The sun was lovely and full today. So my walls were sprinkled with dancing flecks of light.
Mirror Ball in the Sun
Sunshine Flecks!
17 Tuesday Jan 2012
Category Archives: sparkling
Flickering Light
16 Monday Jan 2012
Usually around this time of year I start missing moving light. During spring, summer and fall the sunlight splashes off leaves outside and they are constantly moving light around. Even if I’m not looking outside, my eye catches those dancing specks, like sparks of a warm fire. In winter the light outside is so still that it makes the house seem cold and dark. I miss the flickering!
So that’s when I get out the mirror ball. It is five inches in diameter, covered with mirrors like a mini disco ball. I hang it with a thin cord from the curtain rod in the sunny window. The ball is always gently moving and sometimes I give it a good spin. The squares of light dash all the way across the dining room to the living room walls, filling my space with movement and light.
Even when there isn’t much light, such as the overcast sky today, the ball still spins merrily in the window, reflecting the sky. The room is all sparkled up now.
Mirror Ball in the Window
Sugary Gingerbread Houses
17 Saturday Dec 2011
There is nothing as sweet as decorating tiny gingerbread houses with my little granddaughter!
Chloe decorates a gingerbread house
My 18 year old son also decorated one, as did my daughter-in-law. Such fun!
We used Wilton’s Gingerbread Mini Village Kit, purchased from JoAnn Fabrics for less than $10. The kit includes detailed instructions, prebaked gingerbread to construct all five houses, cardboard for the bases, icing mix, candies, decorating bag and tips for piping icing. We did not use the enclosed decorating bags and tips because I already had those.
To make the kit with a child, I recommend at least two hours just for construction of the houses. It took a while to mix the icing, cut all the gingerbread pieces apart and “glue” the houses together. You can also construct the houses ahead of time so the child can start adding candy immediately.
We will definitely do this again next year!
Gingerbread Village
Firefly Lamp!
05 Monday Dec 2011
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Months ago my nightstand touch lamp finally burned out so I’ve been using a flashlight. I had used that lamp on my nightstand for about 14 years and hated to part with it. It’s fairly annoying to use a flashlight as a lamp every night. Really!
Today I took a cheap candlestick, a string of white Christmas lights and the old glass lamp shade, and made a new lamp. Not shown here are two coat hangers to fashion a frame for the top of the candlestick – much thanks to my son Noah. Also not shown are two pieces of artificial vine with flowers.
Pieces used for the lamp: candlestick, Christmas lights, glass lamp shade
The coat hanger frame was secured to top of the candlestick using pliers. The string of lights was wrapped up the candlestick and around the coat hanger frame at the top. I used pink paint to cover the orange flowers on the lampshade so it would match the pink flower vine better. Also painted green on some of the leaves.
I call it my Firefly Lamp. The “fireflies” give the perfect amount of light.
Firefly Lamp
Orange! Yellow! Amber!
25 Friday Nov 2011
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The clean crystal and Thanksgiving dishes haven’t even been put away and they’re already sharing the table with crafts. I got a new bead order from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads for All Sparkled Up Etsy projects. Warm ambers, juicy oranges and sunny yellow! These are colors I rarely use so it was really exciting to get something new. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on such great colors for years.
Amber, orange and yellow beads.
Funny how our tastes change over the years. My favorite colors are still aqua, pale shell pink and creamy pearl. But lately I’ve been on an orange kick. I love the visual tang!
Play Beads
24 Monday Oct 2011
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After she leaves, my three year old granddaughter usually leaves a path of sparkle for me to clean up. ‘Tis the pleasantest of chores.
Play Bead Flowers
Capturing Sunlight
16 Sunday Oct 2011
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The sun barely enters our north-facing house most of the year, but from October to March, we get a little bit more.
The afternoon rays passed by my desk too swiftly today so I balanced a book on the edge to extend the desk. Then I hung a little plastic chandelier ornament to capture the light for as long as possible. A glass chandelier would splash splinters of sun everywhere but I’m content with my little plastic ornament until I get a glass one made.
All Sparkled Up 