'Tis the season of celebration & decoration! The St. Mary's Reserve located on the North side of our city always puts on a spectacular show, home after home twinkles with a vast and varied collection of color, movement and characters.

Part of the holiday tradition is to drive slowly through the area and enjoy the show. This year I was able to take a few half decent pictures. One of the homes of a school bus driver even had the bus decorated!

Traditions hold the true meaning of this season, year after year we cherish those special times, remembering the years past adding a new collection of memories to join the album of our lives. Each year I see my daughters a little older but still delighting in the moments we continue to share, the annual gingerbread house creation, favorite holiday movies, John Denver and the Muppets playing Christmas morning. I cherish these moments tightly knowing there will inevitably be change. As we celebrate another year, the third in yet a different place still it is home for it is the place our hearts dwell.

Enjoy the lights, the traditions of the season you share with those you love.

It is time for the Favecrafts monthly bloghop! Prize giveaway and a chance to see many wonderful projects! "Like" your favorites!

I have been seeing many lovely designs using glass blocks, lit from the inside they are such a pretty holiday addition to a table or mantel. Needing some last minute gifts and inspired by the lit blocks I raided my stash of glass jars from the local dollar store.

Everything I needed was in my holiday box, sheer ribbons, balls and pinecones. Using Aleene's Fabric Fusion to glue the ribbons and Westcott's Titanium scissors. (The scissor's tips cut wire edge ribbon very easily and keep on cutting!)

I wrapped the jar with two layers of ribbon gluing it in the back. Made a bow for the top gluing it to the edge so the lights would shine through. Glued in the balls, greenery and pinecones. Inserted a small string of battery operated lights and added it to my holiday table! Now to make a few more for last minute gifts!

This time of year is busy trying to fit everything in, all the extra shopping, decorating and of course crafting! This is an easy inexpensive arrangement using a vase flowers came in and burlap from the hardware store.

I painted the vase green with acrylic paints, wrapped it in burlap. Country check fabric was stiffened with a white glue mixture (2 parts water to 1 part glue, hang to dry, iron and cut) to make the ribbon. Add a raffia bow, wood heart and pop in branches and berries. A perfect hostess gift!

The first Monday of the month and the DCC (Designer Craft Connection) is hopping! This month's hop is sponsored by When Creativity Knocks, Sock Monkeys Go BanAnas,

                   
  
 Fox River, Red Heel Sox, Judikins , Sock Monkey Stamp and RIT, the Dye Company!

To enter the contest open until December 19th
Go to http://www.whencreativityknocks.com/ website
In the Member Log in box click: Create An Account
-Entry Code: Sock Monkey 
There is also a discount coupon to purchase the WCK VideoBook: Sock Monkey Goes BanAnas

Now on for the adventure! We were sent Ana's video book to create a sock monkey along with the red heel socks from Fox River. Ana has several tips and an updated version of the traditional pattern to make a sock monkey super easy.

However do not make it at 11pm at night when you have already worked a 12 hour day! I have to admit I was half way through sewing when I realized I had missed the crucial first step of turning the socks wrong side out. Thankfully the socks look great on the inside too (and the hat hides a bad hair day or in this case the toe bumpy seam line!)

On with the adventure! 

 

Visit the Toymaker!

Just click on the DCC button in the right sidebar to catch up with some other monkey adventures! 

It is Fowl Friday with Fran & Freda! Tis deck the halls season, we love it! BUT there is a BIG problem! Owls have invaded once again, how Debra can let in these dangerous birds we do not understand!

We were here first, not that it seems to matter anyway a small consolation is that one of them is wearing a very silly looking hat, the other a scarf maybe it means they are the outdoors type. Perhaps they might enjoy the balcony, on a permanent basis. hmm I have an idea...Debra is away all weekend at the 37th Annual Arts & Crafts Show so we will be in charge and home alone, the ideal combination! Look out owls, this is one feisty fowl!!!

