Ornament Thursday Week 3

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So, I’m posting tonight an ornament I did…actually one that I had done for a step by step photo at work. I have to shoot step by steps of my hands (oftentimes I’m shooting the photo and painting at the same time – multitask isn’t my middle name, but I sometimes have to do it). Anyway, I enjoyed the initial look for this ornament so much that I decided to finish it. It actually turned out really cute…kinda retro…and kinda festive. I dig it. It is made using Gold Craft Twinkle Writer from DecoArt and various colored small-sized rhinestones

fanciful starburst ornament

I also made some fun button ornaments out of vintage and new buttons I’ve bought recently or had from grade school. I decided to put them on a fun mini tree and show them off…you know you have some buttons that just need to be displayed that you’ve got stored away. Now’s your chance to show them off!

Button Ornament Tree

Oh, and check out these super cute ornament that our designer, Jane, did at my work.

zebraornament350x480

I just lurve the zebra stripe! I can just see it now with a fabulous hot pink bow. So easy using just a plain white pearl ornament and Black Craft Twinkle Writer! Click here for full instructions and supplies.

Please check out some of the other artists that are featuring ornament designs on their web site this Thursday:

Sara Naumann http://blog.paperwishes.com/sara/

Lynn Kvigne http://beading.consumerhelpweb.com/blog/

Candie Cooper http://candiecooper.typepad.com/savvycrafter/

Katie Hacker http://www.katiehacker.com/index.htm

Margot Potter http://margotpotter.blogspot.com/

Linda Augsburg http://cs.makeitminemag.com/mimcs/blogs/makeitmine/

Melanie Brooks Lukacs http://earthenwood-beads.blogspot.com/

Art Bead Scene http://www.artbeadscene.blogspot.com/

Cindy Gimbrone http://lampworkdiva.blogspot.com

Suzanne http://suzanne-catching-up.blogspot.com/

Humblebeads http://www.humblebeads.blogspot.com/

Polymer Clay Craft Gossip http://polymerclay.craftgossip.com/

Elaine Luther http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com/news

Melissa Lee http://www.strandsofbeads.blogspot.com

Rebecca Peck http://vintagegirlmodernworld.wordpress.com/

Jean Yates http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com

Michelle McGee http://fromichelle.blogspot.com/

Jenny Harada http://pomly.livejournal.com/

Jennifer Heynen http://jenniferjangles.blogspot.com/

Hali Chambers www.labyrinthgal.blogspot.com

Kriss Kramer www.art-interrupted.blogspot.com

Brandy Lung Gill http://accesstoexcess.blogspot.com/

OK, out of here for now. I had a long day…capped off by a nice evening of photo taking with my flick friends and Starbucks (yum). My bed awaits!

Cookie party 2007

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cookie party mosaic

So, I went to the cookie party tonight. This is the 5th year, I have gone and my friend, Donna does put on one helluva show. She’s amazing…the food is like a spread you would see in a magazine (and you wondered who really had time to do that stuff – she does…she’s hyper organized and on top of things).

I should have known, though, that the night wouldn’t go as planned, when I realized that I had forgotten the earrings I had made for a friend who owns a shop that I sell my jewelry in. She was at the party, too, and I was going to hand over the jewelry for her to sell in her store. Well, I left it at home, and that was a mini bummer, after I had stayed up late to make the cards and get them ready for her.

Everything started out fine. I was a little bummed that game after game, I was never the recipient of a prize. Now, this sounds childish and silly. I don’t get that upset over such things (and the prizes were “chance” prizes, nothing based on skill). I just never got one and pretty much everyone else did and sometimes little things like that can make your day.

So, I had planned to make beaded bracelets…purchased mini boxes, organized the beads by color category, etc. Then while setting them out (and everyone oohing and ahhing over the beads) that I didn’t have the Stretch Magic I had bought the night before. I went out to my car to look to no avail, so I came back and apologized, kinda embarrassed about the whole thing. Donna said we could do it during our luncheon, but I had wanted to do it at the party and I was bummed. Around this time, with my mood at an all-time low, I started to really feel some cramps comin’ on.

Cramps + a bummed mood = a not so nice/spunky Alexa. I am usually the entergetic one at a party. Jovial, upbeat, and a cheerleader in some ways. When I’m sick, I’m withdrawn, sad, isolated, and quiet. Everyone kept asking me what was wrong, and I would muster up a quick answer. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be there…I just was disappointed by my own mistakes and my current state of being. I’m not the type to be all babyish or “look at me”, I just want to be left alone and it just sucked. I always look forward to the cookie party, and this just wasn’t my night.

I guess we all experience such things from time to time. I hate being the buzzkill, but you can’t help how you feel, and I’m sorry, but putting on a fake smile just isn’t my thing.

