Happy New Year's Eve ...

 

Happy New Year

xo

Merry Christmas ♥

 

May the Glow of Christmas

the Spirit of Christmas

and the Magic of Christmas

fill your heart

all year long

~*~

 

Have a very Merry Christmas

xo

deb & archer

 

A Vintage Christmas ♥ Comfort & Joy # 5 ...

brown paper packages

tied up with string ...

my very favourite wrapping!

add a few sprigs of greenery

from your Christmas tree

or found on walks

a couple of pine cones

a handmade tag

attach a few little embellishments

like bells, ribbon, candy canes ...

for lovely Woodland themed wrapping paper

~♥~

A Vintage Christmas ♥ Comfort & Joy #4 ...

A little bit of felt

some embroidery floss

and a sweet little star covered box

& you have the perfect little, last minute, handmade gift.

 

Sandwich two pieces of felt together and embroider tiny little stars all over to create 2 blankets...

create a pillow just big enough for a mouse to rest his head and add a bit of embroidery.  Tuck mouse into the blankets ♥

~*~sweet dreams little one ~*~

*this is a great little "early Christmas gift" ... read Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring , not even a mouse ~ a little incentive to help your little ones settle into bed Christmas Eve* 

I absolutely love my Epson label maker ... it has come in handy for so many things!

I've made address labels, and card stickers, printed them out for gift jars and added them to handmade ornaments...

You can choose decorative frames, change the font, add symbols and images ... so I'm always experimenting.  For the top of the star box I printed out a sweet sentiment ♥ and for the inside, just above the pillow printed Sweet Dreams xo

 

I wish you a tea

and jammies

kind of day

~Jonathan Lockwood Huie~

 

A Vintage Christmas ♥ Comfort & Joy #3 ...

 If I ever need a little inspiration, I need look no further than outside.

Woodland Walks with Archer are wonderful for clearing heads and filling pockets :-)

On one such walk, I came across lots of bark pieces.  Each one was unique.

A few pretty twigs and an idea was born!

These little wooden frames can be picked up at the Dollar store.

Lay bark strips across wooden frame to fit.

They cut easily with scissors, but I like the bark to overlap the edges of the frame slightly.

Adhere with hot glue.

Embellish the front with twigs and Acorn caps.

Find a small image to frame {3.7 " x 3.7"}

I painted a few little watercolour birds.

A sweet little gift for your Nature loving friends ♥

I am on Instagram now.

Follow me for photos celebrating  "the lovely~ness of daily~ness" ... Art, Home, Sparrow Studio & more ♥

http://instagram.com/vintagesparrowstudio

 

 

A Vintage Christmas ♥ Comfort & Joy #2 ...

Lots and Lots and Lots

of Acorns were gathered this past Autumn from walks in the woods

and the squirrels in our garden had a lovely feast

as we put out handfuls on a daily basis from our stash.

I kept a bowl of acorns out through Thanksgiving and Halloween

as a seasonal decoration knowing that I would be using some for Christmas craft ideas.

Making Acorn ornaments was one idea ...a keepsake from all our fun walks ♥

~*~

To make an Acorn ball you will need:

 

~*~ Material ~*~

A good amount of Acorns

{don't worry if they are missing caps or if you have left over caps ... you will find a spot for all}

Styrofoam ball - 2.5"

Sprig of artificial berries

Wire clips to cut the berries

hot glue/ hot glue gun

twine for hanging

kraft tag

white ink pen

~*~ Technique ~*~

Start by making a small hole in the top of styrofoam ball.

Cut a length of twine to create a hanging loop and knot.

Place knot in hole and adhere with hot glue.

Now you can begin adding your Acorns.

Add a generous amount of hot glue to each acorn and press firmly.

Go around the entire ball adding acorns. Don't worry about gaps as you will go back and fill them all in later.

Set aside the "unique" Acorns to add in a visible spot on the ball.

We found a few with twigs attached to the cap that helped create the wonderful rustic look.

Once you have gone along the entire Styrofoam ball, look for spaces that need filling.  Add some additional "caps" and snip a few sprigs of berries and poke through the bare spaces.

Attach a little Acorn cap to a Kraft tag, and with a white ink pen, write a sweet Merry Christmas sentiment ♥

When the oak is felled

the whole forest echoes with its fall,

but a hundred acorns are sown in silence

by an unnoticed breeze

~Thomas Carlyle~

A Vintage Christmas ♥ Comfort & Joy ...

"Dress Up Your Hang-Ups"

{because I believe in dressing ~up}

There's nothing like looking in your closet and finding it not only neat and tidy, but esthetically pleasing as well.  For most of us however,  even if our closets are neatly organized, they  are compiled of mismatched hangers of various colours, sizes and materials.  Plastic hangers with clips for pants, while being practical, are not the prettiest things to look at!

During the holidays, our hall closet gets a good clear out so there is plenty of room for guests coats.  A few years ago, I got creative with some hangers and decided to put these in our hall closet just for the holidays.

A simple way to  "Dress Up Your Hang Ups" is to make a little coat hanger slip.  Embellish any way you like.   Not only pretty, but practical as well as the fabric helps keep your clothes from falling off the hanger.

To create your own coat hanger slips, you will need the following:

~*~Material~*~

fabric of your choice

felt for lining (optional)

ribbon

buttons/pearls/assortment of embellishments

tulle

lace

sewing machine

~*~Technique~*~

Using your coat hanger as your guide, trace around the shape allowing a 1/4" seam allowance all around.

