wonderful family

My grandchildren

My husband and I

My pandemic ponytail

Family photo

My son-in-law and daughter

 

My oldest daughter

We've gathered to celebrate a winter birthday.

A wonderful family adventure, even if it is only cardboard.

air dry

Last year, which sounds longer ago than it was, Otter coop gave little packets of air dry clay with purchases as a promotion. The color was a surprise although some colors were as rare as hens teeth and I ended up buying a box of clay to get all the colors which was likely the point of the promotion. 

Air dry clay is wonderful for making jewelry because it is so incredibly light when it has dried. Well, it is light before it dries too. No baking in the oven. No fumes. No glue. Lovely.

My granddaughters eyes lit up at the mere sight of it. Earrings!!

My oldest granddaughter created rainbows. Giant rainbows that would have been terrifyingly heavy in any other clay. These were weightless. 

                                                                                

 

 My youngest granddaughter quickly fashioned several sets of earring hopefuls. 

 

I decided on a necklace because my ears have nary a piercing.

Licorice Allsorts remind me of my Dad....and my husband. What better inspiration can a woman have for jewelry than the men in her life.

Light of the world

 

You are gazing at my Christmas tree, a sort of birds eye view,  as though you were kneeling down to squeeze a package or sneak a chocolate. 

The lights are new this year. They have caused me to gasp in admiration and murmur aloud on several wintery mornings. I think it is because for the first time in.....decades......the lights are the shape of the lights of childhood. I've loved these new lights. My only regret is that there are no pink or purple in the mix but perhaps I can find replacement lights someday. They did sell strands that were entirely purple. 

It may seem odd to be chatting about a Christmas tree as we teeter here on the very far edge of January but I just took the tree down last week! What?!! Yes indeed. It is the latest I've ever left the tree up. Once long ago my January baby asked me to leave the tree up for her birthday which is the 15th but this year has swept that old record away completely. 

It wasn't laziness that left my tree up so long. Or apathy. 

It was the lights, shining from beyond branches dark.

It was the level of joy they brought and kept bringing. 

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God

You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

woof?

I sketched a terrier, short haired and sleek. Somehow my paintbrush had other ideas. That's alright. I've never met a terrier I didn't like.

acrylic 9x12

winter baby

 

My granddaughter gave me a pad of watercolor paper that is two and a half inches by three and a half. I absolutely LOVE painting that size!!

This is a birthday card for my winter baby.

always named Mickey

My gramma had border collies once upon a time and long ago. I think they were always named Mickey. 

acrylic 9x12

presto

 

Upcycled book pages pleated and tweaked, snipped and glued. Presto!

twinkle twinkle

Isn't pinterest a boon to mankind? Where else would you see brown paper bags transformed magically into stars? 

The paper bags for these stars were one of those serendipitous thrift store finds that make your heart leap for joy. There they were, a huge bundle of them, clearly left over from a wedding, having His and Hers stamped carefully on the middle of each. I knew that wouldn't show as the bags are glued and stacked. And even better, these bags are about half the size of regular paper lunch sacs making the stars just the right size!