Great Horned Owl Embroidered Ornament - Art Every Day Month - Day 28

Today I hand-embroidered a Great Horned Owl for the 28th day of Art Every Day Month. The pattern came from Downeast Thunder Farm.

There are eight felt pieces in five different colors that are needed to create this owl. As I looked at the original, it appears that there may be a white and orange used for the eyes - even though the pattern notes that orange should be used for the eyes.

I think I like white - or even a very pale orange - compared to the orange I used. Also, I chose not to use button for the eyes. I didn't want any loose parts on any of the bird ornaments that I am making.

Having all the felt pieces - rather than having beads and buttons sewn on - will be safer when I use these around seniors in the spring.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm thinking about creating a wide variety of birds using the free patterns on Downeast Thunder Farm's website. I'll use the birds for hands-on activities with seniors at the nursing home where Sophia, Olivia, and I volunteer.

Embroidered Hummingbird Ornament - Art Every Day Month - Day 27

On the 27th day of Art Every Day Month, I made a hand-embroidered hummingbird ornament. The free pattern is from Downeast Thunder Farm where there is a wide selection of patterns of birds from which to choose.

There are six different felt pieces that I embroidered together to create the hummingbird.

The hummingbird I embroidered. 

It is sitting in the Christmas cactus plant that my Dad gave me many years ago.

It is just starting to bloom...right before Thanksgiving.

I followed the directions with the exception of the eyes. Instead of using a trio of black beads, I used a a few stitches of white embroidery floss to create an eye.

The beak is a toothpick that I colored with a black Sharpie pen.

It is inserted between two layers of felt 

once I was stitching the bird together.

At this point, I haven't put hangers on the birds that I have embroidered. I'm thinking that I may make quite a few different varieties and then do a hands-on type of bird activity at the nursing home in the spring.

In that way the seniors can touch the birds and perhaps handling the "birds" will help unleash some memories they have of feeding and enjoying them throughout their lives.

Homemade Thieves Oil Tutorial - Art Every Day Month - Day 26

For the 26th day of Art Every Day Month, I wanted to try making the homemade Thieves Oil that I had pinned on Pinterest. The pin leads to Heartland Renaissance which has some excellent ways to use the oil both in its diluted and undiluted form.

First, though, I needed to mix together the essential oils to create the blend. The recipe on Heartland Renaissance uses quite a bit of essential oils.

The five essential oils that are needed to make

homemade Thieves Oil.

In some cases, like with the clove and lemon, I would have had to buy three bottles of essential oils. So, I purchased 5 ml bottles which was more than sufficient for making half of the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Clove Essential Oil
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Lemon Essential Oil
2-1/2 teaspoons (12.5 ml) Cinnamon (Cassia) Bark Essential Oil
2 (10 ml) teaspoons Eucalyptus Essential Oil
2 (10 ml) teaspoons Rosemary Essential Oil
A carrier oil of your choice (e.g., sweet almond oil, grapeseed, apricot kernel. I used almond oil)
Dark-colored bottles with droppers (e.g., 1-ounce size, some with regular screw tops and a few dropper tops)

I measured out five essential orders using measuring spoons.

Then put the measured amounts into a metal measuring cup.

The five essential oils blended together.

I haven't diluted the essential oil blend yet with the sweet almond oil. I still need to get some dark-colored bottles. Until then, I'll focus on how to use the undiluted homemade Thieves Oil.

Undiluted homemade Thieves Oil can be used by adding:

- 1 drop per ounce of water for use as an all-purpose disinfecting spray, room spray, or fabric/mattress spray at this ratio
- a few drops mixed with baking soda for use as a disinfectant scrub (e.g., bathtubs, sinks)
- 1-9 drops in a bowl of just-boiled water or a humidifer for room purification
- a maximum of 8 drops in a bath or shower (more could be used for adults and less for children)
- 8 drops to a diffuser to clean the air (this is ideal during cold and flu season)
- 5-10 drops in a washing machine to disinfect toys or sheets
- a few drops mixed into the water of a steam vacuum
- 1-2 drops on a soft cloth to clean and disinfect items (e.g., computers, cell phones)

Almond oil that the essential oils will be mixed with.

