Glitter Ornaments

When my husband spent time time celebrating his brother's 65th birthday, I decided to have a two-day Crafters Retreat. My piles of  "next projects" are teetering, so I thought I'd see if I could winnow them down a bit by having some crafting fun.

I started by making glitter ornaments.

I learned about this technique on Facebook and Pinterest. I gathered the plastic globe ornaments, some floor wax, and all the glitter I had on hand. Glitter can be so messy, so I covered my surfaces thoroughly. I also prepared my drying racks.

First, pull off the ornament topper. Pour in some floor wax. Swirl the wax inside the ornament so the entire surface on the inside is covered. Drain the excess liquid.

Carefully pour some glitter inside the ornament. Swirl and shake until the glitter covers the entire inside surface. Turn the ornament upside down and shake out the excess glitter. 

Some tips? 

• Swirl the floor wax around the globe instead of shaking it. Shaking causes bubbles to form.
  
• Fine glitter works somewhat better than big glitter. I used up all my big glitter on this project before trying the fine glitter. The fine glitter coated more thoroughly.
• Don't be stingy with the glitter. Adding a larger-than-needed amount seemed to help coat the inside of the ornament better, even if you end up shaking a lot of the excess back out. The excess can be used on the next ornament. For this ornament, I had to combine three colors of glitter to have enough to cover the inside surface.
  
  

Set the ornaments upside down on the rack until dry.

Add the topper back in. I decided to use a 12 inch length of white satin ribbon to tie a bow around the top of each ornament.

Overall, this was a fairly successful operation. I'll need to dig out some nail polish remover to get rid of some sticky spots on the outside of a couple of the ornaments. I used plastic ornament globes. The blue one got smunched in and I couldn't get the dent out all the way. That one I'll keep for myself. But it's pretty nice to already have the 2025 family Christmas ornaments done!

Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone these are really 10 months late. I'd originally planned to make them for 2024.

Here's one of the videos I used to help me learn:

One craft complete for the Crafter's Retreat! Now ... which technique to pick next?

Other Than Sunflowers ...

These beauties are gracing our yard in August.

The strawberry plants have sent out runners. I thought the fruit was done for the season. But the leaves are lush, and a few more flowers are blooming. Today I even found four more ripe berries!

These pansies are technically volunteers (weeds!) that are creeping through the bark on the ground in the front yard. But I like them, so have been fertilizing them and encouraging them to grow.

The mum plant I bought last September decided to stick around all year. The plant has doubled in size. This is the first little bud to open.

The morning glories are doing well. Nearly the entire back fence is covered in the vines. The flowers are starting to emerge - in three colorways:

Alongside the driveway, our neighbor's large hibiscus bush is in full bloom. So pretty. Reminds me of where I grew up in southern California.

This is a drop in the bucket of the colorful vegetation in Eugene at this time of year. Wait until you see the flowers I spotted on my walk. Gorgeous.

Sunflower Season

The sunflower decorations inside my house are, of course, inspired by all the sunflowers blooming in our area at this time of year. Here are some I saw on this morning's walk through a community garden at a local high school.

Do you see the friendly bee?

These two bloomed in my own yard! I was determined to join the community sunflower gang this year.

She opened yesterday.

Her brother started opening up today.

With more on the way.

I've got nearly a dozen plants. Undoubtedly I won't be able to resist photographing them some more as they burst into bloom.

Seasonal Change

As I moved out of July, the stars, stripes, red, white and blue decorations came down. In August and September, sunflowers reign.

So I pulled out my supplies on hand. I decided to use these:

along with this wreath form that just didn't work for my butterfly wreath idea.

I edited out using these elements of stickers and ribbons and signage. They'll grace a future sunflower or Autumn project.

I turned the supplies into a sweet and simple Sunflower Wreath. 

It's hanging in our entryway, to be a spot of joy as we leave the house.

Color My World

August 2nd was National Coloring Book Day. While I was working on my latest wreath craft, Jodie chatted with me and colored this picture:

Later on, I listened to a book and watched TV while coloring my own:

Both images came from this coloring book, Zenscapes:

At the end of July, my two oldest grandkids and I colored this one. 

It was Annalee, our six year old, that insisted on markers. I usually use colored pencils, so this was a nice change. They're very bright and pigmented.

America's Favorite Cookie

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. So I made a batch yesterday with enough to share.

I "cheated" by using pre-made cookie dough from the grocery store. 

They're not quite as tasty as homemade, but home-baked is still pretty good.

They're best when hot from the oven/

But next day is darn good too!

Not all minor holidays involve sweet treats ... but perhaps the best ones do.

If the Holiday Exsists ...

... we must comply!

Earlier this week it was Ice Cream Sandwich Day.

Jodie had some in her freezer, so ...

Let the fun begin!

p.s. Life is always more fun when we get together.

What's Red and White and Cheesy?

Yesterday was National Homemade Pie Day and National Raspberry Pie Day. What's a girl to do?

I made a pie-shaped raspberry cheesecake. Fresh berries inside and berries on top. Hairy berries.

I got to share with Jodie and Dale. 

So good!

I See Whimsy

Well, hello. I've been away a while. Busy. Hot. Summer guests. 

Then I messed up my back again. I tested it's strength by taking a short walk yesterday, keeping my eyes open for things to make me smile.

Mission accmplished!

A 100 year old woman once remarked, "Something good always happens if I can get outside."