A Christmas Angel and Cards

Hello friends,

As Christmas draws closer I'd like to share with you the few hand-made Christmas cards I managed to complete this year, and most of which will be received after Christmas since I am not a good time planner!

The first card features gold foil I saved from the tops of butter, put through a Cuttlebug with an ornate die cutter.

It's finished with scraps of old music, hand-made paper, lace, a script scrapbook paper, a wedding lace motif, a scrap of lace, some gorgeous striped silk shot with gold and two rusty bells. I put two holes in the top of the card for ribbon so it can be hung. 

 I love this tender image, and used photoshop to make it monochrome with a purple tinge.

The next card uses the same image but in a pinkish tint. I love this pink gumleaf that gives it an Australian feel. I painted the background with shades of pink and mauve watery paints and shimmery gold spray. 

Some frayed open weave fabric, pieces of brown and white lace, some old sheet music and gold leaves to compliment the gold butter foil, again put through a cuttlebug.

The card below on the right is my daughter many years ago as a little angel. The left is a found image, using butter foil wings.

Some baby fairies and a lovely mother and child image feature on the cards below.

What magnificent dahlias have flowered now. I picked them just before it rained.

The card below has a stamped and glitter-embossed angel, on a glitter embossed dark background. I used an old book spine for an aged look, some silver butter foil embossed, a crochet scrap, a striped gold and cream silk scrap, gold leaf trim with a white button.

The angel below right is the same stamp, but embossed with black ink and powder over a dark embossed background. Some starry gold sheer fabric, more embossed butter foil, old sheet music, a scrap from an old red dress belt with a flower petal, crochet scrap and button are layered over a scrap of a grey silk blouse with red stitching and some black ticking stripes.

The baby angel is done in a pink, gold and black theme, with tiny rusty bells on the wooden star.

I experimented with a beige and red theme here. The fabric has red roses on a beige linen, and the angel was stitched on through the layeres, something Suzy showed me to do. The angel is stamped on in brown on coffee-dyed paper. Thanks, Suzy! The gold fake diamantes came on a large roll, so I cut a strip to give it a festive feel.

I also spent time altering a cheap Christmas angel which I purchased at a garage sale. I didn't think to take a photo of her before I started re-dressing her. She was a simple hanging glass heart bauble, with a skimpy skirt at the sides made of white gauze netting, with plastic glitter outlined wings. Definitely an under-dressed angel, so I spent an enjoyable morning giving her a new dress and wings.

I used scraps of mauve lace cut from old clothes, a doiley dyed pinky mauve, and some vintage doilies in cream and white. An ear ring is at her waist, some old broken beads hang down with two small golden bells on the ties.

This flower hat decoration clipped onto her dress with its sweet feathery bits hanging down. 

The feathers to cover the plastic wings were found on a bush walk.

These old bells I had were used on our fire truck for the Christmas Eve Santa Run. I sprayed them pink with mat chalk paint.

Now for a very Australian Christmas ritual...

These large Christmas bells were tied into the front of our local fire truck one year for the annual Christmas Eve 'Santa Run', when we take the trucks out filled with volunteer fire fighters wearing Santa hats. Santa himself sits in the passenger seat, and the volunteers throw lolly bags out for the children as we drive along every street in the neighbourhood, dividing the trucks into different areas.

Santa used to ride up on the back of the trucks, but due to changes in safety regulations he now sits in comfort inside the cabin of the truck. This ritual takes place across Eurobodalla, with many local volunteer fire brigades joining in. It's a time to remind people to donate to their brigade so they can afford various extra equipment such as navigation instruments, electronic hose reels, sunhats, folding chairs, drinks and snacks to pack on the trucks for fire-fighting.

As Santa rides around with sirens blasting out to call the children out excitedly, families gather to wave from their footpaths and driveways. While the children line up with arms outstretched to catch the lolly bags, adults toss their donation envelopes into buckets held out of the truck by the volunteers. Often packs of beer or bottles of wine are put into the bucket as thanks for helping to protect the area from bushfires.

In 2009, I got to be a Santa! I had the fun task of sweating in a Santa suit in the Summer heat as our brigade drove around one Christmas Eve. 

I put on a very deep gruff fake voice and Santa laugh, and totally covered by the Santa outfit, I don't think many recognised Santa's gender change!!! Even my own children, then quite young, didn't recognise my deep 'Ho Ho Ho'. Not even when I saw they'd left their own street without permission and commented gruffly, "Does your mother know you are not in your street?". They high-tailed it home, in time for the fire truck to arrive there, ready to catch their lollies. 

I wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas, and hope your 2019 brings you closer to your dreams.