2nd. Annual DG Christmas Workshop "Victorian Santa"

I'm so excited I can hardly wait! Mark one vote for October. Maybe if mine turns out half way presentable I can make others for family members before Christmas. Betty, you just don't know how long I've wanted to learn to do this. You're an angel!

Fleurs/Doe..have no doubt, yours will look exactly or even better than the one above..I'll try and fine mine that I did a few years ago with horn, old tree branch for cane, just not sure which of the Christmas box it's hidden in...

He is so handsome. Thanks for posting.
Linda Kay

fleurs--forgot to mention what a good idea it is to use old clothes that have meaning to you for the santas and then to give them to family members!

I'm excited, too! I'm going to look for velvet in the thrift stores in Birmingham. I've always wanted to pour the faces and make them from scratch!

Can I join in on this one?

Hey there Robyn!

Linda, there could be lots of creative ways to use items once worn by loved ones. I'm thinking even costume jewelry could be incorporated. Hey Betty, bet your beautiful faces and santa forms could be used to make three wise men. Have you ever done that? that would be a great way to use silk fabrics, furs, fancy trims and costume jewelry.

Joey, I'll never be able to look at a rabbit coat again without thinking of you and your cavewoman outfit. lol!

Ditto for me about the rabbit fur. LOL

I have lots of glass pearls, I couuld make necklaces for my Santa! Maybe red, gold and pearls!

That would be pretty, Audrey! He could have a jewel studded coat if you wanted to take the time to hand sew them. Although, you may be able to glue them onto fabric. Your santa will be strut'in his stuff!

Betty,If posible, please put me down for 2 more santa's. I know these will make nice gifts.
Linda Kay

Morning, now look how creative you all are...exciting for me to see such enthusiam...Robyn, I put your name down...

Thought I'd share a project I did that had sentimental value years ago when my boys got married, perhaps you can keep it in mind with the jewelery trinkets you've kept...

Now let's see if I'm articulate and bright enough to make you understand the project.. it was to be an heirloom project..I personally made it for wedding side table at entrance but it could be for an anniversary or just a nice gift for someone you love...

I was going through my jewelery box and if you know me, I'm a country bumkin not interested in 'sparklies' odd but that's me and I came across different things, some of Roger's safety award pins which I didn't want to get rid of after his death, tie clip...grandma's old pearl earings, broches from great grandmother who had passed on before I was born, just trinkets you have but what do you do with them...

Thought of the ideal thing (at least for my needs, perhaps not yours)
why not create an heirloom...

I cut (2) 1" boards lets say page size on I believe a 33 degree angle, now perhaps it might have been slightly different (long time ago) but that's close enough for you to get the idea - when glued together is opened just as a book did...I believe I stained them both along with a board cut for support with 2 slats made into 'v' shape to hold the book...

Almost like a mini stand that you see at services in the church..everyone follow me so far??? No..yuk, I did try ...

So now in my country cupboard was several crochet doilies that my grandma had made, took one and draped it over the wood book...looked so pretty, now that I knew this would work I took it off and put it in a bowl with podgy and worked it within the doily thread, so now because I knew how it looked before I got messy, some of it of course overlapped the wood piece...I knew exactly where to set this doily..hard part was letting it dry...

So now what??? I purchased quality silk flowers (for Greg/Mel I matched their wedding colors) I also bought quality ribbon - probably was 1/2" or 3/4" and I cut a large strand folding it in half and with a stappler stappled the middle to the wood piece, now I tied the floral arrangement,making a bow but leaving 2 ribbon tails, I now had an arrangement ready for my piece.. you know the kind you'd lay on a mantle or such, I attached it to look it's best with some of the flowers overlapping the piece and secured it to the wood book...now this was really starting to take shape,with the 2 strands of ribbon that I first attached to the piece well I started to place it between the folds of the doily and secured them with glue gun, didn't overdo though..the 2 strands from the flower ribbon that remained, I worked into flowers and let a bit of the strands fall off the book...at this point it looked so victorian...

Now I took note and glued either in creases of the doily, or in between the ribbon or even in the flowers, pieces of treasure from my family...even inserted the front of their wedding invitation, took a match out and burnt the edges (of course I had the tap on so it would only char the edges here and there) and glued it between the flowers and doily folds...

I managed to put something from me, Roger, grandparents/great-grandparents on both sides, something from his sibbling...I had thought of requesting things from Melanie's side but thought it just too much...

I made a graph design of the piece and put each item as placed, who it belonged to and a little story about them..if they were deceased I put the date of birth/death and this came with the gift...

Now please tell me, did any of this make sense...

Can't believe I was that smart, after typing that novel I thought of yesterday when I lost 2 or 3 posts...I copied the one above, no need to have done it went through, but just in case..lol

Betty, that must have been beautiful and very special to them. That's such a creative way to use those pieces. Wish you had a photo to share. All that detail!

Betty, your instructions are easy to follow. I have a few crocheted doilies around, and most probably would tea dyed them first, to give that aged look. Don't have any kids to make a memento book/stand, but would make a perfect showcase for those odds baubles --
And maybe tucked a few ribbons under the floral piece with ends attached to some whimsy pearls. I can see it now!
Thanks for sharing, Betty.

Just thought of perhaps one or two favorite printed poems laid on it... so much possibilities...

This message was edited Aug 20, 2008 10:57 AM

Betty,

Just thought of something......

Whenever you "lose a Post"-----try clicking on the back arrow and see if it takes you back to the previous page--where your Post was.....Just DO NOT hit any other keys or anything else!

