While Walking My Dogs

Ornament #30 – Nativity {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 30, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #30 – Nativity

I love Christmas. I love the decorating, the lights, obviously the ornaments ;-), the movies, the music, the holiday cheer, the gift giving and receiving and most of the food. Mostly, though, I love that it’s the time when we celebrate Jesus’ birth. When I directed the children’s program at our church, the kids performed a Christmas musical every year. They always did a beautiful job of telling the Nativity story in a humorous and touching way and it was always a reminder to me of why we celebrate Christmas. It was a story that we all know really well, but never tire of hearing.

I found a children’s Bible a few years ago that has become my favorite to give young kids mostly because of how it sums up Luke 1-2. The Jesus Storybook Bible is a paraphrased and beautifully illustrated Bible perfect for kids 4-8, but it works for everyone. I have one on my shelf.

Luke 1-2
“He’s Here!

Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last! God was coming to help his people, just as he promised in the beginning.
But how would he come? What would he be like? What would he do?
Mountains would have bowed down. Seas would have roared. Trees would have clapped their hands. But the earth held its breath. As silent as snow falling, he came in. And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came.” – The Jesus Storybook Bible

So Ornament #30 had to be a Nativity Ornament. As I’ve said, I love all things Christmas, but none of it means anything to me without the Nativity.

I followed this tutorial and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the nativity silhouette. I opted to use wood cutout ornaments instead of the suggested paper mache and it worked out beautifully.

Question of the Day: What has been your favorite ornament over the past 30 days?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

Tomorrow, December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2
Ornament #3
Ornament #4
Ornament #5
Ornament #6
Ornament #7
Ornament #8
Ornament #9
Ornament #10
Ornament #11
Ornament #12
Ornament #13
Ornament #14
Ornament #15
Ornament #16
Ornament #17
Ornament #18
Ornament #19
Ornament #20
Ornament #21
Ornament #22
Ornament #23
Ornament #24
Ornament #25
Ornament #26
Ornament #27
Ornament #28
Ornament #29

You guys did it! You made it to the end of the 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments. Well Done! Now maybe mom can start decorating our tree.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Books, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Goals, Homemade, Paper Crafting | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, books, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, goals, homemade, paper crafting | 8 Comments

Surprise Mini Give-away #4 {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 29, 2014 by gracieed

I want to thank everyone who has taken part in the {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments} Give-away so far. It’s been so much fun reading your responses and connecting with old and new friends alike.

It’s not too late to enter for the Grand Give-away on December 1st. You have until midnight (PST) on November 30, 2014 to enter.

It’s time for Mini-Give-away #4. (Here are the details if this is your first time visiting this blog.)

Today’s winner of the 4th and final mini give-away is: Kathy R.

Congratulations Kathy!

I’ve been practicing for when you announce the winner for the Grand Give-away on December 1st. I’m so excited!

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Homemade | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, homemade | Leave a comment

Saturday Snippets | November 29, 2014

Posted on November 29, 2014 by gracieed

Welcome to Saturday Snippets. This is where I share links and odd bits of info from the past week.

1. This is Arthur and this is his story. “Team Peak Performance, made up of four Swedish athletes, were on a break last week before the final two stages of the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador. Mikael Lindnord, the group’s captain, was eating his lunch when a scruffy stray dog started begging for a snack. Mikael couldn’t resist throwing the sad looking pup a meatball, but little did he know that the tiny morsel would represent the beginning of an unlikely friendship.” The Bark Magazine

2. A great reminder of the value of knowing someone’s name.

3. Discovered a sample pack of Trader Joe’s Seasonal Coffee this week. Absolutely love ALL of them.

4. A couple days after Thanksgiving, but I don’t think there’s ever a time to NOT be thankful. Thank you, Modern Mrs. Darcy, for reminding me of Jane Austen’s amazing words.

5. Made a wheat-free, sugar-free pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. So good and here’s the recipe. Topped it off with whipped cream sweetened with Stevia.

Don’t forget to checkout {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments} post to enter the Giveaway for 30 Christmas Ornaments.

