A week of Celebration!

This is my birthday week and first on the list has been getting ready for yesterday's Christmas Art Show at The Center.  Christmas music was playing and there was excitement in the air!

I busied myself all week...

and hoping everyone would be in the holiday spirit...

and come to our beautiful Center.  Come one, come all!

Taking time out from creating, I had invited company on Friday.  One of our dear art friends goes South for the winter; we will miss her, and I wanted to have her, and a few other friends, over for dinner...

so we took an intermission from preparing for the show.

I bought some Sunflowers for my table, and then found some dried grasses in my garden to put into the arrangement.  Reminding me of Van Gogh; a celebration of artists!  I had to cook right before serving, as I was making Chicken and Mushroom Marsala (along with Baked Mashed Potatoes w/Parmesan Cheese and Panko Bread Crumbs, Garlic Spinach, and French Apple Pie), and so I set out watercolor paper and watercolor colored pencils to keep them entertained while I cooked!

I think their drawings are wonderful and we had a wonderful time!

Saturday, included a drive out to Wilmington to visit some very dear best friends (pictures later) and fun shopping at "Countryside Village" in Braidwood.  Back by suppertime and I continued packing up for the big day on Sunday!

I made some little gift tags to put in every customer's package.

I packaged note cards...

Glittered gift tags...

Special cards...

"Art by Danielle" ...

 Collage...

and more cards...

And yes, I thought about you "Wilbur".  Always do.  You were my "star' of The Center.  And yes, Laura, Wilbur's cards were there.  They sell my little drawing of him in the Fellowcrafters' Gift Shop.

Here are a few pictures from the day.  I had good intentions of taking lots, but then things get busy.  Here is Denise and Tish looking at the collage class's display of beauties to sell.

Denise and her quilting.

and here's Marge with her artwork.