The Reason for the Season

We must remember the “Reason for the season.” Just who is this babe in the manger? In the New Testament, Colossians, Chapter 1 and other scriptures, we read: He is the redeemer of God’s people (v.14): “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” “He is the image of the invisible God” (v.15a; cp. Hebrews 1:3; John 14:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4, 6). “He is ... the firstborn over all creation” (v.15b; cp. Psalm 89:27; also Romans 8:29). He is the creator of all things (v.16): “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth ....” He is eternal in existence (v.17a): “He is before all things.” He is the preserver of all things (v.17b): “in Him all things consist” (i.e., stand together). “He is the head of the body, the church” (v.18a). “He is the beginning [Greek arche-], the firstborn from the dead” (v.18b) – the One who laid the foundation for the resurrected life, and the chief of all who enjoy that resurrected life. He is the first in rank over the universe and in His church (v.18c): “in all things He may have the preeminence.” He is co-equal with His Father in divinity (v.19): “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.” He is the reconciler of God’s people (vv.19-22): “... you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” To believers He is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v.27).

This is the real reason for Christmas the day Christ our Lord Jesus was born! Glory be to God! Thank you so very much for a beautiful gift!

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Almost Christmas

One week before Christmas and I am still shopping. I still have not received my replacement debit card. So I will have to travel to the bank for cold hard cash. I need to buy gifts for my grands! I am so excited that I get to see them again soon. This year I don't have to cook for Christmas. I also have plans for New Years day. Such a nice relaxing time for fun to see my family and friends. January 2011 my sister 13 months younger than me is flying up from SC to visit with me, my sons, DIL, grandsons, other sister and her husband and their two children. We are going to have an awesome get together. Do you have fun times planned? I would love to be here where this picture was taken of low tide and the Atlantic Ocean on Peaks Island Maine anytime of the year!

Today Is My Birthday

Yes it is! I am going to a party for me. I am so looking forward to seeing my grands there. Both sons and Dear DIL! Sweet....it is my day! So lately I have been writing lists for Christmas. Do you do that planning and shopping online for ideas? I have been working on cards for everybody. I am making my own cards this year. Well as many as I can....everything Christmas starts Monday. First are the decorations Yay....hunt them down and then put up. Tomorrow that is number one on the list. I have a carrot cake and cream cheese frosting to bake for myself and my son. That is number two for tomorrow and the list goes on. Have a wonderful day wherevever you are somewhere special!

Black Friday

What a nice day today. Cold outside but warm inside. We made it to 42. I have been relaxing all day. No wories no stress. Shopping for ideas online. There are literally millions of items for sale at Etsy.com My shop is closed I probably won't open until Spring and after I find out why my thumb is hurting. I received my Christmas tree today. So pretty! Beautiful table top fiber optic tree that is~for my desk top! It changes colors and flashes. Something different. Fun to watch. Tomorrow is typically a shopping day for me but I am staying home. I have been cleaning and organizing. Catching up on all those chores I missed while caring for my sick grandson for two days. I watched Larry King and Jack Hannah. What a fantastic show with all the diferent animals, bugs, snakes. birds and reptiles. My favorite were the two owls. I am an owl lover from when I was very young. The day before yesterday I saw a large bird of prey perched in the woods looked like a hawk. So beautiful such a nice sight to see. Of course we were whizzing by and I didn't have my camera with me. When was the last time you saw a wild bird of prey?

GOOD MONDAY MORNING

We had 15 minutes of snow Friday. Here is Manchester, NH....snow is expected for Thanksgiving Eve. Lately the temperatures have hovered around 29-33 degrees. Yes it is officially cold and we are heading into winter. I am looking forward to my birthday after Thanksgiving and then Christmas with my family. I love to decorate for Christmas. I don't have a big tree because we don't have the room for one. With my studio being packed up currently I have a few too many totes in the way. I did find a cute small tree that I plan to use this year. I have so many ways to decorate for Christmas without putting up a big tree anyway. I will share pictures with you of my Christmas decor later in another post. These are my adorable grandsons. The younger one born June 2010 is now triple in weight. He has some great smiles, loves to coo, and is developing normally. He was born 2 weeks early and preemie size at 6 pounds. The older one is so much fun to spend time with. He is 2 1/2 years old now and full of energy. Smart little man and a good big brother. This Christmas is all about my grandsons, my two sons and of course my wonderful daughter in law. I am so thankful for all of them.

BIRDWINGS BUTTERFLIES WEDNESDAY

Wow these are big butterflies check this out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdwing

I found it while reading about how swallow tail butterflies have made such a fantastic come back in the Eastern US this year. Two hard winters 2009/2010 killed off their predators perhaps scientists are thinking. I have always loved butterflies since I was a young girl and have had butterfly gardens where all of the plants were specifically planted to attract butterflies.

