Jersey Made – ATC Club/Swap

33-35 White St.

Mill Race Village

 Mt. Holly NJ 08060

Wednesday, December 16, 2009  7-9 PM

Kelly Donovan will be bringing her expertise in making ATC cards to Jersey Made.

The ATC Club at Jersey Made will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Cost is $15 plus a $5 supply fee and this includes everything you need to make 3 ATC’s featuring a Snowman theme.   You can swap them or take them home!!!  

Isn’t he just the cutest!!!!   Great to collect, swap or share. 

ATC’s make great Christmas gifts or package tags!

I try to make Christmas gifts that are inspiring to the person who receives them.  Often when I tell people this they haven’t a clue what I really mean.  So I thought perhaps a few pictures of the gifts made for Christmas 2008 would be helpful. 

This is Bebe – the cutest dog ever!   It is pronounced like French for baby - I taught her to answer to Doggie too cause I don’t remember to speak in French.    As the office dog,  I decided she needed some decoration for Christmas.  When the inspiration struck me of course I went right to Carole.  Tuffi, her dog, has quite the collection of neckware.  I used one of Tuffi’s scarves as a pattern to cut the fabric.  The next day at work I took my cut fabric to try it onto Bebe.  She kept trying to eat the point off the scarf so alterations were made and the point removed.  Bebe’s scarf is made of 2 fabrics – gold holly leaves (of course, holly leaves) on one side and poinsettias on the other.  She looked extra cute wearing her new gift – of course it came with all natural bowWOW doggie treats too!!!

One of my bosses has 2 checkbooks.  Both of the standard blue plastic checkbook covers are in horrible shape.  I have tried taping them together many times yet still I get cuts on my fingers every time I try to write out a check.  So I had to make him a new one (the other is planned for a future gift to him).  The stamped images are from Stampin’ Up! from the Peachful Wishes set and are embossed in green and brown, including the phrase “potential means you ain’t done it yet” embossed in brown.  He looked puzzled when he opened it so I asked if he knew what it was and he said no.  So I handed him the checkbook and he smiled and said he loved it.   Of course my next question was if I could put the checkbook in it.  My gift was getting to throw that old hunk of plastic away.

I have many part-time jobs so this gift was for another boss.  The old historic building where our office had been located had a fire this past August.  Much was lost including an old desk that had belonged to their father.  The drawers were brought over to our new location but when we found out the desk could not be saved they were headed for the trash.  So I rescued them.  The drawer was blackened from the smoke and fire damage but I was able to clean it up pretty well with some rubbing alcohol and lots of rubbing.  I used some of my wine cork collection to make a corkboard for him along with a card to explain the meaning of the gift.  The hardware for hanging it were attached to the back (an old trick I learned from a friend when giving a gift – the nail and picture hanger were in a baggie for easy hanging).  He was very touched by the gift and to my surprise he immediately found  a hammer and hung in on the wall right next to his desk.  The card I made is now displayed on this memory cork board.

You could probably guess that this is for another boss.  She the biggist Bo Bice fan.  The large network of fans that she keeps in touch with constantly call themselves the Bo Peeps.   Bo actually recognizes this large group and their website www.BoBice.com and calls them the Peeps.  So I had been carrying this image around in my mind and finally put it to fabric to make a T-shirt for her.  It didn’t come out exactly as the image in my mind but she loved it anyway!!!  I used special markers made for fabric to draw the design.

This one was quick and easy to do but probably my favorite.  One of the offices where I work has a handyman who can fix, repair or replace anything that is needed.  In addition to these many talents he also has a warped sense of humor that keeps me laughing whenever he appears.  One day I arrived at work and it seemed a little darker around my area.  The sun was not really shining brightly so I figured that was the problem.  After a few hours though something just didn’t seem right.  At this point I looked up to see that the lightbulb above my desk was not just out – it was gone!   I announced “no wonder my light is not shining” which set him off.  Apparently a new light had been installed and my bulb was removed to test this new light.  I made a huge scene about it – jokingly of course and it was pointed out to me that I had missed the new additional light.  He assured me that my light does shine brighter than the rest even without the bulb.    So I took an old lightbulb (yep, I can’t throw those away either) and spray painted it red.  The holly leaves were cut from felt and the berries from an old candle ring.  The hanger is made out of recycled computer wires (no clue why I have these hanging around the house – hehehe).  It cost me nothing to make and was incredibly fun.  I hid it on top of his table saw so he will find it next time he arrives to fix something.

And last but not least….

