'Tis the Season

O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine blatter!
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine blatter!
Du grunst nicht nur zur sommerzeit,
Nein, auch im winter, wenn est schneit.
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine blatter!

Nearly everyone who celebrates Christmas does SOME kind of Christmas decorating.  A tree, a string of lights, a wreath on the door, hanging a few Christmas cards.  For lots of us religion doesn't matter; Christmas has adopted everyone.  That's pretty fitting because it's been stealing traditions for a very long time.

Chainmaille Ornament - Click to Purchase

Evergreen trees have had deep meaning for people for ages; they resisted the darkness of winter and refused to shed their leaves.  They seemed magical when everything else withered and died.  So naturally, they became associated with solstice celebrations and the return of longer days.  

Saint Boniface was a dude that lived in Germany, where there was a tree that was holy to the pagans who lived there - Thor's Oak.  (sometimes called Donar's Oak).  It was associated with Yggdrasil, the World Tree.  Boniface talked smack about Thor and started to chop the tree down.  Suddenly, a wind came (legend says) and took the tree down before he could cut it... and immediately an evergreen sprang up out of the four parts of the tree.  Since Thor did not strike Boniface down, the people converted to Christianity. 

For this the dude was sainted.  

I read this an entirely different way than the ancients probably did, but whatever.  Miracles are always open to interpretation, right?

Awesome Ornament Hooks - Click to Purchase

Martin Luther is also reported to have been so inspired by the pretty stars twinkling through the branches of the pines that he chopped one down and took it home and put candles on it in an attempt to recreate his experience for his family.   Fire hazard, right?  I am very thankful for LED Christmas lights.  

The Christmas tree as we know and love it really didn't come into vogue until the middle 1800s, that age that we take sooooo much of our tradition and weird hang-ups from.  Also lots of terribly skewed history  (Longfellow, I'm talking to you).

Clear ornament with Wire Wrapped Tree - Click to purchase

No matter.  Christmas is cool.  I spent a lot of years not celebrating and I am currently doing my best to make up for it.  I LOVE Christmas.  I love putting up my tree, hanging ornaments and telling stories about each one.  Seems like every one has a story.  (Which is why I think those fancy, heavy-gauge ornament hooks are awesome... check those out.  I don't know about your ornaments, but mine deserve the best).  

My hubby is usually not terribly enthused about the tree-putting-up ritual, for two reasons:  1)  he's a mailman... I haven't met too many who love this time of year and 2)  he despises glitter.   So my son, now in college, comes home for the tree decorating, and the two of us put up a tree while listening to lots of Nat King Cole and similar sappy old favorites.  Lights, garland, strings of beads, bows, star  (no tinsel... cats and tinsel baaaaad).  And then we turn the lights down, cozy up on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate, and reminisce.  It's absolute magic.  And I get up early the next day to look at the lights softly twinkling before I turn the room lights on.  And I do it again when I play Santa on Christmas morning, admiring the sparkling packages under the tree lights, dozing there until my family wakes up.

Martin Luther, I think I get it.

A Message of Faith, No Matter What Yours Is

I was inspired by a POEST chat last night to do a little feature on various holy days in December, so for each of the ones I can think of you get an Etsy item. Voila. From each of these days I hope to give you a message of the holiday that you can take with you for whatever celebration you choose.

First, Kwanzaa. For this holiday I give you a listing from which I learned something new. The Sankofa symbol in the Akan language of Ghana symbolizes a word that means "return and take it," meaning that we should take from the past the wisdom of our elders and predecessors. Here's the listing, a cup with this symbol by Dovecote Design:



For Hanukkah I chose a breathtaking papercut by Jewish Papercuts that bears the words in Yiddish (I assume, please excuse my ignorance) Yehi Shalom: May there be peace in your dwelling. May there, indeed, be peace in yours.


There are a lot of people clamoring to "Put Christ back in Christmas" and I hope I will not risk offending anyone when I say this: Put "Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men" back in Christmas. Anyway I adored this Christmas card from Sugar Tree Studio because of the peaceful image of the cardinal in the snowy tree, and the fact that you can add beautiful photos of your family to it, to send to everyone on your card list.


