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so, i thought i'd combine my love of winter with my other love of Christmas by making these precious holiday ornaments featuring PRINTS of my three whimsical winter girls...Icelyn, Crystal and Glacia.
the ORIGINAL DRAWINGS are also FOR SALE. links posted under the photos below.
pick up one (or all three) of these one of a kind little lovelies to add some sparkle to your tree!
Yay! I finally received my copies of the January spread I did for Highlights Magazine! Love love LOVE how the colors came out on this one.
I hope you guys getĀ to pick up a copy!Ā
So for those that don’t know yet, we’re expecting our first baby!! Yipee!!!Ā I’m nearing my final trimester, there are two books in the pipeline with very tight back to back deadlines so I’m trying my best to beat the 3rd trimester fatigue and getting as much done as I can while I CAN!
I’ve been so wrapped up with work lately it’s been challenging to find the time to indulge in any holiday fun. But this weekend I put my foot on the breaks and was finally able to let myself indulge in some seasonal goodies. It was a nice and much needed break!
All the while I was working over the weekend on sketches for them, I received this little fun card from the team at ABDO. Thanks ABDO!
We finally found time to actually buy a tree (his name is “Monty”) and make some christmas cookies for the postman and a few of our dearest and nearest…I wrapped them fast this year, or else they’d all end up in my belly..hee hee.Ā I tell yah, there’s nothing like taking in some holiday music and the smell of cookies and pine to get you caught right up in all this season cheer!!
…and then, as if by magic, BruceĀ Sprucington Treeworthy wobbled impossibly into a stately bow.
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Looks like we have a few masochists joining HoHoDooDaĀ this year. Below are the names and links of said participants (at least any who have left their name and link to where they are posting their doodles, in the commentsĀ here.) If Iāve missed anyone or your link is not working or any other proof of my heinous lack of organizational skills, please let me know and Iāll do my best to fix it.
In recent years German Christmas markets have been promoted to the English as the epitome of a traditional and authentic Christmas. As germany-christmas-market.org.uk suggests, āif youāre tired of commercialism taking over this holiday period and would like to get right away for a real traditional and romantic Christmas market you might want to consider heading to Germany.” If a trip to Germany is impossible, a visit to a German Christmas market nearer to home is more feasible. Beginning with Lincoln in 1982, German Christmas markets have appeared in a number of British towns and cities.
The Queen’s Christmas tree at Windsor Castle published in the Illustrated London News, 1848, and republished in Godey’s Lady’s Book, Philadelphia in December 1850. via Wikimedia Commons.
One of the largest markets outside of the German-speaking world now takes place in Birmingham. In 2006 the Daily Telegraph reported on this, commenting: “The late Queen (Victoria) would have almost certainly have been thinking of her beloved Albert, who is credited with introducing a number of German Christmas traditions to Britain, and who was famously pictured with his then young bride and children beside a decorated tree — a custom which has since become an established norm the length and breadth of the country.” The link between Christmas and Germany automatically conjures the image of Prince Albert and the persistence of the myth of his role in the making of the modern English Christmas. Even before the death of the Prince Consort, childrenās books such as Peter Parleyās Annual were making unproblematic claims that the Christmas tree was āintroducedā to Britain by Prince Albert. The royal Christmas tree at Windsor Castle was not the first to appear in England, though the appearance of the lithograph representation in the Illustrated London News in 1848 undoubtedly did much to promote the custom.
Pinpointing the precise moment when a ritual practice appears in a new culture for the first time is often difficult. One way of examining the cultural transfer of customs is to look at the activities of artistic and literary elites. The first reference to German Christmas customs to appear in England was Samuel Taylor Coleridgeās account of the Christmas he spent in the German town of Ratzeburg in 1798. He described a Christmas Eve custom according to which children decorated the parlour with a yew bough, secured to a table, fastened little tapers to it, and then laid out presents for their parents (the children received their presents on Christmas Day). This account was published in the periodical The Friend in 1809, and was regularly reprinted during the first half of the nineteenth century. Reaction to it varied. Whilst Thomas de Quincey dismissed the āstage sentimentalityā of a description which emphasized the potential of Christmas to promote much āweeping aloud for joyā on the part of parents touched by their childrenās conduct, the poet Felicia Hemans took a great interest in German customs and attempted to imitate the tree ritual.
