Christmas Countdown Characters #24

As we come close to the end of the alphabet, and only a day from Christmas, it is also becoming obvious that the research for this year's Advent blog has uncovered some unusual, and dare I say, weird Christmas celebrities.

Y is for Yani (the Kitten Angel )
Y is also for Yamal Iri.

Let's tackle the heavenly Yani first. Yani is a kitten angel who narrates "The True Story of Critter Angels" and explains the reasons for the existence of animal angels. Perhaps cat lovers will relate to this? While Yani has a rather tentative link to Christmas, she is an angel whose existence is based on spreading love and peace in the world in the truest spirit of Christmas. While this book sounds very sweet and comforting, Yani could be classified as being a little too sentimental and at times, even schmaltzy, but never without the capacity to bring joy!

if you’ve ever loved an animal, this book for adults and children alike will touch your heart. And if you’ve ever experienced the passing of a beloved animal, this book is a must. Anyone who has opened his or her heart to an animal knows an animal’s capacity for love, connection and devotion. Yani, a critter angel, shares the true story of critter angels, why they come into our lives and why they have to leave. Yani’s sweet story, accompanied by the charming and delightful illustrations of Yani and her critter angel friends, will make you smile and bring you comfort and understanding. (from Amazon. )

While I am happy to report Yamal Iri is a little more down to earth than Yani, his story is an interesting piece in the annals of Christmas myths. His unusual name, clothing and legend instils curiosity in people all over the world.The Yamal Peninsula is in Russia, and this particular region decided they wanted a Santa Claus of their own .The tourist organizations decided on a character based on local children's art work. interpreting a folk hero.

Wikipedia

.[There is]... a legend of Terlei, who is the folk hero belonging to the Northern region of Russia. A Good Samaritan and an extensive traveller. Coming with a drum which drives away the evil spirits, Yamal Iri also spreads positive energy and happiness to the people who surround him. ( http://festivals.iloveindia.com )

Yamal Iri only came into existence in 2007, but strangely, he appears to be a Christmas celebrity from the past... I like the idea that he is active throughout the whole year not only at Christmas, travelling extensively and always helping people to put things right. Besides his staff decorated with runes, his drum has magic powers to get rid of all that is evil in the world...

Yamal Iri, bring on your drum this Christmas!

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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