Well that’s all the snippets I have for today. Have a wonderful Saturday,

That’s a cool story about Arthur, but we’re really glad we didn’t have to do all the stuff that he did. Thanks for NOT being an elite athlete. Walks are just fine with us.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Coffee, Dogs, Education, Goals, Homemade, Pumpkins, Recipes, Saturday Snippets, Wheat-free | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Dogs, education, goals, homemade, pumpkins, recipes, Saturday Snippets, Wheat-free, yarn | Leave a comment

Ornament #29 – Stamped Wood Discs {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 29, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #29 – Stamped Wood Discs

There’s nothing I love more than taking a seemingly purposeless item and turning it into something useful. I feel like I did this with today’s ornament.

We have lots of trees on our property and with trees come leaves and branches. For a while now I’ve been stockpiling branches that are 2″ or more in diameter for no particular reason. Until now. Mike helped me with this ornament by taking the branch and cutting off discs, 3/8″ thick. I love these discs because they still have most of the bark on them and add to the rustic feel. I wanted to keep things simple so I just stamped a snowflake with blue ink, drilled a hole and ran sheer ribbon for the hanger. So easy and with a long enough branch, I could make a few more for gift tags.

I’m starting to think that these discs could make really cool table tops for my fairy garden. It only takes a few projects before I start seeing everything as “craft supply” potential. 😉

Question of the Day: What is your favorite line from a Christmas song?

Mine is from O Holy Night: “‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.”

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

You know, those discs could also be Frisbees for any dogs that might appear in your miniature gardens. Just a thought.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Backyard, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Fairy Garden, Goals, Homemade, Recycling, Repurposing | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, goals, homemade, recycling, repurposing | 4 Comments

Ornament #28 – Stamped Clay Christmas Tree {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 28, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #28 – Stamped Clay Christmas Tree

I found this tutorial teaching how to stamp into clay a couple of years ago and when the idea for the 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments came to me, I knew I had to include this one.

I followed the instructions to the letter, the only thing I did differently was instead of spraying my stamp with silicone spray (because I don’t have any), I coated it with coconut oil. Worked beautifully. I used Pluffy clay again, just like I did with Ornament #12, stamped my image into the clay and baked it according to the Pluffy instructions. (275 degrees for 15 minutes). After the ornaments cooled, I spray painted them silver and gold, let them dry and added bows.

Question of the Day: Do you decorate the outside of your home for the holidays?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

There will be Mini Give-aways on the 29th of November.

The winner of each mini give-away will get to choose an ornament from the previous week. For instance, the winner on the 29th will pick from Ornaments 22-28, etc..
The Mini Give-away winners are still eligible for the Grand Give-away on December 1st.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Hey mom – only two more ornaments to go! I can’t wait to see who wins the Grand Giveaway.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Goals, Homemade | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, goals, homemade | 7 Comments

Ornament #27 – Yo-Yo Turkey {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 27, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #27 – Yo-Yo Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all those celebrating in the U.S. and Happy Ornament Day to everyone else. 😉

I wanted to do an ornament that helped to commemorate today and found this little guy on Pinterest. I unearthed some fall-themed fabrics from my stash and made a couple of fabric yo-yo’s. I stitched the felt with a running stitch then hot-glued all the parts together. I agree, he’s not Christmas-sy, but I’m smitten.

Here are some closeups.

Question of the Day: What are you thankful for today?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

There will be Mini Give-aways on the 29th of November.

The winner of each mini give-away will get to choose an ornament from the previous week. For instance, the winner on the 29th will pick from Ornaments 22-28, etc..
The Mini Give-away winners are still eligible for the Grand Give-away on December 1st.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Know what I’m thankful for? Leftovers that mom mixes in with my kibble.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Goals, Homemade, sewing | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, goals, homemade, sewing | 9 Comments

Ornament #26 – Dog House {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 26, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #26 – Dog House

The first, and only, dog house we owned was for our first dog Sugar. It was used for precisely two weeks. Sugar would stay outside while we were at work, but since she was a barky girl, we had to keep her indoors. And that was our only experience with a dog house.

I thought it was time to add one more dog ornament to the collection. I’m going to be decorating a tree for the dogs this year and I felt it needed a dog house. So here it is.

I used my Silhouette Cameo and a purchased cut file to cut out the house from white cardstock. Before I assembled it I colored the structure with Ranger Distress Ink. I made one with red walls and another with beige/brown walls. I then assembled the walls, glued on the window frames, the roof, the dog bone decoration and the snowflake.

Here are some closeups.

Question of the Day: What do you buy your pets for Christmas?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

There will be Mini Give-aways on the 29th of November.

