Saturday, November 12, 2011

A Spoonful of Bliss

Bliss SpoonI just love this pretty altered spoon by Marianne Colschen!  She took a plain spoon, added the word “Bliss” with a P-Touch label then inked it with alcohol inks. 

Bliss Spoon Close

Then Marianne added colored micro beads around the edges with Sure Tac glue which dries clear.

I could see a whole spoon collection hanging on the wall with different colors and words on each!  Too much fun!

Thanks for sharing Marianne!

Hugs, Suzanne

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Another Installment of Domino Ornaments

Lisa Blakeney
Kathi Hall’s “Peace on Earth” ornament has a really thick and  glossy finish on the top, I love how it looks and feels!

Michele Aiello Zendejas
Snow Davison made this Santa domino for me many years ago.  In fact it was the first domino ornament I had ever seen and I was in love! 

TheresaDalzell-WellsDomino
And last but not least is one made by Terry Townsend.  I think she decoupaged a fancy napkin onto the domino.  Then she covered it with clear micro beads.  Sometimes it’s really hard to get a good picture when clear beads are involved, they just want to shine and reflect.  It’s their nature and they can’t help it.  Ü  I’m sorry I couldn’t get a better photo for you of Terry’s ornament.  You just have to come over and see it in person.
Here are some more of the lovely dominos in my collection!

Lisa Blakeney made the snowflake at left.  Clear micro beads garnish the sides for an icy wintery look.

Kathi Hall
Michele Aiello-Zendejas decked her poinsettias out with gold micro beads and a fun tassel.

Snow Davidson
Our Beadie Buddy Theresa Dalzell-Wells used one of the Swing Shift Designs collage sheets from the Pennywise site on her domino at left.   Clear Ultra Fine micro beads cover the top and a mixture of blue and silver adorns the sides.

Terry Townsend

 

I get so caught up in sharing and giving that I didn’t seem to save any of the ones that I made!   If you have one and come across it when you unpack your decorations this year, won’t you please send me a picture?  I’d really appreciate it!

Hugs, Suzanne

P.S.  Don’t forget that Pennywise has pre-drilled dominoes on the “beadables” page of our website to make it quicker and easier than ever to whip up some ornaments of your own!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Domino Ornaments

It’s tradition on our Pennywise Arts Yahoo group to have a domino swap each year.  Here are some from past years!

The kitty angel on the right is by Hitomi Nakatani.

Artist Unknown

Diane Walter made this stocking stuffer at right.

Grace Merchant


My long time Beadie Buddie Carolyn Glein sent me the silver star ornament on the right several years ago.  I loved the ornament and the way she presented it attached to a holiday greeting.  So much so that I’ve saved both and keep them out to enjoy all year long.

So many of you have been so generous in sharing your artwork with me.  I feel blessed and inspired by each one and appreciate you more than you know!
Hitomi NakatamiThe beaded poinsettia at left is so pretty.  I wish I knew who made it!Diane WalterGrace Merchant did the holiday lamppost.

Carolyn Glein  

 

Thanks, for making me feel so special.  Ü

Hugs, Suzanne

P.S.  Don’t forget that Pennywise Arts has made it even easier for you to make your own gorgeous domino ornaments!  With holes pre-drilled from side to side  all you need to do is decorate and hang!

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Dominoes For Pins and Pendants

20090416_autumn_leaves Autumn is an exciting time!   I love the changing colors on the trees and getting my comfy sweaters and sweatshirts out of the back of my closet.  November always reminds me that the holidays are nearing and “Craft Season” is in full swing! 

Every year I vow to myself that I will have all of my gifts completed by Thanksgiving.  The times I’ve succeeded have been some of the most enjoyable and memorable holidays.  When I’ve achieved my Thanksgiving goal I’ve had more time to spend with friends and family.  I’ve felt relaxed, ready and open to more Christmas magic and spontaneity.  That in itself should be enough motivation but my “wonder woman” mentality still gets the best of me every couple of years and I procrastinate until the last minute.

This year, I need a plan.  Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away and I better get busy!  I’m thinking about making jewelry for the women on my gift list.  I have several (okay, quite a lot!) of the brad pendants ready to go and I would also like to do some domino pendants.  Below are some created by Evelyn Spikes.  Evelyn’s art is great inspiration!

evelyn_pendant_demo

Dominoes are an excellent stamping surface.  No bleaching is necessary when using Staz On or alcohol based inks or even the Adirondak markers from Ranger.  If you prefer to use colored pencils or Twinkling H2Os an overnight soak in bleach will insure success.  Rinse thoroughly with water and they are ready to go.

Here’s a pendant that I made several years ago.  (When my photography was way worse than it is now!)

Suzanne's Domino Necklace

I stamped the image (from Stampin Up!) with black Staz On ink and used the pad to color the sides and the back black.  The image was painted with Twinkling H2Os.  I used a clear sealer over the top to protect it from scratching.  Black micro beads were added around the edges with 1/4”  O’So Sticky Tape.

Pennywise Arts has gorgeous pre-drilled dominoes for handmade pins, pendants and ornaments.  The predrilled hole goes clear through and makes for a more secure and easy to assemble pendant or hanger for ornaments.  If the hole isn’t needed it can be quickly filled with spackle or white toothpaste or covered with micro beads or ribbon.

doms

Our drilled dominoes are brand new, standard full size dominoes. They measure 1" wide, 2" tall and 3/8" thick.  The hole is 1/8" in diameter.  They can be purchased on our website.  If you prefer to pay by credit card or money order just shoot me an email with your phone number and I’ll fix you up!

Tomorrow I will be posting Christmas ornaments made from dominos in our art swap on the Pennywise Yahoo Group!

Hugs, Suzanne