Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments!
As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner. This week’s winner is Kim at Imaginina! Congratulations! Please send your postal address to the ABS Suggestion Box to receive Cindy’s Circles Pendant.
Good Saturday to you! It’s once again my Studio Saturday and I am going to give you a sneak peek into what’s going on in my studio. It’s that time of the year where there is a lot of going on, that’s for sure. I have been getting ready for some holiday sales and open houses, so things are scattered everywhere. The studio is not as clean as it has been in the past. But I think if your studio’s messy that’s a good sign because it means you’re busy, right? Well at least that’s what I tell myself to feel better.
Okay, so on to what I have been working on….Ornaments and decorations. It’s that time of the year when the grocery stores start stocking there holiday magazines. I have to admit I am a sucker for the 101 cookie recipes, new wrapping ideas. and decorating tips. So I have been buying them and reading them in the evenings. I was reading Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion and saw Amy Butler’s house all decorated for the holidays. It looked so great and looked so much like her. It really got to thinking about how I would like to decorate our house. Until recently, we were always away for the holidays, last year was my first year at home for Christmas. It was my big chance to decorate. I did make some wreathes and some swags but I think I just need to add a little each year. So I have some ideas I am working on to help with the decorating.
I have been making lots of ornaments. These shown above are what I am making for galleries and my Etsy store. I really like the silver wire curl at the top, it’s also really good for grabbing a hold of the tree. I have also been putting some new ornaments together, also. Here are some more photos of ornaments that I have made.
That has the tree covered, now onto the mantle…I have some stockings in the works for it. We have our traditional Santa stockings but I would like something a little more like me for the other days of the season. I have also been stringing garlands out of my glass bead mixes, I think these would be cute strung across it.
Cookies… there’s another thing, I am excited about. Here are last years cookies. I have lofty goal of the boys and I building a gingerbread house his year. So many things and so little time, it’s already mid November,when is it all going to get done?
So for my question of the week, I would like to know about what kind of Crafty Holiday Traditions you have. Do you incorporate beads into your Holiday Decorations? If so, how do you do it?I would love to hear. If you’re the winner I will send you some Holiday Beads to make your own ornaments from.
Happy Holidays!
Jennifer
g in tucson
November 15, 2008 at 3:57 pmI am going to make some bead ornaments! You are an inspiration. Since I got your book, I have scoured the world for cookie cutters to make my beads (and cookies)!!!
Thanks for the inspiration!
g in Tucson
Vikki Czech
November 15, 2008 at 4:10 pmI LOVE the studio! How fun it must be to get to create there – I would imagine just walking in there is inspiring!
Thanks for all you do! =)
Gail W.
November 15, 2008 at 4:29 pmYes,I use beads whenever I can,Christmas is wonderful time.They Are on & inside of my candles(homemade).The animals get new Christmas bead collars & the bird has swags of beads around his cage.I hang angel beads every where.I put beads anywhere I can,hanging from the window sills,on old wreath that I was gonna toss got a new life last Christmas,I glued strings of beads on it,ornaments that are broken-then my new life wreath decorates the mailbox.I just love to try to get a new idea,hoping one of ya'll have something new.I just recently moved to s.c. and found that there's no such thing as too much.And I like that this time of year!
Rachel @ REvangeline Designs
November 15, 2008 at 5:35 pmLove your ornaments! We make shrinky dink necklaces for teachers using SHRINKY DINKS HOLIDAY FUN KIT by Creativity For Kids @ http://www.shrinkydinks.com, add a glass bead or a Swarovski crystal dangle, and through it on a ball chain.
The boys love it!
Happy Holidays!
Summer
November 15, 2008 at 7:10 pmThat Snowman Love ornament is the best!
For Christmas every year, my boys and I make popcorn strings for the tree, cards for close family members, and all sorts of kids crafty ornaments for family. The best part for my older son is that he gets to use my equipment to make Sculpley candy canes! Cranking the pasta machine, rolling, shaping, baking… it makes him feel so grown up.
