Thursday, November 19

a 'week of glee' ~ day four

for today's dollop of 'glee'
i have delved into the 'gleeful' past to bring you something i made two years back...
it is quite truthfully my favorite 'gleeful' item of all time.
i look forward to getting it out of the attic and i dislike having to put it back in the attic after the 'gleeful season' is done and dusted.
it is i believe, to be a perfect example of how a handcrafted piece made from 'leftovers' can bring 'glee' year after year.

so without further a do, i bring you
a 'cluster of glee'


quite simply made
and
brings a whole lot of 'glee' to a front door this season

as i said above, i did this in 2007 but i am willing for you, my dearest readers to delve into the archives of my crafty memory and tell you how i made it,
so in turn you can go about your 'gleeful' day, gathering odds and ends, to make your very own 'cluster of glee'



now here's the tricky bit, i did start with a string of bells as my base.
i had these lurking in my christmas box...
this could be a problem for any on the handcrafted thrifty challenge, and then again perhaps not, for you are a crafty lot and have plenty of inspiration of your own.
my thoughts are perhaps some vintage baubles hung on a cord or lace may make for a nice starting base,
i could just see a wonderful little grouping of colored ones,
or perhaps just plain silver.

i took some
yarn
(wrapped into snowballs)
felt snowflakes
(i saved from a gift given to me)
red felt hearts
(a garland from ikea i chopped up)
odd scraps of lace
(you could cut up old doilies for this)
and
large vintage shell buttons

i made seven strands, all varying lengths,
finishing off by handstitching them together at the top
of the cord, holding the bells.

this looked a little messy and so i hand stitched a nice piece of vintage lace over the 'mess', thus disguising the 'messy situation' that had occured and making it look like it was all part of my master plan in the first place...


and that's it.
i do like a 'gleeful' project that can be made from leftover crafty bits,
has the potential to shine in it's handcrafted 'gleeness'
and does what handcrafted things do best,
makes a house into a home.

and she is thinking, one can't ask much more than that from a little 'cluster of glee' ~ Tif
footynote: just a thought, as it's impossible to tell the size of my 'cluster of glee' in the pictures, this little sweetie measures 26" or 66cm, from top to toe :)

25 comments:

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

Well...look at that....is that just about the cutest thing I ever saw....Darling

I am loving your week of glee and the glee season.....

I'll be back tomorrow...

Kary

Kassi said...

i love it! i have some pretty snowflakes that i kept from a gift i received from anthro a couple of years ago... i've been trying to think of something pretty to make with them and now i know what! thank you tif!!!

dottie angel said...

kassi,
that's where mine came from, upon a little anthro gift a few christmases ago... just lovely and perfect for a little bit of glee :)

Kassi said...

i thought they looked an awfully lot like mine!

thanks so much for the 'gleefullness' you bring me!

Kylie said...

Oh I love it! Just gorgeous :) K

Joyeful Art said...

I absolutely love your glee project and your blog! Am new to the blogoshere, but you bring me into your warm, handcrafted world! Do you knit?

dottie angel said...

welcome joyeful art,
i dabble in knitting from time to time, but crocheting it now my true love :)

Eve said...

When I saw this, I immediately thought WINTER and COZY. Perfect.

Jody McDowell said...

this honestly is the best holiday decoration i have ever seen. it's so unique and i love everything about it!

JuanitaTortilla said...

Oh my, now that is one bundle of gorgeousness. Gleeful gorgeousness.
Such great pictures as well.

Thank you for the inspiration.

-Juanita

~ Junkyard Jennifer said...

I've always loved this little cluster of yours. And, your yarn ball wreath. It was the first I'd ever seen of anyone using yarn balls as decor, and I thought (think) they were (are) fabuluous!

I haven't been able to get that wreath out of my head and would love to make one for the holidays...some year! With this challenge, maybe I'll luck upon some pretty colors of yarn at the thrift. Otherwise, I'll have to do some scouting on Etsy.

~ Jennifer

Tanpopo said...

It's is so soft and beautiful ... Very inspiring !! I am putting a link on my blog to this wonder right away so that French bloggers can discover your work.

Bee Designs said...

Very pretty, I must have a go myself.

Lynda said...

Its very grey and dark in London today and I was wishing for some cheefulness and glee, and then I happen upon your blog, how lovely. Best wishes, Lynda

andrea said...

It's simply gleeful :)

SRA said...

I absolutely feel inspired (and gleeful) with every post! Your creative genius, while simple, is quite elegant and romantic. Well Done!

Judy @ daily yarns said...

This is really cute!

dottie angel said...

hurrah! and so the 'glee' begins to spread :)

Jennifer said...

It's beautiful, I love how cozy it looks.

Wendy said...

That's gorgeous! I need to go make one... good thing I have lots of bits of stuff sitting around :)

Kerri said...

That is beautiful! Absolutely lovely.
I think I shall break into my scraps collection and make one up myself! Thanks for the tips!

twilasvintage said...

Love love this cute holiday decoration...so cute..thanks for your inspiration

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Totally charming idea!!

Unknown said...

I. Love. This. You are so creative!

DIANA said...

I think this creation is really about Christmas spirit!!i love your blog!!