On December 22 the Hopi celebrate Soyaluna, which is a festival celebrating the return of the sun. It is also a time of saying prayers for the new year and wishing each other prosperity and Health. From Desert Rose Art Glass I present to you this lovely Kachina that seemed appropriate:


Solstice celebrations are almost as old as mankind, today celebrated by pagans, wiccans, Asatru, and countless others. From ancient solstice celebrations, and often from Yule in particular, nearly every holiday celebrated this month celebrates light in some manner. The tradition of the Yule log survived into Christmas celebrations and the meaning of burning this log all night long was hope: even in the darkest darkness there is light. Even if you don't have a fireplace you can adapt with this yule log candle holder by Cedar Candle Lights:


The fasting of Ramadan is (in part) to teach Muslims to remember the plight of those less fortunate, and in some places it is not unusual on Eid (the celebration at the end of the fast) to greet total strangers or give gifts to children you don't know. Arabic calligraphy is breathtaking and seems to lend itself to pictures... these earrings by Norouzi represent the word for peace, and resemble a dove:



Whatever your faith, I wish you peace, joy and love this holiday season, and upon all those you love.

Here we go a-Wassailing

Here we go a-wassailing among the leaves so green
Here we come a-caroling, so fair to be seen
Love and joy come to you
And to you your wassail too
And god bless you and send you a happy new year
And god send you a happy new year.

I'll do a later post on lines in Christmas songs that make you go "whaaa?" But if you don't know what wassail is, you're missing out. From very ancient times the Saxons used the toast, "Waes hael!" (good health!). In later times carolers and merrymakers carried a large bowl of the stuff from door to door to share and spread good cheer. People also blessed their fruit trees with it, believing it would help them produce better in the coming year, hanging toast soaked in it for the robins, who were believed to represent the good spirits of the tree.

As a result, the above is by no means the only wassail song for this time of year, but it is the best known. If you don't know what it sounds like the midi can be found HERE.

So what is the stuff? Well, it's been different over the years. If you get yourself a bottle of Chaucer's mead it usually comes with a packet of mulling spices. That would indeed work for wassail (and is soooooo good....). But I will bestow upon you the recipe that has graced every Christmas party since I discovered it for my chilly outdoor November Renaissance wedding:

Wassail

1 gallon of cider (not the clear apple juicy stuff, good hearty cider)
3 tb. light corn syrup (honey works too)
a sugar-cinnamon mixture
3 Granny Smith apples
1-2 lemons
cloves
whole cinnamon sticks

Put the cider in your crock pot. Heat the corn syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Cover it (trust me on this... you don't want to be cleaning corn syrup off the top of your microwave). Slice your apples, on the thick side. They look better if you do horizontal cuts so you can see the little stars in the core. Remove the seeds though. Dip the apples in the corn syrup, then coat with cinnamon sugar. Put in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes until they're soft. Add to the pot. Slice your lemon (again, not too thin) and stud each little section with a cinnamon clove. Drop in the pot, with 4 or 5 whole cinnamon sticks. Let it brew for a few hours before your event. I have heard of a little pineapple juice or cranberry juice being added, and I don't think it would hurt it a bit.

This makes nonalcoholic wassail, to which you can then add some mead, or spiced rum, or whatever alcohol takes your fancy, if you like. It's really awesome with nothing at all added, though. This way you can serve some to the kids, too. In fact, when I showed up to the middle school Renaissance club party this year all I heard was, "Where's the wassail!" since I failed to bring it. It does indeed seem to make people happy (even without the alcohol!). My friend Mike takes us round the neighborhood caroling every year at his Christmas party, and while we don't bring the wassail bowl to share, it sure does taste fantastic coming in partially frozen afterwards.

Waes hael!

The Gift Game/Pass the Parcel [Carnival]

This carnival asked for a holiday tradition. Since my family has always loved games, one of my favorite traditions (we have lots of normal/sappy ones too) is called The Gift Game.

