WINTER PROJECTS

I love winter and the thing that strikes me most is the silence. It is a period of winding down and contemplating. The cold, the wind and the rain outside means I spend more time indoors doing what I like best, which is crafting.

I adore Raymond Briggs' works and every time I see anything remotely related to the Snowman, I know I must have it - from paper towels to sewing kits. So here are some of the stuff that I've made with the Snowman theme.

This is for a lovely lady in Malaysia who enjoys reading my articles in the paper. I've only met her once and I know she prefers snail mail to cyber connections. The weather may be frosty but our friendship is warm.

This Advent Calendar is hand sewn and quilted. I like it that the numbers are all over the place so the child has to figure out the dates leading up to Christmas.

Then I sewed another advent calendar for my grand niece in Australia.

Hand sewn teddy bear quilt

Blanket stitched every bear

Made some pom pom sheep magnets ( I saw them in a shop in Iceland, and said to myself I must make some)

Made a bay leaf wreath. My friend gave me some fresh bay leaves and I sprayed them with gold paint.

A draft stopper for a beloved aunt

Paint brush santa for my artistic friends

Upcycled a rolling pin (which reminds me of a vintage cartoon)

Salvaged and repainted a tired hen and transformed it to a cool chick

Personalised baubles for the little ones

Lots of cards

 And finally a miniature Christmas house for my friend

THE ART OF BOOK FOLDING

Now who would have thought of it - giving an old book new life - simply by folding its pages! I saw some objects created from folded pages and I thought I must give it a try.

My mind works like a photostating machine when it comes to crafts. Just like that - no lessons, just observation of the finished products being displayed.

I started making the simplest form - the mummy hedgehog. After that I went on to make the daddy and the baby. All these while watching some good documentaries like George Bernard Shaw or James Joyce on television.

I was hooked. I went on to make more complicated projects like the Christmas tree and the Bird cage.

Then I decided to make something for the wall with a Christmassy theme.

Since this will be stored away after Christmas, I decided to make another one for the rest of the year.

Finally I decided to challenge myself to make one even more difficult than the last.

I created a big top for the circus. My friend gave me some small elephants when she moved house a number of years ago and I thought they fitted in very nicely with the circus theme. I managed to find a very thick book with lots of pages in order to create a 360 degree big top.


                                                                         front view

                                                                               top view

                                                                        inside of the big top

CHRISTMAS CENTREPIECE FOR THE TABLE

Once again I had the pleasure of being under Mary Lonergan's tutelage. At a guild meeting in Monaleen, members of the Irish Countrywomen's Association enjoyed a session of arranging a centre piece. We were each given a pack of interesting Christmas bits and fresh foliage.

Everyone was so involved and had great fun creating .

                                                               A fine display indeed!

This is mine

All the proud ladies with their creations

MAKING CHRISTMAS DECOR WITH FRESH FOLIAGE

There's nothing like the smell of fresh eucalyptus, pine, cyclamen and hyacinth. Imagine the sitting room infused with these gorgeous smells. Counting down to Christmas, Limerick city offers a whole host of events, crafts being one of them. I found one conducted by Tara from White Dove nurseries at the Gift Store, Limerick milk market that I like.

Tara brought a good selection of both dried and fresh foliage. There were 7 of us and each one chose a cart (which is used by vendors to display their ware on a market day) to work on our project. Some decided to do wreaths. As I knew how to make a wreath, I decided to make a swag for the mantle piece instead.

The whole process took about two hours with loads of coffee and serious concentration.

We all went home feeling very happy.

And with the remaining foliage, I decided to make 2 wreaths - one for my mother-in-law's resting place and another as a Christmas present.

Year end crafts and Bye bye 2015

This will be the final post for 2015 before the ships blare their horns to usher in 2016. As the year draws to an end, I think I will put up all the pictures of the crafts that I've done for November and December. My favourites are mosaic-art and willowcraft and of course Christmassy stuff.

A. Mosaic and collage

1. Collage on Slate: mixed media - bits and bobs of old jewellery and paper napkins

2. Glass and tile on wood

3. Mandala Art: Tile, sculpture paste and paper napkin on MDF.

B. Willowcraft

Shopping basket:  Following instructions from a very good book .........

I completed this shopping basket on my own...........

C. Christmassy stuff

1. Fish bowl with candle : Sculpture paste for frost

 

2. Candle with trimmings

3. Hand painted snow men on wood and bottles

4. Table centrepiece

5. Cards

3D cards - the robin card won 3rd prize at the ICA Limerick federation meeting 

12 days of Christmas Cards

and a whole host of other cards....

So, I've come to the end of my last post for 2015. I already have lots of crafts planned out for next year which begins tomorrow. 

2016 HERE I COME!!