Kellso Collage

Ornament how-to

The ornament consists of 2 pieces of oval glass, with an antique (style) christmas postcard and a printout of ‘Joyeux Noel’ and some rub-ons on the other side. Then comes the soldering: you must affix copper tape all around the edges, burnishing it with a bone folder to ensure a tight seal. Then, you brush flux on the copper tape, and, with a soldering iron, spread melted metal all over the edge. To finish, I twisted wire to make the hooks on the edge. I added a patina to the solder withalcohol inks, I feel it gives it a much warmer, friendlier look, instead of just slapping things together with the same stuff you use to connect a pipe! (ha, ha)

It’s the craft, craftiest season of aaaaaallllllll!

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There is one thing for certain about this time of year- it always puts me in a crafty mood. I admit, sometimes I struggle with Christmas. No, not the coming of Jesus to reconcile God and man kind of Christmas, I mean CHRISTMAS-THIS kind of Christmas! I won’t start spouting off, but I can’t help but wonder, at what point did we agree to let Christmas take over 1/10th of our entire year? And our entire budget? Just asking.

However, when I am making homemade gifts for the people around me, I know one thing for sure-it came from the heart. I can’t help but think of the person I am making the gift for when i am making it for them. While it is doubtful that I’m saving money, and certain that I’m not saving any time, making gifts, at least a few a year, is really important to me. I give store bought gifts too…I mean, I don’t want to be THAT person, but I hope that people can feel and appreciate the love that goes into their handmade gifts!

I don’t want to post too much of this gift on my blog and give it away, but here is a glimpse of a gift all ready to go or Dec. 25th. I started working on it a couple of months ago. I think it was the first week in September when I bought the blocks that form the base of this project-I ran into a friend, Melissa James, at Michaels that day, and when she asked what I was there for, I quickly said “Oh, some Christmas stuff.” I immediately thought- ‘I sound like a lunatic!’

Ornament Exchange

Earlier this month I participated in an ornament exchange hosted by Beki of Pampering Beki. Above are the photos of the ornament that I sent to my assigned ‘ornament buddy’: Becky of Becky Kay Designs. Fun, right? I can not wait to receive her ornament, as well. She designs purses for her Etsy site, and works a lot with fabric, so I was hoping my ornament would involve a bit of fabric, and as you can see from her blog posting, it does!

Making this ornament was a minor victory for me. I took a soldering class 3 1/2 years ago on my birthday, June 4th. I was due to have Noah 5 weeks later, he came 3 weeks later! So, I arrived at this ‘learn to solder’ class with my required soldering iron-except I had bought the wrong kind! Matt was at Costco the day before and saw a battery powered Soldering iron. He called me to double check, and I agreed it sounded like a good idea! So, I’m sitting there in class with this (way, way underpowered) tool, and the solder is not melting…and not melting… Everyone else in the class is like 3 steps ahead of me and I’m sitting there until the teacher has to get out her spare soldering iron (thankfully) so I can even begin! For the record, I didn’t even cry. A handful of times since then I have attempted soldering with mixed results, and have only just begun to try again. With a few tips from online, it is going much better, though I still don’t know how much I really ENJOY it…

Tagged!

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I didn’t even realize that Sarah had tagged me at the end of her last blog entry… I had even been thinking that it was a fun idea, and had previously looked up ‘the 6th picture in my 6th album’ and was excited to share it! Well, truth be told this is the 7th picture, but the 6th is exactly the same, except out of focus. It is the first time Matt held Jonathan, when he was just a few minutes old. Awww! They both look like babies!

I tag Alexis and Janet.

Suddenly, I found myself in an episode of ‘Mad Men…’

I recently bought a McCall’s dress pattern from the 1960’s to layer in collages (Yes, I’m crazy). The cost was originally 50 cents, and I paid $1.25, actually a depreciation in value, but, anyway…
Printed right on the front of the package was THIS disclaimer…’not suitable for chubby girls’…in small font and in parentheses, so as to be subtle, but firm. Looking at the picture on the package, I’m surprised there isn’t a notice about it being unsuitable for…tan girls either, but perhaps the printing was too small for me to notice.
The warning is also printed once more on the back, in case you missed it the first time…chubbo!

