pamgarrison

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pretty

1. Untitled, 2. crunch some numbers, 3. Hot-air balloons, 4. Balloons, 5. birdcage no.4, 6. you are my sunshine, 7. @home vintage general, 8. vanessa valencia office 19, 9. paint., 10. pumpkins, 11. Untitled, 12. lots and lots of burlap, 13. Colores, 14. Untitled, 15. X, 16. DSC_0037, 17. some 'whatnot tree' glee..., 18. Ishbel blocking, 19. poinsetta ornament, 20. sweet potato, homemade yogurt and hazelnut cakes, 21. vol 25, 22. Untitled, 23. Vintage chocolate., 24. Untitled, 25. snowflakes, 26. peter and xander, 27. Rain, 28. boppy cover, 29. Dorie, 30. office chair redo

problem solving

Surely inspired by dottie angel, I made a snowflake curtain to cover the window behind our tree. It creates a lovely backdrop and I feel oh-so-clever for putting it all together. We have a wall of windows in our living room that are still in need of window coverings. (I just can't figure out what to do in that room, but that's a problem for another day.) The windows let in beautiful light for most of the day, and therein lies the problem for our Christmas tree. It can't take such direct heat and light. See what I mean?

So I grabbed a really old and destroyed tablecloth that I was saving to make big lapkins out of. Um, not sure what happened here, but it looks like it's been through a lot. There's a large tear as well as the burn.

 

Since doilies are having such a moment in the craft world, I too have caught the fever and been gathering a few. The rest are from JoAnn's Fabrics and were $1.00-$3.00. With those and a few upholstery tacks, it looks like we'll have our own version of a white Christmas.

Now for the yucky part: off to put the lights on. Not sure how or when that became my job, it didn't start out that way. But I want to have the tree ready for a family trimming  tonight, and that makes it worth it!

jenny's new adventure

Last night a few of us got together to hear all about and celebrate Jenny Doh's leap into a brand new adventure. It's a big change, as she's been at the helm of so many Somerset publications for 6 years, but a leap she had to take to follow her heart and make a big difference in the lives of many. (I know, I know, she will be sorely missed, but she promises to transition and train her replacement so all readers will be just fine.) Her new adventure is called Crescendoh, who's subtitle says it all: creative passion, authentic community, focused compassion. I have had many lengthy discussions with Jenny about her yearning to combine her masters degree in and passion for social work with her passion for art and artists and the stories that combine the two. I am excited to participate when things get rolling. It's going to be so rewarding to see the lives that Art-Saves (the motto of Crescendoh). Hope you'll check it out and help me cheer her on. Above is a little present I gave her to celebrate her newly planted seed. And here we are on our walk back to the car last night with Amy.

 

I found this window display sign fitting for her news and the season both:

 

We couldn't help but admire the endlessly creative and inspiring Anthropologie window either:

 

Congratulations Jenny, your future looks very shiny and bright, just like the last alley we walked down while saying our goodbyes:

 

Best wishes for much success in the future!

mail art love

Wouldn't you be giddy if you opened your mailbox and saw this waiting for you? I sure was. And this is just the back of the envelope, here's the front:

I don't think I've ever seen a more exciting and unique piece of mail. Thanks go to this super talented whip smart wonder for re-inspiring me to play play play, even on envelopes going in the mail!  She's got a uber cool online class going on right now too. The teaser video alone has my fingers itching to go. Ever since Teesha's online journaling videos, I'm addicted to them. Mary Ann's are just the medicine I need. Off to enjoy more inspiration, with gratitude.

december comes in with a flurry every year

Every year, my daughter's December 1st birthday sneaks up on me. Just as Thanksgiving ends, the bustle of the holidays begins and catches me by surprise. I laugh at myself, because her birthday is December 1 every year; you'd think I'd figure out how to be ready. There's always next year...

Last night we had a family dinner party to celebrate with family friends. She's a junior now and it breaks my heart. So big. So independent. Such a lovely young lady. I am a lucky mama, for sure!

Now to start those invitations for her celebration with friends. This year she's having a small dinner at home with her girlfriends. I'm feeling off balance already and I just finished last night's clean up! It's part of the fun though, isn't it?

 

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season, weather it feels like a flurry or the calm after a snowstorm; because ready or not, it's upon us! xo

another advent calendar

Amy is the guest artist on Teresa's Holiday ezine and she was in need of a guinea pig to work out some of her ideas. Always happy to be an art guinea pig! Always love stitching on paper too. Not usually a big user of red, but loving it the way Amy's project mixed it with cream and black for this holiday. See Amy's blog for more hint photos.

the countdown begins

A few years ago, Amy and I bought these advent boxes with plans to alter them. After being a work in progress for a loooonng time, I have finally finished up mine and am putting it into use today! It started out as an advent calendar box from Target, similar to this one. Every year they seem to sell some version of the same. I then covered it with paper and labels and scraps. Pretty simple really, not sure why it took me so long. 

 

Now for the really fun part: finding/making/putting treats inside to be discovered day by day. 'Tis the season!

looking ahead

And just like that, fall is officially over and if feels like we are rounding the corner on another season. Which, of course, leads me to think about what's coming up in the future, both near and far. A little bit ago, I decided to try to travel less, which means applying to and accepting less teaching jobs. I have only one more committed travel-to teaching event for the entire next year actually: Donna Downey's Inspired Artist Workshop. 

As I work on my class offering for that event, I thought I'd ask you, those that might be attending or wish you were, what your wishes might be for class content. I'd like it to have a journaling emphasis, playing with all different sorts of materials and mediums, but I'm open to hearing other ideas as well. So for those of you coming to play with me and coming to get inspired, what would you like out of the class? Let me know!

hope you had a happy thanks

As I continue the clean up and put away, I wanted to stop and say thank you to you: friends I know, and friends I don't, lurkers and commenters, regular visitors and first timers. I am grateful for all this blog has brought to me and that includes you. With many thanks and good wishes, xox, pam