Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Wishing you...

...thousands of opportunities for joy,
peace,introspection,

and bright adventures in the New Year!
Thanks so much for reading my blog and for being a part of my life.

I appreciate the chance to share who I am and what I do, and I especially enjoy learning about all of you.


Happy New Year!

Theresa

Thursday, December 24, 2009

If Santa Is Late...

....you can't blame these two!
They don't work for the big man!

This is Jingles.

He stands at just under four inches tall.

His job is to collect any decorations that fall to the floor in his house unnoticed. The humans he lives with don't even know he exists!

He found this bell in the corner behind a dust bunny.

Tolley doesn't live in a house at all.

He lives outside, where the recent inclement weather has forced him to come up with a unique solution to staying dry.

Who knew that oak leaves were multi-purpose? Lucky for him that he is only 3 inches high!

Until next time, happy holiday memories in the making! See you all next year.

Theresa

Monday, December 21, 2009

Happy Solstice to All!

I love winter, don't you?

That time of dormancy that allows for quiet growth that won't be seen until the big debut in springtime.
I know many people don't enjoy the shorter days of winter.


To me, there is an air of expectation about this time of year. It holds it's own stark beauty.

The shorter days and cooler weather always inspire me to work in wool.

That wonderful texture and subtle warmth just lends itself to winter work.

Have a wonderful winter. I should have pictures of new work by Wednesday!

Until next time, happy shortest day of the year!

Theresa

Monday, December 14, 2009

Another difference between boys and girls...

...can be seen in how they approach their holiday cookie decorating.


Girl cookie- Carefully applied icing. Tidy, detailed decorating.


Ditto this girl cookie.




Boy cookie- Note the evil green fog below the mouth. The bulging eyes are nicely highlighted with the dragees. The fang-like teeth part every so gently to make room for the exceedingly long tongue.
Yes, one arm was intentionally amputated, but the other is beautifully manicured, so it all balances out. Beating in the open chest cavity, one sees a single silver dragee heart. That's what makes it Christmas-y.


And we don't even have CABLE! Yikes! That means it all comes directly from his own little brain!

(Disclaimer: Yes, I know that there are boys who are tidy and make cute cookies and there are girls who would make scary ones. I just thought this was funny.)

Until next time, happy decorating (for the girls AND the boys).


Theresa

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Goodbye Elephant!

I had planned on photographing this little guy yesterday, but I got a call from the school saying my eldest child was sick.
Bye-bye photo op!

Because he needs to go to his new home, I had to take the photos today and I just didn't have much time to make the photos flawless.

The lighting was horrid, the area I use for staging is covered with WIP's....you all know the holiday routine! Que sera sera.

This is the best I could do in the time that I had.


This little guy is joining a Bichon I finished previously and they will be off to their new home today as well.
I hope the buyer is happy with the end results!


Until next time, happy holiday rushes!
Theresa

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

More Holiday Kitsch

Bits and bobs of vintage whimsy. Yep, I've got quite a bit of it! Luckily, my husband has a high tolerance for kitsch.
Here are my little gnome-type guys. I love them. I think they were sold as a set when in their heyday.


This is one of the "babies" in a set that I purchased from a lovely man on eBay. He took the time to share the story behind them. His family had them in the 1940's when we were in the thick of WWII. Because they were from Japan, they weren't "supposed" to have them out on the tree.

Here is the "mama" from the set with another one of the babies. It's hard to see in the picture, but the baby has hair made from a feather. Too cute!

For my SoCal friends, this item came directly from Santa's Village, aka the Mecca of Christmas Kitsch. My parents purchased it prior to my birth. I always place it front and center on the main tree, though the rest of the ornaments are all glass and glitter. I love my cheesy piece of glittery Styrofoam THAT much!

This last one was found and purchased by my good man. He knew how I was fond of "old" Christmas items and this girl had a weird little expression on her face. Right up my alley.

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my things! Until next time, happy merry making!

Theresa

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Merry Kitschmas!

First things first.... This is the DARLING elf that I received in the Elf Swap this year. This little gem was created by Vivian. She is an artiste extraordinaire and you can pop by her blog at



In fact, she is doing a little giveaway for her followers, so there is even MORE incentive to stop by. This time it is a dear little snowperson.


The elf I received is just wonderful. Full of fun little details that make the overall impact of the piece quite impressive.


We just love him and he has found a place of honor on "my" table.
(All of the kitschy and eclectic stuff belongs to me. My hubby is more traditional.)

Moving right along...


This is a unique piece of kitsch that I wanted to share.


My grandmother used to put this on her piano every year at Christmastime.


If you tip it upside down, hundreds of little Styrofoam snowballs go up into the top.


Then, when you wind it up, it turns, plays music and SNOWS!



Yes, I know that some of you will look at it and see a bit 'o' imported plastic junk wrapped in faded velveteen, but to me it embodies the feeling of a childhood Christmas.


It is linked to the times when my grandfather would put on the Santa hat and we would all sit together enjoying the holidays.


It pulls me back to when little things were full of fascination and magic happened all of the time.

These are the characters up close and personal.


Crude, yes, but indicative of the time period in which they were created. I love them, flaws and all.


I'll post more of my Kitschmas items tomorrow.


Lord knows I have enough of them!
Until next time, Merry Kitschmas!

Theresa

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Ingwerplatzchen



This is my latest elf.

His name is Ingwerplatzchen. It is supposed to mean something along the lines of Ginger Nut, but since I don't really speak German, I could be w-a-y off.


If you would be so kind as to humor me, I would appreciate it greatly.

Here he is from the back. One should never step out of the house without checking the rear view.

He is made of polymer clay over a wire armature. Ingwerplatzchen was hand painted.

He has Tibetan lamb's wool hair, inset glass eyes, applied eyelashes, and his own set of needle felted clothes.

He carries an acorn.

It just sort of went with his outfit.

He isn't one of Santa's elves. He was worried about the pressure of deadlines and such.

Instead, he works outside, helping Mother Nature keep things in balance.

There is a little more "flow" and a little less hurry.

I hope you like him. He was a joy to make.


Until next time, happy holiday making!


Theresa