Countdown to Winterfest ~Two Days ~Some Big Finishes

This Santa has been on my work table for weeks.

Here he is...all put together.

The last addition will be his Santa Bag, still in the works!

Remember a couple of weeks ago...

I went to every thrift store in town to search for 

these wooden candle holders.

I am pleased with how they turned out!

It was well worth my time.

I did struggle with how to make his face, at first...

 but I think he has taken on a personality of his own.

We also added the Homespun Handles to our Tins.

They make a great gift for a Teacher, Neighbor, 

Secret Santa, or Prayer Partner.

It’s easy to tuck a small surprise inside.

I make a new batch every year.

After all, they are the reason for our name...

Tins and Treasures.

And those Pilgrims...

Finished, and ready to go.

Tomorrow evening,

we will be at the arena setting up our booth.

We look forward to seeing you all this weekend.

Stop by our booth and say “Hello”.

Take care,

~Natalie

Monday Mania ~Countdown to Winterfest ~12 Days ~Putting Things Together

It is time for a Progress Report. 

With Winterfest less than two weeks away, 

it is time to make finishing touches on my projects

and pack the items for the move downtown.

Our wooden pumpkins are stained and adorned with homespun.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. 

November’s decor needs plenty of pumpkins, pilgrims, and turkeys.

The mitten ornaments are also ready for someone’s tree.

Along with the fleece star Ornies.

This Santa now has a face.

Our helper cat provides good support, 

even out in the noisy woodshop.

Spatter painting the Tins is a very messy job.

It is best done outside...and on a day with little or no breeze.

(Which doesn’t happen very often around here!)

We look forward to Winterfest Weekend.

The lights, music, good food, and creative gift ideas 

will certainly get you in the mood for the holidays.

Stay tuned for more photos of our preparations.

Take care,

~Natalie

Top of the Morning Tuesday

I finished my Pilgrims last night...now I am off to get Pizza-making supplies for my Basic Foods classes. When Winterfest is over, I promise to blog about something else besides crafts!

Whatcha workin' on Wednesday? End of Term Chaos

What would I rather be working on? My Pilgrims...
What am I actually working on? Well, 1st term ended today...2nd term starts tomorrow...
Imagine, this could make any teacher crazy!

So today, I brought closure to my current classes. I accepted makeup work from students who had been gone taking the psat, and playing volleyball, football, cross country and soccer; I checked in 120 textbooks; I had the final buffet with my fitness students and their final evaluations were written and handed in; the personal development final projects are due; and those students' journals were handed in. I took down posters from the walls and put away files and resources used to teach those two classes.

Also today, I prepared for new classes that start tomorrow.
I printed new class lists; ran off copies of course outlines/classroom expectations; organized introductory activites for new classes; checkout out the necessary video from the library; and made sure my classroom was tidy...well, as tidy as possible!

Tonight I am entering test and project grades from my old fashioned gradebook into my online gradebook.

And why do we end the term in the middle of the week? I guess every career job will have days that are more stressful than others...

The calendar is set up so that each of the four terms is equal in length...and I do appreciate that!