From 1840 a number of German Christmas stories for children were translated and published in England. These books emphasized the Christmas tree as being at the heart of a family-centred celebration, though by this time children were now the main recipients of seasonal gifts. The stories served as a reminder of the German origins of the Christmas tree, a fact which was often repeated when the tree was discussed in the popular press. For example, in his periodical Household Words, Charles Dickens described the tree as āthat pretty German toy.ā The majority of references to the German Christmas customs were not followed by any commentary of the significance of these origins. More occasionally, writers would eulogise the Germans as a simple, domestic and sentimental people, precisely the characteristics which were increasingly ascribed the festive English hearth. Consequently, the English were able to quickly adopt and naturalize the Christmas tree by making it palatable to the national story.
Despite growing Anglo-German rivalry in the years leading up to the First World War, the English view of the German Christmas persisted at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was played out in the press coverage of the famous Christmas truce of 1914, when British and German troops exchanged cigarettes and food, showed one another pictures of their families, and organised football matches. The best known image of the ceasefire appeared in the Illustrated London News in 1915, featuring a German soldier holding aloft a miniature tree as he approached two British soldiers; this was not only a symbol of peace but also of the values of domesticity and indulgence of childhood.
Whilst the Christmas truce has claimed a prominent place in the mythology of the Great War, it was followed by an abrupt change in Anglo-German relations, which were subsequently defined by anti-German propaganda, the legacy of Nazism, and post-war football rivalry. It is perhaps surprising then, that Germany should re-emerge as a spiritual home of the authentic and traditional Christmas in the English imagination. However, this is testimony to the inherent dynamic of nostalgia embedded in the festival. As I argue in Christmas in Nineteenth-Century England, laments for the loss of Christmases past have been present in festive discourse since the early seventeenth century.
German customs play an important role in the development of the English Christmas, but this argument can only be taken so far. After all, in the nineteenth century the English were no strangers to domesticity and the romanticization of childhood. Furthermore, Christmas is a transnational festival, and all modern Christmases are the product of a multiplicity of cultural transfers.
Neil Armstrong is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Gloucestershire. He is the author of “England and German Christmas Festlichkeit, c.1800ā1914″ in German History, which is available to read for free for a limited time.
German History is renowned for its extensive range, covering all periods of German history and all German-speaking areas. Every issue contains refereed articles and book reviews on various aspects the history of the German-speaking world, as well as news items and conference reports. It is an essential journal for German historians and of major value for all non-specialists interested in the field.
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For those last-minute gifts that you forgot to buy tags for. I know the feeling! Which is why we made some printable tags for you. Here's what they looked like, first printed out and then on gifts all wrapped up and ready to go:
Ā
To download the A4 sheet of Gift Tags just click on the image or link below:
Saw off a slice of the Christmas tree trunk, label with the year's date, and make an ornament out of it! This would be cute with a family photo on the back!
Ah, the holidays. A time of leisure to eat, drink, be merry, and read up on the meaning of mistletoe in Scandinavian mythologyā¦
Taken from the Oxford Indexās quick reference overview pages, the descriptions of the wintry-themed words above are not nearly as simplistic as you might think — and even more intriguing are the related subjects you stumble upon through the Indexās recommended links. Iāll never look at a Christmas tree the same way again.
ICE-SKATING
In its simplest form dates back many centuries, [done] with skates made out of animal bonesā¦.
āSonja Henie (1912 ā 1969)
Norwegian figure skater. In 1923 she was Norwegian champion, between 1927 and 1936 she held ten consecutive world champion titles, and between 1928 and 1936 she won three consecutive Olympic gold medals. In 1938 she began to work in Hollywood, in, among others, the film Sun Valley Serenade (1941)ā¦
āSun Valley Serenade
ā¦ Such was the popularity of the Glenn Miller Band by 1941 that it just had to appear in a film, even if the story was as light as a feather…
YULE
ā¦The name comes from Old EnglishĀ gÄol(a)Ā āChristmas Dayā; compare with Old NorseĀ jĆ³l, originally applied to a heathen festival lasting twelve days, later to Christmasā¦
āSnorri Sturluson (1178 ā 1241)
Icelandic historian and poet. A leading figure of medieval Icelandic literature, he wrote the Younger Edda or Prose Edda and the Heimskringla, a history of the kings of Norway from mythical times to the year 1177ā¦
CHRISTMAS TREE
It is generally assumed that this indisputably German custom was introduced to Britain by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, but this is only partly true. The British royal family had had regular Christmas trees since the days of Princess Charlotte of Mecklenberg Strelitz…But it was certainly due to active promotion by Victoria and Albert that the fashion for trees spread so remarkably fast, at least among the better-offā¦
– a control room or cockpit’s panel of indicator lights, green (good) and red (bad).