Cut out and using a sewing machine, stitch along 2 sides leaving a space in the center for the hook to poke through.

Snip along the bends stopping just short of the stitching line.

Embellish any way you like adding ribbons, buttons, lace, rosettes and/or tulle.

 

~*~Tip~*~

You could make 5 hanger slips and stamp on a tag to attach to hanger ~ Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday ...organizing your week's wardrobe at a glance, or create hanger slips adding a tag for "special outfits" with the event they were worn at  Ex: New Year's Eve Dance.

*you will find all of last year's A Vintage Christmas ♥ Comfort & Joy ideas on my sidebar*

We are expecting a big snow fall this evening ... I am cozied up in Sparrow's Studio finishing off some Christmas presents.  My craft table is covered with acorns, pinecones, tree bark and twine ... time to make a fresh mug of tea and continue ♥

~have a wonderful evening~

d

xo

Home for the Holidays ...

While getting the Christmas decorations out of storage

I had a look in a tub of my son's old toys. 

Brought a few upstairs  to hold a tree or two ... or more

My favourite Advent calendar

Woodland tree ornaments

a few stars here and there

lots of garlands

and of course ... out come all the Nutcrackers.

twinkle lights cover the window boxes and urns

the fence garland and arbour

wreaths and trees

and pergola

None light up the house like this sweetheart all dressed in red.

He sat in the tree just outside the kitchen window.

 

Lots of new Christmas items in my shop if you are still looking for

something different ...

I've made a few Christmas tag sets

~*~Hello Sparrow~*~

~*~ Winter Wishes~*~

~*~ Winter Waltz~*~

Each set consists of 5 tags approximately 5" x 3.5"

mini art prints of my originals

the backs are a lovely Christmas red cardstock

and the left hand corner has been set with a little eyelet

Each tag has a Sparrow brown and white twisted twine hanger.

 

From now until December 15th

as my gift for the Holidays

I am including a free print

with every PRINT order.

It will be a "Mystery" print I've chosen specially

sent with much gratitude for all the lovely support & emails received.

♥

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

 The snow has been falling, then melting and falling again ...

Our garden has been filled with birds and squirrels and Beau Bunny who makes daily visits ♥

The (acrobatic)  squirrels have managed to get to all the feeders and suet baskets and made quite a mess ... hubby has put the wheel barrow underneath one of the feeding stations and it's helped a bit ... now the squirrels can sit comfortably while eating all the fallen seed :-) 

I have an article and stitchery project in the newest Sew Somerset Winter 2015 issue.

"Sharing & Wearing my HeART" is a little fabric business card holder created using my Peaceful Thoughts print.

I find so many discarded books at Church rummage sales and garage sales.  They often have pages torn and missing and  scribbles inside, perfect for putting to one side to use in mixed media art.  After painting this Angel print, I went through a few books looking for the perfect words to add & created a little Thankful for quote ♥

 

THANKFUL FOR ...

love and laughter

kindness

for joys of morning, night and noon,

twilight, music

the ordinary

daily things I do each day

for these gifts

I find

carry us along

navigating

a kindred life

from day to day

of joy.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends celebrating today xo

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

This is the snowy view from my kitchen window last night.

Twinkle lights surround all four windows and

 on our kitchen table tiny bees wax votive candles flicker.

I love this time of year ... dinner by candle light, snow falling lightly.

~*~ magical ~*~

I have just finished a little Woodland Walks Christmas ornament collection.

The set includes 6 felt ornaments :

sparrow :: rabbit :: fox :: owl:: toadstool:: woodland walks heart as well as

a "Sweet as Chocolate" card

 & an inspirational tag

For your Christmas tree as an ornament,

added to swags across your fireplace or staircase,

tucked into a wreath,

added to the  top of a present

... you could even add a small pin to the back and attach to your coat to wear on your own Woodland Walk.

felt, fabric and stamps

create the Woodland Walks heart

I've included lots of little "extras" so the collection can be split up

you could for instance ...

keep a few ornaments for yourself

and attach the little tag to another as a gift ...

Tuck another in the "Sweet as Chocolate" card.

{cards are in the latest Green Craft magazine}

these cards are the ideal little vessel for ornaments ~

always love slipping an unexpected pressie into a card ♥

attach a pin (included) to the back of another to add to your coat ...

a heart just has to be added ...

my "unconditional love"

message

You can find the Woodland Walks set at my Etsy shop

listed this morning.

{EDIT: Woodland Walks set is sold & going to a lovely home ♥}

So many things to be Thankful for ...

yesterday as I was finishing up the Woodland Walks set, I received a beautiful email .

In fact, I asked in my reply if I could post a bit of it, to which she generously said yes.

 

"Hi Deb,  I think your card up-cycle is completely brilliant, original, edgy and for me addictive.

I think it is my favourite project, by far, in the latest Green Craft for all of the above reasons ...

...I am an avid card-maker and I think your design is brilliant.

Thanks for submitting your idea to the magazine otherwise I wouldn't be as happy and excited as I am about trying your design!

... All my best.

 Keep creating.

 Frances"

 

How lovely for someone to take the time to write such a kind note.  We are all so busy and time is so precious, which makes finding notes like this ... well...precious!

So much of my time is spent in my Sparrow Studio, thinking up designs and creating and to receive lovely feedback to tell me they are inspired by something I designed really made my day.  Thank you so much Frances ♥

***

As we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people

permission to do the same.

As we are liberated

from our own fear,

our presence

actually liberates others

~Marianne Williamson~