Reminder: "Christmas Open House" July 16

Hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend. We did, and yet I was antsy that I couldn't blog or check blogs...Houston, we have a problem! Ate way too much, so this week will need to be a healthy one ( OK they all should be but...). Yes it's July and here's this crazy woman talking about Christmas!

Just a reminder that I'm having my first every linky party on July 16 and thought it would be fun to have a Christmas theme. I still haven't gotten into the sponsor thing ( if anyone's interested, I'm interested) but there will be a giveway...Christmas themed of course!

For those of you in parts of the country that are actually having Summer weather, it might be a fun break from the heat and it's never to early to start getting ready for Christmas, am I right? So:

Please feel free to share:

• Home Decor Items
• Cards
• Ornaments
• Gifts You're Making
• Recipes (especially chocolate!)
• Whatever you want as long as it's Winter Holiday themed

Doesn't have to be for this year because look at how many new bloggers there are since last Christmas!

Hope you will come!

I'm Overhwhelmed...

because The Thrifty Ba has presented me with another blog award, The Versatile Blogger Award

 If you haven't checked out her blog, she describes herself and her blog as:

i'm out to save us both some money, enjoy some crafting and stay out of trouble

Can't argue with that! So thank you very very much for thinking of me. The  rules for this award are:
1. thank the person who gave you this award
2. share 7 things about yourself
3. pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

So I've done #1, and onto #2:

1. I'm not good at coming up with things about myself to share
2. I will gladly  make whipped cream from scratch
3. I won't eat whipped cream
4. I have watched every season of "Law & Order" for the past 20 years
5. I watch "L&O" re-runs on TNT and love it when they have marathons
6. I can easily forego sweets and desserts UNLESS they're chocolate
7. I love Salt & Vinegar potato chips

Now to the best parts #'s 3 and 4! The 15 blogs I'm passing this award on to are: 

1. http://www.alliebdallie.com/
2. http://babblingsfrombrooke.blogspot.com/
3. Blue Skies and Green Lights 
4. http://cindyadkinswhimsicalmusings.blogspot.com/
5. http://colormeuntypical.blogspot.com/ 
6. http://dancingwithpaperdollskiki.blogspot.com/
7. http://achocoholicsdiary.blogspot.com/
8. http://foodfloozie.blogspot.com/
9. http://holy-craft.blogspot.com/
10. http://itsy-bits-and-pieces.blogspot.com/
11. http://lesscakemorefrosting.blogspot.com/ 
12. http://mawhats4dinner.com/
13. http://www.ourmushpush.com/
14. http://singingthreelittlebirds.blogspot.com/
15. http://somewondersoflife.blogspot.com/

Now go FOURTH ( ha ha I crack me up) and visit these blogs! 

"Fourth" Bling

Since I decided for the first time to decorate for the Fourth, I thought hmmm.....maybe I should decorate myself too. My wardrobe staples are black, white, grey, neutrals...boring I know but then everything goes! But I did buy one of "Old Navy's" patriotic tees ( they had BLACK woo hoo!) so to get in the spirit, I made some earrings and a bracelet to wear with. I started making jewelry because I have to wear clip earrings (long story...nothing against pierced ears but apparently there's "stuff" in your ear lobes that supports pierced ears and I don't have it) . And...I like "bold" earrings. Put those two together and they're hard to find because someone has decided that anyone who wears clip earrings wears very dainty small ones. I'd like to have a word with you.  I started out buying two pairs of earrings and combining them and then decided if I was going to do that, I might as well go all in. So now that I've put you to sleep with how I began making jewelry...

Findings are just stuff from Michaels, silver faceted beads I bought in a ginormous bag, and blue and red Czech crystal. The red enamel stars I picked up from Ben Franklin Crafts.

Welcome to those stopping in from

La Cage Aux Fleurs

I've wanted a birdcage for the longest while but have either not found one in good shape or for the right price. I finally found one over the weekend for a price I could live with ( of course because I'm looking I won't find one as inexpensive as I want) at an antique store. It started out like this before it was ready for its appointment with my very first ever can of, "I think I'm in love", Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. Where have you been all my life? 

 

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it but then I remembered that the first of each month is Frenchy's "French Obsession" party at Chateau des Fleurs and since there's pretty much nothing I can't tie to a movie title, the movie "La Cage Aux Folles" popped into my head ( trust me, a psychiatrist would change professions after playing word association with me!) and I knew I didn't want to do anything birdy with my birdcage because that would be um, LOGICAL, so I decided on "La Cage Aux Fleurs" since I'm currently obsessed with flowers. Still with me? It's exhausting huh? 

Here's what I ended up with ( didn't get pix along the way because my camera battery was charging):

Inside:

 

I made flowers from book pages and some kraft colored paint masking paper, put a black button in the center, and an antique gold rhinestone on top of the button. Made a couple more flowers from just the book paper. I had some ribbon I'd saved from a present that I wrapped around the top of the cage and another piece I tied to the loop thingy on top. 

At the same place I got the birdcage, I found a mason jar of chandelier crystals so I cleaned up four of the biggest ones and attached them to the cage with jump rings. Inside the birdcage there's a nest attached to a branch that I found at Michael's on sale for $1.49!!  I propped that up inside the cage, and what's on the bottom are the scraps I tore from around the circles I cut to make my flowers, along with two more book paper flowers. I used all my bits and scraps!

The center front decoration is from a bag of ephemera I bought at a stamp show...some wired bead strands and a fabric flower. I hot glued the edges of the ribbon to the cage so they'd spread out.

Mr. Chocolate is relieved I didn't intend to keep an actual bird in my birdcage! 

A Little Bit of This...A Little Bit of That

is probably how I would describe my "making". Paper, general crafts, re-purposing, some knitting  / crocheting, mixed media, beads, wire, jewelry a little sewing. You name it, I pretty much play with it. I've been wanting to make one of the bib-style necklaces we've seen around blogland and Etsy. So here 'tis...I was not sure if I'd even finish it so I didn't take any pics along the way.

 

I kept it simple and made rolled rosettes from tee shirt scraps and layered organza flowers with a metallic bead center. I wanted it lighter for Summer so instead of adhering to felt like I've seen a lot of the tutorials do, I made a sandwich of a scrap of a flour sack towel, iron on fusible stuff and a scrap piece of muslin which gave it body but not weight. Glued the flowers randomly, trimmed it close to the edges, and sewed a length of chain on each side. Finished off getting the length I wanted by stringing beads onto stringing wire and added the clasp. 

Linking Up At:

If It's Tuesday...

it's time to

Thank you for stopping by, have a chocolate, and take a look around. I'm in and out so will be by to visit you soon!

Win a Silhouette!!!

Yes, you read that right. I've been seeing these opportunities pop up and Just A Girl 
  has an opportunity for you to win one!!! If you don't know what a Silhouette  is, go to their site and check it out in full detail.
The winner will get $325 worth including the following items:

• Silhouette Craft Cutter
  
• Software for Windows XP/Vista
  
• Power cable and USB Cable
  
• Two cutting mats
  
• Two cutting blades
  
• $10 gift card to the online store
  
• Instructional CD and manual 
  
  
  So go NOW to Just a Girl  to find out the FOUR ways you can enter to win! Why are you still here?