This tradition is incredibly fun, if you have enough people for your holiday celebration. Every Christmas Eve my family gathers for a late dinner, laughter, sometimes other games, but always The Gift Game. Then, at the stroke of midnight, one of the kids gets to be Santa and passes out the gifts from under the tree.

Here's how the Gift Game works. (Also great for holiday parties instead of Secret Santa!)

Ask each person to bring at least two gifts worth under $5 or $10. (based on your family's or guests' general budget). These can be dollar store finds, things they made, things they don't need anymore, trinkets, gags, toys, candy, whatever. There's no minimum on price; it can be a bag of holiday M&Ms. It should include items for everyone of age to participate -- things for kids, things guys would appreciate, things women would appreciate. Every item should be wrapped -- the more interesting the wrapping, the better!

You'll need a pair of dice and a timer of some sort, preferably one that makes a noise when time is up.

Here's how the game works. You put the presents in a pile in the middle of the table and hand the dice to one person. A roll of 7 or 11, and the person can take a present. They then pass the dice to the next person. Keep it moving quickly. Once all of the presents have been distributed, set the timer for 7 minutes (if you have a huge group make it more time, or a smallish one, a little less... I also recommend 2 pairs of dice for more than 10 people). Once the timer is set, start the dice going around again, only this time on a roll of 7 or 11 the person can STEAL a present from one of the other people. When the timer goes off, whatever you have is yours.

Although the spirit of Christmas usually prevails after all the stealing, and people end up giving the presents to people who would like them.

One year I had two sewn-shut mini stockings, one with a rock and a $5 and a note that said the person was "nice", and the other with a piece of coal that said they'd been "naughty." :)

~~oOo~~

Another game I've instituted at holiday parties recently is called Pass the Parcel and is actually a game that dates back to medieval times. Again, buy an assortment of cheap/small gifts. You then wrap a parcel in layers. Each layer is a square of scrap fabric (thrift store time!) tied securely with a ribbon, and has either a gift, or a "forfeit." A forfeit is a slip of paper with some silly task written on it that the person must do (think truth or dare), such as sing a silly song, impersonate an animal, take this candy ring and propose to the person of your choice, take this pencil and have the person next to you draw a mustache on you. Be creative, but not cruel.

Here's how the game works. Have someone controlling the music, preferably some festive and fast holiday music. The guests stand in a circle and when the music starts begin passing the parcel. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel opens a layer. If it's a gift, it's theirs. If it's a forfeit, they have to do the assigned embarrassing task.

If you have mixed adults and kids at your party run separate Parcel games for them, and if you have a lot of guests have 2 parcels (but don't let them open them at the same time, do one at a time).

Every time we've done this (I've instituted it at our middle school Renaissance club's Christmas party) it's been a blast. Try it this year :)

May your Christmas be full of laughter!

December Specials & Free Stuff

For the month of December you'll get a free gift from my shop with any purchase over $5. These will tend to be earrings or rings, so if you have unusually sized fingers or earring preferences (i.e. nickel sensitivity) let me know when you buy.

Also for the month, gift boxing and wrapping is free! Please send me a convo or email when you order to request gift wrapping if your item is a gift. One less stress this holiday season! I've been told I do very nice gift wrapping, by the way. It's kind of an obsession of mine. I may post a picture if I get to wrap the stuff that's hiding in my closet today.

Don't forget I do custom items, so you can visit www.youvegotmaille.net to create the perfect present, or request a gift certificate in any amount so your recipient can design their own jewelry.

Happy holidays from my household to yours!

Peppermint Twist

Our featured EtsyBlogger inspired an entire feature on the wonders of peppermint and candy canes. Feast your senses.

Christmas Elf Stocking PDF Pattern by LifeBarn

There have GOT to be sugarplums dancing in that head. Hey, it's cold out there, and if you've got a little bald-headed thing you carry around on occasion, it needs one of these! Knit yourself some elfy goodness. Bet you'll never forget baby's first Christmas.

