MyLuckyChicken

recovering...

I'm here just trying to recover from the holiday madness. Family, guests, parties, mess. Our house is small and when there is even just one thing out of place you get mess. Not that there is ever just one thing out of place, there are usually many things, but now it is unusually messy. So I should be up cleaning and generally tidying up, but I'm not. (although I did go through the boys room today and it looks mighty fine and sparkley) Instead I have been spending too much time on facebook. and I made a weeme.

see...

I don't usually like pictures of myself, but this image comes close and I think she's kinda cute!

Ok, now that I have let my inner geek roam free...

I have been thinking about new year's resolutions. I think I've got a good achievable one, but I'll wait to unveil it.

Mostly what I have been thinking about is getting things done. I've got so many little (and big) projects started and it's hard to keep track. So I saw on someone's blog (I'll look for it, but I'm not good at finding things a second time) that she kept a monthly list of things to do and crossed it off. I like that. I do well with lists. and I do so enjoy the crossing off. I don't know if I'll keep it here or not. But I've got my list for January. I think the key will be to keep it small and do able. I can always add later. So you may see it over there in the sidebar.

The making of things should resume this week, my plans are many little birds and a blanket surprise.

Elf Clogs

Just a quick post to say I've joined the craze and made some elf clogs. I put them under the tinsel tree. When Bubba came down in the morning and saw them I told him an elf must have been here checking up on us, and he forgot his shoes.

You can't see it in this picture but the sole is green too. I'm loving the purple green combination lately. I got the pattern here at AllSorts and just traced it off the screen. You might want to check out the Flickr group for Elf Clogs. Some pretty cute stuff out there.

Snow Day!

We had quite a bit of snow last night which resulted in a snow day today. Snow Days are just about my most favorite day ever. They are unexpected, cozy, quiet and restful. Then the kids get up and it's on to snow fort building, sledding and hot chocolate drinking. Just fun all 'round.

My project today was setting up my silver tree.

It's new this year, but a lovely addition to our decorations, if I do say so myself.

I put many little birds in it.

I've been really loving birds lately.

no zippers, blue birds instead, and some miracles

I didn't get to the zippers this weekend. We had an unexpected visitor and so we had to panic clean. I did get to make these blue birds for little teacher gifts.

And in the spirit of hand made, I am putting together little seed gifts for my gardener friends.

They are seeds that I saved from my very own garden. It's my first time saving my own seeds so I am pretty impressed with myself. Oh yeah, mother nature too.  It was an amazing process, dead heading so I could keep the plants in bloom while letting some go to seed. It's strange because most people can tell you that flowers have seeds, but when you open them up and see the tiny little beads that will become a living thing, it's pretty miraculous.

You know scientists can make seeds . They can put all the right chemicals and carbon together to make a little seed. But it wont grow. nope. They can't figure that part out, how to put the life in it. So what I've got in these little tins are hundreds of little miracles. Perfect for Christmas.

fear

1. Zipper Rainbow, 2. zippers!

I think at some point some where someone told me zippers are hard to sew into things. So now I have a fear of them. The problem is I took the handmade pledge and I have a fun gift idea. But it requires being able to sew in a zipper.

In one drawer of my grey cabinet there are many zippers. They are taunting me. "ha ha" they say, "you have fun vintage zippers to use but you are paralized with fear and will never use us!".

But I have decided to figure it out.

When I get it in my head to so something I first have to do much research, so now I've started reading every zipper tutorial I can find. Here's what I've read so far...

from Sew, Mama, Sew

from AfricanKeli, this one is very reassuring she says, "if I can sew a zipper, a monkey can sew a zipper."

and from house on hill road

So I am going to try this weekend, if I can carve out some time, wish me luck!

Finished Marble Magnets

My first batch of Marble Magnets is finished. I used an old thesaurus, paper from Martha Stewart and an old field guide for the backgrounds. Most of these are headed out as Christmas presents, the rest I'll put in my Etsy shop.

I loved the watchmaker containers that Dava sent my buttons in so I thought I might put them in little tins like this...

Sorry the pictures are so dark,winter light. We've had a stormy day today. It even looks like winter outside with a little crust of snow. Buddy left his first footprints in the snow this morning. Which was sweet but super cold!

Finished Garland

I stayed up last night and finished my garland. I think it came out really cute! Now I just have to find a place to hang it.

There are a lot more pictures on my flickr site. I got a little carried away trying to get good light. We only have a few good hours in the morning now and I missed it.

I went to a fair trade craft fair at my church today. I got 2 pencil cases for the boys and a great crochet bag as an early Christmas present for me.

(pictures to come...)

Although I had a great time and it's always good to support fair trade and the church, I really wanted to be here at Craftland. I am lucky enough to be driving distance away. Now i just have to talk everyone into the drive and spending hours looking at crafts. I do have plans to go to Bazaar Bizarre thought, can't wait!