Make these tiny pears for your feather tree...

These tiny pears without their hooks are
no larger longer than one inch.

        Miniature cotton batting pears are simple enough to shape from cotton batting for a beginner. Paint them using water color like washes of acrylic. The acrylics will remain brilliant longer next to artificial lighting over time. Although, I do not hang fairy lights on my feather tree, some of you may choose to do this and so use a paint that has some durability but that also looks delicate after being applied.

Supply List:

• cotton balls (one or two)
• thin wire
• acrylic paints: two greens, brown yellow
• translucent glitter
• white school glue
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Unravel the cotton balls.
2. Cut a thin piece of wire and drip on a tiny bit of glue.
3. Wrap the wire with a fine film of cotton. Roll this wire between the palms of your hands to tighten the fibers down.
4. Snip off one inch of the wire and wrap a tear drop pear shape onto the wire slowly. Use glue between the layers of cotton. Let dry.
5. Smooth on a final glue finish and let it dry.
6. Paint the pear with a brown stem.
7. Add a unsaturated green around the edge of the batting that buts up against the stem. Gradually add more water to the green on the pear as you dab towards the center of the shape.
8. Water down the yellow and dab this on the center of the pear. As you approach the bottom end paint with a more intense yellow. Try to make the colors of your pear filter gently into one another, as through you are painting with water color washes on paper.
9. Smear on a bit of white glue after the paint colors have dries and sprinkle on the glitter. Let dry.
10. Paint the vine, which will also act as a hook, a darker green or another green entirely. Let dry and twist it about the stem of the pear into a hook shape.
    

The Secret to A Very Merry Christmas

Wise men seeking a King, a perfect King.

        When the first clear voice of the belfry rings out upon the frost sweetened Christmas morning air, let us rise within ourselves to a higher realization of the significance of the Christmas spirit. It remained for the noble, manger-born Jew of Nazareth to imbue this festival time with the splendid spirit of sacrifice, and to teach us that there is far greater joy in giving than in receiving.
       It is the special mission of all art workers to give. It is within their power to contribute to the world a kind of wealth beside which the millions of the plutocrat seem paltry. The glorious Christmastide affords a fine opportunity for any artist to carry his or her tribute to those who need them most.
       What shall be your frankincense and myrrh? It might be a little song to carry some aged soul back to the golden days of youth, when the argosies (merchant ships) were all coming in, when life was all hope, all joy, all love; it might be a soothing melody caressed from an old violin to ease the pain and mental anguish of some sufferer; it might be some happy little game played or craft made for the dear little ones in a homeless shelter, to make them forget, if for only a few moments, what it means to spend Christmas‚ of all days in the year without a mamma or a papa.
       Come, do not let us fall into the venal convention of making Christmas an consumption of cheap tinsel and gourmandizing. Let us be completely filled with the jovial spirit of the day. Let us remember that it is the privilege of musicians to give certain gifts, not to he found in the steel barred vaults of the multimillionaire. Let us realize that the best way to attain happiness is through making others happy. This is the secret of a Merry Christmas.  
       Since Christ's humble beginnings in Nazareth, the world has made tremendous advances in many directions, and it has also gone through cataclysms too hideous to think about. Empires, great cities, huge navies and millions of men have been wiped out of existence, but these ideals of the Christ Spirit, the spirit of love and giving, enthroned in Christmas, are eternal. A millennium of wars could not crush
       These ideals are still the ideals of many in this materialistic age, even more than ever before. They have sustained and fortified us. They are our everlasting Fountain of Youth, Faith and Joy. We are grateful for the unending fine responses that our readers have always given to them. They bring all of us closer together.

Eel for The Christmas Eve Soup

        Serving Eel is a traditional Italian Christmas dish. It is popular also with the Swedes, Dutch, French and English. In Victorian days, the eel pie was a feature of English fairs. In North America's past, the eel captured in the St. Lawrence and along the Richelieu river in Quebec was believed to have the best taste. In England, the eel of the Severn river was reputed to be of the meatiest grade, so much so, in fact, that before the World Wars the Dutch kept two eel ships moored off of London bridge in accord with an ancient charter.
       In North America, the eel is spawned in the Saragossa sea near Bermuda. Two thousand feet below the surface, the eel emerges from it's egg, a flat and transparent creature. After growing an inch in length, the eel then joins the rest of the herd that starts its migration north.
       The eels will swim for thousands of miles along the coast, heading into estuaries and tidal marshes. Males generally settle down, but the female restlessly moves on until finding waters exactly to her liking. After settling, the eels feed and grow rapidly, adding a row of tiny scales with each birthday. When eight years old, they reach maturity. Then they return to the Saragossa sea to spawn. It is said they turn a silvery white during the breeding period.
       Italian women have many special dishes for preparing this Christmas treat. There are recipes for baking, grilling and frying. The Swedes sell eel for smorgasbord. Cutting it into short lengths, they boil it tender and then mold the flaked white flesh in piquant vinegar aspic.

