Tag Archives: Winter

Stop by the Winter Woods at Night

Stop by the Winter Woods at Night

A lifetime ago I was and English Major. Truth be told, I was not a particularly great at it. My true academic love at the time was journalism, and I did not have the temperament to analyze and discuss poems and fiction hour after hour after hour. 

Still, I always loved the written word–before, during and after my time in college. Something about Robert Frosts’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” has always appealed to me. It’s tone is what inspired my piece “Winter Woods at Night.” 

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Shake that Snow Globe

Shake that Snow Globe
Shake that Snow Globe

Just to shake things up a bit, I diverged from my usual art and made this cute holiday greeting shaker card. It reminds me of vintage snow globes, and it was a fun and easy project.

Visit Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog  to see the tutorial or just follow below. Read the rest of this entry

Sled into Solstice with your crafting

Sled into Solstice with your crafting
Sled into Solstice with your crafting

Chubby-cheeked sledders in a glistening snow-covered countryside is my nod to the December 21 Winter’s Solstice. You can learn how to craft this miniature vintage holiday scene by following the step-by-step tutorial or visiting this featured project at Gypsy Soul

Winter-Solstice-Sledding--by-Betsy-Skagen-0015 Read the rest of this entry

A holiday feast for the eyes–and no impact on your thighs

A holiday feast for the eyes–and no impact on your thighs

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Here’s a holiday dessert that is completely guilt free (unless you have some weird paper eating fetish). Read the rest of this entry

Robin’s Nest Blog Hop–Check out this altered Altoid tin Christmas Ornament

Robin’s Nest Blog Hop–Check out this altered Altoid tin Christmas Ornament
Robin’s Nest Blog Hop–Check out this altered Altoid tin Christmas Ornament

Welcome to the Robin’s Nest Christmas Blog Hop.

Make sure to visit each of the stops on the Design Team blog hop because the Robin’s Nest is giving away a fabulous prize–a bottle of Christmas Dew Drops–at every blog stop. To enter the contest begin at the Robin’s Nest, follow the links and leave a comment on each blog site. Also make sure you follow the  Robin’s Nest Facebook page.  

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Airplanes are hurling bodies from the sky

Airplanes are hurling bodies from the sky

My art studio is on the third floor of my house and therefore closest to the roof. Normally, it is an inspirational and peaceful place of creativity. Today–not so much.

Today, I sporadically jolt from my chair when I hear tremendously loud thumps above my head. I’m not talking little thuds made by a squirrel here, people. I’m talking thundering booms caused by something the size of a human body. It’s loud. And it’s terrifying.

I know that if I tell my husband, he will–just like any good Minnesotan–sagely nod his head and explain that it is the ice breaking away from the roof. He will patiently tell me that because today is a balmy 16 degrees, we are finally escaping the three month polar vortex of negative zero temperatures, and so the ice dams on the roof are able to melt and break away. Read the rest of this entry

Sadly, I have no problem whatsoever finding a logical explanation for this

Sadly, I have no problem whatsoever finding a logical explanation for this

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Don’t worry. I’m still going to share my mixed media panic attack story with you. The last thing I want to do is add more anxiety to your life by creating undue anticipation. However, this simply could not wait.

That is a problem because I am trying to find the right balance between topics. Paper Calliope is mainly about the art of mixed media, altered art and paper crafting. However, at last count, there were one million and forty-seven crafting blogs. Trust me on this. I know. I counted.* We don’t need one million and forty-eight.

That’s why I want to bring a fresh approach by recognizing how both the act of creating and the beauty of finished art brings calm, joy and inspiration to our anxiety-ridden lives. As actress Stella Adler said, “Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.” Read the rest of this entry

Today’s snow would be much prettier if there were not three more months of winter coming

Today’s snow would be much prettier if there were not three more months of winter coming

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I can’t resist adding this picture that I took outside our house this morning. We got several inches of snow and it was quite lovely. However, I’m not a fan of January since I always find it disheartening to face another three months of winter. At least the snow didn’t fall off the ornament, land between my jacket and my neck and then travel a slow, cold and torturous (but not tortuous–google it people) path down my bare skin before getting absorbed by my unmentionables. Read the rest of this entry