It has been awhile, but I have been busy: ICICLES and dangles

One of the Ornament Exchanges for this quarter was "Recycled".  Here are images of my final ornaments.  Where I work we have expanded stainless steel grating which we use as protective covers for the Water Recirculators we make.  There are pieces of scrap which I have de-burred and fashioned into various lengths.  I bent the top of each to form a hanging hook.

The base coating is another recycled product from work.  Another part of the company I work for in cutting protective lens from plastic sheeting, Polycarbonate and PET-G.  When cut on the saw, the resulting sawdust is a nice snowy white.  Using E6000 epoxy, I glued the plastics sawdust to both sides of the metal, allowed to dry and then using spray adhesive I applied large flake glitter, regular glitter and then micro-fine glitter to the surface.

This is a piece of the mesh.  I had one of the mechanist to shear the initial pieces into long wavy strips.  I then used the grinding stone to take any sharped metal off.

I had other ornaments I needed to make for other commitments.  Each year, I will do a "Pay It Forward" campaign on Facebook.  People sign up and commit to also "pay it forward" in that sometime in the year, you will make something hand-made and send to the person along with a handwritten note.  This year, the people will receive miniature Christmas ornaments made from glass teardrops, rhinestone rondelles, bead caps, metal beads, wire and Delica beads.  I had 10 different colors of the rondelles: Clear AB, Red, Lime Green, Emerald Green, Aqua Blue, Medium Blue, Sapphire Blue, Purple, Root Beer and Smoke Topaz.

There was another 'contest' on my Facebook page to identify the person dressed in the Santa outfit.  The image came from the up coming movie "I Am Santa Claus" which stars WWE wrestler Mick Foley.  The person who correctly identified him will be receiving the four dangles pictured below.

Been a while

It has been some time since I last posted.  During the time away, I took a class on How to run a small arts/crafts business through one of the local colleges on-line.  I have made several miniature ornaments (but haven't gotten any of them photographed).  Hoping to get back into the rhythm this week now the class is almost over.

Thinking of one of these as this year's Exchange Ornament.  Have 24 of each color (plus 4 other colors).  The finial onion shaped ornaments are blown-glass.  I picked them up seven or eight years ago in an After Christmas mark down sale.  I may decide to assign the white to one group and the red to the other group and that way if I have any duplicates between the group, I won't have to quickly make any additional ornaments.

 

I can also make extra to have in my car in case I get caught without a needed gift, I can raid the gift/ornament stash.  Luckily, I had several in my trunk last year, as I had been invited to Christmas dinner (no one told me until an hour before hand) and needed 2 gifts.

Have been already making my lists for ornaments.  Have one person who will receive a set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ornaments, another who I will make a set of Minion ornaments, have several Alabama, Georgia, Duke and UNC (Carolina) ornaments which need to be made.

Ornaments 5 through 12, plus 4 more of the same design

Had a case of 'ho-hums', was unmotivated and didn't have any creative spirit.  I am fairly sure it was based on the fact to I had a co-worker staying with me.  Was supposed to have been for one week, turned into 3 weeks and each night when we got home I would go to my bedroom and read.  Got him to move on and that seems to have re-started things flowing again.  On the weekend of February 22nd-23rd, I started a Ornament Suite of seven ornaments.  One each of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple and an ornament with a spoke in each color.  Finished the seven on March 1st, and on the next day started on colors, Gold, Silver, Black and White.

4/52 ornament

As alluded to in previous post, I did a white and gold version (two actually) of the red onion with pearls and white onion with pearls and opaque black seed beads.  I have several more colors of the miniature ornaments plus a couple dozen of miniature stylized Christmas tree ornaments along with frosted pine cones.

Ornaments #2 and #3 for 2014

I had the 'spike' ornaments for several years.  I have them in red, green, blue and purple.  Wanted to carry the swag motif from the miniature ornaments to the entire ornament.

This is the ornament that I am giving an internet friend for his birthday, February 5th.  It will be going into the post this afternoon.  He likes the black/white/gold color combination and most (if not all) ornaments he has received from me are in this combo.

Currently working on the above but using white opal instead of opaque black.  Have one finished and half way through a second.  The white will be for the 1st Quarter ornament exchange at ChristmasOnramentCrafters under the YAHOO! groups.

Other ornaments from Christmas 2013

Most of the Christmas gifts I give are handmade beaded ornaments done in various colors of beads.  Occasionally I will more than one, especially if the gift is going to a couple or family.  The following are photos of ornaments which were given during the 2013 Christmas season.

These were not only the Exchange ornaments I used but were also a set given to my younger sister in NC.

The red ones were also given to my younger sister.

Another set went to a co-worker and his family.  The Dark Red (not shown) to the father as he likes Alabama, the wife received the White, oldest daughter Purple and youngest daughter Pink.

Most of the other ornaments given followed the designs below but in various colors.  The Suspended Chandelier (left) also was done in White, Blue, Orange, Rainbow, Light Blue and Ivory.  The regular Chandelier (right) was done in White, Light Blue, Rainbow.

 

I also did a few variations on the Exchange ornaments in Blue with Silver beads.

First Ornament of 2014

When I was in NC for Christmas, I found 14 dozen miniature ornaments which I had purchased several years ago.  There are 6 colors of the onion-shaped glass ornaments.  Using the red ornament I have just finished this ornament.  The ornament is 8.5" tall and 2.75" across.  Other colors are bronze, gold, pale gold, olivine green and snowy white.

Thought about using red glass beads instead of the pearls, but I don't have corresponding glass beads for the other colors.  By using the pearls, I can give several as a gift and they will look as if they are a set.  The small seed beads I use will match the onion ornament and I've incorporated them on the dangles