My best friend is always having trouble with his Palm Pilot.  Some days it works but sometimes it goes for weeks without working right.  All of his contact information is stored there along with notes and a calendar.   So this last time he informed me that his Palm Pilot had gone on vacation again.  That was enough inspiration for me to create the Palm Vacation kit.   The cover is decorated with “Palmy Breezes” another stamp set from Stampin’ Up!   It closes with a twill ribbon and snap closure. 

Inside the Palm Vacation kit I included a small address book for contact information.  The center section included a posty pad.  The flashlight was a fun additon and has it’s own slot to be stored – just in case he needs to use the kit in the dark.  Some paperclips are attached on the right side and I cut an old ruler so he has inches and centimeters for simple measurements.  The right hand side includes an emergency sewing kit – everyone needs one of these – and this is a feature his real Palm Pilot doesn’t include so it was fun to add my own touch.  The sewing kit is made in the matchbook style. 

So this is my idea of a creative Christmas.   None of them cost too much money.  Many of the items included were recycled from discarded items.  Yet all will be appreciated by those who receive it, bringing a laugh or a smile or a recollection of things past.  

It’s the little things that keep the joy in Christmas!

It was just like in the song – well almost like that.   On Saturday, December 13, 2008 Santa came to Medford.The temperatures required heat and it is alot of effort for volunteers to turn the water in the mill on and off repeatedly.   So although still under renovation, a place was made for him in the Sawyer’s house which stands behind the old mill.  This was our first time (that I know about) that Santa came to the complex at Kirby’s Mill. 

Although there weren’t the throngs of kids standing in line to see him, Santa was his jolly old self and seemed to enjoy himself anyway.  I called Abbie in an effort to help the event along and asked her if Neil might like to see Santa.  They arrived a short time later and Neil got to sit on Santa’s lap.  Seems Santa’s left knee was not where Neil wanted to be so after he switched to the right knee I snapped this gem of a photograph.  Isn’t he just the cutest little boy ever?!!!   He did not cry and it was great to see him waving to us along with Santa. 

Although I do my very best to keep the Christ in Christmas who can resist a photo of yourself taken with Santa – so I had to do it!!!  He said I’d been good and assured me that good things would be under my tree – HOHOHO!   Perhaps Santa does not know all – hehehe!!!   Just in case I went to the local cheap nursury and bought 3 little trees for $10.   2 I am giving away to brighten another’s day and the other now sits on my computer desk with a single candy cane on it!

The funniest thing was this little dinky tree that was placed on a small table near Santa.  Santa called it a Charlie Brown tree but it was a little more than just sticks.  Still it was smaller than Santa’s beard.  Of course no one would take my picture while I was holding the tree upside down next to Santa to demonstrate this very point.  So through the magic of computer I am hope you can see what I mean!!! You can tell we were really trying to entertain ourselves while waiting for more kids to arrive. HAHAHA

Lastly but least – Santa gave away a beautiful Christmas present today.   Jackie was the winner of the 2008 Medford Historical Society’s raffle quilt.  She was so excited to win the vintage reproduction quilt that she arrived just 1/2 hour after we called to tell her the good news.   It was a pleasure to meet her.  We spent some time talking quilts and guilds and the joy of Christmas.  Jackie and I shared the fact that both of us make quilts but few remain in our possession, having been given away.  She looked forward to keeping this quilt at home and I know it will be treasured there.

Then we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight – Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!!  The world so often adds so must hustle and bustle to the holiday season that it takes our focus off the glorious event we are really celebrating.  I hope you find joy in the little things this holiday season!

It’s time for creating Christmas cards again.  I’m really behind on that this year.  Usually the ideas start coming in July or August and the creating process begins in the fall.  Yet here it is December and I’ve only just begun.

These cards were inspired early but I didn’t get around to making them until just recently.  Seems that the church was discarding the old hymnals and getting new ones.  There was no way I could let them go into the trash so every time I could I’d take more books home or find someone who might enjoy having one.   It wasn’t until I started playing with the walnut inks to make my Jersey Angel  costume  that I got the inspiration to venture away from fabric and try walnut inks on paper. 

Walnut inks are fun but very messy.  So I took the Christmas hymns from one of the books, applied the walnut inks with a paintbrush, then attached them to tags that I cut to size. The thin paper of the hymnals worked well as the different colored inks blended together and created a cool effect.    The hardest part was waiting for the walnut ink to dry – patience is not one of my strong points – hehehe!   It was great to see how the whole project came together and I was pleased with how they turned out.  There will never be 2 exactly the same – that is for sure! 

Here is the link for my Jersey Angel  blog   http://www.leafpile.org/blog/2008/10/28/the-wind-beneath-my-wings/