Beautiful Inside and Out December 7, 2009

 

 

Alright, this is not my best photography, but it gives you an idea of what I have been up to. These are a few of the presents I have wrapped recently. Honestly, to me wrapping the presents is as much fun as the presents themselves. My mum taught me how to wrap such beautiful gifts! I love that she shared this with me, and that we get to spend time together wrapping.

 

This bird is one of my favorite packages to date. This little friend was a real treasure to find, and I just got a red version of her yesterday that I look forward to matching with the perfect gift. And this lovely bird has a clip, so instead of gluing her on the package as I do with all the other embelishments, I simply clipped it on the ribbon, so that the person recieving the package could put her anywhere they wanted to enjoy when ever they wanted.

 

 

 

 

I love all the different looks you can give the packages. Just like the presents inside, each wrapping is unique. Its a challenge to match together different elements, getting the colours right, and a balanced looking embelishment. There is an amazing selection of beautiful flowers, greenery, and glittered bobbles to choose from.

 

 

 

 

Some people collect figurines…… my mom and I collect Christmas wrapping supplies. We have a couple boxes that we pull out this time of year. Filled with all kinds of bobbles, colours and ribbons. We have a 5 gallon bucket full of tubes of wrapping paper. The possibilities are endless. And we are always in search of a new unique piece to add to our collection.

 

I love wrapping gifts in a way that they are fully enjoyed as a beautiful gift before they are even opened.

 

I hope you all are having a wonderful Holiday Season!!

What are you enjoying this Holiday Season?

A Handmade Giveaway January 26, 2009

This Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Here it is! This is my handmade giveaway. I love to share with the world in many different ways. And I thought it would be a lot of fun to participate in this giveaway with a few things that I have made.

 

 

 First is this Shopping Bag. I loved this fabric from the moment I saw it. I have been wanting to make re-usable shopping bags for a while now, so I finally broke down and bought a pattern and some fabric and went for it. I have been very pleased with the results. I have only made a few so far, but plan on making many more in the future. This bag comes with its own little pouch to store it in when not in use. When you are using the bag, the pouch clips onto the side of the bag so you don’t loose it!

 

 

 Second is the little Bluebird of Love. This cute little guy is one of the many needle felted creatures I have created. He is only a couple inches long, so he makes a great little pocket pet, or would be a great company sitting in a special spot.

 

 

 Third is a hat that I recently made. I love the color of this yarn, the gentle shading effect. This one should be hand washed and laid flat to dry. I hope it can bring warmth to you or someone you love. There is nothing better than a handmade hat on a chilly winter day! Well maybe accompanied by a cup of warm coco.

 

 

 And last but not least is a set of five cards. Each card has a different image of a bird in flight. These beautiful photographs were taken by my significant other, Bernie. The humming bird you see in this photo is one of the cards, but I will leave the identity of the other four a surprise for who ever wins this package! They are all stunning, and capture the personality of the bird. These are blank greeting cards, so that you can fill them with your loving thoughts and best wishes to family and friends.

I hope who ever wins this little package is filled with as much joy receiving it as I will have by giving it! To enter please leave a comment on this post telling me something that you love to do. Please enter only once, so that everyone has an equal chance. The deadline for entering this giveaway will be at 12:00am PST Saturday January 31st. I will pick the winner at random and contact them that weekend. This giveaway is open to everyone. Please be sure to include your e-mail in your entry so that I am able to reach you if you are the winner. If I can not get a hold of the winner by February 7th, I have the right to randomly pick another winner.

To see MANY other wonderful giveaways visit:

The Art of Package Wrapping December 14, 2008

 

Tonights project was wrapping presents. Moms friend Stephanie came over with her gifts for family members, and we wrapped them. Mom and I love wrapping, and she has taught me how to be extremely artistic with the process. She does a BEAUTIFUL job, and I am slowly learning. Its so much fun to make the outside of the package as much of a present as what is hidden within.

This weekend kept me busy with the craft show. Last night it decided to snow here. I really do enjoy snow when it is fluffy, no wind, and you don’t have anywhere to go. But last night we had high winds, so the snow didn’t really stay in one place too well, and then I had to drive into the show this morning. It really was not a pretty snowy day. It also really cut down on the traffic at the show, which makes it a little frustrating, its not really worth the vendors time to be there if no one is shopping. But I have started doing some trading with the other vendors for some of my presents, I hope to do some more next weekend, because I still have a decent amount of things I want to get.

I have also been playing around with my needle felting. I created this cute little guy the other day, and I really like how he turned out (its hard to see in this picture, but he has a dark green top hat). I am sending him off as a present, and hope to make another one or two to send to other people. I really cant believe how fast Christmas is coming this year, it seems like it should still be October or something…… But I do have to say that I am starting to really get into the Christmas spirit, even if I do feel behind on gift shopping. I am proud to say I am buying a lot of local gifts this year. I still will be visiting some of those dreaded mega stores and the mall for a couple of gifts that local people just aren’t making yet, but a good portion of the gifts I have gotten so far are from other local artisans.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far. The whole process should be one of joy, and never dread. If you are anxious about any part of the holidays you aren’t doing it right. Slow down, relax, spend some time loving yourself and your family, and make it all one joyous process!

This is Me…… October 20, 2008

Well, how does one start a first entry in blog about daily life? I could write a long involved history of who I am, and where I have come from. Or I can simply tell you that I live life the way I want. I am an explorer, a dreamer, an artist, and so much more. My life is blessed in so many ways, and different than so many others.

I am 26 years old, and I have quite a list of wonderful adventures already under my belt. I have done quite a bit of long distance hiking, traveling to beautiful places, living in wild spaces. I have been with my boyfriend Bernie for 6 years now, and we travel all over together. He is one of the main inspirations in my life for living alternatively. My parents were a huge influence in my life also, they always encouraged me to follow my dreams, and do what called me.

Currently we are living on my parents property for the winter. This is the place that I grew up, and I affectionately call it the zoo. We have quite the collection of animals out here, one of my favorites being the banty chickens. As time goes on I am sure I will talk about all the different creatures that share our space.

Bernie does wildlife photography, and we sell cards and prints sometimes at the holiday craft shows, and other shows. Its something that we can do in between our adventures. He does a wonderful job with the photography, and then I custom mat the pieces. We always get great feedback on the photography. I will share some of his photography on here, and some of mine. I will also have the link to his blog that he has just started with his photography.

We are all signed up for a couple of holiday shows in Bellingham, I will write more about those as we get ready for them. I enjoy doing them for all the different people I get to meet. I love people that are following their dreams and selling their crafts.

I am actually working part time for a friend that I met at one such craft show. Christie owns Birchwood Botanicals, and makes herbal body care and other products. She makes WONDERFUL products, and is a great person. I am working part time helping to put her gardens to bed for the winter. I love being out in the dirt with the plants.

Well that’s a very general overview of where I am right now, with each entry more details will emerge, and the story will become more complete. I look forward to sharing with anyone that is interested in my perspective on this game called life.