-You's

I can't believe we are approaching NeW YeaR'S eve in a few hours. 

I'm sitting back thinking about the closing of the 2010 holiday season. 

WOW! So fast and so sweet. 

4   t h i n g s   that made this holiday so wonderful-- 

and continuous sweet undertones from this past year...

r e l a t i o n s h i p s ::  close family~ continued close friendships~

connecting with family near and far~ 

old cousins becoming "new cousins"~

making new "creative flying friends" that support & inspire...

a  c o z y   h o m e  :: after spending time on a continued basis, 

working at the   F r e e   M e a l s  program at Calvary Community Church, 

I have gained a new perspective on what a "home" is to me.

The "simplicity of a warm place to be" has a new meaning to my family. 

I have discovered a heart for people that don't have a home, that I never knew I had.

More to come on this in 2011...

Little Drummer Boy - Calvary Christmas Eve 2010 [HQ]

G o d   s p i r i t  :: Christmas Eve services are always a special treat for us- as a family. 

Sometimes it seems to be- the one time we are all together in the same place. 

This year, there was a drum segment to the music of "Little Drummer Boy" 

that took my breath away. 

I thought I'd share a video that was posted...

it will give you an idea of the creativity of the performance.

It totally made my Christmas eve~~ 

summing up the feeling of the holidays with 5 drums!

a r t :: Always so grateful to be able to be doing art. 

It was a year of trying many "new" things~

Finding my way down different path's of art that I want to travel on.

Enjoying the ride with many "new" friends and a lot of "older friends" 

who have been most supportive along the road.

I am sooooo amazed at the support, the inspiration, and the doors that are opening.

Here's a "toast"to friends old and new, and a wish for many many 

continued blessings in 2011 to all!

The Christmas Tea... a centerpiece you can make!

one of my   f a v o r i t e  things...

So this is what has been going on "In the Studio" this past week. I knew I wouldn't be able to participate in the ornament exchanges with my "fabulous flying friends" because of the crazy schedule I had set up for myself~~ but I am happy to share a fun way to display all those beautiful ornaments you may have received.

 Last week, was filled with complete craziness. Three Holiday Boutiques and a Christmas Tea at the end of it all. I had agreed to help do the table decor for the Christmas Tea, not thinking too much about the "sell some plates, make some plates concept". Oh- yes.. the happiness of selling my creations, blurred by the late nights of creating more for the next venue. 
Sell some--make some. It was great! 

At the end of the week, my friend and I had planned to prepare the decor, 

for a table at the Women's Christmas Tea. How much fun we had! 

We decided to take a "folksy approach " rather than the traditional elegant approach. 
We both   f e a r e d  the concept of waking up in the morning, 

setting up our table and thinking "what were we thinking??? 

Well, I am happy to say, our table looked quite lovely and was well received. 

We got a lot of "ooooh's and ahhh's" and questions on how to decor the plate stand. 
So... I thought it might be fun to share this little treat with everyone. 

It was easy to do, and you can just about go crazy 

on how you want to personalize your own.

You would need any kind of plate stand- 3 tier is most common. A couple of tree branches, trimmed clean, with a few pieces off of each stem to hang your ornaments on. I chose birch because it is quite pretty with the white bark. (Oh- and also because I had it). Make sure your branches are sturdy, as it's not fun to lose any ornaments. You will also need a spool of raffia (I chose white to keep with the birch feeling) or a ribbon of your choice. And lastly, greens, or in my case Christmas "picks" from any craft store --Michaels, Joanns etc. I chose 2 picks that look like they are encased in ice. It added a folksy feel to the decor. Any kind of greenery (real or not) would look pretty, perhaps some picks with berries to catch the red? 

Once you have all of your materials gathered, wrap your branches to the sides of the plate stand using the raffia. I first tied the raffia at the bottom and then I just did a criss-cross kind of pattern with the raffia. I went back and forth over it to keep the branches in place, tying at the top and going back down to the bottom. I also wrapped, with a little clear packing tape, in a couple of discreet places when I was done to make sure the branches didn't shift. (Tape...the big cheat- hey- really didn't want to lose any ornaments.) I then tucked my picks into place. (If you are using greens, you may have to wrap the ends of them with tape to be able to push them into the raffia area. Or perhaps tape them into place before wrapping with raffia).  I also added a stand of berries to the top, by wrapping it into place with the wire it was on. That added a nice little pop of red!

When the sides were complete, I just started to decor it as if it were a small Christmas tree. Be sure to look at it from both sides for balance, and try to allow for some air within the ornament area. Less seems to be better.   V o i l a !  (anyone can do it... and if not- send me a note- I'll take orders, afterall- nothing like keeping crazy!)

And my favorite part of the whole thing... I made 3 plates to go on the stand that I am listing on etsy today. They are simple and sweet. If you mention this code CHRISTMASTEA you will receive a 15% discount on any or all of these three plates. As a special treat-I've priced these plates a little lower than the usual. 

Merry Merry everyone! 

Order by the 18th of December to receive before Christmas with standard shipping fees.

~  h o p e     j o y    &    p e a c e    of the season~