...sometimes even a single feather is enough to fly. (Robert Maclean)

12.22.2012

holiday whimsy

 
 
Crooked, colorful trees!
Each stuffed, beaded and embellished
on a wooden base.
 

These handblown glass snowmen
were made locally by Sean Kennedy.
They're French, can you tell by the stylish beret
the fellow on the right is sporting?
'Frosty le Bonhomme de Neige'
or would it be
'Glacé le Bonhomme de Neige?'
 

These guys were meant to be Santa twins, but they became Wise Men instead.
They're stuffed, clothed in canvas, and handpainted.
They're looking after their treasure of frankincense and myrrh.
 
 
These wintry little sheep
are dressed in their finest hats and scarves,
are they sure are curious and gossipy creatures.
 
They found a mysterious shiny present
and all gathered around it.
 
They Baaaaaaa and wonder,
Baaaaaaat what is this?
 
The sheep here (and all of the felted items in this post)
are handmade by Suzie Poe, and can be found at Handwork
 
 
Our resident Toad Prince
decided to migrate indoors for the winter
and so he brought his small palace (made by PoFu Pottery)
along with him.
 
He's quite happy atop the piano,
because he really loves being regaled by fine music.
 
A winged angel sheep comes by to
give him divinely inspired counsel.
  
 
These sheep suffer from Christmas Delusional Disorder (aka CDD),
in which they think every day is Christmas.
 
They frolic about with their holly and ivy
and have such a jolly time,
all day, every day. 
 
I guess some delusions are fun if you can share them with a friend!
 
 

 
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Sheep
is relaxing this holiday season,
letting that sucker Rudolph the Reindeer
do all of the work,
since he gets all of the glory anyway.
 

12.20.2012

Vince Guaraldi Trio: Charlie Brown Christmas

Another favorite:
Vince Guaraldi Trio / Charlie Brown Christmas
 
 
O Tannenbaum
(the whole piece is great but I love it at 0:38 when it starts to gets jazzy!)
 
 
Christmastime is Here
 
 
 
Skating
(feels so free, light-hearted, & playful...)

12.16.2012

December, by George Winston

One of my favorite albums to listen to this time of year...
 
December
by George Winston.
 
The whole album is lovely,
but here are my three favorite pieces:
 
 
Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head
 
 
 
 
Joy
 
 
 
The Holly and the Ivy
 
 

12.15.2012

the 12 birds of Christmas

 
I found these wonderful hand-painted wooden bird ornaments at a local craft sale recently.
I decided to decorate our little tree with 12 birds of Christmas.
All of the birds are birds that we see (or hear) 
in our backyard at one point or another throughout the year:
 
Eastern Screen Owl, Barn owl, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker,
Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting,
Cardinal, House Finch, TreeSparrow, Black-capped Chickadee.



We got a little potted tree this year for the first time.
It makes such intuitive sense to me,
 rather than having a tree
made in China from petroleum byproducts,
or cutting down a perfectly vital tree...
 
This feels really good. 
 
No need for a big to-do for us at the holidays.
Just a quiet, small celebration
of light and love and life.
 
We'll plant our tree as soon as the ground thaws in the spring.
 
It makes me smile to see our bird friends on the tree.
Along with some glass pinecones and acorns and
other tree-things,
and our angel topper, which is
a felted wool angel, holding a bird.
 

 
And I never forget to hang the peace sign,
because peace is what it's all about.

 
 Plus some of my favorite ornaments from childhood.
This birdfeeder, filled with seed,
made by an elderly client of my mother's
when I was about 8. 
 

And last, and least in size,
is this delicate little glass tree.
 
So tiny!
 
I always loved putting it on the tree, each year as a girl,
unwrapping it from all of it's protective tissue...
 I loved having something precious that I had to be so careful with.
And the lights really make it shine.