Well let's watch the gardens grow it is cool 66 today and rainy again. We have been like this for a few days now. It frustrates me because all of my pictures for my shop are done using natural lighting. I haven't seen sun since Sunday. So sales jumped at the shop check it out I did using google analytics. See my sold items at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ some items are available in multiples all of my art is original though. Most of the jewelry is glass, stones or crystals and real silver. I have many choices for beads and a really cool ring idea I found recently. I have many new ACEO's to list in my shop I was looking through them today. I am always amazed at what I create then I have to choose ones to list in my shop. That is hard because I love them all and would love to list all of them for sale. I have a couple of new greeting cards I made recently and some vintage to list just as soon as the sun comes back. So meanwhile I have more time to create too. YAY!

I have spent my time wisely so far this week. I am all caught up on mail, feedback, and now working on organizing supplies. Setting up for Fall and all other supplies are stashed away, well except for Christmas what little I have of that and well now I know that I need to find some Chistmas materials soon.

In my studio main desk:

Yes we have purple and orange going on here early with pink flamingos.

Indoor Basil Garden 2010

Nothing beats fresh basil! Especially when it is growing this well indoors!


Excellent recipe courtesy mentioned:

Popcorn Shrimp Salad Sandwiches Recipe
From The Shrimp Council and SeaPak Shrimp Company

Woman's Day Magazine March 12, 2010

Active Time: 7 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Ingredients

1 (12 oz) package SeaPak® Popcorn Shrimp or SeaPak® Jumbo Popcorn Shrimp, frozen

1 cup mayonnaise (add more if desired)

1/2 cup fresh onion, finely diced

1 - 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 large hard-boiled egg, diced

2 Tablespoons dill pickle relish (or substitute diced dill pickles)

2 - 3 hoagie rolls or panini bread

Recipe Preparation

1. Prepare the shrimp according to package directions. Set aside to cool for 3 minutes.

2. Add mayonnaise, onion, garlic, hard boiled egg and pickle relish to a large bowl. Stir to incorporate ingredients.

3. Add warm shrimp to mayonnaise mixture and stir until shrimp are fully coated. Spoon onto hoagie rolls and serve.

ENJOY! Courtesy of Glenna's Garden

Serve with light refreshments like iced tea or lemonade.

Glenna's Garden studio purple wall Ninja!

RAINY DAYS AND TUESDAYS

NEXT FIRSTFRIDAYARTWALK AT ETSY IS ON APRIL 2, 2010


It is cool and rainy today up here in NH. The kind of day that every light is on in the studio. I have some red felt and my challenge to myself today is to do something with it. I was thinking create ahead of time and make some flowers possibly for Christmas 2010. Yesterday I worked on SEO search engine optimization with my shop at www.gnormyle.etsy.com I am always pushing myself to learn more. SEO involves the use of proper tag words so you can be found. My business challenge for the today is to rearrange my shop online. I think I am pretty good at doing this and love to rearrange Glenna's Garden often. So this is just basically something I always have been doing since I started a year ago.

Timeless Treasures

At this time of the year I believe I am more affected by the past than any other time of the year...probably just like many other people. I am very nostalgic. I am going to be presenting vintage all month long on my blog. First and foremost there is a website www.rubylane.com you must visit. Just like ETSY you can join for free. Rubylane is full of vintage and antiques shops. It is always my first stop when I want to know about an old piece of timeless treasure I have acquired. Pictured here we have what I call functional vintage. A vintage Pyrex gravydish and saucer in the Crazy Daisy design and a vintage Pyrex princess casserole done in the pink Gooseberry design. Functional vintage means to me that not only are these pieces collectible but also they still can be used in todays modern kitchen. I recently found these two pieces of timeless treasures to add to my collection. I used them at my Thanksgiving table this year. For other vintage pieces start with www.gnormyle.etsy.com and check out the new vintage items available at Glenna's Garden at this time of the year. Best wishes for happy holidays to all!

FINALLY FRIDAY

I captured a picture of the three pomegranate buds so that will be the pic of the day. I hope they all bloom at once. Rainy and cold again today in Manchester, NH. Good time to stay in and get some projects done here in the studio. The rain is taking all the leaves down at once so when they dry out some there will be much raking to do around Glenna's Garden. Lately I have been making some Spring things I will also put up a pic here of some very cute clippies I made for Spring 2010. Yes I am still doing Christmas supply gathering and ready for Thanksgiving. Check out the studio shop at www.gnormyle.etsy.com

SHINY DAYS ARE BACK

We had so much rain up here in Manchester, NH yesterday something like 3". It strips the trees of their beautiful leaves. It poured all day long. Good day for shopping. This morning it is bright and sunny but I am sure it is cold too. My pomegranate plant appears to have two itsy bitsy blooms popping out again where the others have all been. This should be pretty I hope they take so I can get some pics to share. I am looking forward to making different items for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the next couple of weeks. I have picked up some great stuff to work with including watercolors. Currently I am running a free offer for a PIF (pay it forward)surprise. Limit one per household. Check it out at www.gnormyle.etsy.com Glenna's Garden shop.

