Let there be Light- Quietfire Style! and more holiday inspiration.

When the weather outside is frightful, the day becomes delightful with the new lantern digital file from Quietfire Design.
The files are  in the Silhoutte Store and right now are on sale for 50 cents!!!

Suzanne shows us how to put it together in this video below.

Here is how it looks right off the mat.

On the back you can see the perforated lines- I have darkened them for the photo.

Follow Suzanne's suggestion to score them with a straight edge. It's important to get them right for the lantern to line up square when you fold it.

I don't like the way the perf lines look, so I put the cut line setting on sketch, put a pencil in the blade holder, let the Cameo mark the lines and score them on a score board.

The inserts are made of tracing paper.

I also removed the little cut outs by releasing the compound path.

The Snowflake Flip Card

and my new fave stamp from the Celtic Christmas Set

Celtic Peace- also on sale!

 Those we love are the snowflakes of life stamped in Versafine Blue Lagoon and thermal embossed clear.

The back

As it comes from the store

After I've messed with it!

All I want for Christmas is Peace!

A little fiber scrap tree and sequins(put a bird on it!).

Please share with us what you are creating with the files and stamps!

Comments and Questions Welcomed!

Shout out to Gari Carter for my paperwhites!

A small bulb and glass would fit right in the lantern!

WOYWW? Amnesia and Patience

WOYWW?

You see before you the last stages of assemblage and mailing of the Holiday Gift Mingle (aka Byhand Artists 12 Days of Christmas Gift Mingle)

I forget every year, as I come up with my brilliant giftie that every step has to be multiplied times 14- 12 for the swap, one to mess up and one for good luck!LOL!!!

Now patience must ensue as I wait for my gifts to arrive, and as I am the hostess, I don't get to share mine till the last day so all can share in the element of surprise.

I love gifts- surprises not so much.

We will now return this desk it's traditional last minute holiday mayhem !

I may find you similarly employed as I desk around this week.

Thanks in advance for visiting.

Comments and questions always welcomed.

There is Enough- MRA Community Breakfast- T is for Tuesday

Once a month Oct-March or so, the Montreat Retreat Association has a pancake breakfast and asks for donations for it's "Employee Emergency Fund".

I am staring at my paper (yes I write with pen and paper) and practicing sending MRA loving kindness.

I have been an employee, and was given funds, once, from this fund to pay a doctor bill as I had no health insurance. 

I was also turned down once when I asked, being told there was no money available.

Most the the people who prepare and cook the food, do the cleaning and other hospitality work do not make a living wage and do not have health insurance or any paid sick days or vacation days.

They also have not had a meaningful raise in many years.

The Assembly Inn was recently redecorated with donated funds.

MRA chooses buildings over benefits for its bottom workers.

Maybe the development office could ask donors, to give, to pay a living wage.

You could put up a plaque by the time clock.

There is enough.

If MRA can't afford to run the center except by exploiting it's workers something is wrong.

Kindness.

Many wonderful and compassionate people work here, you know who you are and who you are not.

These good folks of the community come and enjoy fellowship and help the least of these.

The breakfast is all you can eat buffet.

The pancakes are made fresh- from a mix that has some whole grains and they use real eggs.

 A buttery oil and sugar syrup- those in the know brown bag their own maple. There is real Butter and a marg on the side.

A potato and egg casserole.

If there are home fries, made by Ronnie from left over potato bar, you want to be there!

 Grits- not local and they are well cooked- no dairy.

 Sausage- what do I know?

 A decent plain yogurt , granola and fresh fruit.

Jen ,the amazing head of food service and dining, does buy local when she can.

This is my meal, with a cup of herb tea and orange juice(frozen).

I didn't come to eat.

Kindness.

In the words of the great philosopher Ani DiFranco

"You may have a great philosophy.

and if you can't be kind to people everyday

you know it doesn't mean that much to me."

Linking up with T is for Tuesday to see what others are up to re food and drink around the world.

We have much to be thankful for.

Let's share it.

Comments and Questions always welcome!

WOYWW November 19 -Got Swap?

WOYWW?

Gifties in singles and multiples are in full swing.