The winner of each mini give-away will get to choose an ornament from the previous week. For instance, the winner on the 29th will pick from Ornaments 22-28, etc..
The Mini Give-away winners are still eligible for the Grand Give-away on December 1st.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Is this your way of telling us we’re getting dog houses? If we are, can we keep them inside? I’m too old to become a outdoor dog.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, Goals, Homemade, Paper Crafting | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Dogs, goals, homemade, paper crafting | 5 Comments

Ornament #25 – Crocheted Christmas Stocking {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 25, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #25 – Crocheted Christmas Stocking

So I was all ready to ‘sew’ a stocking today, but then I read the latest post from ukcrochetpatterns and decided I needed to ‘crochet’ a stocking. On their blog, they’re sharing a free pattern designed by Littlefolds and posted by Petals to Picots. The link to the pattern is in their post.

full_3289_118290_MiniChristmasStocking_1

Littlefolds Pattern

The pattern was really well written and used single crochet throughout. In essence, you’re making a tiny sock, but don’t let that freak you out. The pattern author walks you through every step. I found these packs of Lion Brand Bonbons. Oh My Goodness!!! While I didn’t squeal out of sheer delight out loud in the store, I definitely did in my head. Three skeins fit in my hand and I don’t have a big hand!!! The package has 8 tiny skeins (28 yards each) of 100% cotton yarn. It’s a fine weight and I was able to make the body of the stocking using only one skein. The contrasting color for the heel and the toe used maybe 1/4 of a skein. The fuzzy top part was made with Lion Brand Fun Fur. I definitely plan to make more; they would make a great garland or stuffed with candies or tiny goodies.

We have a wonderful tradition in our family, actually my husband’s family has the tradition. All the members of the family have stockings. In the early days, as their kids started to date, the boyfriends/girlfriends would also get stockings and if you became an official member of the family through marriage or birth, well, your stocking was also a permanent fixture on the mantel. The thing I love about this tradition, though, is that Mike’s mom and dad always make sure EVERYONE has a stocking. They never wanted anyone to feel left out of the stocking opening tradition. We always open our stockings first and marvel at the goodies and cool gadgets that they’ve collected over the year. And we can always count on getting a Swiss Army Knife. I’ve been officially apart of the family for 26 years and I probably have 20 or so pen knives. Some have been lost, or misplaced, but the bulk of them I keep stashed with various craft projects. They also come in real handy for present opening time. Everyone has their own knife to snip the ribbons and tape!

One of my Quest46 items is to make stockings for my dogs. My goal is to do that this year, within the next couple of weeks. I’ll post them when they’re done.

Question of the Day: Do you put up stockings for Christmas?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

There will be one more Mini Give-away on the 29th of November.

The winner of each mini give-away will get to choose an ornament from the previous week. For instance, the winner on the 29th will pick from Ornaments 22-28, etc..
The Mini Give-away winners are still eligible for the Grand Give-away on December 1st.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

So is there anything I have to do to get a stocking on the mantel? Nothing you say? Not even be a really, really good dog? Not even that? You mean to tell me that just because I’m part of the family, I get a stocking? Well, I don’t know if I can contain my joy!

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Crochet, Decorating, Goals, Homemade | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, crochet, goals, homemade | 12 Comments

Ornament #24 – Paper Flower {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 24, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #24 – Paper Flower

I have always loved paper crafts. I’ve always loved paper. Any kind. ***Nerd alert*** When I was old enough to appreciate school supplies, I couldn’t wait for summer to end so I could go to the store to buy my supplies. I loved them all: the pens, pencils, rulers, markers, crayons, clear pencil holders, calendars, Trapper Keepers and especially the paper. I don’t care what kind of paper: lined, 20lb weight, watercolor, blank, cardstock, patterned paper, vellum, linen, card board – I see potential in it all. College ruled was my favorite, still is. To this day, around back to school time, I’m always so tempted to buy a 200 sheet pack of college-ruled binder paper.

Today’s ornament is based on my love of paper. It’s a flower shape, but it really looks like a snowflake. The base is kraft cardstock and the petals are patterned paper pieces rolled and stapled at the end. I inked the edges of each petal and then attached the petals to cross the points of the cardstock. I attached everything with a glue gun and folded some ribbon underneath a white button. I used a white marker to draw the snowflakes and the outlines on the kraft petals.

