After spending several days sorting and organizing craft supplies, I decided it was time to finish some projects!
I meant to start 2024 tatted ornaments on New Year's Day, but that obviously didn't happen. This one is a bit of a cheat, because I started it before Christmas.
We had a fantastic Christmas vacation. Dave and I drove to Georgia after Christmas to visit daughter Joanne and family. Daughter Alison, daughter Carol, and sister Janet took turns staying with Mom. Everyone had a wonderful time.
Dave and I arrived home around lunch time on New Year's Day, and Janet and I spent the afternoon working on bejeweled Christmas trees. I told Janet that I never would have thought I'd get so much enjoyment out of pushing pins into styrofoam!
I took a break from gnomes this morning to work on my newest bejeweled tree. I took off the clef that Dad made, because it just wasn't working for me. The cluster of pearls at the top was supposed to work into an oval, but that's not working either, so those will be coming off so that I can do something different.
I did add on different sizes of pearls, and I've added quite a few to the tree this morning.
I've been using a combination of white and blue pearl head beads, and I'm very happy with the way this tree is working out.
As for gnomes, I worked like a crazy woman yesterday morning and I managed to finish and pass out gnomes to all the high school and middle school staff. Luckily, I took extras. I had forgotten to add two people to my list. All were delivered with one left over!
I love pearls! It doesn't matter if they're real or fake, colored or white, lumpy fresh water or smooth salt water pearls. I love pearls!
Janet put three stands of red crystals around the bottom of her tree, and I really like the way it finished off the bottom. With that in mind, I decided that my tree would have pearls around the bottom. It helped to have three sizes of pearl beads on hand, and the blue pearl pins really set off the pearls the way I wanted them to.
The square pin on the center left is one that I bought when Janet, Mom, and I went shopping years ago. Janet has quite a brooch collection, and she tried to get me addicted to brooches as well. I have a few, but not nearly as many as she does! The round pin with the drop near the bottom right is another of Janet's treasures.
I'll be taking a break from bejeweling today. My finger tips are sore, and gnomes are calling!
Janet and I have been having so much fun!
It's amazing that a few inches can take so much more time. Janet's tree is loaded with brooches and bits of costume jewelry she has collected over the years. Her tree has much more sentiment attached to it, and that takes a bit more time as well.
We've used up all the pearl head pins that I had, although I'm sure there must be more somewhere in the house. It's going to be so much fun making this tree sparkle!
