Chocolate, Music Paper, and Concrete

More and more of our friends (and family) are eating gluten-free. I don't want to fill my pantry with tons of alternative foods that I'll rarely use. These cookies are good alternative, containing no flour of any kind. I'm adding them to my Christmas baking list. I made them this morning and they are yummy! Chocolate Pecan Brownie Kisses - recipe found by clicking on the link.

Did you take piano lessons as a child? I did, for most of my school years, and later taught piano in Ecuador. I like using music paper in crafts, but have a hard time tearing up my own, definitely vintage, music books. I asked myself recently, "Will you ever play Czerny's Exercises in Passage Playing again? How about the Royal Conservatory Technical Exercises?" The answer was a resounding NO. So I cut them up to make the ornaments seen above.
 

I made a lot of them for the craft fair this Saturday. For a display idea - an inverted tomato cage. I still need to do something with the top. 
 

And a driveway report. The  concrete pour went well. We put up barricades to keep people off for a couple of days. But how disappointing to wake up this morning to discover cat prints in the fresh concrete. A whole trail of them. Grrrr. Next project is a new porch.

Time for another cookie. What's happening around your place today?

On My Worktable

Most of the things I'm working on are top-secret and can't be shown until after Christmas. But yesterday I started pulling apart old books to make some new blank journals. I left some of the covers as is, and others I covered with old nautical charts.

Here are the guts of the books. I have seen, in magazines and on line, bookshelves stacked with coverless books as a design element. I think it's their old look, combined with the creamy whites, that provide the appeal. I find the look contrived and pretentious. I suppose I could use these books in that way, but instead I'll use the pages for other projects. I like my books covered, not naked.

Here's a photo of some handstitched journals I made a couple of years ago. I sold them at a craft fair and in my Etsy shop. I've always wanted a little shop of handmade goods. But the timing wasn't right and I told myself, "if you still want a shop when you are finished your studies, that will be the time." Maybe so. I'm working on it, pushing through a lack of confidence and fears that I won't have a modicum of success.

Today involves a little cutting and folding, marking stitching lines, and some sewing on other projects. What's on your worktable today?

Paper Hearts

When I saw these paper hearts at Jill's blog, I knew I'd be making a few. Book paper and hearts, what's not to love? A few strung together for a simple garland, and one more...

to hang from the dining room chandelier. Decorating for Valentine's Day is always minimal - but these are so sweet. 


Mine are a little smaller than Jill's - it's easy to adjust the size. Here's a link to the tutorial, and another one to see Jill's finished garland. Go on, make one, or two, or a whole string of them. Jill is making a flurry of them to adorn the backs of chairs at her daughter's wedding.

Inspired Ideas

There are some bloggers who have the sweetest ideas and are so willing to share them freely. Amy is one such blogger.

She's published a beautiful little online magazine chock full of simple and oh, so charming ideas. There's a link on my sidebar to the magazine itself.

This morning it took all of about 20 minutes to whip up a few of these little notebooks. They would be perfect to make with a child. And who doesn't need another place to write down lists or inspiration? I know I always keep one in my purse.

The hardest part was deciding what paper to use for the cover. I went with an autumn theme, since we're there! 

Decorated sugar cubes, a kitty trick or treat bag, rick rack flowers - these and so many more ideas, beautifully presented by Amy are sure to inspire anyone!

Tiny Treasures

Miniature things are so appealing. As part of a swap for a paper artists group I belong to, I received this "too cute for words" altered matchbox from Katie. It was filled with a tiny tag, a Scrabble letter (which I see I missed in this photo), some pretty brads, a charm and an embellished stickpin. Katie did a wonderful presentation - she put the box into an organza bag, added another tag and tied it all up. I just love it!

Going Green

I've never made an Artist Trading Card (ATC) before, although I've received a few. Recently I joined a Yahoo group (Christian Paper Artists) and decided to join an ATC swap. The cards had to include the colour green and to have something to do with the environment or recycling.

Scraps of green wallpaper, gift wrap, old photographs, and canceled postage stamps are what I used - recycled materials to create something new. And the words - verbs that describe ways to live well.

I didn't know how I would like the small size (just 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) but I found it fun. The limits caused me to think a little more about placement of elements and just how much I wanted to include. These are simple and clean cut, but I can see myself making more in different styles.

Queenly Thoughts

I made this card for a friend from Victoria (the magazine) forums. It features a copy of an image of Queen Victoria as a young girl. The quotation reads, "Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves."

Isn't that the truth? I know I often get flustered and caught up on miniscule things, things I need to learn to leave behind. When something major happens, what's important tends to come to the fore.

Productively Unplugged

Last Tuesday I stayed away from the computer. Rebecca issued a challenge to unplug for a day and be creative. It was harder to stay away than I thought it would be. But in the end it was a great day.

Seeing tangible results of time spent is so valuable for me. Although I'm a writer and spend a lot of time on the computer, I also need time to read and to think. I find that when I create with my hands, my brain is able to recharge and new ideas come flooding in.

When I realized how valuable the time spent away from the computer was, I spent less time on it for the rest of the week. And I accomplished a lot of things in my spare time...

- sewed a set of curtains for the guest room
- painted the guest room closet
- cleaned out and reorganized the linen closet
- made four sets of note cards and some bottles for future gifts
- made a spring banner
- read two books
- did some serious thinking and journaling about goals and dreams and how to put them into place

I decorated a few glass bottles to use as gifts for the future. Spring and summer are coming and I love sharing a flower or two from my garden with friends. These bottles are all recycled - they used to hold everything from pancake syrup to coffee flavourings to vanilla. When I purchase a product at the grocery store I now evaluate the shape of the bottle it comes in to see if I'd like to use it in this way.

I had a sheet of old wrapping paper. It decorated a gift given to my daughter several years ago and at the time I thought it just too pretty to throw away. I used it to make these cards and the banner below. For the cards, I just tore rough shapes of the flowers and words and glued them to cardstock - blue, green, yellow and pink. I like the mosaic effect. They are all different and I've packaged them in groups of four cards to use as gifts.

The banner uses the same gift wrap - it covers the bottoms of the card stock triangles. A simple ribbon threaded through the top, letters printed on pale yellow paper and voilà, a banner to brighten up the mirror on the landing.

Sunny and Cold

I won't complain about the cold because I am just so happy to see blue skies and sunshine. And it's not that cold - just hovering around the freezing mark, which for Vancouver Island is cold.

And it's my last week of teaching grade 8 French! Although I'm going to miss it, I'm also looking forward to the other things I'm doing - more writing, women's ministry at church, and homekeeping.

I've joined the 5-night dinner challenge at Carrie Sommer's blog. I'm always on the lookout for delicious dinner ideas. Go on over and join in the fun!

The hardest part is going to be remembering to take photos.

Making Things

My swap partner Andi received her parcel in the mail, so now I can post what I sent off to her. Some beeswax candles, quilted coasters, cards and tags, and an ornament not in the photo.

I had fun making this shadow box. I covered the back with old sheet music and layered it with a "Fa la la" and a little glitter. The bird on the nest is taffeta and I'm planning to make some more to perch here and there in my house.

Who knew old music would become so popular? A couple of years ago, while cleaning out, I took stacks of old music books from when I was learning to play piano to the thrift store. This happens many times when I clean out stuff - all of a sudden the item will be in hot demand.

Paper Fun

On Saturday my husband was over in Anacortes looking at sailboats. I played at home, making tags for Raesha's tag swap. These are NOT tags for the swap, but I was inspired to make more.

And a card.