This is a very large ornament, measuring 6″ in diameter. It would look lovely on a large tree or possibly as the top of a tree.

Item #46 – Be a better blogger and blog-reader. Post consistently. Comment regularly.

This is the final item on my Quest46 list. Today is my 46th birthday so my Quest starts tomorrow. Thank you for supporting my efforts up to this point and I hope you’ll join me as I walk (blog) through the next 365 days.

Question of the Day: Have you ever built a gingerbread house?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

There will be one more Mini Give-away on the 29th of November.

The winner of each mini give-away will get to choose an ornament from the previous week. For instance, the winner on the 29th will pick from Ornaments 22-28, etc.
The Mini Give-away winners are still eligible for the Grand Give-away on December 1st.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Oh sorry. We saw the ***Nerd Alert*** and fell asleep. What were you saying?

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Goals, Homemade, Paper Crafting, Quest46 | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, goals, homemade, paper crafting, Quest46 | 7 Comments

Paws || Walk On – 11.16 – 11.29

Posted on November 23, 2014 by gracieed

Every now and then when I’m walking dogs, I will just stop, ask them to sit for about 30 seconds and then I will say “walk on”. That is there cue to start walking again. I do this for a couple of reasons: 1. They’re super focused when they’re on the walk and I like to know I can get their attention any time I need it. 2. It’s good to continue to incorporate training into their daily routines. Just as we need to continue to refine our skills, so must dogs.

This always reminds me how important it is for me to pause and reflect on the past week and then think about the next one as I “walk on”.

Paws | Week of 11.16-11.22

• Worked on and posted about Ornaments every day. Join me for the Mini Give-aways and the Grand Give-away. Details here.
• gave Mary Jane her Purple Paw ornament for the 2nd Mini Give-away. Here is a picture of it on their beautiful tree.
• called my Grandpa in England.
• contacted Sara for the Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange. Started planning out what I want to make for her.
• still reading Stranded by Dani Pettrey.
• worked on a knitting project. Details to come later.
• made a couple of dog beds.
• Skyped/Knit with a friend who lives in San Diego.
• met with friends for coffee and knitting.
• finished The Bletchley Circle, Series 2.
• watched 3 episodes of the new season of Dr. Who with Peter Capaldi.
• posted to Instagram for the #dogphotoaday challenge. I fell behind one day, but caught up and am still having so much fun! My favorite from the week? Family
• mailed my first letter to my pen pal in Australia. It was difficult to keep the page count down.
• walked the dogs everyday.
• started listening to Serial, a podcast. So awesome!
• planned and mapped out the next month and a half of activities. I know that sounds bizarre, but I was starting to feel overwhelmed with how fast the days are flying and I’m afraid I’m going to run out of time. The schedule I’ve made for myself is punishing, but do-able. Good thing, is it’s all fun stuff!

Walk On | Week of 11.23-11.29

• call my Grandpa in England.
• make more dog beds and collars to sell on Etsy.
• post daily to Instagram for the #dogphotoaday challenge.
• prep, organize and post my November blog series, “30 Days of Christmas Ornaments”.
• celebrate my 46th birthday and the start of Quest46 – finally!
• begin planning and prepping December Card Series || Cards for 2015.
• make birthday cards for December birthdays.
• decorate tree at local Zoo for the Wild Nights, Holiday Lights event.
• finish reading Stranded by Dani Pettrey.
• celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends
• celebrate November birthdays with out of town family.

My favorite quote from the week: “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” Charles Dickens.

Have a wonderful week,

Happy Birthday, Mom. We want you to know that on your birthday you can do whatever you want. And we think ‘whatever’ should include a long walk, food, playtime, more food and a nap. We love you!

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Books, Cards, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, Education, Goals, Homemade, Knitting, Paper Crafting, Pen Pal, Quest46, sewing, TV & Movies, Yarn | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Cards, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, education, goals, homemade, knitting, paper crafting, Quest46, sewing, TV & Movies, yarn | 1 Comment

While Walking My Dogs

Ornament #30 – Nativity {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Surprise Mini Give-away #4 {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Saturday Snippets | November 29, 2014

Ornament #29 – Stamped Wood Discs {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #28 – Stamped Clay Christmas Tree {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #27 – Yo-Yo Turkey {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #26 – Dog House {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #25 – Crocheted Christmas Stocking {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #24 – Paper Flower {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Paws || Walk On – 11.16 – 11.29

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