12 Days of Christmas

Well, I wish it was Christmas all year round :)
I'm a bit late in posting my 12 Days ornaments -- Once again, I was in a FABULOUS swap hosted by Elizabeth. My return box was somewhat late (mail took forever this year), so Miss L, my mom and I opened them up, 3 per day, right before Christmas. Actually, it is the 11 days of Christmas this year -- someone had some difficulties and had to bow out.

The ornaments were extra fabulous this year!

First up!

Day 1 - Kathie Barrus

 Love her! So medieval looking. Medieval art was my specialty in University, so I lean towards anything medieval/ renaissance looking. (I have a degree in art history :)

Day 2 -- Christine Lush Rodrigues

 OMG! I have been wanting a piece of Christine's ceramic sculpture ever since I saw her website. This photo doesn't do it justice. So much depth and texture. It is beautiful and looks fabulous in its new home among my tree collection!

Day 3 - Barbra Posey

 Isn't this little cutie fabulous??? He is swinging on a star! Another addition to my snowman collection!!!!!

(I just can't get over how green it was on this day, just a few days before Christmas!)

Day 5  -- Marilyn Hammenwright

 I really couldn't get a good shot of this felted ball. See those beads? The Big Dipper. WOW! Great idea, Marilyn! This one will be featured front and centre next year when our theme is "Navigation" (my mom has a theme each year -- this year was "Christmas in Paris" or "An ooh la la Christmas") (or "oh la la")

Day 6  -- Melissa Terlizzi

Melissa is a polymer clay artist -- see the "six" button on her packaging!

This is perfect! I have started a collection of snowmen (so now I collect snowmen and trees :) (and snowflakes, and bottles/ snowglobes). Maybe I'll show those collections someday ;)

 

Day 7 --  Me! - Martha Brown
 " I wish we could bottle up Christmas Spirit" 

 So I did!

 Day 8  -- Maryanne Lush

I could not get a good photo of Maryanne's glittering cone of goodness. It has a bottlebrush tree in there!

 

Day 9  -- Robin McIntyre

 

Robin knitted 12 bells. Soft, white, perfect bells. I love how her tag matches what is inside..... I wonder if Robin carved the stamp?

 

Day 10 -- Stephanie Woolsey

 Stephanie made this adorable snow globe. I have made these in the past too -- and they look so nice together! Another collection :). Look at those bottle brush trees. and that gold stag. I am so lucky!

 (we made the left one in my class last year -- I wish that I had the nice, round wine glasses that Stephanie used!)

Day 11 -- Linda Morgan

 

I liked the back of the wrapping so much I took a shot of it. Fantastic washi tape. 

  

I have a year round collection displayed of art dolls (not surprised, are you?). This one will go up on my doll wall :) 

 

the back was as fabulous as the front!

Day 12 -- Elizabeth Woodford 

 I didn't think that I was going to be able to pry this bird out of my mom's hands :). But I have a bird collection. In fact, in the past I have bought birds from Elizabeth.  Can a person have too many collections? 

And it's a wrap!
 Thank you everyone for participating, and especially to Elizabeth for hosting and organizing and reorganizing and prompting and reminding and unpacking and packing and repacking and mailing......

 (my ornament has the incorrect name below it)

13 Days of Christmas - Day 13

We are at our last day of the Christmas Ornament exchange :(  I'm going to miss all of this (and the new friends that I have found)
Sorry that they didn't post a month ago, when they were supposed to....

Day 13 is Stephanie Woolsey who is another Artful Dimensions Member!

The kids thought that this one was going to be the best because it was in a box. They weren't with me when I opened it though :( 

OMG -- I love this! (Click on it -- it is amazing close up)
 

I want to make some of these -- little paper roses all over a ball! I don't think that I have the patience though. And Stephanie made 13 of them. Thank you Stephanie!

13 Days of Christmas - Day 12

Day 12 is Mary Ann Lush (aka - Christine Lush-Rodriguez' mom :) I don't think that Mary Ann has a blog either!

The kids said that this one was "soft and sharp" Huh? Soft AND sharp?

Well, it is soft and sharp -- pipecleaners! Mary Ann hand painted the faces on these sweet pipecleaner twins. These twins almost made it home with someone :)

13 Days of Christmas - Day 11

Day 11 is Alice Early -- I don't think that Alice has a blog?

Alice's snowman bag was a big hit :) The class was disappointed that they couldn't see through the "window". They like to cheat.

When opened they were intrigued by what was inside. They all said that it was really cool, but had a hard time figuring out what it was.  It's a Steam Punk Santa! (see the beard? see the eyes and pointy hat?) Of course, they all wanted to make one. I explained what "Steam Punk" is and they thought that we should make some Steam Punk creations. Okay. We will.

(This is a terrible photo of Alice's ornament -- sorry, Alice)

13 Days of Christmas - Day 10

Day 10 is Robin McIntyre. I don't think that Robin has a blog :(

I love this sparkly yarn used as ribbon. And the silvery tissue is sparkly too. So pretty....

The kids guessed that inside there would be something snowy and sparkly.  They were right!! I love this ornament -- and will try to make something similar (on a MUCH simpler scale) with the kids next year. I think that Robin used scrapbook paper? But I will use old greeting cards and cut them out with my die cutter.

The kids noted that the hanger for the ornament was the same as on the wrapping. Something snowy and sparkly :)

13 Days of Christmas - Day 8

Day 8 is Elizabeth Woodford.Our fearless leader. Elizabeth is multi talented. Uber talented. She does shows. She teaches adults. She teaches children. She sells her work. She works too hard!!!

Love this packaging (of course, I will re-use bits of it :)

One of my kids guessed that there was a pie inside. But he couldn't explain why. (They do know that pie is my favourite dessert -- maybe that's why? -- and it is a little tart shell thingy). Her resin is so clear and perfect -- pretty sure that it is Ice Resin (my favourite)

13 Days of Christmas - Day 4

Day 4 is Brook Wilhelmsen of Being Brook.
Brook makes awesome furniture! We all said that we would like a coffee table please :)

The kids guessed that there would be chinese food inside :) I love this little box. I need more :)

Wrong!
There was a delightful silver birdie. The glitter is so smooth. Not sure how Brook managed that! The kids were so happy that the bird theme was continuing. They are still bugging me that mine wasn't a bird (hey! give me a break!)

13 Days of Christmas - Day 3

Day 3 is me!

This is the wrapping. I got to play with my scrappy layering techniques. And, of course, I sewed the package shut :)

Inside, I sewed something again :)

This year I did some free motion sewing and sewed "joy" or "wish" on the ornaments. My ornaments almost always say joy, wish or hope.....

The back is pretty too -- it has a star on it -- I forgot to take a picture. 

13 Days of Christmas - okay, a bit late

Blogger is doing strange things with my blog :) I posted about 15 posts in December that never surfaced. It deleted all of my drafts on my teaching blog too :(

So! Christmas in January! Better late than never !!!

Once again, I participated in a 12 Days of Christmas exchange -- we had13 in the group this year :)

Elizabeth Woodford has been organizing this exchange for the past few years. If you live in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area, you can see her work, and many other of the artists in this exchange, at the Artful Dimensions Gallery. The Facebook page is here. Thanks Elizabeth!!

I'm going to open these again at school with the students -- and "today's helper" can put it on a little tree. We had lots of fun last year guessing what was inside the package. The first one gets some wild guesses (a sweater, a book, an ipad), but once the first one is open, they really hone their predictions.

Here they are, ready to go to school :)