You are cordially invited to attend a cyber party of the bloggers on the eve of the fresh beginning. This New Years Eve celebration, hosted by ring leader Boxer, offers an evening of great company, great drinks and food, fashion, games, events and fabulous prizes....and its all for a good cause with money earned by playing going to charity. At this party you can have drinks with your friends without facing a gauntlet of law enforcement on the way home and you will definitely find a good parking place. Plus, you'll avoid contact with carriers of holiday cold and flu cooties.And you can wear whatever you want.
Koby say she wanna go.
Every blogger in the Ring of Boxer is posting their own New Year's Eve celebration to link back with the host Boxer. When you visit these blogs you might find great recipes, astonishing photographs, jokes, quizzes and contests, open bars and on this blog, an art activity. This is something I know Boxer wants to learn.
Oh hell no. another garland?
You need to find two free hours and these supplies: a glue gun, or "Zots" those pre-fab glue dots on a roll. You also need scissors, some kind of string or heavy thread like embroidery floss, a bone or tool to use to crease paper, a stapler and a selection of decorative papers. If you have left over Christmas wrap this is a good way to use it. You also need to print the PDF below of the letters that spell Happy New Year and the rabbits that divide the words. (2011 is the year of the Rabbit)
Cut all the letters out and fold them in half on the gray line. Now prep the other papers by folding a two inch strip into one inch and cut them into sections to make filler on either side of the letters. I used some patterned paper that i thought would look good with black and white and some gold cardstock. Other great options are kraft paper or even printing the PDF twice so your garland is all "happy new year". Really tricking it out might include printing small photos of your family or friends or chickens and incorporating them into the design.
Use something hard (like a folding bone or barware) to make really good creases on your folded paper so that they hang on the string straight. Now for the stars or flowers - the part Boxer wants to learn. Cut a perfect square. I will cut two 5" squares and two 4" squares for my garland.
Fold the square in half both ways so that when you open it up you see four even squares
Now fold the outer edge in so that it aligns with the middle fold.
Fold the outer edge in again. Flip the paper around and do the same thing on the other side.
Open the paper up and you will find 8 even sections to fold back and forth like an accordion with the decoration part facing out.
Staple the accordion on the middle fold going the other way.
Now take the stapled accordion and make sure the open part is facing to your right.
From the corner of the folded edge cut at a diagonal toward the staple and stop about a half inch before you reach it.
If you want a flower make the cut curved (as shown); for a star, cut a straight line
Open the star/flower up and glue the two sides together. This works best with a glue gun. If you are in a pinch, you can use a stapler or a Zot. It doesnt work with regular glue because the paper is being bent in a way it will work against. Now take the other squares you cut and make some more stars.
Now that you've made all the elements, you are ready to string the garland. Tie a loop at the end of the string and begin with a few of the folded squares. Open them up and give them a little zig-zag of glue that goes across the fold. Then take the hot gluey piece and fit the fold right on the string. Press it down good to make sure it doesnt slide along the string. When you get ready to add a star/flower, cut the string so that you can glue the end into the crease of one of the petals as shown above. Continue on the other side with the string glued to a petal fold. Make sure you have it on the exact opposite side or it won't hang right. Now just decide on how long you want it to be and string the garland so the "happy new year" part is situated in the middle. I usually make mine about 6' long which is good for fireplace mantles, windows, stairwells and pianos.
The garlands look good incorporated into your left-over Christmas decorations and on your tree. I have some stretched across an arched doorway between two rooms. Or you can just lay them out on a table.
Now for the charity part. For every blogger that makes this garland, or any other hand crafted decoration that reads "Happy New Year" and posts a photograph of it on their blog, I will give $10 to my charity which is called "Heather". You must come to this blog and leave a message that says you posted this crafty project in order to win. We all know many good and well known charities that we could donate to. But I am often frustrated by the administrative costs and the slow trickle down to the ones that most need help. In this case, I am familiar with my charity and can give the money directly to her. Who is Heather? She is the assistant to the Director of the Arts Center of Blue Ridge. She is young and single and she is foster parenting four children ranging from 14 to infants on her modest salary. When I found out she was doing this during an event this fall I was blown away by her selflessness and sweet natured attitude toward the hardship of it, because the stipend she gets from the state for the childrens' care is a joke. I plan to give Heather a minimum in case you all peter out on me and make nothing - but if you DO make something, Heather will get more. So mix yourself a cocktail if it helps, put on some music, get a snack and sit down to a crafty New Year's Eve eve.
*bonus: first person to find Coco in this post will win a photoshop tribute to appear on this blog New Years Eve.
You might have heard all about Saint Nicholas; the frosty do-gooder who travels on snowflakes and delivers presents and bright tidings to the good little children.
Well Nick doesnt travel alone.
Just in case youve been a bit naughty this year you should be warned about Krampusz and you should repent. Immediately. Because St. Nick is not having it.
Naughty children have been warned for centuries about the potential of receiving a bundle of twigs or coal instead of toys. It's Krampusz that metes out this punishment for Nick. And it could be even worse. Looking at some of the art depicting Krampusz you might have to suffer an actual beating with the bundle of twigs or possibly be carried straight to hell on his hairy back.
If you fail to set things right with St. Nick, Krampusz gets to keep your loot
There is no limit to the amount of bad children that can be rounded up in one evening
the proverbial "slippery slope"
You better watch out; better not cry; better not pout; im telling you why!
Im sure none of the readers of this blog have anything to worry about. But on the off chance someone who might have had a bad moment here and there this past year stops by, perhaps they might leave some schnapps alongside the milk and cookies. Krampusz likes schnapps. And beer.
*overwhelmed* Here is a re-run from last February. I hope you don't mind the re-post. If its new for you, I hope you enjoy this wintery valentine to the goodness and sweetness of Home.
Im running a poultry production house over here. fifty one cents of cull plywood cut into 8x10s were the substrates for today's series of hens. Their imperfections and raggedy surfaces make the paint look rustic and slightly weathered. Someday these birds will be carted off to the farmer's market just like the living.
a favorite color combination: crisp black and white on fresh green
Some are painted sweet and naive.
A silver-spangled Hamburg. Looks a lot like Easter.
Others are more realistic.
This one has the one of the bottle caps Shamy sent - I have no idea what drink this cap represents - but i love the simple design.
I've been sick with a cold. I know i am really sick because out of 80 photographs i took of the dogs playing in the snow, not one of them is worthy of being posted. For entertainment yesterday, i tried to get out of my driveway and made it to about 10 feet from my gate. The truck just isnt heavy enough in the back to get any traction. And i cant risk Silk ending up in a ditch. Damn i wish i had a horse, i could at least ride to the country store and get some chocolate. what kind of moron goes to the store to buy pre-snow provisions and gets not one fun thing to eat? I must have had a fever my brain wasnt functioning properly.
okay well here's one of Koby in her first snow
the feeder saw a ton of action yesterday
I had enormous flocks of Pine Siskins yesterday. Flying with them were Slate-colored Juncos, Goldfinches, Nuthatches, Chickadees and Titmice. I also had Doves and Downy Woodpeckers. I did manage to get some nice video of the feeder and if i feel better later I will edit it down to something worth watching.
This one's for you, Boxer
The chicks stay under a heat lamp all day - just like fast food
This is the best time to walk in the woods
Nutty wants to go to Big Sky
It's about 8 degrees right now. The unofficial Mayor of Blue Ridge might come by and pick me up if she can get out today. If not, ive got to make do. without chocolate. *wail*
