Dusting and Displaying My Josefina Aguilar Collection

 I have a very big project this week.  I need to dust and organize all my clay figures before guests arrive this weekend.

 This is my Josefina Aguilar collection.  I focused mainly on Frida Kahlo figurines.  

I love each and every one of them!

 "Josefina Aguilar is a Mexican folk artist from Ocatlan, Oaxaca. She is best known for her small clay figurines, called muñecas, an art form she learned from her mother. Aguilar uses red clay to create depictions of everyday village activities, religious and folkloric scenes, famous figures and special Day of the Dead statues. Collectors of her work include Nelson Rockefeller, who discovered her work on a trip to Oaxaca in 1975 as well as repeat visitors to Oaxaca, who come to see her latest work."(from Wikapedia)

 I have Diego, Frida's hubby in a few of my pieces.

 The colour they add to a room is wonderful!

They'll be in a glass case by the end of the week.  

Safe, protected, lit and ready to be admired!

I Really Am One of Santa's Helpers

Ahh.  The things you learn about a person who blogs.

This is me....a very long time ago.  I had the best part time job on the planet.

For years I tried to figure out how to become an Elf at Toronto's Eaton Centre.  Finally, during my first year as a student at Ryerson I walked over to Eatons (now long gone) and waited until personnel would see me.  I can't tell you how much fun I had!

The cutie in this picture is my cousin Christina.  I was her babysitter.  Can you imagine her surprise to discover I worked for Santa too?  I remember this moment like it was just yesterday.  Christina is now a Mom and I bet she takes her kids for a Santa portrait.

Because I was an Elf I think I will always be an Elf at Christmas.  

I may not get to wear the costume but I know there are many ways to make Christmas special for children.  Good deeds.  Good thoughts.

Have a good day.

Late thought.

I guess I could always apply to be Santa's Wife!  Why didn't I think of that sooner? Next year!!!

Crafty Blogger Links

  Hello Monday!

Craft. You.
This week on Craft. You. we feature craft activist Corrine Bayraktaroglu a.k.a. Jafabrit

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a cool video on how to make moldable foam rubber stamps by Traci Bunkers, recipes for sweet potato pie with sesame praline, baked pestototoes (baked pesto potatoes) and being thankful for a cool spin on zipper design. 

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess attempts to design her own cotton market bag with mixed results. 

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Its that time of year to harvest (or buy) hard shelled gourds for crafting. Here are some ideas to get you started.  

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration marches on with some upcycled holiday greetings inspired by a 1966 Christmas Helps magazine! 

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi shares the sometimes frustrating process of laying out fabrics for a new quilt design.

Sunday Beading Links

Another busy week online is over.  Looking forward to this week's challenge: working with words and working with hemp!

A Bead A Day
If you have "glitter" experience, Lisa and her readers are looking for guidance when it comes to using glitter in jewelry projects.

About.com Jewelry Making
Combine those jewelry techniques - this time with wire and fused glass.  

Art Bead Scene
Gaea's ceramics pair up with Vintaj Brass to create some gorgeous Victorian Christmas jewelry inspiration! 

Beading Arts
Beautiful toggle clasps are meant to be seen, not hidden away! 

Resin Crafts!
This week Carmi shares some useful information about resin and cold temperatures. 

Snap Out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean discovered a very special pendant that expresses the way a person feels in a very special, amazing way! 

 

Feeling Festive!

 This will be the first year in a long time when I can make a few special Christmas cards...just for the joy of making them.  I am not in the One of A Kind show this year and ordinarily I would have made hundreds of cards this month.

 This cute little card uses die cuts from a Crafter's Companion Humphrey decoupage sheet.

I love gluing all the layers in place.  

I know just who this card is for!

Popcorn The Bear - The Good Life Card Set

 Good day to everyone and Happy Thanksgiving if you are reading this post on November 24.  This is another fun card making idea featuring Popcorn the Bear for the Crafters Companion Blog.

These decoupage or 3D sets are part of Popcorn's birthday CD.  The Birthday Collection CD is themed around parties and gift giving, making it perfect for creating charming birthday cards, or cards for any celebration. An excited Popcorn is pictured with balloons and gifts as he prepares for a magical bash with his best friend Souffle.

 And if you go the website right now you'll see that this amazing collection is on sale!

 I selected these two sheets and printed them onto white card stock because it seemed to me that I could have a front and a back of the bear for my special aperture card.

 Here is the 3D bear from the front.

 And here he is in 3D inside the card!

 I made the two other bears from the printed sheets as well!  Here is a birthday card.

And here is one perfect for today.  The Good Life.  

I hope you are having one too!

The Mermaid In The Studio

 I have been wanting a mermaid for a while now.  I found this one in Florida and I love her!  She is the first thing I am hanging in my new studio.

Here are my happy crafty links!

About Family Crafts
Looking for some ways to dress up your Thanksgiving dinner table? Check out these creative ideas.

Aileen’s Musings
Aileen show’s you how to make a Sparkle Berry necklace. It’s a perfect Christmas gift giving project!

Carmi’s Art/Life World
Carmi shares a little post about blogging for other companies.

Craft Buds
Paper-piecing gives you a precise look to your quilt designs, and opens up endless possibilities. Check out the modern paper-pieced “Noel” quilt block tutorial, part of the 12 Days of Christmas Sampler Quilt Along.

