Ornate Splendor: December 2014

'Tis truly better to give than to receive....
The best way to be happy is to make someone else happy! It's a great cycle. Have you ever made a baby smile and laugh? And then, doesn't that make YOU smile and laugh? It's a wonderful thing! God made us this way, and it works so well. Christmas is a great time to put this into action.
When a gift is hand-made, the recipient knows that you spent time and effort creating something just for her/him. (And no "Black Friday" required!) Here is what I made for my husband's mother this year.

My own mother is no longer living, so I've come to consider my mother-in-law as my own adopted mother.

It's a snow angel....but the wings are made of photos in the shape of feathers! Layers and layers of family photos!

How about this reaction??!! I live for that happy reaction!!

***~~~Happy Dance!!~~~***

I had made snowmen before with the pretty white beaded fabric. So I thought and thought about how I could make one personalized for my mother-in-law. How could I incorporate family photos into the project? (She is all about family, has five children, 16 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. She remembers everyone's birthday, sends all the grandkids a birthday card, Easter card, Halloween card, etc. She is the glue that holds the family together.)

So I came up with the idea that instead of feather wings (which I will do at some point!) on a snow angel, I would use cardboard wings and glue photos on in layers all over the cardboard.

I began with a basic snowman form made of felt, then stapled it to a wooden circle with a wooden dowel in the middle of it. Stuffed it and sewed it closed. I added wire inside the arms to keep the arms in the right shape.

Then I added silk beaded fabric from a vintage gown to the body.

Buttons for the eyes, pearls for the mouth, and a piece of a velvet scarf for the nose. Simple wire wrapped in silver tinsel ribbon for the halo.

I used chip board for the wings, but any cardboard will do. I drilled holes in the middle of the wings so that I could sew them onto the snow angel. I used a curved needle to do that---makes it muuuch easier!!

I came up with a few basic feather shapes, then sized the photos to fit on them. Then just printed them on card stock and cut them into feather shapes.

To decorate the edges of the wings, I considered everything from rhinestone trim to tinsel to ribbon. Eventually I decided on cutting up an ostrich feather, and using the individual pieces along the edges. Time consuming - but so ethereal!

Since we visited family at Thanksgiving, I was able to give her the gift then, so that I could see her open it. I'm still smiling!!

You can see the antique baby shoe angel ornaments I made for her last year here.

Hope this inspires you to make someone happy this Christmas!!

Here's a sneak peek at my next post...check back next week to see it!