Monday Tastylinks and Retrofabulous Redux!

Retrofabulous Holiday Mixed Media Necklace Copyright 2009 Margot Potter

"I'm late. I'm late. For a very important date. No time to say, "Hello, goodbye."

I'm late. I'm late. I'm late."

My sincere apologies to the White Rabbit.

Oh busy day, calloo callay!

Yes, I'm busy. So busy that I'm just now finally getting these dang links up. Dang the links, full speed ahead!

Don't ask. Sometimes there is no making sense of the drivel that flies from my fingertips.

Here's the link to the fabulous and fast last minute holiday jewelry project from last year in the photo above and here's what the Crafty Bloggers have in store for your craftertainment!

The Crochet Dude Drew once again dazzles with his themed Christmas wrapping!!

Mixed Media Artist Cyndi shows off some stenciled fabrics that she painted and foiled for future use!

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter Join Madge as she shares her latest project for JTV's Jewel School on the blog and in a new video!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter Need a few more ornaments for the tree or some last minute gifts? The Artful Crafter shares 5 easy techniques for decorating clear glass ornament balls.

Cross Stitch at About.com Up for a challenge? Connie's Kaleidoscope Cross Stitch Patterns are just the thing. Stitch them in holiday colors or alter the selection to your favorite colors or even your school colors for a fun project.

Crafty Princess Diaries Tammy is making a list of crafting and non-crafting must-do's as she heads off for her holiday school break.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world This week at Craftside there are two fabulous prize packages of Windham Fabrics Fat Quarter Stacks, Westcott Scissors and quilt books along with tutorials on how to sew a Roman Stripe Quilt, quick gift bag stockings made from socks, a stamped polymer clay journal with a dowel binding system, and a cute tiny pear pocket pattern.

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi makes some Christmas themed magnetic present toppers.

Aileen's Musings Tags, Tags, Tags--Aileen has some ideas to inspire you to create your own altered Christmas tags using old Christmas cards and other embellishments you have left over.

About Family Crafts If you are looking for an almost instant Christmas gift or activity, check out these free, printable Christmas pages.

Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration Project #2! Perky Pixie Ornament!

Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration Project #2: Perky Pixie Ornament
Copyright Margot Potter 2009

Copyright McCall's Magazine circa 1960s
Copyright Margot Potter 2009

(Click on images to view close up)

Today’s retrofabulosity is courtesy of McCall’s Christmas Make-It Ideas Vol. VIII which is curiously lacking a publishing date. Based on the hair styles and the kitschy crafty deliciousness inside, it appears to be sometime in the late 1960s. There is so much good stuff in this one magazine; I could mine it for inspiration for years to come. Yay! Today’s retrofabulous project is a jaunty little elf made from beads, buttons and tinsel pipe cleaners. Their charming versions are made from lovely felt, pipe cleaners and Styrofoam balls covered with nylon stockings...love them. I’m particularly smitten with the tiny antennae...

I decided to try using beads and bits from my studio. I do love felt so, but I wanted to give it a new spin. I scored these painted wooden face beads in Manhattan, but I’m quite sure you can find similar beads online or at your local craft chains. If not, paint a plain wooden bead yourself, this is a fairly simple series of circles and lines! I would totally sport this as a necklace...seriously. It's that cute! So it falls into the 'ornapendant' category I created last year for sure!

Retrofabulous Perky Pixie Ornament
Copyright 2009 Margot Potter

Materials
30mm wooden face bead (or plain wooden bead you decorate)
1.5” white plastic button
25mm white plastic bead
10mm frosted red Lucite bead (Plaid Fresh)
2 10mm olivine moonglow vintage Lucite beads
7 9mm red moonglow vintage side drilled button Lucite beads
2 19mm olivine Lucite leaves
1 30mm dark olive 3 petal Lucite flower (40mm widest side to side of petals)
2 20mm red vintage (or new) buttons
26 gauge Beadalon German style wire
18 gauge Beadalon Artistic Wire Tinned Copper

Silver tinsel wire

1. Thread a 10” 26 gauge wire over bent in half over the center of a tinsel pipe cleaner.

2. Thread 26 gauge wire into a Lucite flower bead, a white plastic bead, a face bead and into a big button and a final bead. Wrap wire flush to the back and around the bottom of the final bead using pliers to twist and secure. Cut off excess and tuck wire tail into itself.

3. Thread a wire with a red bead and two Lucite leaves. Wrap around the neck area of base. Twist ends, cut off excess and tuck wire into itself.

4. Cut off a 5” segment of tinsel pipe cleaner. Thread a bead on each end and loop wire end with round nose pliers to secure bead. Wrap center of beaded pipe cleaners around neck of base, these are your arms.

5. Thread 6 8mm beads on a 4” section of 26 gauge wire. Wrap wire around waist of base. Use pliers to twist wire, cut off excess and tuck tail under.

6. Thread ends of bottom tinsel into buttons, use pliers to pull wire. Wrap tinsel around itself. These are your legs.

7. Add a wire hook to the top of your ornament and enjoy! (These make fabulous package toppers!)


NOTE:
The vintage Lucite beads were given to me by The Beadin’ Path for use in my design work, the other materials were purchased by me.

A Retrofabulous Christmas Crafabration with Madge!

Holiday Fun with the Potters 2008!

(Congrats to Pippirose for winning the prize package!)

I am not afraid to admit that I love Christmas....so there! Take that, holly haters! I love it because it is for those of us who miss the light this time of year, a way to bring the light inside of our homes, deck our halls, celebrate the joy of giving, sharing, laughing and loving. It's a magical time, if we allow it to be. It is like all things in life all about perspective. It isn't about the race for the cheapest DVD Player or the newest gadgets or games, it's about family and friends. Honestly I've been chomping at the bit here this year. I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! Bring on the glitter, break out the glue guns, tinsel me up, baby!

I had a few not so fabulous Christmas experiences way back when and for many years it tainted things for me. I felt the holidays approaching and immediately started feeling stressed out and sad and disappointed in advance. We put a lot of pressure on these few days to make us happy. It's rather silly really. Happiness isn't an involuntary response to external stimuli, happiness is a conscious choice.

I dreaded Christmas for years and then I had a kid and she reminded me that it was about being in the moment so fully and completely that we couldn't help but choose joy...and that we could be sad too, but we didn't have to get stuck there. She helped me rediscover the wonder of the season. She helped me rediscover the magic of believing. She showed me the Zen of Christmas.

I choose not to get caught up in the buying of crap that people don't need. I choose not to feel pressured. I choose not to be sad about the disappointments of Christmas past. I choose to focus on the joy. The best gifts don't come in packages, they come from the heart.


I have recently acquired 16 sensational 1960s craft magazines. I am going to share with you over the next few weeks my version of some of the projects and remind you that a handmade gift can be ten times cooler than some random obligatory thing picked up on sale at the mall. It's a Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration with Madge! Game on!

xoxo
Madge