I of course make all sorts of beady wonderfullness for presents and some home decorations, but what really stands out is what I do with the kids in my studio. It’s way more fun than hanging out in mall lines:)
Fab Fibers
November 15, 2008 at 11:46 pmThe one thing I really enjoy doing is making my own Christmas cards, I love doing that, and even my Husband helps. My tree is full of all my treasures that I collected over the years, I have some ornaments from my neice Heather (Humblesbeads) and her mother Bev (NoeEasyBeads) used to crochet and she made me the coolest birds and ponies. The birds are my all time favorite and I pack them away carefully every year. I’m the Christmas Kook here, the kids are gone and I’m the one with the most spirit at my house. So Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Debrasdezinez
November 16, 2008 at 8:11 pmLove your work and really LOVE your studio!! I will be busy making present for my girlfriends and inbetween I will be busy with the different charities my company is involved with . This year we are helping at the Salvation Armys Kitchen with Thanksgiving and then I will join friends for our own Thanks giving dinner. This is truly the season for giving espescially those unfortunate than others so its a very special time to give of myself so others may have a good Thanksgiving. May you have a Blessed Thanksgiving! Keep up the great work ! I think your beads are so whimsical!
JenniferJangles
November 17, 2008 at 2:09 pmGail,
Wow I think you tak ethe prize for most beads in you Holiday decorating. I love the idea of a new dog necklace.
JenniferJangles
November 17, 2008 at 2:10 pmG in Tucson,
I am a sucker for the cooking stores too. You can find so many fun gadgets and cutters for clay. Have you made any of your own cutters? I make most of mine these days. It’s fun and the sky’s the limit!
Jennifer
JenniferJangles
November 17, 2008 at 2:12 pmYou guys have som many great ideas and traditions. They are really great! I might have to do another post on crafty traditions….I will keep you guys posted.
Thanks for all of the great comments.
Jennifer
Kiwiken
November 18, 2008 at 6:35 pmAdorable! I had just been to the local cooking store to buy some cutters before I saw this – now I went right back to get that snowflake I refrained from buying yesterday, because it was a little big for a pendant *g*
I should definitely make some ornaments for our tree this year – I never get into the right spirit before I start my Holiday crafts. Usually I made gift tags of all kinds of leftovers and attached them with beaded cords. Each year I made more new ones than I used… so I still have supplies, I guess – and I kind of stopped making them a few years ago, because my boyfriend doesn’t look at the packaging anyway *sigh*
I also have to get two necklaces done and draw some Exlibris, so I have presents…
Carlene
November 18, 2008 at 10:37 pmEvery year I make wreaths from evergreens in our yard. And I always like to include some kind of handmade ornament. Either to dangle in the middle of the wreath or to attach to it. And yes, you guessed it, beads are always an ingredient. It makes the wreaths sparkly and then when they are ready to retire, there is still a ornament that can be used next year on another wreath or somewhere else.
Steve Rodli
November 19, 2008 at 8:47 amAt this point in time I really don’t have any traditions to speak of, I’ve always tried to carry on the tradition my Mom had of putting our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving evening -in the nearly 29 years of marriage I think that has happen 3 times, maybe this year(we’ll be in the Portland area for most of the day), so we’ll see? Do I decorate with beads during Christmas, not so much…in 2006 i had to come up with a totally cheap way of giving little handmade gifts so I went over to the Dollar Store and bought paper clips that I un-bent and went through my beads and created ‘ice sickles”.During the rest of the year I’d say yes. I have an old Christmas tree ( took the bottom branches out doors and used as ground cover to keep the weeds away), that I call my whatever tree that has evovled into a muse for me -a few months ago I wrapped an old rose garland that my Mom sent to me, some of my necklaces and breaclets make the tree when I’m not wearing them, if I’ve lost an earring the one remaining will often go there until it becomes part of my art…I just bought some pink velvet Poinsettias and now as I’m writing this comment -I’m thinking of getting some pink crepe paper out and look through my beads and floss and see what I see. Last Chritmas I participated in Rebecca Sower’s Homespun and Handcrated from the home series and(some with beads), and they are all still hanging out where I can see them. One of the things I put together was(this fit a small tree), gold wired ribbon and clear wrap with a white “kids” bead ever-so-often -the clear wrap picked up the glitter from the ribbon(no lites,it might melt). One year I used a beige ruffle trim as garland…I could take that out and glue or sew some beads and maybe buttons to it for something different? OKAY, ALREADY!! My thinking cap is on lol. Happy happies. Joyce
JenniferJangles
November 19, 2008 at 5:00 pmJoyce,
Glad I get get you thinking! I love the idea of beaded icicles. I have some snowflake forms I was going ot make but maybe we will do some straing ones too.
Jennifer