I'm testing myself this year with finishing things.  I seem to start a lot of projects but many of them do not get finished.  For instance, the hearts.  I wanted to have an odd number as they look better grouped in that way, however, after two I went on to start a scarf (unfinished) and then this hat.  I loved the yarn so much for this hat and the colors just excite me that I had to finish it.  It only took one day for me to make this, with interuption too.  The pattern has a cowl scarf and fingerless mittens to go with it but I have not started them yet.  (I think I need to finish my other scarf).  But, since this yarn is so yummy I will probably abandon the white scarf all together and do this.  But maybe I should do another heart or three?

The yummy yarn used in this is Berroco Borealis (60% acrylic, 40% wool), and the pattern was by a young lady named Celeste  Young who works at a specialty yarn shop here in Colonie New York called Trumpet Hill.
Their website is here: http://www.trumpethill.com/home.  The pattern is called Button Brim Set, cap, wristlets. cowl.

Of course there are other art projects I have in the works too but they are unfinished as of yet too.  Since the deadline is coming up on them I think I will go tackle them today and then come back to the above forementioned cowl scarf and mittens.

Hope you are enjoying your MLK Holiday and making some art.

Yesterday was a day of celebrating friendships.  Some of my best friends and I got together and made snowpeople out of vintage bottles and these are the results of the two I made. 

It has been a while since I have been with my group of friends and it was very theraputic for me.

It was just a great day with great food and great friends with some fantastic results in making our snowpeople.

Hope you all had a little time to create as I'm going to check out all your blogs now and get some more inspiration.

Today I will be going to my brother's house whom I have not seen in two years for a Christmas Party for the family.  We usually each give some small trinket for presents, nothing expensive but a gesture of love and so I made these snowman mixed media collages for each of my siblings.  I hope they like them.

This will be my first Christmas without  my Gary here and I'm trying to keep it together and enjoy the holiday as much as possible since it is my favorite.  I like to think he is here with me in spirit even though he never wanted to partake in any of the "decorating" for the season.  He always enjoyed it when it was done though.

A guy thing I think.

I feel a sense that my art is going to be big this year as I find myself getting back to wanting to do more and more and my blogging friends that I follow have truly inspired me to work on projects by posting their creations.  When I go to your blogs I say "Wow" all the time and just wish I was that creative, and so now you have all inspired me to "be" just that. 

Thank you all for that.  It's the best gift I could get this year.  Merry Christmas straight from my heart.

I painted this tree for an 89 year old man in a nursing home as I go to visit a few times a week and he didn't have any decorations in his room at all.  His only other visitor is his daughter but she was away on holiday for a week.  As with most older people there are so few things they need, that it's hard to know what to do for them at the holiday.  And so this tree was created and I put it on poster board and hung it in his room.  He was very pleased with it. 

Already, since I've been doing more and more art, I am feeling like the new year is going to be a great one for me.  So many things I hope to accomplish, and getting back into the art circle is one of them.

Hope you enjoy the holidays and are looking forward to the new year as well.

This is my 2010 Christmas card that I am still working on.  The picture doesn't quite show the sparkle in the embossed snowflakes or the shine of the gold embossed letters.  It was very time consuming between the PostCard Stamp on the back side, then the embossing of the snowflakes on the paper and the letters and the stamping of the bird and cutting it out and then the edges done with gold paint pen.  That doesn't even include sitting and addressing them.  Plus I still have to write the sentiment on the back side which is  poem I found and fits my mood this year.

The poem is this:

O time, that like a skillful painter stands

Before the empty easel of the year,

Call forth thereon some scene of wonderous beauty,

Paint a fair picture for my friend so dear.

Blend with the brilliant tints of joy and pleasures

Hope's fairy sunlight, falling from above.

Or, should some shadow fall athwart the canvas,

Brighten them with golden gleams of love.

I hope  you all have a wonderous holiday season  with a new year full of Creativity and Love.