Monday, November 28, 2011

Holiday On-Line Magazines


I love all the eye candy and inspiration provided by a collection of wonderful on-line magazines.  You may know about these already ... but if you don't you must check them out!

 Sweet Paul Magazine is overflowing with absolutely stunning images and sumptuous recipes.


I just found out about this wonderful compilation of gift ideas from Anthology Magazine.




Lonnymag always has great style but this issue injects it with the holiday spirit.



 Last year I poured over the 2010 version of Gifted Magazine from Creature Comforts.  This year the 2011 issue of Gifted Magazine is filled with great ideas and some wonderful free downloads. 

 You have to check it out!



I was so inspired by last year's issue that I took out an advertisement this year.  The girls helped me tone down my tendency to completely fill the image frame and pare it down to a few artifacts.  I think it turned out well.


Hop on over to these sites for some on-line love ... who said nothing is free?

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Wrap it up Thursday - Teacher Gifts Part One


This is the year.  The year we (my family) put together holiday gifts for our teachers well in advance.  So we aren't chasing them down the halls, out to their cars, leaving them unattended on their desks...in general not putting it together last minute.

Okay so I have some ideas... well we have ideas :)




 Clockwise from top  Peppermint Cocoa (my recipes.com),  Cocoa with snowman (the decorated cookie),  handmade mug (creature comforts),  hot chocolate on a stick  (giverslog)




Monogram mugs with cocoa (designmom),  homemade caramels (giverslog) ,
 monogram mug with candies (martha stewart)


For the past few years we have done a few of these things.  Mugs with homemade hot chocolate, hot chocolate sticks, homemade cocoa in a mason jar.  Last year we also added homemade marshmallows.  

So the story goes ... this year - maybe homemade cocoa, caramels and marshmallows.  I found the most beautiful shade of blue colored tissue paper and these adorable red chevron striped little paper bags ... that will be wrap it up thursday - teacher gifts - part two.  We have about 17 teachers combined ... plus office staff ... plus bus driver...
looking at about 25 ... better get to it!  


This is going to be the year ...

Monday, November 21, 2011

Thinking of Spring ... and a new winner


Thinking ahead ... to spring!

 1. House of Turquoise    2. Style Me Pretty  (Christian P Photography) 3. House of Turquoise   4. Style Me Pretty  (Photos by Amanda Hein) 5. At Home Arkansas  6.  Style Me Pretty (Eric Kelley Photography)  7. Creature Comforts  8. This Modern Romance


It's starting to get cold out now and everywhere I look I am seeing this combination of turquoise, green and a touch of apricot.  I tend to stay in my rut of blue and linen but I think this spring I am going to take it up a notch.







This is a mood board I created for the Blogging Your Way course.  I have posted it on my flickr page.
I started out with my usual blues and linens (on the left) but when I looked at all the images from blogs that I liked (on the right) I realized you need a hit of a complimentary colour to really make the arrangement pop.  And every time I removed some of my felted green balls in the felted bowl I realized green balanced it all out.  Lesson learned .. perhaps ... maybe ... well I guess I'll see this spring!





Finally, you may recall the giveaway for the holiday corsage?  Well I never heard from Kathy so we have a new winner.

Congratulations Maaike!

The 29th comment -

Maaike said...

Hi Tracey, Of Course I would love to enter... and win! The brooch is so pretty, absolute joy.

Love, Maaike


True Random Number Generator

Result:29


  Contact me with your address and I will send the corsage your way!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Wrap it up Thursday - Coffee Filter Flowers


 

You might have seen the bracelet I made for my friend Tiffany the other day.  Well it needs to be wrapped and Tiffany wraps a mean gift... so mine better be good!



I was inspired by all the amazing paper flowers and poms that are being used for displays at buffets and dessert tables.  These ones I found on Ruffled.





I wanted to recreate a mini display similar to this and thought about the natural coffee filters I have kicking around looking for a project.  I happened to have a long kraft box just waiting for a gift to be gifted.





 These filters are great because if I flatten them out I can use them to make all sorts of shapes, flowers and tags.  A few filters can go a long way.  If I cut out rectangles and layer them, accordion fold and trim the edges, I can make poufs like the tissue ball poms.  Here is an example. (Martha Stewart)  The centre circle can be cut into a spiral to make a rose. As an example look here. (Little Birdie Secrets)  The edges of the filter can be cut and folded accordion style, to make mini medallions like the ones you find here. (How About Orange)  Simple flower shapes can be cut out and layered on top of each other. And the edges left over after cutting looked just like a feather so I used those to make a tag.













The elements came together like this.  I used two coffee filters to hold the bracelet in the box.




I added a pom pom that I made with ribbons and yarn (Tiffany loves pom poms!) for a shot of pink and to hold the lid to the box.

With my feather tag, it's ready for Tiff!  Shhh .... I still have to drop it off!