A lovely Italian grandma makes baccala & eel Soup!

Snowman gift tags to make Christmas a little merrier...

        Here is a set of snowman themed gift tags to label your Christmas presents. I've made these a bit larger than usual in case some little folks have difficulty writing such small text on packages. Kids can color the carrot noses orange too! Ho ho ho...

Snowman gift tags in blue.

When Christmas Was Born...

The Baby Gives A Blessing.

For this small hand in mine I take
Shall never grow to grasp a sword ;

But build the house we could not make
Fit for the living Lord.

And where we dared not follow Truth
But paltered with the word and pen,

The sudden lightning of your youth
Shall blaze a path for men.

O heart of hope, O little child,
Fulfillment of the grace we lack,

Lift up the trust we have defiled,
Give us our glory back. 

       That war will end is the testimony of Prophecy. Among the blessings to which Israel looks forward in the Messianic time none is more emphasized than peace. The covenant which God made with the fathers at the first, and for the fulfillment of which the prophets confidently look, is a covenant of peace. The messenger who brings tidings of the coming salvation is one who publishes peace. The Messiah Himself is the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end. In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon be no more. Psalmist and prophet alike are full of pictures of the time when Yahweh shall bless His people with peace; when the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in the abundance of peace; when peace shall be within the walls of Jerusalem; in the temple; when men shall go in with joy and be led forth with peace; when the very officers shall be peace and the exactors righteousness; when peace shall extend to Jerusalem like a river and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; nay, when God shall speak peace to the very Gentiles. Even Jeremiah, bitter in his denunciations of those who cry peace when there is no peace, and prophesy before the time, is firm in his belief that a time is coming when God will reveal to His people abundance of peace and truth.
       The prophets recognized a divine purpose in the wars of the nations but they also believed that when God should truly reign wars will cease, that "the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. "Dominated by faith in the final triumph of God's justice, the desire for peace, not only in Israel but also among the nations, became the dream of their life and created a passion for bringing about peaceful relations among men. The vision of universal peace was ever before them, even in days of darkest despair. While they looked forward to it as something to be fully consummated in the future, yet this ideal also had a practical bearing upon their mission and gave to it aim and direction.  James Hastings

Matt Maher sings "Born On That Day" 

DIY Paper Mache Standing Snowman

       Crafting snowmen is a semi-annual event in my home. This is one of the easiest Christmas crafts and also folks are usually very happy with the results. Both adults and children can accomplish the craft with marvelous results.

       It is best to produce this craft during warm to hot and dry conditions. This is because paper mache clay dries quickest without molding during the summer. 

       You may actually produce snowman figures in stages. This is very convenient for those of you who produce crafts in bulk for Christmas fairs/events. Many years ago I crushed and masked snowmen during the cold and wet seasons and then applied the pulp later during the spring and summer.

 

Left, the finished front of my snowman. Right, the finished back of my snowman.

 

Select your bottle carefully. Use glass
only, if you are making a snowman
for sale at a craft fair or if you are 
selling this product from a shop of 
some sort.

Supplies Needed:

• paper mache clay (comes in grey or white)
• masking tape, very sticky kind
• a glass bottle in (especially in Winter)
• acrylic paints only
• novelties (tiny tress, wreaths etc...)
• fabric for trims (scraves, hats etc...)
• acrylic sealer or Mod Podge
• felt for bottom of the figure
• white school glue (liquid)
• translucent glitter (optional)
• Gesso (optional)

       Be mindful in selecting your glass container. You want this bottle to be heavier on the bottom than the top. The bottle should also have a flat, stable bottom. Often I have people ask if they might use a plastic bottle. This comes with added complications: plastic bottles must be stuffed with rocks or sand and then with paper on top of this in order to achieve weighted bottoms and if you should store figures in hot attics the plastic could crack or melt. Finer work, in my opinion should always be done over glass instead of plastic for these reasons but, if you are teaching a classroom of kids to make these snowmen, plastic bottles could be used for safety's sake. 