Candy Cane Lampwork Icicle Ornament by RuskinDesigns

I have a kitten. This is sad, because I adore glass ornaments, and in particular handmade glass ornaments. I have several similar to the one above that are clear. I got brave and put them (and the one made out of an egg with a snowy scene inside it) on my tree this year despite the insane 6-lb. furball I live with. Cross your fingers for me, so far he's been more nice than naughty... well, since I removed the tree skirt so he couldn't play hide and pounce with his kitty toys.
But I LOVE this ornament... candy canes and iciciles... it seems like a natural combination now that I think about it, but I've never seen anything like this that I can recall. So cool!

Peppermint Candy Cane Tutu by Hannah's Tutus

Wow I have a baby thing today. I think it's cause my 15-year-old isn't really that into it this year.... sadness. Wish I had a handful of Christmases to look forward to with a little one. But there will be nieces, nephews and grandkids, one of these days!
So if you've got a little girl, here's what you're going to do. You're going to buy one of these A.D.O.R.A.B.LE. tutus, you're going to make an appointment at your local professional photographer, and you're going to make this your Christmas card this year. Everyone you send them to will treasure them forever. And you'll also have something to drag out on prom night to embarrass the heck out of her.

Candy Cane Silver-Cored Lampwork Bead by Elysium Beads

Yeah, I know, more glass. Can't help it... I love glass, and you have to admit it lends itself to candy cane imitation.
These are some of the BEST lampwork beads on Etsy. I spent about half an hour looking at them yesterday, because I intend to try some Viking Knit in anodized niobium and sterling silver with a focal lampwork bead on the necklace at some point in the very near future. So, rest assured, I will be buying from these amazingly talented people. If you're a glass addict like me you owe it to yourself to look at these little works of art.

Peppermint Bark Brownies by Edith and Ethel

I had to put some sort of food in this feature, since, well, peppermint is food, and I said "feast your senses." So I searched Etsy's food section for peppermint and as soon as I saw these... oh man.... I stared. I drooled. Chocolate and peppermint are a match made in heaven. If, on the off chance that you want to buy me a Christmas present.... there ya go. Instant holiday bliss.

Peppermint Stretchy Chainmaille Bracelet by You've Got Maille

It occurs to me that I never do any shameless plugs in these feature bits, so here it is. My holiday item for the year since I somehow haven't had time to do all the other sugarplum ideas dancing in my head. I'll even put a big jingle bell on it for you if you want. :)

Interlude [EB Carnival]

The question: How are you going to prepare your business for the holiday rush?

The short answer: I'm not. Not really.

The long answer:

So far, I've done four craft shows in the past three months (two of them "holiday" shows), all with moderately pleasing success but nothing to write home about. Sales both online and at fairs have definitely picked up since the onset of the holiday season, which is great because it means I can afford more materials.

On the other hand, it has also meant cranking out massive amounts of the same thing, something I do not particularly enjoy and that turns art into drudgery. The last thing I want. This is still a hobby before it's a business and I'm honestly not sure I want that to change.

I really wanted to do this Dickens of a Christmas Victorian show in "historic Franklin Tennessee" thing, but I'm too late to apply for it. Besides that, the booth fee was $165, it's a drive, and if it decided to have a blizzard on December 14, 2008 in Franklin, Tennessee... well, sorry, no refund.

That's a bit scary.

But I have decided that it's time to prepare myself for bigger shows with bigger advertising, bigger attendance and therefore bigger booth fees, so that is the direction my business has decided to take. I think for the most part, unless one comes up and bites me like it did last week, I'll skip most of the upcoming Christmas craft shows. I also am considering setting my sights on Middle Tennessee Renaissance Faire and will need to work on some themed things for that.

One thing I HAVE done is prepare a custom item catalog where you can pick a design, pick your colors, choose a focal pendant or your beads, and I make your design to specs. More info about that on my website: http://www.youvegotmaille.net The great thing about that is that there's no stress of building up a stock. I love doing custom orders, too.

