happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all!

veranda december 2010 pus picnik

Christmas craftiness

Finally I can share the gifts my students made before Christmas break -

didn't want any parents peeking...

First we made this happy little bird playing in a winter wonderland.

He/she is a mixed media marvel on canvas board.

So if you need a project for your little ones this week

(there's 2 more below)

then this is for you.

I painted canvas boards black,

then they painted blue over the top part 

and we glued vintage paper for the snow 

and then dry brushed white and snow glitter over it.

Black dots were stamped 

and of course we needed holly and berries and snowflakes too

(Martha Stewart punches at Michaels).

My husband drilled holes for threading a necklace and hanging by twisted wire.

The only down-side the whole project is that I didn't get one-

insert sad face here...

Our second project involved more snow

(from Easy Christmas Crafts,

a book I grabbed from the library)...

we made snowflake faces out of purchased plastic snowflakes,

and styrofoam balls (with 1/4 cut off).

First I hot-glued the styrofoam to the snowflake.

Then the kids brushed on Snow-Tex

which gave a realistic snow texture.

We made paper clay noses and let all dry until the next session.

Then we glued on the noses, painted eyes, mouth and cheeks

and finished up with a ribbon and words.

How cute are they?

The final project was a  beautiful Poinsettia plant

made of construction paper

and paper bag for the vase

(original idea came from deep space sparkle.com

but we cut out our petals rather than stamping them).

and of course glitter just makes everything look better, doesn't it?

If you make any of these projects this week 
I would love to see your creations.
Just leave your site in the comments or e-mail me your creations and I will add them here.

Merry Christmas!

this was the front of our Christmas card this year...
signing off until next week.
have a truly wonderful Christmas
from the Holdermans including
the fur ones too.

Joy from a 15 year old...

I pulled out this old card and added some picnik words to let you all know

how much you mean to me...

This silk screened card was our family Christmas card -
made when I was 15 years old...
oh that was way too long ago to remember -
except that I do have one memory of it...
I laid the cards out to dry on our dryer in the garage and 
Cedric, our brown tabby with a white tummy,
decided they would be good to take a cat snooze on-
so he had pink paws and tummy until his hair grew out...
a pink and brown tabby is actually quite a nice color combo.

a Christmas cautionary tale

You may not want to 'keep your nose to the grindstone' 

as you get ready for Christmas...

or else your nose may end up looking like this...
The fur-kids wish you a very Merry Christmas.

a Sunday blessing

Snow globes are so magical -

especially with digital macro and some picnik additions...

This gift was presented to me Friday

by a Third grader

with a huge grin and an insistent "please open it now".

Gotta love that enthusiasm...

Just look at this magical world I unwrapped -

 a towering magical Bethlehem 

with poor Mary and Joseph 

 traveling in circles looking for a place for our savior to be born.

(don't you just feel like you are going in circles somedays?)

At least they get to be serenaded by "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem"

while they trudge through the snow as

...there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

And this same young man named Zach 

then showed me this card he created in art.

Wow he is quite the artist which I already knew.

Just look at the graphic quality of the houses 

silhouetted against the night sky.

And Santa's sleigh just glides across the moon 

with Rudolph's nose illuminating the evening.

Well being one to promote all art in youth

I asked him if I could display it on my blog

and I told him I would send all your comments to him.

So I would love it if you would leave a word of encouragement 

for this fine young man.

Merry Christmas from Zach and me!

help I need picnik rehab!

seriously,

I am just having too much fun...

the nativity story

I just had to share the nativity scene that the little gnomes made in art...

Our school has a theme every year and this year it is "Embrace Joy".

The theme is displayed on this huge bulletin board that I decorate.

During the past two years we have had a spot for different classes to 

display their work that goes with the theme.

This December we didn't have any takers so...

the kiddos filled it with the Christmas story in their unique way.

Here is the manger...

and Joseph and shepherds...

and lambs...

and who wouldn't want to be visited by this angel?

a Sunday blessing

I think it's kind of funny that we display glass ornaments

enclosed in jars with the lids tightly shut.

it makes them seem shut away from the world and

safely ensconced so they don't get hurt.

but then they don't get to illuminate the world with their beauty -

their purpose for being -

 to bring a smile to a young child's face...

 makes me wonder if we are hiding our talents and gifts

from the world -

setting them in glass jars with tightly closed lids?

 ... reminds me of Matthew 5:14 -  

You are the light of the world...

let your light shine before men...

all that beauty hidden away and instead 

it should be bubbling up and overflowing 

(just like this bowl) and spreading its gorgeousness

throughout the world.

Don't you think?

what if we each shared our gifts, and we each have different ones,

so whether yours is baking your favorite cookies for the grouchy neighbor,

or helping someone carry boxes into the extremely crowded post office,

or  making a homemade present for a loved one,

or just smiling at someone who needs it during this busy holiday season -

let your light shine on those around you.

our pastor shared a story last week about his neighborhood.  there has been road construction there for over a year.  and he was on his way to work, and feeling like he had a lot on his agenda, when he drove by the young woman who has been the flagger there.  it was very cold and she was shivering.  he waved at her and drove by, then heard this little voice saying "go back".  he listened and turned around and went back and asked her what kind of latte or mocha she would like (remember this is Seattle).  so he went to Starbucks (again - they are all over), took an extra 20 minutes out of his busy day, and as he drove back to deliver the much needed cup of hope - he could see her jumping up and down and dancing for joy.  how cool (or warm) is that!  thanks for inspiring us Reid with your faithfulness.

may I bring that abundant joy to many this advent season!

again these magazine photos are from my holiday stash so I can't give credit. 

 I had fun changing them with picnik and photoshop.

I'm dreamin' of an Anthropologie Christmas...

full of green canvas trees...

and books stacked to form towering evergreens...

and crocheted icicles dripping off cabins...

and much-loved paintbrushes honored in a wreath.

a Sunday blessing

gotta say I am feeling a little like this photo...

being pulled in too many different directions

and feeling a little scattered -

no decorations are up here yet,

and I am just trying to get through the daily doings

and not ready to add any extra doings...

makes me feel sad.

and that is not what I want to feel during advent.

I have not had my blog fix lately 

and I am missing all of your creative inspirations,

and no art is being created other than creating projects for the students to do

(don't get me wrong - I love that)...

but I just am feeling a lack of excitement,

and it's the first time ever that I don't really care to decorate.

am I getting old? or

maybe it's because our oldest isn't coming home,

or that fact that it seems like sickness always hits me 

hard this time of year,

but whatever it is I want it to leave me right now,

so I declare in my loudest voice -  'out bah humbugs'.

I am still having fun with picnik so you may find lots 

of altered photos this month.  

this one is from my files so I can't give credit - sorry.

expect photos from me and I think I will be quiet most of the month

unless I have something just wonderful to say.

last year I posted everyday

so visit last year's posts if you need more from me.

maybe it's just my time to be quiet and introspective.

isn't that what advent is all about?

the waiting and hope to come...

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate.