Me Time

Every year I put a lot of time and effort into decorating our home for the holidays.

By the time I get around to doing something for my studio I have run out of steam.

I know I could just hang a wreath on the door and call it good but for some reason I feel  a wreath on my studio door is just not creative enough - on a studio door it might even be considered boring. 

 I always end up doing nothing...I guess that would be NO creativity and REALLY boring.

Doing nothing might not be so bad if I still had the beautiful old original doors.

Nothing says ugly and uninviting as an aluminum door.

This past week while shopping in Minneapolis I spotted a manikin 

all decked out in Christmas attire setting in front of a clothing store. 

She was so stickn' cute that I decided I must make one for the studio. 

If I was up to speed on technology I would have been able to snap a picture

 from my cell phone for all of you to see.

 Unfortunately my sad little dated phone does not have those capabilities - but I keep her because 

I like her. She is my favorite color 

and it still works for its original intended purpose...to call for help when I am stranded on the highway.

 Yesterday I decided to take a half of a day off for some Me time to make a festive manikin for my studio.

I had a manikin as I sometime use one for market display.

Instead of using fresh greens for my lady's skirt as the shop in Minneapolis did, I opted to use parts of a vintage white Christmas tree that I purchased a couple of years ago at a vintage shop.

 I really wanted one of those vintage Christmas corsages 

your grandmother used to wear on her coat lapel during the holiday season. 

If you have time to spare you can buy this corsage here.

I could not find one in the local antique shops 

and I did not want to wait for one to arrive via mail 

so I opted to make my own with ribbon, greens, and bulbs.

 The shop in Minneapolis used burlap for their bodice. I made my bodice from a vintage piece of velvet. I was trying to have a Project Runway moment by draping the fabric on the manikin. They make it look so easy on PR. Well not so. I struggled. I added rosettes  along the seam line of the skirt to cover up the raw edge as no sewing was used on this dress - just pins. Joy - yes I have named her Joy - worried that the rosettes would make her hips look big - I assured her they did not.

Here she is all finished and looking very festive for the holiday season.

In my opinion Joy is not boring.

She makes me smile every morning as she greets me at my studio door.

What has made you smile lately?

Leave a comment telling me what has made you smile lately and you will be eligible to win a Merry Medley Charm Pack™ and the pattern to make this tiny tree using the Charm Pack. It is super easy and  there is still plenty of time to get it done to enjoy during the holidays. If you don't get it done this year - well Christmas will come again. You have until midnight December 12th to leave a comment.

Keep smiling.

From my Heart,

Sandy