Art Work Friday

Welcome to Art Work Friday # I've already lost count!

Happy New Years! 

Thank you for joining me today! 

I also want to thank each person posting with me today.

I do so enjoy looking at all of the wonderful art work

each of you have created.

Today,

I'm posting one of my watercolors.

I have not given this one a title.

I tend to have a very heavy watercolor technique,

using the watercolor more like acrylics or oils vs. its

traditional translucent application.

As always, please feel free to join me!

Post your original art work including paintings, sculpture,

quilting, pottery etc...!

A Midnight Snack

What a perfect night for a midnight snack!

How about some yummy sugar cookies?

Icing ready to drip off the edges...

See my new plate?

This was a pre-Christmas gift from my wonderful Aunt!

I have hoped to post it before now, but December simply

got away from me!

I have just loved using this plate.

I've filled it with...

Cookies- for Christmas Day

Magic Puffs- for a Christmas Brunch

and

Moose filled phyllo cups- for a Christmas Party!

It is so bright and cheery!

I love the way it looks like the bow is jumping off the plate!

My Aunt also gave me this adorable

matching cheese knife!

(my snack plates are red,

but photographed more of an orange color, hmmmm)

Thank you for joining me today!

I am posting this to Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.

A special thank you to Susan for hosting us!

Please join me tomorrow for Art Work Friday!

I will have Mr. Linky set up for anyone who would like to

post a piece of original work including but not limited to:

Photography

Oil Painting

Water Color

Quilting

Sculpture

Pencil

Charcoal

Etc...!

I am so excited to see what you've created!

Art Work Christmas Friday

Very Merry Christmas to each one of you!

I whipped this piece up yesterday for a gift today.

It has yet to dry, so the recipient will be receiving a photo as well!

I've titled this one...

"Like all sheep we've gone astray"

It is only about 3in x 5in.

Thank you for joining me today for Art Work Friday!

Once again, I'm extending the invitation to join me with a linking post of

your own original art work.

Be it photography, oils, watercolors, pencil, charcoal,

sculpture, finger painting...

Please join in!

... Dee Dee...

A Christmas Wish

I just wanted to wish each of you a

very Merry Christmas.

May the day be filled with joy and peace!

May you hear the angels sing...

Glory to God in the Highest

Christ the Saviour is born!

May God bless each one of you this year!

What's a girl to do?

Real Simple magazine has a great monthly article they call

New Uses for Old Things.

This article has inpired me to find my own new uses.

Today I want to share a new use for:

old wooden clothespins.

My problem:

a tangle of necklaces overrunning the bottom of my drawer.

I had already tried this:

using a plastic craft divider.

This works great for smaller necklaces, bracelets, etc...

But, the larger necklaces still ended up in a big tangled mess.

So I tried this:

in my bathroom linen closet.

I simply slid the clothes pin backwards through the

top of the metal bar, allowing the bottom to rest

on the front facing horizontal bar.

Ending up with this:

Necklaces that are easy to find and more importantly no tangles!

I only used 1/4 of the shelf allowing me to store the jewelry

without sacrificing access to premium storage!

Thank you for allowing me to share this quick tip today!

I'm posting this to Metamorphosis Monday at

Between Naps on the Porch.

Art Work Friday

Today is another day of firsts!

A dear, fellow blogger Peg @ Bloomfield Farm

 has decided

to try and join me today for

Art Work Friday.

 I've spent part of the afternoon trying to figure out

Mr. Linky.  Hopefully it is all ready to go!

This of course is an open ended invitation...

Anyone interested in displaying their original art pieces

is welcome to link up each Friday!

Do you do photography?

(I know many of you do...!)

Oil Paint?

Water color?

Charcoal?

Pencil?

Sculpture?

3D work?

It all counts!!!!

Today I am sharing with you 2 pieces

One a photograph of my daughter I took while in Boston.

It had just finished raining and we were walking

the freedom trail.