Happy Birthday, Isaiah!

I finished this Scrapbook page last month, and in honor of Isaiah’s 4th birthday, I thought it would be the perfect time to share!

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures. It was taken nearly 2 years ago one week after Christmas. The entire Biederbeck family got together for a big group picture. Many pictures of the grandkids were taken, of course. Some of those grandkids were more cooperative than others! We got past Noah’s tears, and at one point Jonathan was holding Nathan with his arms around Noah and Isaiah, Isaiah decided to go in for a hug with 5 month old Nathan and…magic! From the “help me!” look in Nathan’s eyes, to Isaiah and Jonathan’s joy, and Noah’s confused bemusement, I love everything about this picture! Alright, enough gushing.

The first 4 grandkids on that side of the family were these 4 boys. There was a time we were certain there would be ONLY boys in the family…but a small batch of 2 girls has followed this crew in the last 2 years. I love it that way! When I look forward to the next 15 years, I can not imagine what life will hold for these 4 cousins, but I can hope…I hope they are as close of friends as Sarah and I are with some of our cousins! I hope they have a chance to grow and bond in many different areas; family get togethers, church, slumber parties, vacations…I hope they come to a saving knowledge of Christ in those next 15 years and that they can spur each other on in that faith. And the next 10 years? Oh, I’m not even ready to think about that!

So, Happy 4th Birthday Isaiah, I continue to pray for you, Jonathan, Noah, and Nathan, (as well as your little sisters) as I have since before you were born. I am so proud to be your aunt!

‘BOYS’ How-to

I began by scratching and lightly inking the edges of the 5×7 photo with Distress Inks in Frayed Denim. The letters were smudged up with Alcohol inks. My new favorite technique is stamping with Rangers Matte Medium. Along the left hand side of the page are 3 of the stamps, they are clear but shiny and a bit difficult to see in the picuture. Stamping with this adhesive is always unexpected and I have been loving the results. The foam stamp I used was only $1 at Michaels…that’s about the most I’ve spent on stamps…ever! I placed letter stickers on some paper clips I got at Target’s dollar spot.

My favorite holiday

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Ah…Thanksgiving

A time to be with friends and family, a time to enjoy each other’s company and a delicious meal. A time to reflect on the year’s bounty and God’s many blessings upon our lives. And, amazingly, it has been, it will be, it should and shall be done without presents. It is truly the holiday Christmas aspires to be. And that, my friends is why Thanksgiving is My Favorite Holiday.

Less than 3 weeks!

Election Day

I was standing in line to vote today, and I got to thinking about the last 4 years and where my life was at in November of 2004. In October of ‘04 I went with my mom to visit my brother in Chicago. There were signs everywhere touting Barack Obama as the next Illinois State Senator. My brother commented on how much of an influence he was having on the city already, and the next month he won in a landslide election. Until that election, and before his speech at the DNC, he was practically unknown. A rather meteoric rise to the top…but that’s all I have to say about that…

As I watched Noah entertain himself as we waited in line, I couldn’t help reflect on how much my life has changed personally since the last time I stood in that line. When I voted for ‘W’ in 2004, I was pregnant with Noah, though I didn’t know it yet. Matt was still at Intel, but looking for a new job including interviewing for one in Flagstaff, where we were to travel for an interview that very week. Quite a change from now!

From then until now, well before 2004, and well into the future, God has been and will continue to be in control of my life. There was a time I was convinced I would never have another child, and today i waited in line with two ‘newbies’. Throughout the ’90’s, we thought Bill Clinton spelled doomsday for America, yet here we all are not much worse for the wear. God already knows who will win the election (it was decided a long time ago!), and God has chosen the path He knows is right. It may not always be easy, but we can trust that it is right.