Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

  7 December: Christmas Countdown #25envelopes . Dia De Las Velitas Today is Dia de las Velitas ( Day of the Little Candles) It is officially the beginning of Christmas in places like Colombia where rows and rows of candles are lit in celebration, to mark the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception . My interpretation is a paper collage on a used envelope featuring this beautiful Christmas stamp from 1966 .The original artwork appears to have been etched, but I cannot find out who designed this stamp. I created the candle by hand stitching some interfacing which is chose instead of paper or cotton fabric, as I didn't want the candle to look too solid. I achieved the look of a flickering flame with Inktense and watercolour pencils.

stitched tea bags vessels  - with battery operated tea light.  It's  better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.... stitched  used tea bag vessels 

Christmas Countdown ...3... Christmas Tree :   The symbolic meaning of Christmas trees actually originates in pagan culture where the evergreen represents life and renewal.  In Scandinavia, decorating evergreens was a practice associated with the Winter Solstice and often brought into homes, as symbols of protection against evil spirits. In many sources, Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer,  has been credited with the first decorated Christmas tree – with candles.  Although this could just be a story, German Christians are known to have decorated evergreens in their home as early as the mid-16 th century.  It wasn’t until the nineteenth century in other countries that Christmas trees became the bright " giving"  symbol of Christmas as we know it. The first Christmas tree in England was set up in Windsor Castle by Prince Albert of Saxony, Queen Victoria’s husband in 1841. Franklin Pierce was the first US president to introduce a Christmas ...