FATHER CHRISTMAS
– ā¦Gives news of Christ’s birth, and urges his hearers to drink: āBuvez bien par toute la compagnie, Make good cheer and be right merry.ā
– There were Yule Ridings in York (banned in 1572 for unruliness), where a man impersonating Yule carried cakes and meat through the street.
āClement C. Moore (1779 ā 1863)
ā¦Professor of Biblical learning and author of the poem popularly known as ā’Twas the Night Before Christmas,ā published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel (Dec. 23, 1823), widely copied, and reprinted in the author’s Poems (1844). The poem’s proper title is āA Visit from St. Nicholas.ā
WASSAIL
– A festive occasion that involves drinking.
– It derives from the Old Norse greetingĀ ves heill, ābe in good healthā.
āChristmas
ā¦ The date was probably chosen to oppose the pagan feast of the Natalis Solis Invicti by a celebration of the birth of the āSun of Righteousnessāā¦
SNOWMAN
(1978) Raymond Briggs’s wordless picturebook uses comicāstrip techniques to depict the relationship between a boy and a snowman who comes alive in the night but melts the next dayā¦.
āAbominable Snowman
A popular name for the yeti, recorded from the early 1920s.
āYeti
A large hairy creature resembling a human or bear, said to live in the highest part of the Himalayasā¦
ā¦comes from TibetanĀ yeh-tehĀ ālittle manlike animalā.
MISTLETOE
– Traditionally used in England to decorate houses at Christmas, when it is associated with the custom of kissing under the mistletoe.
– In Scandinavian mythology, the shaft which Loki caused the blind Hod to throw at Balder, killing him, was tipped with mistletoe, which was the only plant that could harm him.
– ‘The Mistletoe Bough’ a ballad by Thomas Bayly (1839), which recounts the story of a young bride who during a game hides herself in a chest with a spring-lock and is then trapped there; many years later her skeleton is discovered.
āEvergreens
A high proportion of the plants important in folk customs are evergreen — a fact which can be seen either in practical or symbolic terms. Folklorists have usually highlighted the latter, suggesting that at winter festivals they represented the unconquered life-force, and at funerals immortality.
GINGERBREAD
Cake or biscuits flavoured with ginger and treacle, often baked in the shape of an animal or person, and glazed.
āGingerbread
The gilded scroll work and carving with which the hulls of large ships, particularly men-of-war and East Indiamen of the 15th to 18th centuries, were decorated. āTo take some of the gilt off the gingerbreadā, an act which diminishes the full enjoyment of the whole.
GIFT
– ā¦gifts have importance for tax purposes; if they are sufficiently large they may give rise to charges under inheritance tax if given within seven years prior to death (see potentially exempt transfer).
– A gift is also a disposal for capital gains tax purposes and tax is potentially payable.
– Friends, like kin, could be called upon in any emergency; they could be expected to display solidarity, lend general support, and procure coāoperation.
– Friends were therefore supposed to be alike: a friend was ideally conceived of as one’s āother selfā.
SNOWFLAKE
The result of the growth of ice crystals in a varied array of shapes. Very low temperatures usually result in small flakes; formation at temperatures near freezing point produces numerous crystals in large flakes.
āIce crystal
Frozen water composed of crystalline structures, e.g. needles, dendrites, hexagonal columns, and platelets.
āDiamond dust
Minute ice crystals that form in extremely cold air. They are so small as to be barely visible and seem to hang suspended, twinkling as they reflect sunlight.
Georgia Mierswa is a marketing assistant at Oxford University Press and reports to the Global Marketing Director for online products. She began working at OUP in September 2011.