Also--remember that ---pressing "Crtl+Y"--you can undo the loss and will get it back. Again--you cannot have touched any key or done anything else before you do the Ctrl+Y" thing.

I have tried this and it works!

Yes! I would also like to see a photo of that Memory Book you described. It was kind of hard to picture it in my mind from your description.

Gita

Thanks Gita, going to try that..couldn't believe I remembered to copy and paste..usually it just goes into outer space..cyberspace....will ask Melanie is she has it handy and I'll take a photo..they've been married 15 years so what's the likely hood she kept it...hope she did, don't want to embarass her though..better ask Greg first..lol

What a great idea Betty. I have thought many times about doing something for my GDs that would incorporate things I wanted them to have as family heirlooms. Thanks for sharing that with us! You are amazing.

Hummm, just how long do you have to visit your Mom in Clearwater? LOL

Oh Betty, I can invision that in my head, and it sounds so pretty! Sounds pretty easy as well. Do you have a picture of the glasses you painted?
Linda Kay

Will post a photo tonight Linda Kay..Marion, I'll be there at least 3 weeks..am stopping off along the way, had some wonderful invites to have coffee? lol...right Deborah...

Well I am not exactly off 75 but can arrange to met or send you the route for the long way down or home.

I might take you up Marion on dropping in..who knows, might just drive up for the afternoon, what would it be, 3 or 4 hrs. - hmm will have to do some researching..as for on my way home, I'll be flying back, at least that's todays plan..my step-father went back to work - he's in his mid 70's but you'd not know it, hates to sit, misses work so instead of spending the winter at their place in Clearwater he asked if I'd drive her down and fly back...then the weekend before last he fell off the cottage roof and injured himself, has been in bed for about 10 days, shucks, sister called me and told me he crawled to work yesterday..give your head a shake, no sense calling and giving him or mom the what for, she wouldn't be able to stop him, nor could you make him understand he doesn't need to work so would imagine the same game plan is on...sooo could possibly take the car and run up one day...I'm off to check the map...lol

Well you could rent a car to Tallahassee and fly back from here. Niece does it yearly into Toronto. Not direct but goes to Charlotte I think then Toronto.

Do you think if I could a detour off I75 mom would notice..how far is it from I75 do you think...last time I did that, thought why not go to New Orleans....for about 3 following years I'd travel down through Memphis, enjoy a day then down to New Orleans for 3 or 4 days then finally hit Florida, would have passed your place I imagine...

Come to my house, Betty! I can see I-75 from my sunroom window! Get off of exit 104, turn right from the exit, take the next right hwy 257N (traveling south), take another next right(Old Blackshear Road, take the second street on the left(Caroyln st, I'm the second house on the right. Yea! then you're here, Coffee will be ready!

You most certainly Deborah are on my stop list....if I keep adding to it I'll never get to Florida lol..some of you might remember last year, spent most of it in Clearwater Public Library...lol

Well I am 4 miles off I-10 west toward Pensacola. Exit 192 then 4 miles to the entrance to our development.

got to key in I75 to I10 and find out the distance...who knows, could always say I made wrong turn...or that there is a casino nearby..is there? She loves her casino's...

About 90 miles west from the I-75 and I-10 exchange. Drive it often!!! About 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Shucks I can do that, that will be the trade-off for driving her to Florida..lol...I'll keep that in mind..wouldn't that be fun...last year I stopped at Susan's -101 in Valdosta Georgia..such a sweetheart, could have squeezed her to death...

We will just have to stay in touch and work this all out for sure.

oh aren't you two going to have a good time!! have you met in person before?
your heirloom idea was a good one betty--so nice of you to take the time and explain it to us--i have such a short attention span lately that i would maybe have put it into 2 lines and no one would have had any idea what i was talking about!!
i went to bed thinking about my victorian santa! or maybe santas!

Nope never met but I have lived in Canada for a year and recognize alot of the places she talks about. Can visualize them as she tells her stories. I think it would be a fun visit and hope we can work it out. Some of my family live in London and Ingersol.

Going to Frankenmuth at the end of next month Marion, will be passing London..I'll wave to them on your behalf...
This has been an extremely long day, the girls tonight were in no mood to paint, we spent entire evening just laughing and joking around, but that's ok..my sides are sore from laughing so hard..

Maybe I'll get a good nights rest...
night/night everyone..

Betty, I LOVE that heirloom book! sure wish I would have known about it last year when I got married! lol!
We had a victorian wedding at a victorian state park :o) even wore my great grandmas heirloom brooch ... that heirloom book would have been perfect lol!

I just love all your ideas and looking forward to the santa workshop!

oh and family is all well :o)

Betty, you talking about the Frankenmouth in Michigan. Have you ever been there before. It is such a lovely place, and it always got me in trouble when I went there.
Have fun.
Michigan used to be home for me.
Linda Kay

Linda Kay, I go every year, about 5 hr. drive...SIL's and Sister will be joining me...and yep, can get into trouble big time...my primary reason for going is the project that I'm excited about, trying to find enough of the items to do at least 100 participants projects..so have to go early enough to get my workshops in gear, but I'm sure I'll find plenty other things that I WANT..I must say though, I'm great at seeing a project and being able to do same if it's a must have and financially mega $$$ when I know it would be minimum $$$ to do on my own...

Oh Betty wave to my brother as you pass through London, he is at Dearness Home now. You are so sweet.

Yay! Betty,
Guess What, I just showed my friend Lupe
Victorian Santa Workshop and she is going to join us
again this year!!
LOL, so printed out the supply list for her
...whoohoo, ok skipping back to work here.