Reason two: I'm suffering a little burnout. I have wanted very much to try some new techniques, new stuff, new designs, and have had to back burner everything to make sure I had enough stock for craft shows. So the near future holds for me some experiments in macrame, peyote bead weaving, wire wrapping, polymer clay, wire tree making, and a wacky idea I had "Christmas Ornaments for Geeks." I used to paint Warhammer miniatures and I have half a closetful (well not quite) and I thought they might make cute and amusing Christmas tree ornaments if adapted. They will show up on Etsy, maybe even in time for Christmas decorating. A lot of the above may get integrated with my first love, chainmaille. I love the way wire wrapping looks but doing it is stress for me (especially when, as with the pendant above, the results are nothing like the picture in my head), whereas weaving maille is like needlework: mostly mindless and relaxing, once I know the weave well.

But I've decided not to stress about ANYTHING related to the holidays, because that takes the fun out of them for me, so I am going to have a chat with my inner child, sit down at my workbench and play instead of working. The results of that are usually better, anyway.

Candy Cane Lane craft show report

I and my bud Rachelle from DeLavande attended the first annual Candy Cane Lane Craft Show this past weekend. Since I put in my application a bit late, I was kind of "out back" and I think I missed out on some traffic, but I also paid a third of what the people in the indoor booths paid, and since the day was gorgeous it wasn't a bad deal. LLORE also put on a little skit with our dances that went fairly well, despite the tininess of the stage. I sold a wire wrapped sterling necklace I'd made just two days before and a keychain and pair of earrings. The fudge was a smash hit (I can't count how many people walked by and went "Ooooohhhh, fudge....") and I sold 5 lbs. of it. The peanut butter fudge was an especially big hit :)

That's me at the booth above in Renaissance garb for the dances, attempting a maille choker that I gave up on because the AR was a little unworkable. I also gave out lots of catalogs. All in all not a bad day.

I've hit a restless phase. I wouldn't say I'm exactly bored with chainmaille, but I have the urge to branch out and do a few new things, maybe some peyote, maybe some macrame, maybe some new forms of wire work. I also am kicking around creating a line of "Christmas for Geeks" ornaments. Stay tuned.

Oh fudge.

I've been reading the latest Blog Carnival posts from Etsy Bloggers; the last one was either a scary Halloween story or a recipe, so I was inspired to share. This weekend I'm doing a Christmas craft fair, and in addition to my chainmaille and wire I thought I'd make some fudge to sell. I typically make it for friends and familiy at Christmas time and I thought I'd share my recipes for chocolate and peanut butter. Except now I'm hungry. Darnit. Oh, by the way, I got both of these from allrecipes.com, which is the awesomest place to get recipes. I hardly buy cookbooks anymore. I love being able to read a review on a recipe and suggestions for modifications before making it. I suggest recruiting stirring help for the fudge ahead of time or if you're making more than one batch you will feel it the next day :)

Creamy Chocolate Fudge
1 7oz jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional.. I usually do a batch of each)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Line your pan (I use a loaf pan but you can use an 8 x 8 pan) with foil. A double boiler works best for this so as not to scorch your chocolate, with about an inch of water in it, but you can also use a saucepan if you're careful. Combine marshmallow creme, sugar, evaporated milk, butter & salt. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly (CONSTANTLY! your arm WILL hurt). Remove from heat, pour in chips and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla, pour into prepared pan. Chill at least 2 hours, 4 is better, until firm. Pull out with foil and slice.

Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge
4 cups sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 7oz jar marshmallow creme
1 16oz jar peanut butter (buy the cheap stuff, it won't hurt this, but nothing that separates)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Line pan (loaf or 8 x 8) with foil. In double boiler or saucepan combine sugars, butter & evaporated milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes STIRRING CONSTANTLY. Remove from heat, stir in marshmallow creme until incorporated and melted, then stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Spread in pan, refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Pull out with foil and slice.

Enjoy! These make great presents for friends and family if you're too poor for fancy gifts (or even if you're not)... not too many people hate fudge. Watch out for diabetics though. I may look for a sugar free recipe this year. Stay tuned for the Chocolate Covered Cherries recipe.