TheĀ Oxford IndexĀ is a free search and discovery tool from Oxford University Press. It is designed to help you begin your research journey by providing a single, convenient search portal for trusted scholarship from Oxford and our partners, and then point you to the most relevant related materials ā from journal articles to scholarly monographs. One search brings together top quality content and unlocks connections in a way not previously possible. Take aĀ virtual tour of the IndexĀ to learn more.
Happy holidays! GalleyCat readers around the world have been building Book Christmas Trees all month.
After we shared a photo of a Book Christmas Tree, many of our readers started building their own. We’ve collected 21 trees in our holiday slideshow (embedded above)–a virtual Book Christmas Tree Farm.
Building a tree of books is a simple but powerful way to show your support for print books and bookstores in this digital age. If you build your own, be sure to email GalleyCat a photograph.
What book will you put on top of your book Christmas tree this year? Last year dedicated readers around the country built holiday book trees to celebrate the season (gallery embedded above)
Email GalleyCat a photographĀ of your book tree this year and we’ll add it to our annual gallery of literary trees.Ā Building a tree of books is a simple but powerful way to show your support for print books and bookstores in this digital age.
Our first Book Christmas Tree Farm was created after we discovered this inspiring picture.
As the holiday season nears, one Reddit user posted this inspiring picture of a Book Christmas Tree.
The Book Christmas Tree has already earned thousands of views. It is a simple but powerful way to show your support for print books and bookstores in this digital age.
We only have one question: What book will you put on top of your Book Christmas Tree?
My friend Jeannine over at Four Rooms decided to show a bit of her Christmas things each week. I really liked that idea, so here are a few things I did around the house yesterday to nudge me into the spirit of the holidays.
I do love to decorate!
This is our first tree in at least eight years. It's around 4' tall and sits on the dining room built-in nook. Next week I'll show it decorated and lit up. ļ»æ
~My little French piggy asked for a red ribbon~
~another view~
When we first moved back to Rhode Island, I bought this rooster for Brian.
Rhode Island's state bird is the Rhode Island red chicken.
I bought a candle centerpiece for under two dollars and wrapped it around her neck.
19 Comments on Holiday Glimpses, last added: 12/8/2010
Lovely..... but then. you have that "MAGIC TOUCH"....and everything you do IS lovely! I particularly like the "BLUE" Bathroom....
You know I haven't had time to do anything - but now that Opera is over, I will begin....and will include a "certain" lilac stag....phots coming later this week!
I am going to enjoy yours this year. I bought a tiny USB tree for the laptop-I have 3 young cats and 3 puppies in the house and I think decorations would be a terrible idea.
I'm actually enjoying "taking the year off". Last year with Luna I did the iron tree with bells, but with the boys I think that would get really tiresome. They are 9 months old and rambunctious. I found a tennis ball in the toilet yesterday morning-no-no noisey things or electric things this year....LOL.
Well, you're putting me into the spirit of the season (it's getting later every year to 'deck the halls' since moving to TX and coming from a land of snow!) Love the blue too...
btw I sent you an email the other day, hope you got it? :>
Your tree is handsome even without decorations. I can't wait to see it decked out for the holidays. Maybe I should show a bit of the chirstmas decor here. This is where my muse has been stretching and bending. Fun time of year.
Aaah, it's looking beautiful at your house,,,especially lovin your Rhode Island Red! No surprise you'd be a fine decorator.
We haven't had a tree in several years,,as we travel a good bit and we share Jack's tree with him. I have a few things I put out every year, such as a ceramic tree that my Mother made long ago. Traditions, love 'em!
i shall stroll and strut in the back door and i shall enjoy every magical touch. i may even think interesting thoughts about the blue balls in the bathroom (hahahhaaha,ahem,ahahaha,sorryhahahee)
I LOVE to see you decorating your house in little steps! Love that wrapping around the roosters neck! Would even put it around my own! That blue sea Christmas bowl is so well in your beautiful bathroom...........I know....... I didn't came far yesterday. Wrapped in the presents for abroad and made some cards for special friends. Bet I made you one ;)
Hi Lolo! HO HO HO!!! Okay, I am madly in love with your pig. Please pat him on the head for me, and wish him a Merry Christmas! We have gone overboard here, as usual. Our preferred decorating practice seems to be "String lights on anything that isn't moving!". I have to admit, it is very jolly. :) xox!
