Donna's Designs: November 2012

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Sleigh Bells Ring ...

I'm taking a quick break from decorating to have a cup of tea. I hope you will join me as the kettle is on and you are always welcome.

Jingle bells are a true holiday classic and can really jazz up your decor. I have filled a silvery, green glittered sleigh with some beautiful bells.

As in the famous movie 'It's A Wonderful Life' every time you hear a bell an angel gets his wings. Don't you just love the sound of bells tinkling at Christmas time?

Shiny, glittered and bright ...

I thought this Tiffany blue candle holder added a nice 'frosty' feel to the coffee table. As I continue to decorate you will begin to see my theme. Are you dreaming of a white Christmas this year? I really hope we get some snow!

Tea is being served in a RS Prussia teacup & saucer. These pieces have beautiful pink roses with soft muted green edges. Today I am sipping a Tower of London blend. A black tea finished with oil of bergamot and honey flavor - kind of like having French pastry. This blend is somewhat reminiscent of Paris.

Thank you for stopping to enjoy tea with me and for taking a sneak peek at my holiday decorations.

Today I am joining ...

Mosaic Monday @ Little Red House

Macro Monday @ Lisa's Chaos

Tea Cup Tuesday @ Artful Affirmations

Tea Time Tuesday @ Rose Chintz Cottage

Tuesday Cuppa Tea @ Antiques and Teacups

Table Top Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Friends Sharing Tea @ Bernideen's Tea Time

Tea Talk @ The Teaist

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Jingle Bells Reindeer

Hi everyone,

I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. I have so much to be thankful for including my followers who have showed their loyalty and support. After taking a few days off from work and blogging I was able to get my house cleaned, do some shopping and stamping.

I think this is one of my favorite Christmas cards so far this year. I pulled out a Sizzix reindeer die and ran it through the Big Shot using grungeboard (I just love this stuff). I painted the reindeer with Adirondack Gold Acrylic Paint then distressed the edges with a sanding block and sponged Distress Vintage Photo. A little bow was created from 1/8" burgundy silk ribbon with a jingle bell hung from linen thread. His eye is a Kaiser black pearl and, of course, we needed a red rhinestone for the nose.

The gorgeous background paper is Father Christmas by BoBunny. It is adhered to a cocoa card. The sentiment was stamped on Kraft paper using VersaMark then Early Espresso ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

On a piece of Kraft paper the inside sentiment was stamped in Early Espresso and embossed with clear embossing powder. A few snowflakes from Stampers Anonymous were embossed in gold.

I hope my card today puts you in the holiday spirit! I will be joining Make It Monday and Stampin' for the Weekend. I'll see you on Tuesday for tea :-)

Card Recipe:
Stamps: SU Good Cheer, PSX Wonderful Wishes (G-1591), Stampers Anonymous Mini Holidays
Paper: Coco, BoBunny Father Christmas Designer Paper, Always Artichoke, Kraft
Ink: Sentiments - Early Espresso with Clear EP; Snowflakes - VersaMark with Gold EP; Reindeer - Adirondack Gold Acrylic Paint with Distress Vintage Photo
Accessories: Grungeboard, Sizzix Reindeer Die, Spellbinders Labels One #2, Gold Jingle Bell, Linen Thread, 1/8" Burgundy Silk Ribbon, Kaiser Pearl in Black, Lost & Found Merry Christmas Rhinestone
Techniques: Embossing, Sponging
Card Size: 4 1/2" x 6 1/4"

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Heart of Christmas

I just realized it has been a week since I posted anything. I wish I could say I was just being lazy, but that isn't the case. We finished cutting back all the gardens this past weekend and raked the last of the leaves which blew from Hurricane Sandy. At my place of employment we have been gathering cleaning supplies for those affected by the storm ... gallons of bleach, disinfectant wipes, rubber gloves - anything to help them with cleaning up their homes. I can't imagine how these people are coping with the emotional aftermath. Making a donation to the Red Cross and purchasing supplies doesn't quite seem like enough.

