~:: Christmas Fête 2013 ::~

I didn’t shoot a lot of images of anything this year.  But I did remember to ask to borrow one of Cam’s photo lights so that I could shoot the Christmas Party ornaments – so you guys could see them all.  We did forget to assign a scribe, and I cannot remember who made what.  I’m going hunting for the info, but if you see yours and it isn’t identified, or if you remember who made what, give me a shout in the comments and I’ll give credit.

Look, I apologize – cause I usually clean these shots up and crop them and straighten them, but I’m doing almost a whole year at one time here, and if I stopped to do it, I’d never finish and then I’d be right back where I was, where everything is just too HARD. So, please forgive the lack of aesthetic? First a little bit of winter domesticity:

Even when it’s cold, the light warms up my little Christmas house. I LOVE these shots; they make us look like home.

Okay. Now – for the ornaments. I didn’t even take a shot of party folks this year – we wore ourselves totally out with the game, and it was just too late. Besides, neither Cam nor Gordon were able to come and help me set up. I  still can’t believe I didn’t do it.

Ha! I remember this one – it was Peg’s first. And she made a JOY one, too – but I didn’t get to shoot it.  How fun is this? Glass balls full of stuff are pretty magical.

Okay, not exactly DIY, here. But we let Gordon get away with shells for years; how could we deny Dick? I can’t tell what the little paper says.  I think this whole thing was Dick’s bottom dollar.

Rosemary’s Modus Operandi: tiny, tiny complicated, detailed little guys with tons of even tinier embroidery.  A peppermint house, for your pleasure. Chaz has it.

Mark H. made this star of burnished copper.  I love metal pieces like this, and I’m always wanting to make some.  I shoulda asked  Mark how –

This was Rebecca and Danny’s, procured in a deep South American forest, at the foot of portentous ruins.

Rachel’s charming, bemused little owl.  Ric rac.  I remember Ric rac.  But not how to spell it.  Mom had tons of it. I think I have some too.  I’ll have to dig it out.

Cara’s sugar-plumb lights.

Murphy’s very simple but highly symbolic piece. The circle is eternity – held inside the square, which is mortal life.  Which is pretty thought provoking, if you think about it –

Danielle made this swell, jolly Santa Love the bits of ivy.  But I think my favorite part is the mittens.  Well, and his nose.

Lynd, who hates having to do this stuff, is always brilliant. This guy is caved into a wooden spoon.  Marilyn, who had lost wonderful thing after wonderful thing, finally won it. He better make another one for Meridee.

Close-up. Lind, honestly – what would you do with all that crafty gift if you hadn’t this party as a good-natured goad?

Marilyn made this fetching set of guys.  Big fights.  Ooooooh-ahhhhhhh.

They’re hilarious and amazing, yes?

My lovely Laura, a fellow author, brought two brilliant red birds. (She was merciful and shared one with her bummy husband.)  We are an eclectic group – I’m woodsy-craftsy, Laura is elegant-craftsy.  Wonderful.

Melissa, who lives with Chelsea and Chaz, and who is a world-class costumer, hand-beaded this gorgeous Victorian glass concoction.

Gaye’s tiny nativity scene.  Honestly – the square is about an inch across.  And it’s  two sided  – with –

this wonderful tree on the front.  Or the other way around. I love the detail. And I love the way the tree escapes the frame.  And it’s on my tree because G won it.  And I am happy.

This is Tricia’s hipster sweater, done up in felt. Danielle was very pleased to take it home.

Bob, who always carves something, did this partridge in a pear tree.  Which I WON.

Swell, huh?  AND IT’s MINE.  Unless he doesn’t make one for Debbie, in which case I will be forced to part with it.  How could you not keep something like this in the fam?

These guys are Sam’s.  He’s a real paid artist (sigh – living the dream) – who evidently is not limited to creating “3-D” characters on the flat – cause these three guys are in three remarkable dimensions:

Sam – is this Gonzo?  Because it looks like Gonzo. No. It really does. Except maybe with more teeth.

Phil made this cribbage game.  It’s tiny.  I didn’t get to look at it really close.  Is it leather?  Because Phil always does leather.

Meridee made this guy.  And I love him.  I love him so much.  Falalala much.  You didn’t knit him, huh?  This is recycled wool, isn’t it?  A sweater, right?  TELL –

Ginger was the first person EVER to have her ornament go 4 owners +.  She BLEW this glass.  It was beautiful and everybody fought over it, and it was gone before my number even came up.  Somebody stole it from Murphy. Dang good thing I don’t remember who.

G’s little tree.  Once he had the idea, he made the essential bit in about twenty minutes.  We had a great time picking the right beads for the joints. It was SO WONDERFUL – and got passed around and stolen almost as many times as Ginger’s did.  I wanted it.  Then Marilyn wanted it.  Then Rachel wanted it – and Rosemary ended up with it.  But the rules don’t cover after-party wheeling and dealing, except to prohibit outright physical intimidation,  so it’s on MY tree now.

This came from Gomm’s – I don’t know whether Jeannie or David made it. Lovely work. As always.  They teach classes, by the way.  And they’re really fun.

Chelsea – SO steam punk.  Gears and keys to make the lace and points. Brilliant.

Debbie’s annual mobile. Her work is so perfect – charming shapes, perfectly balanced – and each one with character.  I really love the tree best.  It’s those rounded edges, reminds me of the stacking toy we had when I was little.

Kathy’s first guy – another magical ball full of things.  This one is a nativity.

This guy is mine.  He was very rustic, as you can tell.  Why bother sanding when you’re going to burn the heck out of something.  I had a ton of fun making  a bunch of single ones.  Some weren’t great, and some – well – the front would have one horizon, but the back might be 90 degrees off.  These three were perfectly lined up, thankfully.  They were made of a branch of the river birch by our front gate. All three pieces turn – they all have different little things on front and back.  Guy did the drilling.

Steve always makes a meticulous and elegant wooden ornament. This year – I don’t know how he came up with this concept, and I don’t know who finally won it. It totally reminds me of chocolate oranges.

Okay.  This was an extra guy I made in case I had an emergency deal to make. Which I did have.  And it’s a good thing I had this in my back pocket, I’m tellin’ ya.

This little bird of Lynn’s that charmed everybody to the point of covetousness.  It started with Danielle, who loved it.  And then someone heart-crushing stole it.  Then someone stole it from them.  Did everybody own this for at least five seconds?  Lynn’s felt is always so detailed –

This is an actual original painting by one of my favorite artists, Mark Beuhner.  Mark illustrates gorgeous children’s books, and his wife, Cara, writes them – wonderful, funny books.  Fanny’s Dream will always be my favorite (well – I suppose that could change, if they keep putting books together).  This painting is a nod to Snowmen at Night, which every child should have read to him or her (buy it on Amazon and you will never regret it),  and all the books in that series.

Nobody understands how Terri does these things. They are TINY, and always detailed and amazing. Big fights over her stuff every dang time.  I have to put my glasses on to see what it is, to say nothing of discerning the stitches.

For some reason, I didn’t get a shot of Chaz’. But it was one of her trees.  I include two samples of similar things, here.  She is a tree-maven.