I’m fine now. I took some medicine, watched me some Hills and beaded some when I got home. I finished a cute bracelet using some clearanced “Stuff by Duff” charms from Michael’s. I’ll post a pic soon.

I just wish my night had gone better, but I guess that’s how things go sometimes.

O Christmas Tree!

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In Full View

I put up my tree today. It wasn’t an incredibly complicated process, but I did realize 3/4 of the way up, while stringing the lights, that I wasn’t going to have enough to finish…so, I had to go to Joann’s and Michael’s anyway, and I picked up another strand. I guess that makes 500 lights on my tree. I love the sparkle. There is nothing like it…even though I do have a “colorful” personality, I like the white lights the best (though I do have a few of those giant-bulbed ones that I dig). I’m not totally done with my decorating, but atleast I got my tree done and for me, that is an accomplishment. I decided not to put my “traditional” tree and instead to put up this white one (decorated retro-style) that a co-worker gave me a couple years back (she didn’t have room for it – yay me). It’s a nice one, but it is not pre-lit and you have to put every branch into the center.

I’m not a big Elvis nut, but I do like him (I’ve been to Graceland). I got the two Elvis ornaments from friends and I purchased the standee a few years back. I actually use that standee in show displays to hang jewelry on from time to time. Here it is atop my tree as a twist on an angel or star topper.

Thank you, Thank you very much for putting me atop your tree.

And here’s one of the Elvis ornaments…

I can't help falling in love with you, tree.

I am in absolute love with this funny Glitterville Ornament. It is so funny and full of life. I imagine I would be pretty mad, too if someone peed on me.

One angry snowman

And there are quite a few of these vintage-reproduction ornaments on my tree…a few years back they were 4 for $1.99 at Rite Aid after the holidays and I picked up 4 packages. Even though they aren’t the real thing, they are still the bomb.

bright & shiny

So, what does your tree look like? Does it carry on a theme or filled with old ornaments from your childhood? Please do share…

Season of Swell Photo Ornament

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So my online friend, Margot Potter put in her post on Tuesday that a group of bloggers were having a “Virtual Ornament Gathering”, so I got inspired and whipped this one up…

season of swell

The idea was that I wanted to create something one part kitsch + one part digital mixed in with a little whimsy and this was the result.

I used my own personal image, but this idea could be transformed into funny ornaments for the entire family or a gift for a special friend with a message that relates to them. Here’s how I made it:

SEASON OF SWELL PHOTO ORNAMENT

Surface
1 wooden shape – 2.5″ x 3.5″

Supplies
– Computer with printer and photo-editing software program (I used Photoshop 7)
– red paint
– foam brush
– small craft brush
– textured white printer paper
– pop dot
– tacky glue
– silver craft wire
– variety of small beads
– 1 small pom pom
– 12″ piece of green glitter sequins
– green fine glitter
– glue gun and glue stick
– scissors
– Preserve Your Memories II Spray sealer

Instructions
1. Paint your ornament with red paint using foam brush. Let dry.
2. Open up your photo editing program and layout a new page 2.5″w x 3.5″h.
3. Fill in background with a solid color. I added a shape layer to mine with a psychedelic starburst background for added pop in a slighly lighter shade than my background image.
4. Layout text over top of background. I used the “warp text” tool using the font, Magnum (downloaded from the internet), to achieve my look.
5. Open up the image you want in the center of your ornament. Using the magnetic lasso tool, I went around my image to define it. Make this selection active and copy>paste this into your ornament document (note: I modified this image slightly by making it look that I had “flipped ends” on my hair for fun).
6. Transform this image to fit just inside you text.
7. Open up a new layer and draw a cartoonish santa hat. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just fun and whimsical. Also add any other embellishents over your photos (I added faux earrings).
8. Now open up a new 8.5″w x 11″h document. Go back to your ornament and click off the background layers and words to just reveal the face and hat. Flatten the image. Cut and copy this image into your 8.5″w x 11″h document. Go back to your ornament image and select edit>undo to unflatten the file and show the layers once again. Now click off all the face and hat and make the background and words active. Flatten this image. Also cut and copy this image into your 8.5 x 11″ document.
9. Load your printer with lightly textured cardstock paper. Print your images onto the cardstock and carefully cut out around ornament and image.
10. Use tacky glue to glue paper to ornament. Let dry.
11. Lightly brush glue onto areas you want glitter to cover on image (I chose the hat). Over paper plate, lightly sprinkle glitter. Shake off excess onto plate.
12. Place pop dot in center of ornament and position image on top.
13. Carefully glue gun sequin trim around edge.
14. Take craft wire and wrap around pencil to form wire coil. String beads and pom pom randomly onto wire. Glue ends of wire to back of ornament with glue gun.
15. Spray ornament with Preserve Your Memories II Spray sealer (it keeps glitter from getting on everything and gives a nice matte sheen). Let dry.

That’s it. Enjoy!