WISHING ON A WEDNESDAY

Check out www.madquiltinglibrarian.blogspot.com Such late notice but I just found Meg and she is offering a giveaway by sharing a jelly roll of Christmas fabric all set. Very lovely! Her contest ends tonight 12 PM Eastern time. My baby pomegranate plant has a flower again. This time I will be able to press it and use it in some creative endeavour. Last time I created an ACEO miniature art work with the first flower. That ACEO is for sale at Glenna's Garden shop www.gnormyle.etsy.com I had a bud drop the second time so all was lost. Now this will be a third one I can actually use. The flower is a gorgeous dark orange. I have taken a couple of pictures of the latest flower to share with everyone.

TRULY THURSDAY

I was fascinated to discover that a huge group of shops all from ETSY only are listed at this mall on the internet....makes sense you go to one place and you can find many nice shops to visit. So the following link goes to my shop listing

http://snorple.com/showstore.php?id=277

I am amazed at the many different ways you can promote your shop. So if you read this and you have an ETSY shop join up. Also check out the AWE TEAM button and join the firstfridayartwalk on ETSY.

The picture is of a bracelet I made I call it cracked ice. I am thinking about putting some jewelry I make up for sale in my shop....the only thing it is such a hugely competitive field. It can't hurt to try a fun PIF or two though. Glenna's Garden www.gnormyle.etsy.com

MUCH LOVED MONDAYS

I found this beautiful ACEO created by Rita from my ACetsy Team. I so love it I asked her to reserve it for me. Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25413978

I have started posting my Fall 2009 designer collections and pieces to Glenna's Garden at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com and there is more to come. At the same time I have created some really cute ACEO's myself, a couple of which I will share with you on here. I love dimensional so I made a Back to School ACEO (pictured above) it is very much dimensional and my Christmas 2009 ACEO is also available for early purchase in my gallery shop. I am so touched this morning from a lovely letter written to me by a customer ~ at first I thought it was some joke then I read the letter again. It was genuine gratefullness for the happiness I was responsible for in a stranger's life. From a husband about his wife to me. As an artist/designer/photogrpaher it means so much to me to receive thanks for something I have created.

Marvelous Monday

This week at Glenna's Garden I will be concentrating on Fall 2009. It is time for Fall products to be listed. I decided to make a few things for Fall early and I am glad I did. I am already working on Christmas too. Then I jump ahead and say for Spring 2010 I need to have materials by Fall 2009 and products will be made during Winter 2009. Meanwhile my art is a constant and it comes to me in bits and pieces. I don't always feel creative everyday but it flows nicely. My art isn't selling but I am not concerned. I like it and I know that not all of it will sell. It is important to really enjoy what you are creating first. I love to work with my pressed flowers. To me they are my paint, my colors. I brush them onto whatever surface I am applying them to. No fingers allowed. They are incredibly delicate and have to be brushed on gently. I am still working on the canvas project I blogged about recently and showed the picture of the beginnings of it on here already. When I work with fabrics like silk I don't just press the fabric on to the surface I am applying it to with my fingers. I brush it on very carefully it stretches and shrinks and has to be brushed on carefully. Slow and very tedious work, that I simply love to do. Check out my art at www.putiton.com/glennanormyle this is my showcase art gallery and I love this connection. The other artists who share this space with me are some of the most wonderful people from all over the world. My internet shop for the art gallery is at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ Glenna's Garden. My fellow Etsians are also from all over the world and a truly great group of people that I am so glad I found in March of 2009. Then there is my photography. I recently started adding that into the mix. I am in the process of having it watermarked professionally by an Etsian.

Fresh Friday

Sunny this morning up here in Manchester, NH.....this is a good morning blog. Today I will be adding bits and pieces of fresh new looks and ideas. My very nice friend Heather has a blog. So we will start with her today. She is a crafter. On her blog she shows us some great inexpensive ways to craft. Plus her blog shows all of the beautiful projects she has made. I love the latest a Victorian inspired pincushion she made, very nice. Here is Heather's Haven just click on this link below and don't forget to return back here and leave a comment for me

http://www.nightdreamer_371.bravejournal.com/ I made two graduation cards yesterday evening. They are made using vintage papers from old cards. They will be available for purchase in Glenna's Garden at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ . Today is posting , PIF's and picture taking day at Glenna's Garden. Time to refill the shop with new items for Father's Day, there are going to be many cute quilters bookmarks, tags, stickers and books, cards for graduates, more repurposed containers and a few more boxes should be completed very soon. Later on today after picture taking there will be more pictures posted here too. This is the Christmas poinsetta blooming red in May, poor thing, she is very confused. Everybody at Glenna's Garden is getting a kick out of her late bloom. She completely skipped Christmas by the way and didn't bloom for Christmas 2008. Miss Poinsetta is about 4 maybe 5 years old at best. She loves her spot next to the big window facing southeasterly. Plenty of good morning sunshine!