In diluted form, there are many uses for 

the essential oil/almond oil mixture.

Diluted homemade Thieves Oil can be used topically:

- As a hand sanitizer
- By rubbing it onto the chest, neck, and ears to ward away the cold and flu and help open up the sinuses
- By dabbing a drop on one's temples to help ward away a headache
- By massaging it onto the bottom of one's feet to ward away a cold and flu
- By massaging it onto the small of one's back and the back of one's neck to minimize aches and pains during cold and flu season
- By dabbing a drop on an insect bite to make it stop itching

Heartland Renaissance also said, "Make sure that you clearly label your essential oil blends and keep them away from children. Yes, they are safe to use, sparingly on children, but they should be administered by the hands of a knowledgeable adult." That's good advice!

Embroidered Black-Capped Chickadee - Art Every Day Month - Day 24 and 25

For the 24th day of Art Every Day Month, I hand-embroidered a black-capped chickadee ornament. The free pattern comes from Downeast Thunder Farm.

Black-capped chickadee I embroidered. 

I've made a couple of the bird ornaments from this website, and all are very easy to piece together and embroider.

There are five pieces of felt needed to 

create this black-capped chickadee.

The black-capped chickadee is a familiar bird here at our farm. It is a frequent visitor at the bird feeders, especially one on the mudroom room that is right outside where we homeschool. The little chirps always alert us that a chickadee is at the feeder.

The chickadees eat well alongside other birds at the mudroom feeder.

When they are done eating, they fly off into one of the pine trees along the driveway or in the front yard.

All About Birds has some interesting facts about black-capped chickadees:

- Chickadees hide seeds and other food items to eat later. Each item is placed in a different spot; and the birds are able to remember thousands of hiding places.

- Every autumn black-capped chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their environment and social flocks even with their tiny brains.

Chickadee in the plum tree.

- Chickadee calls are language-like and complex. They can communicate information on recognition and identity of other flocks as well as predator alarms. The more "dee" notes in a chickadee-dee-dee call, the higher the threat level.

- Chickadees like to live in mixed and deciduous forests, open woods, willow thickets, parks, and cottonwood groves.

- During the winter, chickadees eat about half berries, seeds, and other plant matter, and half animal food (spiders, suet, insects, and sometimes bits of meat and fat from frozen carcasses). In spring, summer, and autumn, spiders, insects, and other animal food make up 80-90 percent of their diet.

Chickadee eating homemade Amish bird suet that we made.

- At feeders, these birds like to eat peanuts, suet, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and mealworms. They peck a hole in the shell, and then chip out and eat tiny bits of seed while expanding the hole.

- Nest boxes are often used by chickadees, especially when filled with sawdust or wood shavings. To keep wrens out of boxes you want chickadees to nest in, place nest boxes at least 60 feet into a wooded area. The entrance hole does not matter at all, but chickadees seem to prefer an unobstructed path to the entrance hole, without leaves and branches in the way. Setting a nest box farther back from other branches and trees helps deter mice and squirrels from jumping to the box and eating chickadee eggs and nestlings.

Chickadee eating from a pumpkin feeder

that I made one year around Halloween.

- Black-capped chickadees are one of the easiest birds to attract to feeders, for sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts. They don’t mind using tiny hanging feeders that swing in the wind, and also readily visit window feeders. Planting birch, alder, and willow trees provides future nesting habitat for chickadees.

**Note: All the photos of the black-capped chickadees were taken at our farm.**

Miniature Thank You Cards - Art Every Day Month - Day 23

Today I started going through some "to do" bags I have in my closet. There are quite a few projects that I have in progress...just need to make some time to complete them.

So, first on the list were 11 sets of thank you cards. The cards were folded and the front decorative paper already glued on.

I just needed to cut the white pieces of paper, hand-stamp them, and then affix them onto the card using a three-dimensional foam piece between the white and decorative papers.

I'm going to start uploading them into my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand. It seems like around the holidays there is an increased need for thank you cards.

These little 3"x 3" cards that are blank on the inside make just the right size for a quick thank you note.

I'm happy to have all these sets of cards done. Now, I think I'll move onto embroidery.

Waldorf Window Stars - Art Every Day Month - Day 22

Today I finished the big order that is being sent to the early education program in the Arctic.

