December Already?

December is a month that always seems to take me by surprise. For most of the year it is always in the distance but then it is suddenly December and it goes by so quickly.  Already it is the third and there is so much that needs to be done!

Lucky for me my darling husband saw paperwhites at the store a few weeks back and bought some for me. Thanks to some houseguests, I was able to get motivated to plant them. They are starting to grow now and by Christmas will be in full bloom. Paperwhites are definitely one of my favourite things about the season.  They are very fragrant and look so elegant, standing tall all green and white.

My children love our Santa advent calendar (bought from Ikea a few years back). They don't even want a candy treat inside, just a secret message that hopefully leads to a fun activity. I've been recycling the same messages but they don't seem to mind. The joy on their faces as they take turns reading the messages is another of my favourite things.

Living away from family means that the first week of December is Christmas card writing time. I like to include the girls school photo as most people on my list we don't see often.  This year I thought, well why don't I make them? I'm not 'working' so I should have lots of time. Well, they are almost ready to be mailed out (tomorrow fingers crossed). I decided to make the folded paper page trees that I had made into ornaments for the sale. Instead of adding a hanger I glued it to a kraft paper card that I had stamped with snowflakes. Very simple and fun to make. For a select few, I've included an ornament inside.

Well, I better go finish these off and start getting the house cleaned up.  We don't have a tree up yet and you can't have Christmas without a tree!

Old Books

One of the many benefits of my attending the Evergreen Artisan Market was meeting some wonderful people. It was amazing meeting so many kind, creative people.

One of these ladies by the name of Annette, has given me the most wonderful gift. She has had these old textbooks taking up space at her place for some time but didn't have the heart to just pitch them. I feel so lucky to be in possession of such wonderful books. Over the winter I hope to slowly turn these unused and out of date textbooks into beautiful works of art to be enjoyed again.

I have been saving all of the hardcovers from the books I have used in the hopes of turning them into useful objects such as purses and notebooks.  One of the textbooks in the pile that I have received has caught my eye.  It is the most beautiful little economics book in the most wonderful shade of blue. I have hopes of turning this little treasure into a cute little clutch purse.

As I slowly clean up all my crafting mess, I think I will take a wee break from paper for a bit and try a bit of sewing.

Recovering

Wow, what a busy time the last two months have been! It's hard to believe that the Evergreen Artisan Market has come and gone. It's time to reflect on what worked and what changes to make for next year.  Yes, I'm going to do it again!

Here is a picture of me at my booth. Unfortunately I didn't have the forethought to have someone take one at the beginning of the show, when I was all fresh and bright-eyed.  This picture was taken by my daughter at the end of the two days, all tired and ready to go home.

The biggest thing I learnt from my experience is that Prince Albert is not the place to sell my wreaths. So to rectify this, I'm busy trying to set up an Etsy Shop. I have been hesitating doing this for a while. I'm not sure why I've been hesitating, just scared I guess.  I just have to figure out the shipping and then my shop will be open for business.  I'll let you know when I get the courage to click that final OPEN button. 

Overall the Market was a great experience. I met some amazing people and made a little money. It's neat to think that some of my ornaments will be hanging in homes around town this holiday season. 

Evergreen Artisan Market

The Evergreen Artisan Market is only a week away! I have been extremely busy designing and building my display, and making product to fill it.  Since this is to be my first time selling my crafts I have little idea of what will sell. So I am trying to have a variety of things at different price points.  One of the hard things for me is to know when to stop. I have lots of ideas in my head but there is definitely no time to make all of them.  

My crafts have taken over my house.  Things are very messy but with the show getting closer I hope to shift my focus to finishing projects and cleaning up.  Everything needs to be packed up so it can be taken to the Rawlinson Center to set up next Friday.  Wow, November 7th is coming fast. 

Here are a few pictures of more products and a peek at the display I have set-up in my dining room.  This is not how things will be at the show but it gives you an idea of what I've been working on. If you are on FaceBook and/or Instagram follow me there for updates from the Evergreen Artisan Market. 

Fireplace

It has proven difficult to get good photos of my fireplace but here is a close-up before/after picture for you. I am very happy with the way that it has turned out. I can't wait to decorate it for Christmas. I have lots of ideas. I will try to get lots of pictures.

It

Product Photos

I've been busy designing my booth for the Evergreen Artisan Market. I've have a lot of ideas but time and money are going to play important roles.  I'm happy with how things are going but I'm going to have to try to be more productive over the next few weeks. The sale is only a month away!

The fireplace is pretty much done (just needs some dusting).  I hope to post some pics this week.

I put together a few promotional photos for the sale today.  What do you think?

Fireplace Makeover

I've been spending some time on Pinterest lately looking for inspiration to update my stairs. That's when I came across this image from thisoldhouse.com. 

Our fireplace already has a draft stopper installed so this should be easy! My husband is always eager to help me with my projects when they involve wood and the outdoors. He was excited about the project so we all piled in the car to go look for some logs. (Yes, his eagerness did surprise me as some projects go months or more without interest. Best not to question and just enjoy!) We found some great birch logs that had already fallen down but weren't rotting yet. My husband has been busy cutting them up and I have been busy painting.

