DIY Christmas Presents

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
This year, as usual, I made all of my Christmas presents. Here are some photos of what I made for my family, as well as links to the great tutorials I found. This year my youngest brother also made his gifts. He made bookmarks for the whole family - I thought that was very sweet :)

I made a copper and brass pendant for my mom, using an ammonia and salt patina on the pieces. Here's how to do the patina: http://art.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/en/Resources/Reference/2010/11/Jewelers%20Recipe%20Try%20an%20Ammonia-and-Salt%20Patina.aspx It's pretty simple, and uses ingredients that most people have in their home.

I made this sketchbook for my dad. I took a map, cut it into thin pieces, wove the pieces into a "fabric", then stuck it to a moleskine sketchbook with double-sided tape. I based it off of these instructions: http://www.rubymurraysmusings.blogspot.ca/2012/05/ways-with-vintage-maps-woven-notebook.html The only thing I did differently was cover it with contact paper to protect it.

I made these socks for my uncle. These were the first socks I ever knit - yay! The pattern is from Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/toe-up-socks-with-a-difference

I made this paracord bracelet for my brother. Here are the instructions I used: http://www.instructables.com/id/Paracord-bracelet-with-a-side-release-buckle/?ALLSTEPS

I made this pencil holder for my other brother. I love the way it looks, and it was also totally free. I used a small log I found in our yard, sawed off a piece, sanded and oiled it, and then my dad helped me drill holes for the pencil. I found inspiration here: http://strawberry-chic.blogspot.com/2011/05/diy-tuesday-rustic-pencil-holder.html


Hope that you find these interesting, and maybe try making some of them yourself :) Enjoy the rest of your holidays!

"Thus, the task is, not so much to see what no one has yet seen;
but to think what nobody has yet thought, about that which everybody sees."

- Erwin Schrodinger

Sorry for the lag in posts. I've been so busy, but now I have a nice break to relax a bit and catch up on things I've been wanting to do. Today I just wanted to share some photos that I took about a week ago and an interesting quotation I found that seems very applicable to both life and photography. There are few things that no one has seen before, but everyone sees and thinks about things in such different ways. I hope that everyone is enjoying their holidays! :)

Dewdrops

Here are some photos of dewdrops in our yard that I took last Sunday morning after a light rain during the night. Now the rain is definitely not "light"! We've had dumping rain, crazy wind, and power flickers for the past 2 days. It's nice to watch out the window, but I'm not looking forward to going to row in it this afternoon :(

I had some fun with some photo-editing apps for these photos. I used Pic Stitch for the dewdrop collage and Overgram for the one with the quotation. I love the results, and they're both free too :)

I hope that everyone is staying warm and dry!

Thanksgiving

Moon Jellyfish in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Jellies Experience" exhibit

Crown Jellies in the same exhibit

Looking for some wild ocean creatures off the aquarium's deck

And here's what we spotted - a Sea Otter munching on a crab

And a Harbor Seal :)

The view...

X enjoying Ghirardelli ice cream - yum! :)

City lights across the bay

Happy Thanksgiving! Right now I'm feeling very thankful for family - both immediate and visiting relatives - and the amazing time we've had this past week, including a beautiful day in Monterey, lots of games, fun, laughter, talking, and, of course, enjoying good food :) I just wanted to share a few of the pictures I took yesterday in Monterey. Hope you enjoy them and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Normality

"Normality is a paved road: It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it."

- Vincent van Gogh

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” 

– Albert Einstein