You are so creative...these photos could grace the pages of any magazine. It's all so warm and cozy and lovely...I am looking forward to the rest. I so envy kj being able to sit right in front of those blue balls!! (Pssst...try and get a photo! heh!)
Once again, I want to get off the roller-coaster I find myself on, but I did hang a wreath on the front door yesterday! Ah, me..
Below: I took a walk yesterday on Lac St-Louis. It’s frozen over solid presently. You can see other folks and critters venturing out for a hike as well. This is also a popular area for the winter parasailers.
Below: The Christmas tree in front of Bilboquet (an ice cream shop) in the Pointe Claire Village.Ā And [...]
0 Comments on Photos: Random Winter Scenes as of 1/1/1900
Despite needing an initial defrosting, our little pot tree looked very pretty when he was dressed. He comes in every Christmas Eve and goes back outside on January the 1st. We like to keep our quiet celebrations short and special. I bought him fourteen years ago, when he was a scruffy 10 inch urchin, and against the odds, he's thrived. Now he has finally burst his pot in a bid for freedom.
Here he is on Christmas morning, being looked after by Oscar, my latest needle felt piece.
This year he is proudly displaying some beautiful gingerbread people, made by an old friend with whom we have recently re-made contact. Each one is delightfully hand
22 Comments on Turning pennies into cheese, last added: 12/30/2009
I love your little pot tree - and the decorations are lovely! We have an artificial one that comes out the loft every year (bought before it was a crime against the environment to have a fake tree!) Enjoy your cheese - we have just had some Northumberland Nettle cheese, given to us by Malcolm's sister - delicious!
What a wonderful tree! And a wonderful idea. I had never thought of growing a Christmas tree in a pot. LOVE the ornaments...and the new elephant. And saving your pennies for a special treat....
That tree of your will soon need to be put on some sort of wheeled trolley for its week indoors! The decorations are a marvelous collection, each one carrying a unique personality.
Oscar definitely deserves his glowing crown. He's a very fine addition to the wondrous crew.
Love the idea of the pennies for cheese. Let us know how the Cerney is after New Year's.
And...isn't it often good to reconnect with folks from years past? It is fascinating how our paths wander during our lives.
May I send a huge toast to Andy, from one shop manager to another? I definitely have an idea of what he faces day by day!
Best wishes to you as we take our tiny steps towards that beckoning 2010. xo
Oscar is fantastic! such fun and movement. Ah, yes our Christmas tree is a over ten years old and is a Ficus...Your friend's work is gorgeous, I went to the link and watched the slideshow. But poor Andy, I'd no idea he was trained as an illustrator as well.... Gosh yes, life does take unexpectedly turns a truer set of words were never spoken. Enjoy that cheese! Raw Goat sounds great, we can get raw sheep here that is quite nice. Cheers.
We like our quiet little celebrations too. No big deal.. .. just us ... the tree ... and enjoying a little chicken dinner on the day...
I have saved some of the more beautiful cards over the years to place in bare areas in the tree... I love to make some little origami ornies and some little walnut mice as well... I usually just give them to folks...but, also make a few for our own tree... have to keep a few for "templates", seeing as how I usually forget how to make them each year...lol...
Love the little window into your Christmas days... like you I always prefer to be last in with the tree, first out, although this year I have been outnumbered and voted Scrooge so have relented and we are having it for three whole weeks!
Your tree is beautiful and it's kind of special that you grew it yourself. I'm completely intrigued by your fabulous looking bookshelf behind your tree. It looks just like a well loved bookshelf should look. Maureen. www.thepizzagang.com
I love that your Christmas tree is so special to you, having grown with you both, and such a lovely gift of spicy gingerbread from your friend...such friendships are special too.
Oscar is wonderful...those knees are adorable...
Oh, now that cheese sounds gorgeous...you've hit one of my favourite types...unpasturised goats cheese.
I hope you've had a wonderful time...and wish you best wishes for 2010...