I was starting to think that this project was going to be completed soon when my husband informed me that the wood is still a little wet. So we should let it dry for a couple of WEEKS. Yes, weeks, I was not ready for weeks. I'm going to get everything else ready and paint the stairs. When I'm ready to put everything back, hopefully the logs are dry enough to attach.

Here is a picture of our fireplace before to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. The green semi-circle is the draft stopper that I am painting black and attaching the logs to.  The brick is now white so I think it is just going to look fabulous!

Latest Wreath

I'm so excited about having my application accepted for a booth at this years Evergreen Artisan Market. It is to be held on November 7, 2014 here in town at the Rawlinson Center.  This will be my first craft show so I've been quite busy making my rolled paper roses.  To add some variety, I decided to experiment with adding colour. I decided on a teal watercolour paint to liven things up.  So what do you think? I think I love it! 

Summer 2014

It's hard to believe that summer is long over and winter is around the corner.  As a family we were so busy this summer it went by way to fast.  We didn't get many of the projects done around the house but we did make many memories that will be hard to forget. We were fortunate to have visits from family and friends that were filled with great conversations, laughter and giggles.  The girls and I have never been west of wherever we are living (with every move we seem to inch westward), which is Saskatchewan at the moment. So we spent a week at Elk Island National Park in Alberta and then later took two and a half weeks to drive through the rocky mountains and out to Vancouver Island.  I won't bore you with all the details but I think it was our best family vacation to date. I took hundreds of photos but will leave you with a few family selfies that were taken with my phone.

This one is of us on the ferry on the way to Vancouver Island.

Here we are on the way home, stopping to check out the Hoodoos in Alberta's Drumheller Valley.

 This one my youngest took at the Fisgard Lighthouse Historical Site just outside of Victoria, BC. 

It's my new favourite of us. 

Birthdays

June is always a busy time in our household. With two young girls there are always year end activities and parties to attend.  And at our house there are birthdays to celebrate. I'm happy to report that both parties were a success. Here are a few photos of the highlights.

First for my Rebekah, I made these little cuties for her to take to school for her classmates.  They were time consuming to make but easy and well worth it. They got rave reviews. I found the instructions on Pinterest if you are looking for the details.

Rebekah was turning 11 and wanted to celebrate by having a few friends over for a sleepover.  But every birthday requires cake and her dream cake this year was to look like a fish bowl.  So here is my attempt at the fish bowl cake. 

With that party over I then concentrated on Emilia's 9th birthday party.  She is an aspiring veterinarian so had her heart set on a pet themed party.  I contacted our local pet store to arrange for them to bring over some cute and cuddly animals. So all that was left to do was loot bags and a cake. 

For the loot bags I was happy to have Emilia help me make these cute and simple bags. 

Who wants a bag of sugar at the end of a birthday party? Not us.  So instead I found these cute Webkinz puppies at our local dollar store. What nine year old girl wouldn't want to adopt him?

The party was a busy one so I wasn't able to take many pictures of the craft.  Although a little tricky to assemble the fastener at the top, these birds in cages were a big success. Another pet to take home!

For this party the birthday girl had her heart set on a cake in the shape of a cat.  

 So this is what I came up with.  So what do you think? Not too bad eh?

Both parties are over and it's time to take a breather. 

Looking forward to a great summer with my girls. 

Alpaca Cowl

The weather here is still on the cool side so I couldn't resist trying some of the new alpaca yarn that I bought from Prairie Winds Farm in Saskatoon, SK.  It knit up quickly into this Red Rasta Cowl that I found on Ravelry by Ewe Knit.  It just took one ball and is perfect for this in-between weather we have been having.  Thanks to my husband for taking the pictures.

Much Needed Break

This year the winter has been extra cold and long.  So when the opportunity comes along to visit somewhere warm, you take it. We had to take the girls out of school for a bit but it was worth it. They learned other things that are important, like how to swim underwater like a mermaid . . .

how not to be afraid to jump in . . .

that sea turtles shoot saltwater out their nose when they eat . . .

what it feels like to feed and touch a stingray . . .

how to steer a pontoon boat . . .

that cypress swamps are cool and creepy . . .

that raccoons should be named Ruffus . . .

how it feels to walk barefoot on the beach . . .

and that in some places the simple act of the setting sun receives applause.

It was an awesome time away with family.

Having a Hoot of a Time

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Mine was nice and relaxing and of course, full of love.  This past week here has been very cold (-40C) and snowy. This has made for lots of knitting time.  In honour of St. Valentine and my daughters love for owls I made these cuties to brighten their day.  They are similar to the green guy I made last year.  These guys are much larger as they are made with chunky yarn but the same construction.  For you knitters, they are like a little hat turned upside down, stuffed and sewn closed across the top.  The eyes are crocheted circles and the beak is just a little yarn stitched over.  Pretty simple and fun to make.  If there is interest I will work on an instruction sheet.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!