Taking a Moment to Enjoy the Hand Made Holiday from the Crafter's Perspective

My workshop could be described as a disaster.... or it could be painted as a simply busy place where a craftswoman can hardly pause to clean up!  I am working with the most ethereal fibers, inspiring fabrics, and vintage buttons to muster creations for those I most love.  Oh, when dinner calls or my little one begs from behind the baby gate across my office door for me to "come out" -  I can hardly tear myself away!

Here are a few samples of the projects abounding from my "workshop":

Waldorf Doll - hand crafted under the guidance of master craftswoman Mary Bowen, this doll is springing to life just in time for Solstice!  My sewing teacher, Miss Teapot, helped me to craft a shirt using some vintage Swedish looking fabric I purchased from Apron Thrift Girl and the Waldorf Winter Faire.  The shirt will go wonderfully with the little pants and shoes I purchased from Truth of Truth's Dolls.  I think Bryles will also love the tiny bed I scored from Salvation Army and the blanket I purchased from Sarah's Silks.

Note how the details in the shirt give it a real European flair.  Miss Teapot gave me the idea to add tacking to cinch in the neck, and then to embroider little golden x shapes over the tacks.  The brass button with a chain stitched loop also adds a very special touch.

80 Hand-Crafted Holiday Cards - Back in September, crafting my own holiday cards sounded like a fun and frugal project.  After now stitching, stamping, cutting, inscribing, assembling, and tying 80 individual cards, I am seriously considering the old fashioned, store-bought variety for next year! 

However, these cards have an important message of Peace and Love, that I am hoping my friends and family will recognize.  The heavy paper and hand work carries a weighted presence that may inspire people to pause for a moment and reflect.  Our family photo (taken by Sharon Eisley) also shows how little Bryles is growing up, and how we are all changing.  It is amazing to watch everyone's change trajectory through the annual holiday card photo exchange, and a great visual connection to those we love but won't see during the holidays.

Mary Bowen taught me the Celtic verse "Deep Peace" through our Nurturing Arts course, and I am eager to share this serene song with every last of the 80 loved ones on my list!  Thanks, also, to Miss Teapot for the card making course she created for Sono-Ma Annalyce and me early this year.

20 bars of Lavender Soap -  This year's household gift is hand crafted soap.  The rich recipe comes from "Better Basics for the Home" and includes olive oil, Whole Foods Palm oil, and local coconut oil. This luxurious soap becomes quite the lovely gift when paired with some natural greens.

1 Yule Log/ Bruche de Noel Faux Bois - Ever thought of making a door draft snake into the shape of a log?  That's my ingenious idea for my gift to my sewing teacher.  This creative woman has thought of everything and crafted more hand made items than most, so coming up with a new idea is next to impossible.  However, I am pretty sure this is an obscure idea! Still, I found one woman who made a Yule log out of fabric and posted it on-line.  Her bruche de Noel is gorgeous, but mine will hopefully be both fun looking and useful.  We'll see how this project turns out.  If it's anything like the mushrooms (shown above) I've completed to garnish the log, it will be fantastic!  So fun to create!

Dozens of Wool Creations - Thanks to Paul and Elizabeth of Singing Frogs Farm, I have five animal's fleeces in my garage!  In the past few months, I've learned to clean, card, and felt wool under the wonderful Fiber Artist Judith Ashley.  Our weekly trips out to Wild Rose Farm resulted in dozens of lovely wool gifts I'll bestow on friends and family.  I just love the Christmas Mouse in his wreath, the "vessels" (shown below) and all of the ornaments I attached to prisms to hang in the window.  Wool is truly whimsical!

10 Felted Flowers with Vintage Buttons - In the middle of holiday production I am also preparing for my brother and sister in-law's baby shower!  Their big party will be held on December 27th.  I can't wait for them to see all we have planned.  I can at least share that there will be flowers a plenty.  From lovely arrangements designed by the Dragonfly Floral gals to the felted ones I am creating inspired by Princess Lasertron, there will be a feeling of Spring in the middle of this Winter!  Thanks to my mother who recently sent me a tin full of wooden, shell, and other unique buttons collected by her mother and grandmother.  Bryles likes to sift through the tiny ties to my craftswoman's heritage...  How I, too, love to pour over the shiny bits and dream of all I will create - after the holidays!

This article is part of Tip Junkie's "Talk to me Tueseday".  Find other people's Christmas Show and Tell here:  http://www.tipjunkie.com/2009/12/christmas-show-tell.html