       Under these circumstances, it may be best for the teacher to 'weight' the bottles in advance of the project. Kids can get fascinated with this process to the point of slowing down the craft event too much. Make sure that you save the bottle caps so that you may permanently seal the bottles. Add a bit of glue to the inside of the caps and screw these back on to the bottles allowing dry time before handing them out to a classroom full of enthusiastic sculptors.

       Now, if you are crafting for a fair use the glass bottle, but do not select a bottle that is too large or wide. In time, paper mache crafters discover that a narrow bottle is best. This is because you will be crushing paper on top of the bottle's surface and the less of it there is, the more advantageous it is to shape a fluid looking figure. 

 

Left, details added to this snowman like a raccoon seated on his hat and
greenery in his fist help  to give him a personality.

 Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Clean the bottle you will be using and let it dry out completely.
2. Weight the bottom of the bottle with sand or gravel and then seal the top.
3. Crush newsprint or recycled paper around the bottle, excluding the bottom, in the shape of your snowman.
4. Use masking tape to cover the surface entirely, including the bottom.
5. Prepare the paper pulp according to the instructions printed on the package.
6. Sculpt the pulp around the figure in an even thick surface, excluding the bottom. Let the pulp dry completely. This could take one day in the summer sun or even a week in winter near a heating vent. 
7. Attach the novelties to the dry pulp with hot glue, wood glue or white school glue. The glue dictated here is dependent on the type of surfaces you are gluing against each other. Read the labels to make correct choices.
8. If you are a professional folk artist, at this point you should apply a Gesso sealer, for durability sake. If you are a school teacher doing this craft with little ones, you may apply a cheap white paint of some sort. (Read labels make sure that this paint doesn't include lead.)
9. Now paint the snowman's features with acrylic paints. Let dry. Do not use watercolors, these fade too fast. Do not use oil based paints for these breath, are toxic and should only be used for artworks that hang on the wall and that children or infants will not put in their mouths.
10. Seal the snowman with a Mod Podge if you are a teacher. If you are a professional artisan, seal it with a coating or two or three of acrylic, non-yellowing varnish for white snow people. If you prefer that "primitive" look as did I for this snowman, apply a wood varnish for an antique looking color.
11. Glue felt on the bottom of the figure to protect surfaces from scratching.
12. Apply white school glue and glitter at the end if desired. Let dry and display.

 Read About Materials Used for The Project:

• 7 Basic Methods for Crafting With Papier-Mâché

Angels from The Realms of Glory

       "Angels from the Realms of Glory" is a Christmas carol written by Scottish poet James Montgomery.  It was first printed in the Sheffield Iris on Christmas Eve 1816, though it only began to be sung in churches after its 1825 reprinting in the Montgomery collection The Christian Psalmist and in the Religious Tract Society's The Christmas Box or New Year's Gift.
       Before 1928, the hymn was sung to a variety of tunes, including "Regent Square" by Henry Smart, "Lewes" by John Randall, and "Wildersmouth" or "Feniton Court" by Edward Hopkins.  In the United States, "Regent Square" is the most common tune.  In the United Kingdom, however, the hymn came to be sung to the French carol tune "Iris"  (Les anges dans nos campagnes, the tune used for "Angels We Have Heard on High") after this setting was published in the Oxford Book of Carols. Sometimes the "Gloria in excelsis Deo" refrain is even sung in place of Montgomery's original lyric: "Come and worship Christ the new-born King".
       The name for the "Regent Square" tune is reportedly an association with the publisher of the first hymnal to contain it, James Hamilton, who was the minister of the Regent Square Church situated in London.

More Versions of "Angels from The Realms of Glory:

Performed by the Spring Arbor University
Angels, From the Realms of Glory brought to you by Trey Ogle

 

Lyrics for Angels from The realms of Glory

Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Refrain: Come and worship,
Come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant light:

Refrain.

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations,
Ye have seen his natal star:

Refrain.

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In his temple shall appear.

Refrain.

Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you—break your chains:

Refrain.

Though an infant now we view him,
He shall fill his Father's throne,
Gather all the nations to him;
Every knee shall then bow down:

Refrain.

All creation, join in praising
God the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising,
To th'eternal Three in One:

Refrain.