Well, enough of the sadness. Today I have a Christmas card to share with you using a little tinsel. These colors remind me of a snowy winter night. On a piece of Shimmery White paper cut from a Spellbinders Labels Four #5 die, the Heart of Christmas image was inked in VersaMark and embossed with silver embossing powder and a heat gun. I layered the image onto a Labels Four small cut from Bashful Blue paper.

The background was created by randomly stamping snowflakes on a piece of Shimmery White paper using VersaMark and embossing them with clear embossing powder. Using a light touch I sponged the background with Brilliance Platinum Planet & Bashful Blue and watched as the snowflakes appeared. This technique is called emboss resist.

I found a roll of tinsel trim in my stash. Perfect for adding a little bling without the mess! A piece was wrapped around the center of the card. Next, I made a little bow and fastened it with a white snowflake brad.

The inside sentiment was stamped in VersaMark and embossed with silver embossing powder. The snowflakes were done the same as the background on the front of the card.

As Thanksgiving approaches I'm getting ready to pull out my Christmas decorations. There seems to be so much to do in such a short amount of time. Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Are you waiting for Black Friday?

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Heart of Christmas, Snowflake Soiree, Serene Snowflakes, Peaceful Wishes
Paper: Solar White Linen, Bashful Blue, Shimmery White
Ink: VersaMark with Silver EP and Clear EP; Sponging - Brilliance Platinum Planet & Bashful Blue
Accessories: Trim Tinsel Clear, Recollections White Snowflake Brad, Spellbinders Labels Four #5, Labels Four Small #6
Techniques: Embossing, Sponging
Card Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Farewell to Autumn

It looks like this will be our final garden stroll. As the leaves softly whisper to the wind the colors slowly start to fade.

A dwarf Fothergilla planted for its autumn beauty with leaves in a fiery glow of red, burgundy, yellow and orange.

When most trees have already dropped their leaves my Cleveland Pear puts on a show.

Spots of color can still be found here and there.

The trumpet honeysuckle vine is a showy, sassy climber and looks great in autumn with yellow leaves.

Nestled among my Virginia Sweetspire and Summersweet bushes I have a few Miscanthus grasses.

White flowers appear in tassel-like inflorescence above the foliage in late summer, gradually turning into silvery white plumes as the seeds mature. They provide winter interest when everything else is bare.

I've spent the last couple of weeks cherishing the moments of autumn - breathing the crisp, cool autumn air and watching the leaves flutter from the trees with each gust of wind.

Although Halloween may be over the spider webs still glisten with dew.

As dawn breaks, pearl like water droplets stretch across our spruce trees. Each intricate design so unique as it sways from side to side.

Thank you for stopping to visit me and for letting me share my gardens with you. I have been very busy the last few days finishing up some custom card orders. I'm also working on a few other projects, which I can't quite reveal yet ... so stay tuned.

Today I am joining ...

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a daily cup from Mrs. Olson
This or That Thursday @ Deb Duty Photography
Fertilizer Friday @ Tootsie Time
Photo Friday @ Hollie Rogue
Show Off Friday @ What About
Open House Friday @ Bernideen's Tea Time
Floral Friday Fotos @ Floral Friday

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Robert Frost's Home

A few years ago my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting the home of American poet, Robert Frost, in South Shaftsbury, Vermont, where he penned "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and published two books of poems during the 1920's.

The grounds evoke many Frost images, such as fields, stone walls, birch trees and an English barn circa 1850. It was here that Frost came to plant a new Garden of Eden with a thousand apple trees. As a poet of natural beauty, wonder, and the understated, he was an all-time master. He lived in this home with his wife and four children.

Inside his home the exhibits featuring Frost's life and poetry make you feel as if you met him.

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Recently, we were able to locate Frost's grave in Old Bennington, Vermont, near the Bennington Battle Monument.

One may think he was buried in a mausoleum, but as you can see a simple stone bears his name.

His silent grave in the church yard of Old First Parish is now a place of pilgrimage for Americans who have been touched by his art - among them, me.

Do you like to walk through old graveyards? I've always had a fondness for them since I was a little girl. Our family even lived next to one and I use to wonder about the mysteries within.

The headstones, dried out floral arrangements, the wrought iron ... each piece means something.