Happy Christmas to you both. Love your tree but I feel maybe you're lacking in books in your home! I was at my Mums over Christmas and Andys' picture is on the landing,I was passed it so many times and each time being grateful for a rekindled friendship! Ahhh the power of the net! xxx
What a perfect little tree, like something out of a book, especially with those pretty gingerbread folk. I went straight to your friend's Etsy shop, and indeed her work is beautiful. Oscar is charming, love the knees! Wishing you a merry, cosy Christmas time, and very happy, healthy, wealthy New Year, Blessings, F (part mouse myself, having cheese-envy here)
Hi Gretel, it's been a while since I comment last time. I'm glad you're back with your everyday stories, it's always so nice to hear from you. I think it's a great idea to save pennies (in my case it will be cents) for something to eat in New Year's Eve. I think I'll copy this for next year, but maybe for a nice bottle of wine, mmmmm! I hope you'll have a happy, funny and creative new year (extend this wish to Andy, too, please, he deserves it!!!)!!
I think that stuff bought with pennies from the penny jar tastes that much better! My penny jar gets used similarly and also I find that if it is used to buy yarn or thread then the finished article has more value somehow. Enjoy that cheese!!!!!!!! :O)
I find it lovely to have your own Christmas tree and to take care of it year after year... It's already a member of the family, isn't it? Besides, a very special one! I like very much the idea of buying something that brings you pleasure with the pennies you've gathered up so far. I'll discuss it with my husband and son and I'm sure we'll buy something special for us! Happy New Year, Gretel! Let it bring health, joy, love, inspiration and happiness to you and your family!
Ah!Cheese!What would life be without it? My best discovery this year; a glass of chilled Moscato with some soft goats' cheese after a hard day when the sun has gone down and all are safely abed.Or even if not a hard day and all are safely abed. Enjoy every crumb of that Cerney if indeed it is of the crumbing sort.
Along with that question comes another... who helped?
In our house my strong husband wrestles the tree and lights into position and I get to hang our treasured ornaments on the tree. Some of those are over a dozen snoopy plush characters that one of our daughters has given us over the years. Another is a gift from our other daughter, a small owl that goes on first. Others include favorites of our son when he was little ( now a dad with little ones of his own) and some that I made from sculpey clay and one shiny one my neice made from an old CD disk. Others include handmade gifts from friends, students and my mom and dad and my husband's family.
Do you decorate as a family? Do you have special favorite ornaments? Do you have a blog where we can see your tree?
1 Comments on Did you Trim the Tree?, last added: 12/18/2009
We do- but my most cherished Christmas decoration is all the art project my daughters have made over the years- that I hang along the trim of our dining room window!
“What an amazing pink Christmas tree!” you’re probably saying to yourself, “Look at how bright it is! Only a very strong and brave person could handle such a powerful tree. It’s like having the sun in your living room! And decorating it in lights and glass bulbs! I tremble at the thought of such a person! Who could this person be?!”
It would be me… sure, my family helped some, you know, setting it up, decorating it. The safe stuff. Me? I grabbed danger by the throat and put it in a choke hold: I plugged the tree in.
Sorry ladies, I’m taken.
1 Comments on Christmas tree, last added: 12/10/2009
I realize I'm a bit late in wishing everybody a Happy New Year, but I do hope 2009 is off to a good start for everyone! It never occurred to me in the past to make resolutions, but this year I have a few, pretty ordinary ones:
- Get up in the morning at a reasonable time. I'm not at all a morning person and my hours tend to become more and more bizarre over the course of large projects. So I'm going to attempt to drag myself out of bed earlier than usual and get on a more 'normal' schedule.
- Get some regular exercise every day. I was doing pretty well with this until the holidays and then fell off the wagon and have yet to jump back on...
- Gain about seven pounds or so. That's right. I said gain.
- Art-wise, I'm still trying not to over-work paintings, painting too thickly and what-not. And trying to loosen up a bit.
So far, the first twelve days of 2009 find me failing miserably at the first three resolutions and showing spotty results with the fourth. But it's early still, plenty of time to right myself...
And I'm really late posting these pictures. These were taken on the side of the highway on my husband's drive to work:
Decorating this particular copse of trees along the 360 appears to be an annual tradition here in Austin.
Well, it's back to work for me now. A belated Happy Holidays to all!
We have been watching you. We are artist also. At least that's what they call us. You may even know us. We'd like to invite you to a member of our very Private Club. We're very selective and only an elite few are welcome on our hallowed grounds. We pick you.