I loved the way the water reflected in the puddles,

The strong diagonal line of the trees on the left

contrasting with the opposing diagonal of

brick on the right!

I liked it so much that I decided to try and paint it.

The painting is an unfinished work.

I have many of these unfinished works...

As an artist I find I am very quick to start something

and easily become way to critical for my own good.

Thank you for joining me today!

A Christmas Santa Lunch

Please join me for a Christmas lunch!

The weather outside is frightful.. really it's just cold!

The fire inside delightful.. Oh, the pilot light has yet to be lit

so... no fire.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

next week!

Today I will just grab a warm handmade quilt ...

... and put it on my table.

This quilt was made by my Grandma Friend or Mom Mom

as we call her!  Many of the patchwork squares were cut from dresses belonging

to my Great Grandma.  I think it is just beautiful!

Time to set the table....

I started with these wonderful handmade Santa place mats.

I am borrowing them from Mom!  They were a gift to her

from a dear friend in China.

The set of reindeer plates was a gift I received last year

from my sister's Mother-in-Law.

Each one is slightly different!

Each one makes me smile!

My centerpiece is a large ceramic bowl full to the rim

with poinsettias, fresh holly and new and antique Christmas balls!

My Santa snowman at the base!

Each glass is adorned with one of my mini-ornaments!

And every Christmas lunch should include TEA!

This tea-pot belongs to Mom as well!

I think it is stunning!

I just love the little red bird at the top of the lid!

The detail on the piece is amazing!

Look who decided to show up... Santa!

Thank you for visiting today for Tablescape Thursday!

A special thank you to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

for hosting us each week!

Please join me tomorrow for Art Work Friday.

Beach Dreaming

Tonight,

 I hope to dream of the beach!

The month of December can sometime be slightly overwhelming

to me. 

So many gifts to buy, people to see, parties to fit in,

cookies to bake, etc....

so tonight I find myself thinking about summer vacation

but....

just for tonight!

Counting Sheep- Art Work Friday

Lately,my mind has been full of images of sheep.

I received some wonderful canvas from a dear friend

for an early Christmas gift!

I want to paint sheep.

When I was in college I had the privilege of traveling to England.

While there we visited Stonehenge.

It's funny, but what I remember most about Stonehenge...

the sheep.

Surrounding this ancient monument

were more sheep than one could possibly count.

I digress in memories!

Anyway,today I am posting a simple pencil sketch of a

sheep!  Or is that a lamb, since it's only one? Hmmmm...

Thank you for visiting with me today!

Your encouragement means so much to me!

Happy Friday!

Christmas Decorations

Despite my best efforts,

I was unable to create a tablescape to share today.

Wayne's away on business ,

leaving me to be "single" parent all week.

And this week has been full of

work

school

homework

play rehearsal

and strange winter weather!

An icestorm stranded us in our neighborhood on Monday morning.

Highs of almost 50 on Tuesday.

A wind storm with 50 MPH gusts yesterday.

And snow flurries this morning.

I was saying no tablescape today.

So I'm taking a few minutes to post  a few of my favorite

Christmas decor.

This advent wreath is a treasured gift from my Mom.

The brass center wreath was a gift she

 brought back for me from Rothenburg, Germany.

This year she added to the wreath with this beautiful

surrounding faux greens wreath!

Can you guess what my nativity is?

A fireplace screen, believe it or not!

I've only seen three, Mom's, my sister's and mine!

This was another gift from Mom many years ago!

I think it is simply beautiful!

I wanted to share two more handcrafted Christmas items.

The gingerbread garland was another of my dough projects.

 See my two stockings in the middle?

These were Wayne and my first married Christmas stockings.

We made them from material found in a cast off sample book.

We even made a tiny one for our first pet. (a mouse- really!)

As we "aged" these became stockings for our first set of dogs.

I even hand stitched there names on the back.

But over the years these have continued to mean so much to me,

that they are once again used as our stockings!

This week I want to wish you PEACE!