Candy cane reindeer tutorial

I love tutorials! I've never done one but thought I'd share this, even though it's a bit late in the year for Christmas tutorial. So here's a pic of what we'll be making. (The reindeer, understand, not the others he's surrounded by. They're there for color.)

First, our cast of characters (okay, I swiped--no, borrowed!--that description from Betasseled's tassel tutorial, which you can find here: http://betasseled.blogspot.com/2008/08/tassel-tutorial.html It's really informative.)

Now, my cast of characters: We start with the candy cane, which we leave wrapped. Children like to eat 'em, with no respect for our creativity. Next comes a 1" pom pom and small craft eyes (both can be found at a craft store). Last up is a red pipe cleaner. For tools we'll use our trusty glue gun, tweezers, and a hair dryer (not shown).
First, bend the pipe cleaner onto the top of the candy cane so that each end is even. Add a dab of glue between the two pipe cleaner stems, and fold the pipe cleaner over, squishing the fold into the glue. (Don't worry about errant strands of hot glue. We'll use the blow dryer to clean those up when we're all done.)

Now bend the tips of the pipe cleaner up on each side, about an inch.

Next glue on the two eyes, just below the bend of the candy cane. (For this, I use tweezers, picking up the eyes in the direction I'll be afixing them, turning over to apply the glue, then fastening 'em on.)

Now glue the pom-pom onto the tip of the curved part of the cane. (Sorry for the fuzziness of this pic.)

And voila'! You've got yourself a reindeer.

They're great attached to packages, handed out to the kiddies, or just clumped in a bunch inside a holiday mug. Have fun!

Deck the halls

When do you do yours? I usually wait until well into the season, but this year I've got the spirt early. Some people put up the tree Friday after Thanksgiving, but 1) that's too early for me; I'd tire of it before the season's over. Plus 2) it's a big job and I'm usually tired after Thanksgiving, 'sides I like to wait until after my cleaning lady comes--Wednesday's her day--so-o-o this year I plan to do it Friday. And Saturday, and most likely Sunday too. No, I don't have that big of a house, I just move slower'n rush hour traffic.

Today I had lunch with my SIL in Marble Falls and we piddled around for a while. I had to stop at the post office. I sold another item on Etsy--yay!--and wanted to get it and the one that sold yesterday off today.

The dollar store in MF didn't have those tassel ornies I bought on Monday so I had to scratch that purchase, which is good cuz I'd just have to store 'em. I'm thinking it's too late to list many more ornies, if any, though I have to list one; I finished it today.
I picked up an inexpensive brooch, which I used for embellishment. I think it turned rather nice.

Along with the post the other day about my vases, I thought I'd share a pic of my LR entertainment center. Didn't notice until after I'd uploaded the pic that my cleaning lady moved the vase on the lower left. She does that a lot--moves things from where they belong. She's so good otherwise I just follow around and shift things back into their places.

Anyway, that's gonna be it for today. Tom's playing poker with his buddies so I have a couple more hours to veg out. I luv veggin'! I'm a good vegger.

Austin, there and back

It's a short trip actually, about an hour each way, but it still takes up the whole darn day: a visit with my endocrinologist, then lunch, then hitting a few stores we can't get to out here in the country.

When I got home--even though I desperately need to straighten up--I added yet another listing on Etsy, this one a tassel I embellished. Yesterday I picked up several of these from the dollar store (look at the price; can you blame me?):

This is the one I listed this afternoon. She looks better, doesn't she?

Tomorrow, Tom plays poker. I'm taking my SIL to lunch in Marble Falls, and we'll probably hit a couple of thrift stores plus I might stop at the dollar store again. I know, what in the heck will I do with more Christmas tassels? It's just about too late to sell them on Etsy, but there's always next year.

Now I really need to get to something constructive. Oh, btw, I sold another ornament, my fave:

Best to everyone. Ta!

Black Friday

At the gawdawful hour of 6 this morning--I know, it's not that awful, but for me to be out in the world it was--we were out with all the other idjits at a Black Friday Home Depot sale. I'm sure it wasn't as bad here in the country as it must have been in Austin, but even so if we hadn't gone when we did we would never have been able to buy the item we went for. Masses of people went straight for it--a Ryobi cordless drill combo with a drill, a battery, a saw, a vacuum, a flashlight, and your choice of another free tool, all for $59. It was a good deal, worth the early morning trip into Marble Falls.

I posted another couple of ornaments on etsy today and changed all my ornaments to free shipping. Here's a pic of the first:

I added the buttons to this one simply because I'd wound up with a wonky heart shape. Actually, before I finished I went back and changed the shape to where it wasn't all that wonky, though it still is a tad. I'd turned under too much of a seam when I was handstitching the closing, so I just had to redo that. But I like the buttons on it.

This next one is the snowman design I've done on a couple of others. I'm running really low on the felt I made the original two with so for this one I used something I bought from an etsy seller. It doesn't have the weight of the felted material I've done from sweaters, etc. but I still like the look of this. Shall I call it primitive? I wouldn't exactly call the stitching couture.

And that's that. Today I think I'll make some hand lotion and I may felt some wool fabric I bought from ebay, if I can work it in around the other laundry.

Here we go a-tassel-ing...

I've been busy the past few days, but I think maybe I've learned a few things about this blogging thing. Then again, maybe not. I've already made a couple of mistakes this morning trying to post a picture, so here I go again. This is the Christmas tassel I made from the beaded thing-a-bob Ginge and Sunny and I found on a recent trip to Austin.

(It worked!)

The tassel isn't as bad as I thought it was nor as good as I'd like it to be. I may not do another, may just call it a learning experience.

I spent some time this morning working in the studio on another tassel, which now that it's done, I have to do over. I used a couple of the plastic beads I picked up the other day, did the little manipulation thingie to get it all together, and now see that the top ball is sitting wonky. And it's all glued up and everything.

Later, after I get over my ticked-offedness, I'll do over without the middle beads. May turn out they're useless for my purposes. Chalk that to experience too? When does experience become capability?

Happy Election Day!