I'm hearing from many sources that swap numbers are down.

Two years ago the ByHand Artists 12 Days of Christmas Gift Mingle had 2 groups- that's 25 participants sending 12 gifts each all over the world to folks they don't know.

That is what I call Peace Making.

I love swaps!

This year I have the change the name to the Holiday Gift Mingle as I only got 10 participants.

Anyway, I'm in the spirit and having a blast!

Want more Glitter?

here

Want to see men in the craft studio?(all fully clothed!LOL!)

here

Poetry Journal Monthly

Please join us!

here

Thanks for visiting and I'm off to do the same!

Comments and Questions always welcomed.

The Winter winds blow...T is for Tuesday... Southeast Men's Fiber Retreat-food for the soul.

Weaving is food for the soul.

This week I facilitated a weaving workshop at The Blue Ridge Assembly with the SE Men's fiber Guild, shepherded by Rick from Purls Yarns of Asheville.

We wove paper journals and mug rugs and everyone got to throw the shuttle on the floor loom.

A splendid time was had by all!

Cristal is the Craft Studio Manager.

 We made our own cardboard looms for the mug rugs.

 Throwing the shuttle.

 Finished projects!

The winter winds are blowing! I gathered as much lettuce and greens as I could as they are predicting possible teens tomorrow night,

Shout out to Lori of Milo Acres Farm for the watermelon radish!

This takes up to T is for Tuesday, so I'm off to see what others are sharing about food and drink.
Do scroll down and see how I've been throwing glitter around.

Comments and questions always welcomed!

If you can't take the Glitter , get out of the Craft Studio!

Warning- this post may seriously affect your judgment on how much glitter is appropriate!

I had planned on doing a 15 Minute Wonder post, catching up on all the wonderful new digital cutting files from Suzanne's Silhouette store, and  I got hijacked by this one card.

Then I read Holly's post today on Quietfire Creations  and knew it was fate to just spend hours making lots of cards with just one file!

Below is the file as you DL it from the store.

Christmas Tree Flip Card

 Then hit ungroup and create with our limits!

Straight off the mat

 Add some stenciling and glitter...

and beyond!!

 The little tree flips when you open and close the card!

A smile is the best Christmas Decoration of all

More variation...

 Christmas waves a magic wand

When this Christmas becomes a memory

You can make this Christmas Tree 3D Ornament in 15 minutes!

Celtic Peace Postcard from my ,Off My Desk, series.

Soak up all of the ink off your craft mat, and only use stuff that is on your desk at the end of the session.

Comments and Questions welcomed!

Let the Glitter Games Begin! WOYWW Nov 12

WOYWW?

This holiday season I am going all out for glitter!

Cards are coming with all the  new Quietfire Design stamps and cut files.

The first wave here

and your Poetry Journal entries here.

(ED Note: if I don't put the links in I am besieged by comments asking, Where do i get that?)

I've been disappointed on the low turn out for poetry.

There are prizes!

Forgiveness in advance if I am slow to visit dear deskers this week.

I have two new ministries, and some work must move off of this desk!!

Comments and questions always welcomed!

Poetry and Pot lucks- T is for Tuesday

In that order, I found myself back at Dobra Tea  with hot chocolate in Rice Milk.

T is for Tuesday

The first poet reads, then picks the next poet.

After the first round we did poetry play, tossing words about creating poetry on the fly.

I'll be going again- do join us,

and till then join us at

Poetry Journal Monthly

( there be prizes!)

Friday night my dear friend Meg was exhibiting for the first time at

  The Red House.

Other friends

Eileen 

Libba

Libba is in the Squeaky Wheel Ceramic Collective with my DD.

and lots more and what you want to know about is the food.

There was lots of that too.

Come to a Red House opening hungry !

Repurposing! Bottle Lights!

Dashing across town, that same evening was the opening of the 

Everything is Worship Retreat.

Quakers are known for saving the world 

one pot luck at a time.

We got there late and you can see how good the food was by how much was already gone!

Forgive me in advance if I don't visit you all this week. I'm starting two new ministries and lots of other stuff is going on.

I do love you all !

Comments and questions always welcomed.