It is such a relief to have 23 window stars done for that order!

Had another order come in last night for one window star that I completed this morning.

The stars I worked on today were light yellow and white.

The sun began peeking out behind the clouds today, but when I took these photos it was overcast and the sun wasn't shining.

I continue to be amazed at how even simply light can transform the paper into a vivid sun catcher.

Now that I'm done with orders, I can do some other creative projects that I've been wanting to do during Art Every Day Month. 

More Waldorf Window Stars - Art Every Day Month - Day 21

I'm continuing to fold more window stars. This marks the third day of folding the stars. For the 19th and 20th days of Art Every Day Month, I completed two orders that came in through my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

Today, I'm working on finishing a very large order that will be sent to an early education program in the Arctic. Hopefully the window stars will brighten the center where the program is taking place.

The majority of the stars that were purchased are red.

I'm surprised at how vivid the sun catchers look even though the sun isn't shining today. It began snowing in the mid-afternoon, so there was no sunlight.

Even with an overcast sky, I was happy with how they turned out.

I'm hoping that the children, their families, and the teachers enjoy the bright colors on days that are snowy and overcast in the Arctic.

There are only two stars left and all 23 are done with this order. They will have to wait until the morning. My back and arms are hurting, and I need to take some pain medicine now.

Who would have thought that folding window stars would be painful? I guess if you're doing the same thing for the majority of the day, muscles are bound to get sore.

Waldorf Window Stars - Art Every Day Month - Days 19 and 20

For the 19th and 20th days of Art Every Day Month, I've been making window stars.

These are the stars that I sell in my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

I had three orders come in during the past few days - two of which are rather large ones.

One of the customers will be using the window stars for a backdrop for her holiday photo cards. She's going to have her children stand in front of the window stars.

The other customer who placed a very large order will be using the window stars to decorate a bank of windows at an early education center.

The center is in the Arctic - so I'm sure this time of the year things are pretty cold and barren.

Hopefully the window stars brighten up the center for the children and their families who go there each day.

As a side note, I tend to take photos of the completed stars. Every once in a while, though, I like to take a picture of a star in progress.

Some of the points are attached to one another...while others are sitting to the right ready to be glued.

It's time to rest now so I can begin working on the remainder of the stars for one of the orders (the one to the Arctic) early tomorrow morning. I'd like to complete them by tomorrow afternoon so I can do some other creative projects that I wanted to do during Art Every Day Month.

Wool Felt Flowers - Art Every Day Month - Day 18

Today I went through the items in my "want to do" bag, and came across several pieces of hand-dyed wool and instructions to make wool felt flowers.

Four wool felt flowers in orange, red, purple, and blue.

I've wanted to do these for a long time, but have not made time to do them...until now.

One of the good things about Art Every Day Month is that it stretches you to find something to create every day.

Another view of the flowers.

I enjoyed cutting the flower-shape pieces and sewing them together. Such a simple design, yet one that - I think - is a day-brightener given some of these colder, windier days we've been having.

The colors of the wool are quite deep and rich.

They have a pin on the back so they can be attached to almost anything...a jacket, hat, scarf, book bag, backpack...really, any item that needs a splash of color.

Tissue Paper Balls - Creative Every Day - Days 16 and 17

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Olivia's adoption day. Olivia was born in Dianjiang which is in Chongqing Municipality - towards the west-central part of China.

We normally go out to eat at a Chinese restaurant that she chooses (as does Sophia when it is the anniversary of her adoption day which is in nine days). We did that for lunch (rather than dinner) and then in the evening, we will have a very light dinner or snack (most likely the latter).

Since it is a milestone year, I wanted to decorate the dining room a bit different this year. I saw a pin on Pinterest that led to Koyal Wholesale which sells tissue-paper pom poms. The link shows how to fold and assemble the pom poms.

The dining room decorated with white paper lanterns, 

three tissue-paper flowers (one blue one and two white ones), and

four fancy blue bows.

My initial inspiration, however,  came from another pin that leads to Craig and Whitney where there was a lovely combination of paper lanterns, tissue-paper flowers, and other  paper decorations hanging from the ceiling.