Today a baby shower celebration in a room decorated in shades of soft teal and pinks. Baby snowmen and snowflake beribboned packages everywhere! I had the pleasure of creating the items for the room and decorating it for the big day! Even the mom to be's special chair was covered in snow with a mitten hanging from the top.

The large pool table became a field of snow with snowbabies and snowballs. Each large window was hung with a large crystal snowflake. It was such a delightful project and my client was very pleased. The room was done early in the week so she could enjoy and add little touches here and there before the big reveal. Being part of the celebration, helping to create the surroundings was very special.

Handmade & handcrafted gifts are special, they are created from the artisan's vision and hands. There is an energy that flows from each piece carefully, lovingly crafted. No matter how many pieces created each one has its moment of being held up admired with pride and satisfaction before being offered up to a new home.

I am taking part this year locally in a couple of holiday shows, it has been busy but very rewarding, it has spurred my creative juices and I have enjoyed connectiong with so many freinds and former customers.

This weekend is the annual Christmas in the Villlage in the picturesque village of Gagetown, NB just a few miles away and on Sunday 1-4pm we are hosting a Holiday Open House at Three Elements, 300 Wilsey Road in Fredericton, NB.

Don't forget to submit ideas for the Flip-Pal Tm Mobile Scanner and get entered for a chance to win one! Perfect for the holidays! Happy creating!

I have a delightful group of kids I do a workshop with each month, they are creative, enthusiastic with an abundance of talents. They throw themselves into each project with such energy it is a wonderful to be part of! This month we made sock lions as they are big Lion King fans, the making of the lions was accompanied by their musical rendition of songs from the soundtrack! They are such fun!

Making sock creatures is an easy project for any age. We used chenille socks and leg warmers so they would be super cuddly. The head is one sock with the cuff cut off for ears. Aleene's Fabric Fusion glue works well for adhering felt features.

The striped leg warmer makes the perfect body glued up over sock head and cut off at appropriate body length making all the lions different in size as they were meant to be!
Tail is a narrow strip of long sock with chenille stem glued inside to make it curl. Mane just bunches of yarn tied and glued in center.

Here is the finished pride! Paws are cut from another sock and the end of the leg warmer. I picked up the socks at the local Dollar store so this is an inexpensive fun project especially if you use stray socks from home!

Then the lions went out to play!

I am off for the day decorating for a client, it is a snowflake themed baby shower. I have been creating snowmen, booties, mittens, wreaths and glittery white accents. I am now in the time of year where there is always glitter on my face and everywhere I look the sun catches sparkles on the floor, the carpet and counters!

I taught a sock creature workshop yesterday and the kids were so cute and creative! We made lions, they are big Lion King fans accompanied by them singing many of the songs from the soundtrack! Was a very fun afternoon! Pictures later!

One of my designer friends Elaine Schmidt who attended International Quilt Market designed a ribbon embriodered bag with her QR code as the woven design! Attendees at the show were coming up to her and scanning her purse taking them directly to her website on their phones! As she remarked how cool is that!

Full week ahead with open house at studio on Sunday at Three Elements, Christmas in the Village in Gagetown and the December DCC hop next week! We are all about monkeys, sock monkeys that is and with Rit Dye involved the results will be colorfuiiy creative! Here is to stitching up a creative week!

It's Fowl Friday with the ever fabulous Fran & Freda! Freda is feeling fabulous and wants the whole world to know, the rooster she met last summer on Hatch.com is baaaack! Oh my not sure where it will all lead, but at the moment I am NOT sleeping in the nest but am on the couch!

Freda maybe fabulous and also oblivious to what is happening here but I am keeping my eyes both wide open and in Debra's direction! There is disturbing activity happening, more birds are hanging around, the dreaded owl to be precise! Whatever can Debra be thinking! It is definitely not in our best interest at all! These owls maybe wearing silly grins and dorky scarves but they don't fool me! Freda well that is a different story!