Christmas Countdown ...9... Stars

Stars are very common symbols of Christmas. The Christmas Star, the Star of Bethlehem, is said to have led the Magi to Bethlehem where Christ was born. In many cultures, the star plays a very special part in Christmas and religious celebrations, as a symbol of high hopes, and good fortune For example in Alaska, children sing carols and carry a star shaped figure from house to house in the hope of receiving treats. In Hungary, a star is carved into half of an apple, supposedly for good luck. Here's wishing you a starry night!

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A Jaunty Josie from JOY - How did that happen?

No new year’s resolutions , but I like the idea of words shaping a year …. I did not choose JOY - I chose PLAY and CHALLENGE, which I think also fits the upcoming Chinese Year of the Horse…. “ The year 2026 signifies a fresh start, embodying the dynamic Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac, representing energy, freedom, and innovation, coupled with a Universal Year 1 in numerology, signalling new beginnings and pioneering action “ How did JOY become the focus of this story? Where better to start than with the weekly colour prompts #coloricombo by EsteMacleod …these are published each Monday night ( Australian Eastern Summer Time) , so I’ve had a week to work on these . Added to the colour prompts Este has also intensified the challenge by including a different shape or form each week. This week, she chose the word/letters J O Y Between workshops, travelling and other projects, I spent a few hours cutting and pa...

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Giveaway - Gifts for You on My Birthday

Giveaway Gifts T his week is blog giveaway time! Last week I celebrated my birthday. I’ve had far too many to count the candles, but I had a wonderful party on the weekend with my family - with an indulgent birthday cake, favourite foods cooked by my husband and great company. ( In case you were wondering about the writing on the cake , Por Por = Chinese grandmother) I also got great gifts from my family and friends. There seemed to be a bit of a theme this year – with many of my gifts and cards depicting matryshoka ( babushka) dolls and tea drinking. As it is also winter here in Australia , it was easy for me to decide what I could offer as gifts in this birthday giveaway. All the gifts are handmade by me. Gift 1 - two little fabric matryshoka dolls Gift 2- a little bag made from colourful teapot and teacup fabric . The design is called a jester bag, but it is suitable for carrying s...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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