We even have a little 'chit chat' room just for the likes of you. It's rightfully called Dante's Pub. But when your enter BEWARE! You are entering the abyss of the artist mind! You may not find your way out.
You're welcome to watch from afar while drinking your brew or pull up a chair and join us for a little chat. Be sure and register and then log in. After all, this is a very private club. We don't allow just any wanderer in our midst.
Don't dilly dally now! It wont cost you a pence. Check out The Artist Challenge and Dante's Pub- that is if your daring and think yourself worthy to be amongst the souls we've claimed?
Farewell...until we hear from you, Master Mike and the Pub Wench
Artist Challenge- http://www.theartistchallenge.com/ Danteās Pub - http://www.theartistchallenge.com/art-forum/
I found that a great tool for gaining weight is to keep snacks in the studio, and drink juice instead of water (since Juice has calories and water does not). For snacks, I like yogurt and frosted mini wheats, and crackers with cheese or peanut butter. Snack once an hour and you should be good to go!
Ok, so this is a bit of a stretch. She thinks the trees have voices. I love trees just about as much as she does. I have this fantasy that if I were uber rich, I would plant acres of them around here. The eastern mountains need some greening up. They only look pretty for about 3 months a year when the grass is green. Trees would would be a lovely addition.
Merry Christmas to all and thanks for visiting. Wishing you a wonderful New Year!
11 Comments on Illustration Friday -- Voices, last added: 12/25/2008
We've been very busy here at alphabet soup -- decking the halls, jingling those bells, and decorating trees. Thought you'd like a little peek:
For most of the year, Nick Galeski works as a mild-mannered insurance salesman in a non-descript office.
But every December, he dons the red robe and becomes a harbinger of joy: Uncle Nicky Claws!
He and the other bears have their own little trees.
Like this one,
and this one.
Aside from baking and eating cookies, my favorite holiday tradition is sifting through all the ornaments that will go on our big tree (8-1/2 feet tall).
I love handmade ornaments most of all. I'm not crafty, so I thoroughly appreciate people who can come up with clever ideas and translate them into salable products.
I usually hang up some angels first. Some of these are made from antique quilts or handkerchiefs.
Then, I wade through boxes and boxes of teddy bear ornaments. I can't possibly hang them all, so I rotate them each year. They're made of everything, including felt, wood, resin, porcelain, metal, clay, paper, plastic, and glass.
Of course our tree always includes some food ornaments, mostly dessert:
And since I love children's books, I'm partial to characters, rag dolls, and toys.
Tree decorating is fun, but also nostalgic and poignant. I like to remember faraway friends by always including the ornaments they have given me.
Lynn, a long-time friend from Hawai'i, is very artistic and once made some wonderful clothespin ornaments:
Kristin, who's now a kindergarten teacher, has been my penpal since she was 6 years old. She got me this cute bear ornament from Japan, which is made from special kimono fabric.
Of course I honor new friends, too. Marie, who lives about ten minutes away, used to work on Capitol Hill. Every year, for the last ten years or so, she's given us a White House ornament.
If you don't know about these, go to the White House Historical Association and take a look. There's a new ornament issued every year, based on a different Presidential administration. They come in a nice presentation box with a booklet, and make great mail-away gifts.
A couple of writer friends have blessed me with Laini Taylor ladies: Every tree has got to have at least one!
Then there's the travel memories. I always include these handpainted egg ornaments, which we found on a trip to Switzerland over 20 years ago.
Can't forget the Hawaiian hula girls,
and I'm especially fond of my Linas Alsenas handpainted snowflake which I won in last year's Robert's Snow auction. Mrs. Claus on one side,
and Santa himself on the other.
Once the tree looks full, I add some little red touches, in the form of strawberries, candy apples, and red hearts.
Then Len gets out the stepladder, and hangs up the international teddies:
Finally, he carefully places Melanie, the Victorian angel with feather wings, at the very top.
To us, our tree represents the true joys of Christmas: friends, family, food, dreams, and memories.
I'd love to see your tree. Have you posted a photo of it yet? Please do!!
Again, here I am about to tell you all how strong my intentions are to blog everyday. But alas ~ I haven't had the time to keep my promise. Although my intentions are true.