So, the first step was to fold 8 layers of tissue paper into about 1 or 1 1/2 inch widths - doing an accordion fold. Once the tissue paper was folded, I used 20-gauge wire to hold the accordion-folded tissue paper in place in the middle.

Next, I cut the ends of the tissue paper off in a rounded-fashion. Then I began pulling each layer up individually to one side. I did this four times. I repeated on the other side.

The blue tissue-paper pom pom.

After "fluffing" the pom pom a bit, it was ready to be hung. I used white thread that I tied in a loop for the hanger and a tack to use in the ceiling.

Tried to put the tack in the ceiling. "You have to be kidding me," I said aloud. The ceiling is hard as a rock. There is no way in the world that anything is going to be pushed into it. So much for trying to make a version of the pin I saw on Craig and Whitney's blog.

So, I had to do Plan B: use the tacks to hang up the lanterns along the beams. Rather than pushing the tacks into the ceiling, I could push them into the wood which is slightly softer.

Next came the tissue-paper pom poms. The big blue one is a bit heavier than I thought, so I hung it from an existing hook.

One of the white pom poms.

The little white ones were light enough to hang on the window with tape. The blue bows were taped onto the windows near the white pom-poms.

The two small blue bows along with 

the white tissue-paper pom pom.

Took a picture, and then left to pick the girls up from play practice and go out to eat.

Thought I had everything high enough on the windows.

We came home and Sophia was the first one to the mudroom door which has a window looking at the kitchen.

"Oh oh...Mom, I think Cooper got into toilet paper," was what Sophia said when she looked into the kitchen.

In the relatively short time period that we were gone, Cooper had taken the white pom poms down from the windows, and destroyed them in the kitchen and living room.

After showing the girls the photo I took of what Cooper had torn apart (see above) , they turned their attention back to the dining room.

"When did you do all this?" they asked. They were both equally as excited about the lanterns and decorations.

I told them I did this while they were at play practice; and was thinking about the hanging lanterns in China that led to the entrance of the Chongqing zoo. We saw pandas there which was one of the highlights of the visit.

Entrance to the zoo in Chongqing. 

There were hundreds of red paper lanterns lining the driveway.

It was fun to decorate the dining room for Olivia's adoption day anniversary while thinking back ten years ago and the journey we were beginning to take with one another. 

Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar - Art Every Day Month - Day 15

The Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar is finished! It took two days to complete - November 14th and 15th.

The finished Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar.

On the 14th, I selected and ironed fabric I had on hand. I chose oranges, tans, and browns since I only one Thanksgiving-theme fabric. I also created a pattern for the pocket and background; and then cut out all the backgrounds from fabric and ironed them once again.

On the 15th, I cut out 13 circles from a light-tan wool felt, and hand-embroidered numbers on 12 of them and the word "Thanksgiving" on one of them.

The felt circles are pockets that open at the top.

Each has a hand-embroidered number on it.

Next, I sewed the felt pockets onto one side of the fabric background. After that, I pinned the right sides of the fabric together and sewed along the edges. After clipping the two points, I turned the fabric backgrounds inside out and ironed them again.Then I clipped off all the loose threads.

Next, I ironed a piece of orange bias tape. Leaving ten inches at one end, I pinned on fabric backgrounds. There are two backgrounds without pockets; the 13 with felt pockets; and then two more without pockets. 

Backgrounds pinned to the bias tape.

There is one inch between each fabric background, so they are equally spaced. I had to add some more bias tape from another package near the end because the Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar is over nine feet long.

Two of the fabric backgrounds with felt pockets.

I sewed along the edge of the bias tape - from one end to the other - so the entire tape was sewn closed.

Sewing along the edge of the bias tape.

Sophia and Olivia held up the Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar and it is much longer than I anticipated. It is longer than the staircase where we hang the Advent Calendar. 

So, on Saturday (the first day of the countdown) we will find a place in our home where the pockets are easily accessible for the girls to pull out the piece of paper with the activity, recipe, joke, and gratitude quote of the day. 

A segment of the Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar.

It also has to be high enough so Cooper can't reach it and pull it down. 

The final day of the calendar is Thanksgiving.

After all that work, the last thing I want to see is the puppy dragging the Countdown Calendar round and using it as a chew toy.