Le Sigh

I had just one Christmas altered art box to finish and then put my Christmas crafting stuff away.

I'd been on such a push to create stuff, for weeks on end prior to the craft shows, that once I got my craft table all straightened up, I realized I didn't have a clue what to do next!! I found zero inspiration on my Pinterest 'Crafts To Do' board or in the tutorials I'd saved.  

Around the 18th, I remembered that I had a new Christmas-themed colouring book.  Wish I'd remembered a few weeks earlier, but better late than never.  I always think I will get at least 3-4 pics coloured in a day but that's never the case.  Realistically, it's more like 2 per day.  Of course I had to add silver stars and a crescent moon to the Santa pic.  This one is mostly done with coloured pencils, although I did use a blue marker over dark blue pencil for the sky. 

This one is sparkly gel pens and coloured pencils.

I made a major blunder at the beginning, in that I forgot about the bleed-through on the pages, and the way coloured pencil will rub off on the page it's resting against when you are colouring the flip side.  I usually remember to put a white piece of paper between each page but I spaced it. Unfortunately it would be on a picture that contained a lot of snow, ice and clouds.  I tried best I could to cover it but you can still see it. This is supposed to be Russell & me as kids, skating on Shawme Pond.  lol  

Hard to see but I did the church windows in multicoloured gel pens to look like stained glass.

Another case of bleed-through on the page above the roof and near Santa, because I used gel pens on the other side.  I didn't realize how bad it showed up till I took this picture.  Maybe I'll go back over this and use dark blue pencil for the sky.  I just didn't feel like colouring around all those snowflakes.

I really love these vintage pics but there's sooooo much snow and I can't leave it white so I end up using a lot of greys.  I have to colour it rather than keep it just plain page to help create that barrier against gel pens on the other side.  I really wish these companies would make books with just one picture per page with their backs plain.

I'm still on pace to finish this book by tomorrow night.

How Was Everyone's Holiday?

Hard to believe Christmas has come and gone.  This whole year flew by.  I never did get the chance to go to Sandwich and shoot more lights.  The weather was pretty rainy for a week or more.  

I did mess around more with my camera and the lights though.  These were taken with a slow shutter speed and ISO while zooming.  Should've used a tripod but didn't feel like digging it out.

These are the outside lights on the rail.  I like this one.

I had one day, right before Christmas when I was so busy in the kitchen that my feet were screaming by the end.  I made sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies (no pics though), 4 large loaves of cranberry bread, chicken soup and a crockpot full of kale soup.  

Just for grins I drizzled the four different coloured icings on the teddy bear sugar cookies.   I think I like the effect of the drips on the paper as much as on the cookies!

Christmas Eve was very stormy.  We went to Hong Kong Island to get Chinese food around 5 pm, and by the time we got home, all hell broke loose with torrential downpours and wind.  I took these pics close to 10pm.  Nothing like a great, stormy night for Chinese and the 'A Christmas Story' marathon!!!

Rain on the deck

Finally, I was reaching the end of my rope with the incessant commercials.  Target, Big Lots and KMart win the prize for most annoying and repetitive ads.  Wells Fargo, on the other hand, brought me to tears every time I saw their ad.  I wrote to them on their Facebook page to tell them their ad was a big winner.  Imagine my surprise to see this response to my comment:

I have no pics of Christmas Day.  I was busy in the kitchen making deviled eggs and apple crisp, then we went into town to visit our families and came back home to finish prep for my stepson & his girlfriend who spent the afternoon with us. I'd picked up deli trays - one of shrimp and one of meats/cheeses - plus I also made potato latkes for Samantha because she is Jewish.  It was quite the food spread, lemme tell ya!

The 26th we crashed hard and watched TV all day and I coloured nearly 4, pages.  But yesterday we went up to Plymouth so that I could finally get some new walking shoes, which of course I had to try on first.  I will only wear Saucony as they are the only ones that fit.  Since we were in the area, I dragged Russell to JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts.  He bought me a bunch of craft supplies, plus these awesome, warm, punk rocky socks.  They came with a plain black pair too.  They are soooo warm.  

And how was everyone's holiday?

Wordless Christmas Eve Wednesday

Merry Christmas Everyone!  

A Great Honour

I am a huge, huge fan of Jody Bergsma Designs.  She is an artist located in the Pacific Northwest....Bellingham, WA to be exact...and her work is featured at Ben Franklin Craft Stores up there.  I did a whole colouring book of hers, I have a Sagittarius magnet and also these two stickers on my car.

This one is especially significant as it features PNW animals with Native American/First Nations designs for the wolf, bear and eagle.  I am desperate to replace this sticker because I am going to have to get a new car eventually and I need to have this on whatever new car I get.

Jody did a beautiful illustration of Sasquatch with some other PNW animals and featured it on Facebook.  I was pleased that this was taken seriously and not done as a goof or 'silly' type of picture.  She asked people to submit titles for the picture and the title with the most 'likes' would get a print.  I thought of one right away and I checked the comments to see if anyone else thought of it too.  To my surprise, no one did.  So I typed 'Guardians of the Forest'.  To my utter shock, it got well over 200 likes and my title was selected for Jody's print!  What an honour to title a picture by my fave artist!!!  WOW!!!  

Please be sure to visit her website, Bergsma Gallery Press, to view more of her beautiful and charming works of art.  I'll be framing and hanging it in a place of honour.  Thank you SO MUCH Jody!!!!

Sights & Lights

In my neverending quest to document Christmas in this area, I went out shooting again one Sunday morning. I had to capture this incredibly creepy and Terminator-like Santa at the local auto parts store.  If you think it looks weird now, you should see it at night.

Here is Epic Halloween House done up epically for Christmas.

Deflated Santa says, 'A little help?!'

And speaking of Santa, I spotted this jaunty fellow out front of Antique Affair.

Later that day, I went back out after sunset to capture the lights.  Do click on this picture to make it bigger. It's the rotary near my house.  Very pretty.

 The bandstand at the park.

It was only about 6:00 pm but there were a lot of weird, hinky people out and about and I did not feel safe lingering around and shooting pictures.  So my shots are not up to the standards I expect for myself.

I did attempt to shoot this scene across the way from Main Street, on Bourne Pond, but without a tripod, shaking and blurriness was unavoidable.  Again, some weirdo pulled up right behind my car and I hurried to get back in and lock my door.  

The Mezza Luna restaurant tree, which was behind me as I was shooting the pond reflection.

The main rotary near the Bridge.

Here is Epic Halloween and Christmas House lit up.

Pizza's not that good but I like the deer.

This is a house down the street from me.

Purty!

And one around the corner.  They do it up big time every year.

I am, unfortunately, running out of time to finish capturing the sights, lights and decorations of the season!