Craft. You.
TV Producer and Artist Avelino Pombo shares his recipe for success!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a chance to win a copy of the book Jewelry Lab along with a tutorial on how to make trapped felt and fabric jewelry, how to get started drawing, eye-candy with a good creative quote, and a recipe for slow cooker lasagna.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Come see The Artful Crafter’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade of crafts!

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge finally whips her studio into shape!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi shares some tips for salt printing, sun printing, and playing with intensity on your hand painted fabrics.

Sunday Beading Links

A Bead A Day
Enjoying the creative process can sometimes be more important than the perfect finished product! Lisa finds that out while having fun with glitter!

About.com Jewelry Making
Here are some tips and design ideas for picking the right bracelet for the right person.

Art Bead Scene
Heather offers a free project: a quick and simple nest necklace that uses wire to elegantly frame an art bead

Beading Arts
Bead a continuous loop necklace for a unique eyeglass holder!

Beads & Books
Join Michelle's last beading challenge for 2011 with a winter-themed kit featuring handmade porcelain beads by Chinook Jewelry, Czech glass, pearls, and ribbon!

Resin Crafts!
A brand new resin has been created for jewelers and launched on the Resin Crafts blog this week! 

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews the fabulous book, Sharilyn Miller's Arty Jewelry III! Is Sharilyn great, or what?  

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew muses on the importance of having time to think and "tinker."

Busy For Others!

My little blog is not getting as much attention as it used to.

I have been very busy this fall blogging for companies I love.  

This was a particularly busy week for me as I was thrilled to launch a brand new resin on Resin Crafts Blog and a whole new line of craft wire on The John Bead Blog.  I hope you get a chance to see some of those posts and tutorials.

Resin Crafts Blog linked here.

John Bead Blog linked here.

Crafter's Companion Blog linked here.

An Artist Seeks Support

I just have to share this fundraiser with you.  

If you have a minute to just watch the trailer you'll be so impressed by this illustrators work.

Jewelry Resin Launch!

I am pleased as punch to show you some of my samples using the brand new resin created by Environmental Technology Inc. (ETI) for jewelers!  I made the announcement on Resin Crafts blog today!

Sunday Beading Links

After a few days at the beach I had enough great ideas for a week of posts on Resin Crafts Blog!

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene announces its annual Holiday Ornament Blog Hop!

About.com Jewelry Making
Bravo has a new TV show that uses Project Runway as a template but the designers are making accessories instead of clothing. What are your thoughts about this new show?

Beading Arts
Jewelry designer Tammy Powley shares some of her expertise for creating unique bead strung jewelry!

Beads & Books
Michelle shares upcoming deadlines for beading & jewelry making contests and challenges.

Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Cindy is off her loom this week! Come see her new RAW book!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie mourns the passing of a furry friend by making a pair of special cuff bracelets to honor her memory

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean's famous friend, the Great Margot Potter, has some wonderful news! Read all about it on Jean's blog!

Humphrey's Corner Christmas Collection

 Hello friends! This is my post for the Crafter's Companion blog with a new card featuring the world's cutest elephant!

This is the advance set of rubber images I used for this 3D card.  It appealed to me because I always have bird feeders out for the winter.

 I tested out my new stamps.  What a pleasure it is to use a Crafter's Companion stamp that is already mounted onto thick foam. 

 I have an AccuCut machine.  I used it to cut my 3d card.

 Even though my card could be for any occasion, with Christmas just around the corner I did opt to make my card body festive.

 I used Spectrum Noir pens to colour my image.  We are all raving about these markers!  They work beautifully.

 I glued my 3d card together and added my bird feeder scene.

If you saw this card close up you would notice that I added glitter glue.  Spectrum Noir markers are alcohol-based, acid-free and fast drying, which means they won't bleed.  This is great when you are adding wet glitter glue and no longer need to worry about the colours bleeding.

I'm Teaching At The Craft and Hobby Show In January 2012

Crafting Embellishments with Jewelry Resin and ETI

Sunday, January 29, 2012
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Monday, January 30, 2012
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Difficulty: Intermediate
Supplies Needed: None

Magazines and crafty websites are highlighting resin as the art medium to try. Environmental Technology Inc. (ETI) is the company that created the craft resin market with the release of Envirotex Lite in 1969. We’ll show you how easy it is to create a piece of art that can be worn or used as a paper arts embellishment. We will review techniques for mixing and pouring resin into bezels and bottle caps, which feature papers and other inclusions. Once you learn these techniques for working with resin it will be easy to teach others!

Instructor(s): Carmi Cimicata

Sponsor(s): Environmental Technology Inc.

Link to CHA site is here.

Sunday Beading Links

A Bead A Day
If you like vintage beads, you will LOVE this giveaway! Follow the link over on Lisa's post and enter to win a $100 gift certificate for BEADS! 

About.com Jewelry Making
Make a fall patch of pumpkin beads using polymer clay.

Art Bead Scene
The November Monthly Challenge is announced, revealing a historical painting of a beautiful woman in autumn tones 

Beading Arts
Cyndi is featuring innovative stringing techniques all month on Beading Arts! Come join in the fun :-)

Cindy Gimbrone Beads
This week's Minding the Business is about taking care of you.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean re-reviews a book by Maggie Meister she finds particularly outstanding