I'm Feeling a Little Nostalgic...

My wonderful granddaughter, Jordan, married her highschool sweetheart yesterday. The wedding was held at a vineyard, with a beautiful view. I really enjoyed meeting her new in-laws, who threw a fantastic dinner/reception for the couple. They are caterers, and the dinner was simply delicious.

My son, a single father, has had sole custody of Jordan since she was five years old, and for the past five or six years we lived in the same town. So, I was able to see her often, and we shared a very strong bond.

Today, I'm sitting here thinking about all of the things Jordan and I used to do together. Our little rituals, playing our own version of rummy, sharing the "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" books, rocking out to music from "The Cure", making sushi and miso (she made the sushi, I made the miso), having "fry-day" any day of the week (That was when we'd go to Dairy Queen after school and order a large basket of fries to share). The list goes on. I taught her how to sew and bought her first sewing machine when she was 13. She is a talented musician, writer, and artist. She used to stay with me nearly every weekend, and for about a year and a half she stayed with me during the week, when her dad was working out of town.

It was a wonderful time. We both agree that if we had been born at the same time we would have been best friends. I'm going to miss having her to myself and the times we had together. But, life changes, and now Jordan and her husband will have their own little rituals. I'm just happy that I was able to be as involved in her life as I was. But, on the bright side, a year ago my son's daughter from his second marriage came to live with him! Dakotah, now 14-years old, is equally sweet. Unfortunately, I had to move an hour and a half away from where they live, so we don't get to spend as much time together as Jordan and I did.

On a lighter note, I thought you might enjoy seeing my newest Santa. He's dressed in a long red coat with collar turned up, and wears a scarf around his neck.

His closeup is pretty clear, this time. Pure luck! I do not have photography skills.

At 15", he is much taller than his comrades. This is the first one I have finished since I developed a new method for making Santa's face.

Available for purchase in my Etsy shop. Just click on the Etsy mini in the right column of my blog.

Well, friends, thank you for "listening" to me babble, and for your comments and continued support.

Have a great day,
Maggie

Santa and Friends

Well, I am finally ready to share the seated Santa that I've been working on. Thanks for being so patient.

Santa is taking a little break. While sitting on a large boulder, the tiniest rabbit he has seen approaches. It is followed by another, slightly larger one.

Santa is 11" tall, including the base he is attached to. He is holding the smallest rabbit in his hand, while the other one is sitting by his boot. My closeup of the smallest rabbit is a little blurry, sorry.

He is made from paper mache, with a small amount of air dry clay on his face. The base is made from a plaster/paper product called Sculptamold.

His coat is sage green, and his pants are a really dark green. They look black in the photos. I decorated his coat with holly leaves and berries. His bag sits next to the rock.

This guy was more complicated than my other Santas. Since I wanted him to be wearing pants and boots, I built a full armature from wire, cardboard, and crumpled paper with masking tape. I posed the "skeleton" in a seated position, and then started applying the paper mache.

He can be purchased from me for $250. Free shipping to the United States.

I am happy with the way he turned out, and I hope that you have enjoyed looking at him.

See you,
Maggie

My Sister, Mrs. Claus

Did I mention that my sister is Mrs. Claus? Well, it's because I didn't know until last week. Seriously, though, you should check out her brand new blog, Santa and the Mrs.

I got her hooked on making paper mache Santas, and now she's gone off the deep end! I think she has made more Santas than I have. Her Santas have a lot of character, and I love them. She started out in January making snowmen, and then decided they weren't challenging enough. I hope you drop by her blog and leave a comment.

And, my seated Santa Claus will be "unveiled" on Sunday. Hope you stop by to see him.

Later,
Maggie

MOD PODGE SANTA

Hello! Sorry that I haven't posted a photo in a while. I've been working again on my seated Santa since my sister went home on Sunday. I didn't like the way the snow on the base turned out, so I needed to change that. I was going to collect twigs to make snowshoes, but I think that his snow looks too crusty for snowshoes to be effective, so he probably doesn't need them. Instead, I'll make a bag for his goodies. He will be ready for me to post photos in a few more days. Meanwhile, I'll share another standing Santa with you.

This guy is a little different from my other Santas--more primitive than most of them. I sculpted him over a coffeemate bottle, then removed it when he had dried enough. His shape reminds me a little of a garden gnome. His coat was painted in green, but I didn't like the color after I painted it. I have been toying with the idea of covering a santa with decorative papers, so now was as good a time as any to try it!

He has four or five different scrapbooking papers that I applied using Mod Podge. He was sealed, stained, and then sealed again.

His beard is a little wild looking, don't you think?

He is available for purchase for $125.00. Free shipping to United States.

I hope you have enjoyed viewing him.

Later,
Maggie

SANTA'S ON VACATION

I haven't posted in more than a week, I've been inundated by Santas of all shapes and sizes. My sister came to visit for a while, and she brought some of her Santas. We have a regular Santa convention happening on the dining table.


My sister had seen the Santas that I started making last year, and she decided to make some also. Now we both have the bug. We can't seem to stop! During this visit, I showed her my new method for making Santa's face. I don't even have a completed Santa with the new face, but she already has two.


Anywho, I will get some photos soon, and I haven't forgotten that I promised to show you my seated Santa. He was put on hold while I've been visiting, shopping, gabbing, etc. with my sis. But he will be completed and ready for his photo soon.

I will talk to you soon,
Maggie