Amongst the Stars

Aim for the moon, that way, even if you miss

you'll still be amongst the stars.

(W. Clement Stone)

There seems to be a theme to my crafting of late and today it was all about stars.

From a sweet little gift bag with a sparkly star ...

 to even more stars for hanging using Becca's pattern.

The star theme was sparked by last night's search for the moon.

I missed the Long Night Moon on the 28th but took this photo around 11:30 p.m.

I noticed several other bright lights in the sky so did some research.  Turns out that now, during the December solstice, the brightest winter stars are visible, also known as the Winter Circle.

Even more special to this time of year is Jupiter lighting up the evening sky.

I'm not sure if this was Jupiter or a star, but it was the brightest light I could see.

Was very strange how it showed up on zoom.

 The new year will be ushered in quietly here.

However you spend this last day of 2012, I hope it is a good one.

Be safe,

Snowflakes

From the looks of these two, you would think it's cold outside.

But so far we are having a very mild winter.

Which is just fine by me.

Low 50's at night

High 60's during the day.

Any colder and these concrete buildings start to feel like an icebox.

This is perfect walking weather.

Inside today I was making snowflakes.

Some were crocheted.

Some were stitched.

(Definitely need to use a darker thread.) 

And some were made into tags

(using an old gift bag that was falling apart). 

 It's been a very productive day.

Hope yours has been too.

 

Bitten by the Bug

The first two days after Christmas, this is where you would have found me.

(minus all the decorative pillows)

It started with a sore throat on Christmas Day and next thing I knew, I had the flu!

After sleeping for nearly 2 days, I am fine now, except for a nagging cough.

Yesterday I definitely felt the need to get out, to move, to breathe some fresh air and get some Vitamin D, so we took an afternoon walk.

Thankfully, the weather is much improved from last week when every day was cloudy and rainy.

In my lucid moments, I continued to create with Christmas in mind.

But it's time now to move on to something new.

I hope the only bug that bites you is the creative one.

[crocheted tag tutorial found here]

Have a great day!

From My Home to Yours

Thank you for your visits.

For your generous time and thoughtful comments.

For your friendship.

May your holidays be restful, peaceful, joyful.

And may you be showered with abundant blessings in the new year.

 

Coffee Date

Today I went to Caribou Coffee with a friend and her daughter.

It has a nice, cozy atmosphere that was just right for a drizzly sort of day.

There was the exchanging of gifts and thank you's.

A great big jar of homemade toffee came home with me.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Felt Ornaments

Last weekend while in Dubai, Maureen  took me to a lovely little handicraft bazaar that is held every Saturday.

We had barely started looking when I instantly spied a table with the prettiest felt ornaments that were handmade by a group of lovely ladies.

Unfortunately, all the birdie ornaments were sold out.

 

However, while we walked around viewing all the other stalls,

and visited an interior design studio upstairs,

my bird was quickly being stitched.

And ready to fly away with me when it was time to go. 

I've never made felt ornaments before.

And sewing is not my forte.

But I am definitely going to try making some of these myself.

Hope you are having a great holiday weekend!

Cookie Festival

My girlfriend, Melissa, the one with 7 kids and a job

has been baking the past couple of weeks for her annual cookie festival.

 There must have been about 15 different varieties.

And with almost 20 guests going home with two of each kind, you know she made a whole heck of a lot of cookies.

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun.

Charles R. Swindoll

The perfect ending to a lovely day.

Blessings to all,

Winter Break!

I participated in a Secret Santa Exchange at school this past week.

It was fun to write poems with clues and collect gifts for the person whose name I chose.

However, my Secret Santa gave me the most awful gifts every day.

Awful, but funny ... and in the end, it turned out to be someone who knows me well.

She definitely had fun teasing me with tacky gifts.

With the final reveal, she gave me a bouquet of cakepops.

Along with woodland animal house socks and pajamas.

Both of which will get a lot of use now that we are officially on winter break until January 6th!

We've had lots of rain the past couple of days.

Perfect weather for tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

And in between a bit of cleaning, I have been crocheting.

In my pajamas, of course.

A snowflake gift bag.

Washcloths.

A little pouch.

And simple coasters.

I love being at home.

Happy holidays!

Kindness: Pay It Forward

Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~ Scott Adams

To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness. 
Confucius 

Since the Connecticut shootings, there is a movement of RAK.

Random Acts of Kindness.

Last month, Nicole Kane at Dabbling All Day was looking for participants in her Pay it Forward post. 

A concept I've read about but had not participated in.

 It's simple really.

Within a year's time, a handmade gift is is sent to the first 3 people who comment.

My gift arrived all the way from Australia within a matter of weeks.

 A stitched card and lovely handmade sewing case.

 Thank you so much Nicole.

It's a lovely gift and will be handy for travel.

So now it is my turn.

But rather than limit my pay it forward to the first three, I will send a little something to everyone who leaves a comment here.

You are free to choose whether you would like to participate or not.

Compassionate thought is the most precious thing there is. It is something that only we human beings can develop. And if we have a good heart, a warm heart, warm feelings, we will be happy and satisfied ourselves, and our friends will experience a friendly and peaceful atmosphere as well. This can be experienced community to community, country to country, continent to continent. ~ Dalai Lama

Blessings to you all,

Dear Diane

It took more than 5 months, but your package finally arrived!

 I love all the pretty handmade tags.

And what a joy it is to receive a card with handwritten words.

 The pineapple chamomile is dry as it can be.

But that's okay.

It will no longer grow, but I can steep it for tea.
From what I've read, pineapple weed a/k/a wild chamomile is relaxing for tension and stress.

Thank you, Diane, for your thoughtfulness.

Have a beautiful day!