Decorated paper roll containers with wire handles and wrapped candies. After a month of creating embellished paper clips as my project of the month, I now have a large selection of clips to use. I'm happy to send one to anyone who asks. This month the planned topic is Party Favor Ideas. Now this topic was originally set for earlier in the year. I pushed it forward when the coronavirus made parties seem unlikely. Evidently I was being too optimistic even then. However, in the spirit of looking forward to a time when gathering will not be a life threatening proposition, I have decided to collect, collate, and possibly construct some party favor ideas and place them on a Pinterest board made for the purpose. Here's the truth. There are a LOT of very creative party favor ideas out there already. They kinda fall into categories: 1. Edible favors : Re-packaged candy or snacks in soft bags of some kind, often with a themed tag, or in a decorated tin, b...

Halloween Mini-Canvases Halloween Trick or Treat Banner Miss Tick - from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels Skull and Bones vintage image collage sheet

Here's the last of these ornaments for a little while. This is my father-in-law and his good friend. The gent about to make the killer shot, is the person James went to visit in Zimbabwe recently. This must be a good 35 or more years ago however. I'd like to offer a service making custom ornaments for next year. All people would need to do is send me a digital image, and I would do the rest. I already plan to make ornaments of a pet or two, and some decorated boxes. What do you think? Want to plan your own "Family Tree" for next year?

Here are some more of the photo transfer ornaments. These are all of my late mother-in-law who passed away a week ago. They are to be gifts. You can see a tutorial of how they were made at the ScraPerfect blog . I used Mod Podge Matte finish for the photo transfer, and Best Glue Ever for all the other adhering. The decorations are Dew Drops, some other assorted rhinestones, and vintage lace fragments. The yarns are Sugar 'n' Cream and Red Heart.

A tag I've been making double layered stamped butterflies as ephemera for cards and tags. I'll be posting my first video of my process soon. Onto a heavy and lightly textured paper, I stamped the large butterfly in pink, then musical notes in brown. I used my Perfect Crafting Pouch to dry my inks quickly. For the top butterfly I stamped in black over a red and white polka dot. Fussy cut, then edged with brown pigment ink. I stapled them with my Tiny Attacher . For scale: the black lines on the cutting mat show one inch squares. Large Butterfly Stamp: 7 Gypsies Butterflies .

You can see more finished ornaments, and a step by step, today over at the ScraPerfect blog .

These are a combination of Red Heart Buttercup super soft chenille in white and super cozy Loops and Threads Cozy Wool in claret, a lovely wool blend for toasty warm heads. Better than those velour scratchy things.

I see this as an opportunity to layer some scrappy pieces of holiday themed prints, in a harmonious color scheme. The ornaments could be stamped and fussy cut, or die cut, or perhaps oversize stickers. 

                        Since Halloween I've been busy with thank you cards and my ongoing tidying. Images of my latest batch of cards may be found at the ScraPerfect blog . However I've also started on another project. Here are some prototypes, works-in-progress, of some wooden tree ornaments made with photocopies of vintage family pictures of Jayn's ancestors. I have decided my first How-To video will demonstrate these, or something similar. I'm still working out the best order of steps - for example, drilling the tiny hole at the start, and considering how many layers of mat medium to use to preserve the image. I'm so lucky to have a really nice stash of family portraits color photocopied already, although I am also planning a variation that will use more contemporary cut out photos, as well. These are the kind of ornaments that could delightfully personalize any holiday tree, and be made in whatever color ...

Instead of a sketch this week, here are some Halloween themed silhouettes for you. You can copy and print them if you like, use them on cards or layouts, or enlarge them for your home decor. Silhouettes look fun inside lamps or windows.

Here is the first batch of Dream Star Art Dolls for the Uptown Village Market. Each is one-of-a-kind in a series. Green Batik My beautiful beaded 8 1/2 inch Dream Star Dolls appeal to people on an emotional level. Somehow, magically, you will be drawn to one. I can't predict which doll you will like - it just happens. You will just feel called to her. You will pick her up, turn her over in your hands and enjoy the soft hair, the little surprises of the paper beads or the charms. Sometimes the words on some of the charms will be the clincher. I never know which will be claimed first. But somehow they all eventually go out into the world to inspire dreams of beauty. Bright Batik Some people keep them on their mantels, others by their bedside. Lots of people tell me they keep theirs beside their computer. Maybe you will tell her your troubles, or just feel grateful that there are beautiful things and beautiful people all around you. Orange Lady Charms Maybe you will see...

As you know, I'm going to be at Uptown Village Market in Booth 45 (Top Left of map), as is my good friend Royaboya  - Friday Dec 2 (5-10pm), Saturday Dec 3 (10am-4pm) in Long Beach. Meanwhile my other friend, Studio Litha , will be selling her gorgeous Art Sock Monkeys at a backyard craft fair, Saturday Dec 10 (3-7pm) in Torrance. These are not your usual mass produced critters. Fairy Sock Monkey by StudioLitha

My most recent web column for Natural Life Magazine includes a tutorial for making circle based ornaments out of old holiday cards with scissors and a bone folder. Here's how I use my beautiful Martha Stewart Scoreboard and a Recollections Three inch circle punch to make it just that much easier and FAST. Rather addictive actually! Here are the tools. Best Glue Ever dries very fast. Use sparingly. Trim off excess as needed to center the image you like. Three inch round. You need 6 or 8. Place your round flush to the top left corner. Score at the half-inch mark. Score again at the 2.5 inch mark. Fold up one score line. Turn the circle 90 degrees. Place the fold flush against the rim of the Scoreboard. Score again at 2.5 inch mark. Score again at half-inch mark. Fold all four sides upwards (towards right side). Here are some more cut and folded rounds. Tiny dots of glue are all that is needed with Best Glue Ever.  Best Glue Ever dries quickly, with just finger pressu...