Holiday Survival

Well the holidays are over. All the gifts got made even though there is never enough time. Every year I say to myself that I am going to start early. And every year I wait to the last minute. Here are some of the gifts I made this year. A couple of months ago I had come across some Liquitex glossies glass paints that someone had thrown out and I already had plenty of white tiles. (People are always throwing out thier extra tiles from remodeling projects.) So I decided to make coaster sets. The first 2 sets I made using a 2 part tree stencil in a two shades of green and then finishing off the sides with paint and gluing cork (also found) on the bottoms.

For packaging I used corrugated cardboard to wrap the coasters and finished off with raffia.
I thought I had taken photos of my other finished coasters but being in such a rush I must have forgotten. It's nothing new! At Thanksgiving time four of my five boys were here and I totally forgot to take photos, but made up for it at Christmas!
Anyway the other coasters I made turned out even better. I painted Ginkgo leaves and stamped swirls on one set and the last two sets were done in purple and gold in a moon motif. I will have to take pictures when I go over to my sister's house next time.

Here is another project I made using leather from a sample book that was thrown away. I cut 6" circles, punched holes around the edges threading leather lacing through the holes which was pulled and tied to make a "Special Treasure Pouch". These tiny little pouches are perfect for holding small found treasures like seashells or rocks. I also made custom t-shirts for all the guys. But again No Pictures! I think that one of my New Years resolutions should be - Don't Forget To Take Pictures!

Here are two more photos from Christmas I want to share.

A closeup of my Christmas tree.

This photo I took on the way to my sister's house on Christmas Eve. I love this photo, it has a ghostly haunting look.