Christmas Countdown Characters #1

Each year, it has been my custom to create a blog Advent calendar with a post a day in December until Christmas Day. Last year, the very popular Christmas Countdown of Christmas cake can probably not be equalled, but here is the first of 25 - the ABC of Christmas characters. ( Aren't there 26 letters in the alphabet, I hear you ask ... yes, perhaps there will be a bonus letter on one of the days). To make this even more interesting, I will create 25 sketches to accompany the story behind each of the characters of Christmas 2016.

The Little Drummer Boy - watercolour, ink , pencil - Wilma Simmons

A is for Aaron ... who? This is the name given to the Little Drummer Boy in the 1968 animated film, based on the Christmas carol. The Little Drummer Boy is the story of a poor orphan boy who had no gift to give to the Christ Child, so he played his drum, with Mary's approval. Delighted with the drummer's music, the Baby Jesus smiled. The Christmas carol, first entitled, the Carol of the Drum was written by Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941 and it is believed to be translation of a Czech carol, which in turn was based on a 12th century legend.
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring , pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our king , pa rum pum pum pum
Shall I pay for you, pa rum pum pum pum ...
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum , pa rum pum pum pum ...
Over 200 versions of this Christmas carol have been recorded , the most notable by the Trapp Family Singers. Another well known version is by Bing Crosby, which became a duet, with David Bowie singing ' Peace on Earth" simultaneously. Other favourite versions of "The Little Drummer Boy" include those by the Vienna Boys' Choir, Johnny Mathis, Johnny Cash and even Marlene Dietrich..

I am not sure how the name Aaron was chosen for the little drummer boy, but the name is a Hebrew name meaning "high mountain', "elevated" or "enlightened", so perhaps it was well chosen .... This is a YouTube extract from the animation... Can you guess who it will be tomorrow's Christmas 'B'......

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Bilby Infatuation

Wrapped wire and fabric bilby sculpture : Wilma Simmons 2016 Over the years I have been fascinated with the plight of the bilby and it has inspired quite a few of my cloth creations... With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia’s version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, bilby numbers are falling rapidly. There were originally two species but the Greater Bilby is now commonly referred to simply as ‘the Bilby’ as the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is thought to have become extinct in the early 1950s... Bilbies are nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage for food. Using their long snouts, they dig out bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi. They use their tongues to lick up grass seeds. Bilbies have poor sight and rely on good hearing and a keen sense of smell. To minimise threats from predators they’ll mostly stay within 250m of their burrows, but sometimes roam further afield depending on the food...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Non-Committal Collage Anything Goes

Have you heard of non-committal collage? I hadn't until one of the other participants of the 100 Day Project started doing this each day and showing the results.... Here are Peggy's rules : 1. S elect 9 scraps of paper from collage box/stash 2. Make three different compositions using each scrap at least once. (some pieces can be used more than once) 3. Do not alter the scraps of paper in any way. 4.Do not use glue. 5.Take photo, disassemble and return scraps to box. I thought this would be a fun and quick exercise to do for Tag Tuesday's theme , Anything Goes... so here are my "non-committal collage" tags.... Did you spot the nine pieces? Would you like to suggest some titles? And I repeated the exercise before putting back the 9 scraps of paper, so these are different items. Hope you will try this exercise - it is lots of...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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