HAPPY 2013~~

NEW YEAR new plans, resolutions, goals, and best of all adventures!!
I want to let yall know on a new adventure for me!!  Creative Times Magazine which is a fabo online crafting mag has allowed me to be their new quick tips article writer!!  I am excited!!  You will find it here:
www.creativetimesmagazine.com   and best of all they are working on it not only being an online mag you could also order a hard copy!! I will be doing that!!
my first article of tips is in there!!    I am inspired so wrote up the next article last night for the march/april issue.

And onto new plans:  I have a few new projects I so want to make and some of them are ideas from the most wonderful online site  PINTEREST!! oh my love love LOVE that place!!  I can so get lost on the site!! If you havent visited please do do but be warned!! LIMIT yourself!!  hours pass quickly on there and I dont get much accomplished around here!! LOL oh well!! I have 50 some boards and find new things to pin by the minute.......no second!! 
here's a link to my boards:::   http://pinterest.com/chickenscratch/
And dont you know my boys have their own board!! LOL I need to put some more pics of them on there soon.           New goals: I have a few do you?  I really want to try making some great altered mixed media jewelry pieces.  I have visions in my mind but just have to incorporate that into actuallly doing...ya know.    Another goal would be to clean up and.....oh that dreaded word............organize my craft studio!! It has become a dumping ground if you will for everything!!  I can't even think of being creative in there anymore!! =(  time has come to pitch the unwanted unused items. 

Onto some of the things I did just before xmas.  

Susan made this beautiful chocolate mint torte.  Layers of decadent moist chocolate cake with peppermint infused buttercream topped with luscious chocolate ganache' and some marizpan holly!  Oh so yummylicious!!

chocolate dipped butter squares   and they were addicting too!!

my mom decorated some little sugar cookie trees for on our cookie trays and boxes. 

our popular red raspberry filled linzer tart cookies!!

some twisted candy cane butter cookies Susan made.  These were soooooooo yummo!! 

Old milkcan for my hubby's boss.  I was very pleased with how this turned out.  I had sectioned the painted area off with chalk, *hint* chalk wipes off with no marks, use it all the time when painted signs or pretty much anything.   hubby sandblasted the area and left the rest of can it's lovely rustiness!!

OK OK!~! I got up on christmas eve at 2 am to finish this block set for my little darling neice, so yes!! can u see it!!!  I didnt until her mommy and her unwrapped it!! I will be making another R for it!! LOL

I used vintage seam binding in brown for the outside edges, painted the blocks light sage green and mod podged the awesome My Mind's Eye papers and some little pearl accents.  My cricut finally got to get used!!  I have had it sitting on a work table poor baby neglected..... I can see using that alot this year!! I have alof of things to make!! 

And a couple last minute signs I painted for gifts!  Love those snowmen and a bit unhappy to not paint them til next winter!! sad!!=( 

maybe if we had some snow I would paint them more!! but we see grass!!

 

Love this guy!! I did one similar for my shows and the lady that bought it loved it so much she ordered 2 more.

Love this one too!! 

So that is about all for today.  Hope yall had a wonderful happy safe new years!!  My mom and I went out to lunch yesterday, did a bit of shopping and then came home.

 Hubby and I stayed home with the "boys" last night, watched tv, played games and had popcorn!! What a wonderful evening and start to the new year!!  Love my boys and our family!

Have a great day! be back soon!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

holiday lights

Thrift store redo!!

  The wreath I found at the first thrift store we went into and thought I would add some fabric snowmen I am making but then  I found the slate painted snowmen sign and thought it would be perfect in it.  I added some glittery snowflakes I bought at hobby lobby and some red berries I had and some red checkered ties.  

We went to Douglas to walk around the stores and look at the lights.  Here's my mom behind some lighted trees in town. 

This was the most spectacuar display.  White lights (my favo) and red shiny ornaments and the pretty green pines.  JUST holiday perfectness!!   These shops win my award for best decorated this season!!  Way to go!!

Look at that decorated urn  JUST GORGEOUS!!

We made and decorated some pine wreaths at home for sale.  I love adding all the pretty shiny embellishments!!  Lots of holiday bling!! LOL

I finished up painting these signs for my show next week.  AHHHHHHH snowmen!! My favo favo things to paint!! 

I got alot done at the kitchen too.  Caramels are ready for market, brittle is bagged up, pretzels dipped and packaged up, made some cherry filled linzer tort cookies, (which still need to be put together) graham crackers packaged up just need to label them, egg bread ready, foccacia ready, muffins done and ready and the cookies are done.  And I made some sweet tater casserole, cabbage n kielbasa, vegetarian minestrone, and some bean soup.   WHEW!! that is about it.   Tomorrow we are tackling homemade vanilla marshmellows!!  kind of dreading it but also cant wait.  It looks like quite a bit of trouble but well worth it!!

so I better get a good nights sleep and rest up.  Market tomorrow! Foundry Hall South Haven.  

Have a great night!!

Darlene

HUGS!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Ok well trying to get ready for my show which i thought i had an extra week to get ready NOT i leave next friday. WOW!! Been gettin up really really early to paint and also finish things up. I painted some small versions of the big signs i do i just love the snowmen!! Also made up a few of a smaller size altered memory scrap books out of coffee filters~~ yes unused brown filters, the cone shaped ones, never knew they come in 3 sizes so i bought pkgs of each size the pics are of the med size with wood front and back so they will last and also stand up on edge. One is about friends and friendship the other is a baby girl themed.

Then I also finished a few of my block hp lamps, the one pictured is not done yet but i love the sman and his deer friend, they have either a battery light on top or electric then greens and homespun and berries wrapped around. Whacha think of em?? Gosh i better get my butt off puter and paint the rest i have started!! GEEZEEEE, 5 big signs, 4 more lamps, several scrapbooks to finish and some fire starter pine cones just waiting to be bagged up!! GOTTA run i guess!!

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

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