Covered in glitter

Everything in my workroom is covered in glitter whether or not I want it to be, including myself.  But it's all for a good cause.  I've been hard at work creating little sparkly goodies for the upcoming holiday craft sales.  That's why I haven't posted much lately, so please forgive me.  I hope this sneak peek at what my little fingers have been busy crafting will make up for it!

Miniature winter vignettes

Background in a Box

Miniature Fairie Abodes

Holiday Assemblage

3-D Ornaments

Decorated German Nut Baskets

Handwoven Nests

Many of the items were sculpted with spun cotton, my new favorite material, along with imported German elements, vintage findings, train miniatures and LOTS of sparkles.  Almost everything is tiny, and the items were challenging and fun to make.

The first sale is this weekend at King's Books in Tacoma - the Tacoma Is For Lovers holiday craft sale, Saturday and Sunday 11-4 both days.  You can find more info here on their website.  This is my favorite TIFL sale (they're usually twice a year), because the vendors really go all out with their top notch creations.  It's some of the best of what Tacoma has to offer as far as handmade goes.

The other event where I'll be showcasing is Glitter Haus, a very fancy invite-only open house in Tacoma on Saturday, December 1st from 11-3 PM.  Check out www.glitterhausholiday.com to see what it's all about and to get on the guest list - you won't want to miss it!

The holidays are here! And, last day of free shipping!

Hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend!  Mine was great, minus the raging cold I was left with!  But there's nothing better than spending time with friends and family in these chilly wet months of November and December.  What better way to warm our hearts than the laughter and company of loved ones?

Butterball "Frankenturkey" vs. "Lean Mean" Free Ranger (who actually turned out to be quite nice.)

I have so much to share with you over the next month!  Craft show season has ended and I can finally come up for air (and get my craft on.)  Thanks again to all the folks who came out to support local handmade small businesses at these fairs.  The news from Black Friday was very sad - the state of our country is troubled indeed when people are hurt as a result of blatant greed and anger.  If any lesson is to be taken away, it should a reality check of what's really important this holiday season, and that giving your money businesses that facilitate this kind of senseless violence (it's not the first time, unfortunately) will only further excuse their greed and corruption.  Thank goodness handmade is gaining popularity!  You get to know who makes your goods and hold them personally accountable (good or bad) for what they make.  Isn't that how it should be?

(There.  I'm off my soap box!)

Indoor Snow Terrarium

I will be sharing some fairly easy and inexpensive ideas on the blog in the coming days!  Decorations for the holidays (DIY projects/tutorials), tips on how to give vintage (meaningful gifts, recycling), easy projects to make (baking, sewing, etc.) and also some pictures of Linus the cat - I am making him a bow tie because what white fluffy cat doesn't need a bow tie for Christmas???

Lastly - today is the last day to enjoy free shipping in my Etsy shop!  I will have another deal next weekend too, but the fascinators are selling fast and I wouldn't want you to miss out on the perfect gift!  ;)  So use code TURKEYFREE at checkout and I will send it your items to you directly...

Have a super duper week!  XO

A very merry DIY vintage wreath

I kept seeing these online and thought "I can make that."  Like any craft project, this ornament wreath was a lot more work than I anticipated, but I learned how I could probably speed the process along for the next wreath.

First I started with a large wire wreath form and simply wrapped it in vintage gold tinsel garland. Then I began placing and gluing the glass ornaments with hot glue.  Some took a while to set and not every ornament stuck.  My suggestion is to move fast, use enough glue and be sure where you want to place each piece!

Next time I would start out by lining the outside and inside of the wreath with ornaments first to make it look more uniform.  You could even do a pattern with different colors or shapes.  Then I would fill in the middle and build from there, filling in the nooks and crannies last...

I see me...

It took about twice as many ornaments as I thought it would.  Thank goodness you can find these by the bag for a few dollars at the thrift store.  I'm becoming the Goodwill's best customer this holiday season!

This project is super easy and lots of fun.  Hang it over a mirror or a door.  It would be a great project to work on with an older child or a cautious and careful little one.  Happy Holidays!