Ornament Swap Blog Hop

Today is the reveal for Sally's Second Annual Ornament Swap Blog Hop.  I enjoyed the first one so much that I just had to sign up for this one as well.  My partner is Bette Brody, who makes jewelry, handcrafted books, mixed media, and she loves paper. 

This is the ornament I received from Bette.  I wish I would have taken a photo of the package because she completely decorated the outside of the mailer.  I'm sure the postal service enjoyed it as much as I did.

The front side

and the back side

Also tucked in with the ornament was this darling handmade glass heart.

I had two designs in mind for this challenge.  I couldn't decide which to send to Bette, so I sent both.  The first one was inspired by one of my favorite Christmas Hymns 'In The Bleak Midwinter', a Christmas carol based on a poem by English poet Christina Rossetti written before 1872.  It was set to music many times, but the most famous setting being composed by Gustav Holst in the early 20th Century, and written for the English Hymnal of 1906.

The second ornament was inspired by my favorite childhood Christmas made for TV story 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' by Dr Seuss in 1966. I love the whimsical characters of Whooville, the wonderful colors, and of course the message it shares of what Christmas is really about.

A big thanks to Sally for hosting this wonderful blog hop!  Please visit the other participants listed below.

Sally Russick

Lesley Watt

 Jenny Davies-Reazor

 

Therese Frank 

Andrew Thorton

Jeanette Blix Ryan

Maryanne Gross

Rebecca Anderson

Melissa Meman

Veralynne Malone

Miranda Ackerley

 Jen Cameron

Sandi Volpe

Susan Kennedy

Kristen Stevens

Shirley Moore 

 Cooky Schock

D. Lynne Bowland 

Tiffany Smith

Patti Vanderbloemen 

Pam Ferrari

Kim Hora

Christine Altmiller

Alice Peterson

Bette Brody

Julie Anne Leggett

Lola Surwillo

Kathleen Lange Klik

Erin Prais Hintz

Mowse Doyle

Kristi Jaro

Ornament Swap/Blog Hop

I am so blessed to live in a rural area where the sky is not obstructed by tall buildings or smog. On a clear cold winter night I can see the stars twinkling above, like diamonds scattered about on a velvet gown. And just above the tree line, the Milky Way spreads her jewels across the sky as far as I can see. The faint glow of city lights is just bright enough to illuminate the sky, while down below, the inky darkness settles in around me like a luxurious cloak. It’s as if the earth and sky meet together for an evening soiree, and I am lucky to have been invited.

As I was thinking about this wondrous winter display, I realised this was the perfect inspiration for the ornament. I started out with a vintage rhinestone brooch from Gracie’s Jewelry Box. The sparkly brooch brings to mind the beautiful stars overhead.



At the bottom of the ornament is a pendant made up of lampwork beads from Grey Feather Studio. The dark colors remind me of those cold winter evenings, and a touch of green conjures up the heavenly scent of the pine trees that line our drive. Connecting the two components it a Swarovski Crystal Roundell and two Crystal Titan bicones.



I had a difficult time with the hanger. I wanted something that could be taken off so Erin could detach the vintage brooch to wear if she chose. At first I used ribbon, but it just didn’t look right with the sparkly rhinestones. I ended up using the new silver filled wire, which is brand new at Artbeads.



'After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen rose and went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.'



And now for the beautiful ornament I received from Erin; a gorgeous nutcracker pendant with sweet jewel berries, and a pretty ribbon. Please visit Erin’s blog where you’ll find her inspiration for making this ornament.




Thank you, Erin, for the sweet ornament. Each time I see it I'll be thinking of you. Thanks also to Sally Russick for organizing this swap/blog hop! I had so much fun with this, and it took me a bit out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing. Please check out the links below to see what the other participants created.

Erin Prais-Hintz and Alice Peterson that's me
Sally Russick and Kim Hora
Susan Kennedy and Kathleen Lange Klik
Patty Gasparino and Cindy Wimmer
Hope Smitherman and Melissa Meman
Jennifer L. Justman and Sandi Volpe
Jenny Davies-Reazor and Christine Altimiller
Rebecca Anderson and Jen Velasquez
Jeanette Blix Ryan and Tamara SoperHolly Westfall and Mallory Hoffman

Catching Up

Wow I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post. I’ve been so busy that I nearly meet myself coming and going. So here’s what I’ve been up to: organizing the annual Christmas Home Tour for our city, helping organize the Christmas Program at our church, attending a few school functions, writing long-overdue thank you notes, trying to figure out ways to promote my business, attempting to clean of my end of the kitchen island where I tend to stack papers (the other half belongs to my husband—the island has really become a dumping ground for important papers), and the usual laundry, bills, dishes, bookkeeping,

and this…….

Erin Prais-Hintz is hosting a Challenge of Color Blog Hop using color palettes from Jessica Colaluca of Design Seeds. The palette Erin chose for me is Island Play (after my request to stay with blues). It’s a lovely palette, but so far I’ve only had time to pull out some beads I thought matched the palette. Hopefully I can come up with a design before the contest ends. There are 52 participants. Be sure to check back on the 30th to see what everyone has created.




and this……

Getting ready for my youngest daughter’s birthday. Sarah turns 15 today, and my how the time has flown! This photo (actually a photo of a photo) was taken when she was almost two years old. She’s grown to be a beautiful, intelligent, kind, thoughtful, artistic, athletic young woman. I know she will do amazing things.



and this…..

I’m also participating in Sally Russick’s Ornament Swap/Blog Hop. I can’t show you what I’m working on as it is supposed to be a surprise for my partner, Erin Prais-Hintz. But I can tell you it will be sparkly. Stay tuned for the blog hop on December 17th. This is the first time I’ve participated in a handmade ornament swap, and I’m excited to see what everyone makes!



And last, but not least, I’ve been the lucky winner of a few blog giveaways, and would like to share them here with you---something I should have done weeks ago (my apologies to the artists).

From the talented lampwork glass artist Jane Perla, is a lovely ruffled flower and two green leaves. Check out Jane’s etsy site to see her wonderful offerings. I guarantee you will be drooling.



And from artist Shannon Levart who does wonderful things with metal and patina, this beautiful pile of shiny copper goodness.


photo from misficlkemedia's blog

And from Patty Gasparino, this very lovely bracelet customized just for me. Check out her sweet etsy shop where you’ll find more of her delightful creations.



And if you've stayed with me during this long post, I commend you. I hope to find a rhythm in posting here on the blog, but I'm not making any promises.

Tomorrow, count your blessings, and smile at someone--it just might turn their day around.