I do have so many things to share with you, but not today....today I just want to share a photo of my Christmas tree.
This behemoth tradition is equally dreaded and loved in my home. The tree stands nine feet tall with a six foot girth. Needless to say, at my heighth of 5' 4" tall, decorating requires a ladder and the help of both my sons, who each stand over six feet tall.
The sense of "decorating dread" starts well before Thanksgiving. Knowing that the end result is well worth the work, we prepare ourselves for the inevitable.
There are layers of lights, and colorful curly ribbon. Lime green, purple, turquoise, orange, yellow, pink and red have learned to play together with the bird nests, wasp nests, and dried flowers. Orange slices, lemon slices and beaded chili peppers add flavor and feathered birds stand guard on many limbs. It is truly a garden of Jelly Bean color.
Have a close look at the bottom of the tree, and you'll notice a sparseness of color...for that, I have my cat (Bonzo) to thank. His kitten like actions stay well hidden most of the year, but the moment he spots the curly ribbon dangling from limb to limb, he instantly becomes a child. There is no keeping him away from the fascinating and shiny "things", so we learned to keep those shiny things out of his reach.
So...what starts as a sneaking dread and builds to an inevitable chore, ends up to be a beautiful sight (and a very large toy for Bonzo). A tradition that I yearly threaten to forgo, I know in my heart that as long as I am physically able, this behemoth of all Christmas trees will always have a place in our front window.
Thanks ever so much for stopping by and continuing to check periodically.
Kim Garden Painter Art
0 Comments on LOTS TO SHARE, BUT NOT TODAY as of 1/1/1900
Kim, I was so pleased to hear from you! I have checked often and wondered how you were doing, but wanted to give you your space. I have said lots of prayers for you and your mum, and will continue to do so. (((((hugs)))) If you ever want a shoulder you know my e-mail addy. I also have free phone calls so, if you ever need a listening ear. Just let me know! Sending lots of love your way!
Hi Kim, So glad to see you're back in blogland! I hope things are getting better for you, I know there's been a lot of struggles in life lately for lots of us. It can be hard to be creative. Thanks for stopping by my blog, and hope to see you updating your blog again! love, saffron
Peppermints! When you add sensory details to a story, the most common is visual details. The two most neglected are olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste). Flavors of the season are peppermint, cinnamon and cloves.
Gifts! Give your character something to hold in his/her hands. It’s one of the easiest and best ways to characterize someone, while providing you, the writer, with great verbs. Put an iron skillet in Grandma’s hands and watch her rustle up a meal for the 30-odd relatives coming by tomorrow.
Trees! The setting of a story can add to the mood, if you choose the right details. A pathetic, sad tree is aluminum, thin, sparse, leaning. A cheerful tree is straight, full, soft fir needles, well-lit, glowing, radiant. Be precise in the details you use and you’ll evoke a mood to support (or contrast) with your character’s inner life.
Worship! Just as the Wise Men, shepherds and angels worshiped the birth of the Christ, so we should remember to keep life in perspective. Writing is fun and consuming, but there’s more to life than just writing. Take time off to enjoy your family, attend a madrigal feast (I’m going Thursday night!), go caroling with friends, and ponder the Deep Magic of this special child.
This is wonderful. I love the tree-hugging. I just wrote a post on my friend's blog, Joyfulseeker, about tree-hugging. So fun. Love the colors you chose.
elizabeth said, on 12/22/2007 9:37:00 PM
I love your style here! And the pure joy on the girl's face-- perfect for today.
Emila Yusof said, on 12/22/2007 11:55:00 PM
Beautiful! You have a great style!
NANCY LEFKO said, on 12/23/2007 6:01:00 AM
just adorable and really captures the Christmas JOY !!!
Cathie said, on 12/23/2007 1:58:00 PM
very cute and full of christmas spirit! love the trees
Nancy Bea said, on 12/24/2007 6:42:00 AM
Charming! Lovely style and spirit.
Bobo Cat said, on 12/28/2007 2:37:00 AM
Wonderful piece. Love the combination of colours and texture.
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He’s adorable!
Thanks, Julie!
Sooooooooo cute!!!!!
You are outdoing your own self! A real cutie!
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