November, Already?!?

I did try posting a couple of weeks ago, but The Mister had tinkered with the firewall and it was not allowing me to post. I totally get that the internet is not the safest place to be walking around at night, but I still need to give my pictures to blogger!!

He fixed it, or because it is 10 am on a Saturday, I am allowed out to visit my friends.

HI, FRIENDS!! Anyway, this is what my Anniversary gift looked like. I think it ended up with 5 blooms. Quite lovely. I have a good Mister. He cannot bear to buy me cut flowers anymore. He plants bulbs and annuals in the yard for me... so that I can cut them. The *expletive deleted* chipmunks ate the oriental lily bulbs that he planted last fall and the deer chomped the ones that they missed. I only had 2 that they somehow missed.

That was a tangent.

Anyway, we had amarylis in our yard in Long Beach, CA that bloomed at Christmastime. All colors and stripes (always a good idea to buy the home of a good gardener.) It was quite beautiful in December.

Anyway.

In the month of October, the wool fumes were still making me nauseous, and I became enamoured with other craftiness. Coupled with co-chairing the parish craft fair and these little jems being a "make and take" project, I fell down on the snowman ornaments. My favourite is the regular old coal eyes and mouth with a carrot nose, but the wink amuses me, too.

INBA wanted one that was surprised.

And a dog, of course.

These are super simple and too much fun. I have to close my eyes and walk quickly past the ornament aisle at Michaels, now. I made a dozen. I would like to make more. But if you make some and post the pictures on your blog, then I can have a fix and we will both be happy... Great Idea!!

All you have to do is get some ornaments. I used the flattened ones, but it would work with the regular round ones, too.

Then get some Buffalo Snow. I bought the all irridescent pack, I like sparkles.

Then get some Squiggles fabric paint. They have wonderful points for writing. I used Black and Orange. Again, irridescent, I like sparkles.

First, I drew on the faces with the paint.

If you make a mistake, you can wipe it right off. Try not to do too thick, it takes a lot longer to dry.

Set them aside to dry, overnight and you don't risk smudging.

Second, remove the top of the ornament. While holding over a bowl, stuff pinches of snow into the ornament. It goes everywhere, there is a lot of static involved. I have a wide, shallow plastic bowl that I bought at the dollar store. The bowl caught most all of it. It is super useful in the craft room. I also have one in the kitchen that is great for everything from popcorn to holding the halloween candy. A buck, people. Another tangent, sorry.

Second, part two, fill the ornament one third to one half full. The snow sticks to the inside of the ornament and it only takes a little to make you think snowman. Put the little top back on the ornament.

Third, cut a lenght of 1/4 inch ribbon to be your tie.

Super easy, highly addictive, great little gift for the holidays.

And then there is paint.

These beauties are the round ornaments with 3 colors of acrylic paint dripped in and swirled around. Include a mettalic if you do them.

Blue, white and gold, above.

Red, white and silver, on the left.

I only did the six pack of these guys. You must be patient while swirling the paint around. And, if you use too much it takes weeks for them to dry- there gets to be a puddle in the bottom.

And I haven't even told you about the cute shark pj pants I made for INBA or that I am knitting again!