Monday, November 14, 2011

We have a winner


I wish I could give each and every one of you a holiday corsage for all your kind words and encouragement.  I really can't tell you how much it all means to me - 
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to my random generator we have number 12 as our winner at 6:04 EST.


That would make Kathy the winner.


Kathy said...


Super cute! The spirit of Christmas sweater in one adorable pin!



          Here are your random numbers:

              Random Integer Generator

 12
         Timestamp: 2011-11-14 23:04:41 UTC

Congratulations Kathy! - please email me (Contact Info to the right) and I will have your corsage out the door Tuesday the 15th.
UPDATE
Kathy - cannot contact you and haven't heard from you- if I don't hear from you by November 28th noon EST.  I will redraw for a new winner of the corsage.
Thanks
Tracey


Thank you to all of you for dropping by.  I hope to finish up the post for Ms. Glitterpie for tomorrow - waiting for some light for a final picture.  Keep you posted...


Pie in the oven

I've been working on my first guest post on ms glitter pie's site. Can you guess what I'm making? Stay tuned.

There is still time to enter the corsage giveaway here.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Holiday Brooch Giveaway


Leave a comment to enter for a chance to win this corsage

The latest Amy Powers' Inspired Ideas is here.  Loaded with great holiday projects you can check out all the details on her blog.

This is the project that I did for Inspired Ideas.  I call it the Christmas Sweater reduced to a Holiday Corsage.  In the magazine I give directions for making the corsage but in order to do so I had to actually make a few :)  And I am going to part with this one!

In honor of the release of the magazine I am hosting a giveaway.  Leave me a note here on this post (one comment only), contest closes this Friday 9 a.m. EST and I will select a winner(random.org) on Friday at 12 noon EST.


EXTENDED - closes  Monday November 14 th 6 P.M.  - EST


Good Luck and I hope if you can you will check out the magazine.  There are contributions from Mary Engelbreit, Matthew Mead as well as many other gifted crafters.

UPDATE:


Kathy (comment #12 ) you won! - see post to follow.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Surrounded by inspiring images

When you arrive at my daughter's school, these are the images that greet you.  I LOVE that truck.  It is her screen saver on her phone right now.  I saw her take the picture one day when I was waiting for her in the parking lot.  The sculpture below, I call the egg beater, but it is actually entitled
"Still Dancing" by Dennis Oppenheim.  


Yes, my daughter goes to school  here. 
To say that it is an inspiring place to go to school, I think, would be an understatement.
Her older sister went here too but Ali couldn't stop herself from falling in love with this magical space, despite the fact that her older, very different sister loved it as well.

I was exercising my new instagram app and took these shots a couple of days ago.  I will file this way and return again sometime in the future.  I can't wait to see how learning and growing in this inspiring space will shape their choices and interests in the future.  Will they remember this time in their lives?...

I can't help but think they will.

Happy Friday!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Wrap it up Thursday - Packaging a gift with a gift


For someone really special ... someone that will really appreciate it ... it's nice to top off a gift with another gift.  Sort of a 2 for 1 special.  Felt flowers, a brooch and even an elaborate pom pom can later be used as hair adornments or a brooch for a scarf or coat.



1.  These felt flowers can be found at home made simple.  2.  I love these felt flowers and the tutorial can be found at blue cricket design  3.  This wrapping is actually three in one including a shirt.  It was shown in Country Living and designed by Jenn Playford of Wrapagami.  4.  My friend Tiffany Pratt of Glitter Pie makes these gorgeous pom poms that would look adorable attached to a hair elastic.




I decided to take a special book for a friend and wrap it up with another present.




I wrapped the present in hot pink and softened it with another wrapping of parchment paper.  Tied up with vintage ribbon and twine, I added a linen prize ribbon.


This prize ribbon topper is a hint at my project for Amy Power's Holiday Issue of Inspired Ideas.  It should be available the end of this week or early next week.  

 I guess that "tops" :) off this week's wrap-up...

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

A look at Holiday with Matthew Mead


I recently received my highly anticipated issue of Holiday with Matthew Mead, in the mail.  I had ordered a special expanded issue but I was delighted to see it is now on the shelves as well.  It was all I could do not to grab it off the shelf and peruse through but I knew my special copy was due any day.  I needed to exhibit some magazine restraint.



Each page is full of so many wonderful and inspiring images, it is hard to pick a favorite.




I actually really love the inside cover - beautifully simple - a Matthew trademark.




My crafting heart started pumping when I saw this spectacular cupcake display designed by Stephanie Neilson and photographed by Justin Hackworth.



I finally settled in on this.  Yes, it is an adorable wreath and a really cute idea for crafting with kids during the holidays.  But I love it because her daughter Claire's nails are wonderfully chipped and worn.  It makes this photograph resonate with the obsessive mother in me.  No, everything doesn't have to be perfect ... sometimes imperfection is the most endearing.

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