It's tiny...

...but lovely, our tree.  And with my fascination for shadows, I can't help but think how it's a metaphor for the world in which we live.  It is glorious, it sparkles, it dances with joy, and yet there is a shadow behind it all.

This Christmas, the shadows are hatred, bigotry, wars and terrorism, just to name a few.

With all our consumerism and penchant for believing things matter more than life, perhaps it's time to throw some light on the shadows.

This Christmas, and in 2016, I'll be spending a little more time reflecting on ways in which I might do so, just a little, from where I am right now.

I hope you'll do the same.  In the meantime, I'm wishing you and yours the best of the season as you experience the serenity of time with your family and friends.  Merry Christmas.

It must be Christmas...

... because I keep getting lovely things arrive in the mail.

The ornament exchange on Creating and Sharing Mixed Media Art over on Google+ brought me an extraordinary package from Gerda Frankes, all the way from Holland.

Inside was a veritable cornucopia of goodies in keeping with the Bling theme for December.

The texture on the envelope alone had me drooling.

The metal embellishments and bling inside was even more delightful.  Look at those wonderful leaves cut from pop cans according to the tag attached.

There were two delicious tags incorporating dried vegetation and some fabulous metallic paints. Since I'm a huge fan of nature and dried anything, they're right up my alley.

And have you ever seen a cuter pair of shoes - these are definitely going on the tree this year!

I fell in love with the gorgeous papers included in the package, along with these miniature slabs of wood.  You know they will end up in a painting soon!

Look at the glow on this one.

This one is so rich and deep, and those copper accents make it sing.

I love how the gold grid shows through on the unpainted areas on this leaf print!

Gerda, you sure know the direct route to my creativity heart - so very inspiring.  Many thanks, and Merry Christmas to you from Canada!

Sometimes insomnia...

... can be a blessing.  I occasionally get bouts of inspiration in the middle of the night and have to get out of bed and do something about it.

This past week the muse decided I should be making small boxes out of my stash of Gelli prints, so at 2 am I was up and at it.

These prints were done on card-stock weight paper, and I've created complementary bottoms to go with the prints on top.  The majority of the bows are crafted from mop-up cheesecloth (you can find the tutorial here).  Ranging from 3" square to 4" x 5", they're the perfect size for miniature anything.  I love it that they're unique and hand-crafted - all I need to do now is fill them with gifts.

I even made a tree ornament for an ornament swap over on Google+.  This one was far harder to do because the dimensions were so small (I think about 1.5 x 2.5").  

The ornament swap was a something new, as it's usually tags we exchange.  The theme was bling, and because I'm not normally a bling-y person, it was a challenge.  I tarted up this miniature shoe for the recipient as well.

In one of my studio sessions this week, I finished another cigar box.  You can see my beloved Kroma Crackle is front and centre again.

With a dozen more projects on the go, and a day spent baking for Christmas yesterday, I'm feeling very virtuous.  I hardly had to use the Procrastination-Away Spray at all this week.

Feel free to post a link to your creations in the comment section - we'd love to see what your pre-Christmas frenzy looks like!

It's been a busy week...

...both in the home studio and at Puffin Design. Christmas is in the air everywhere, and even in Creston we've got the snow to prove it.

I've been working on some miniatures recently, and these altered bottles have been great fun.  The tallest is five inches from the top of the cork right down, and it rather feels like a bit of fairyland when I see them together.  I can imagine them as libation crocks for elves and leprechauns, can't you?

Miniatures

Three of the four incorporate the gorgeous Kroma Crackle of which I'm so fond (those flat sides made it MUCH easier to apply than on the rounded bottles), and this one is finished with hand-crafted beads and a piece of turquoise for a floral bouquet against some complimentary ribbons.

'Bottled Blues' miniature altered bottle ©Win Dinn

That crackle is delicious, no?

'Bottled Blues' detail

The quiet colour in this joy bottle is a good reminder that joy can be strong and serene.

'Bottled Joy' miniature altered bottle ©Win Dinn

'Tis the season, definitely.

Bottled Joy detail

One can never go wrong with pink and purple, and this combination is also graced with hand-rolled flowers made from hand-painted paper.  Only an artist!

'Swag' miniature altered bottle ©Win Dinn

 I'm loving that crushed garnet texture against the bottle - thanks for that score, Meg!

Swag detail

 A lucky penny finishes this bottle, done in coppers and gold.  I'm loving the painted cheesecloth tie.

'Luck in a Bottle' miniature altered bottle ©Win Dinn

The light bounces in so many different directions on this one that it's opulent in the extreme.

Luck in a Bottle detail

What have you been up to this week?  Are you in the Christmas mode as well?  Share your link in the comment section and let everyone know!

Books, books, books...

...how I love them.  I can't bear to see them discarded, even when they're broken and abused.  That's where creating book sculptures come in.

My most recent sculpture is crafted from a book by Harlan Coben called Hold Tight.  It's a terrific novel, one I've read more than once, and when a friend gave me a damaged copy I knew it would need to become a wall sculpture.

'Hang Loose' book sculpture © Win Dinn
from a book called Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

I'd hate to count the hours taken for folding,

cutting

 and curling,

 but you can assume that it was a very large number.

I'm always intrigued by the isolated words that show up in these sculptures,

 wondering about 'his chin'

 and 'eleven-year'.

I think this will hang loose for quite some time on our walls.

Do you have a favourite damaged book?  If you're looking for a sculpture (tabletop or wall), why not email me for some options?

Post playshops...

is a time for unpacking boxes, sorting, storing and getting back to 'normal' - HA!

This week I've been in finishing mode too, with a painting done (another on the Dark Side),

'It's Time II' 6 x 6" mixed media on canvas  © Win Dinn

It's Time detail - create

It's Time - detail

an antique gold chalice,

'Libation' mixed media altered glass © Win Dinn

Libation Detail

Libation inside

 and a copper-toned bottle.

'Message on a Bottle' mixed media altered bottle  © Win Dinn

Message Detail

Message - more detail

Message - bottom detail

Message - a different full view

And with just over four weeks left until Christmas (did I say that out loud - OH NO), I can tell it's time to get in the creativity mode.  Do you make all your gifts?  Do you have a ton yet to do?  How's your holiday season shaping up?  Please let me know in your comments, and feel free to add your website and/or blog to let our readers know too!

Did you know...

...that I love to colour?  I do, and so do many of my friends.  To that end, we held 'A Colourful Party ' at Puffin Design this week, and it was a blast.  With twelve+ in attendance, we went at it to our heart's content.

Loving the unique patterns on this one of Eileen's

Granted it wasn't all colouring - pretty sure the drinks and snacks added to the fun, and who doesn't like to choose a fistful of colour?

Gay, Lisa, Sue & Shelly peruse the choices

I was pleased to have a couple of gents in the group, even if I had to co-opt one of them!

Sue, Shelly, John and Joe, with Bart waaaaay in the back.

Joe and Shelly colouring up a storm while Maureen and Jasmine choose their weapons.

Eileen, Laura, John and Lisa tear into it.

Sue, Jasmine, Lori and Gay are hard at it right from the start

Alison stopped in for a bit of a visit.

Colour pow!

Working with oil pastels.

You could feel and see the love in the air

It was Laura who noticed that many of the colours on the mandala sheets matched the tops the participants were wearing - how fun is that?  I immediately had to look at mine, and sure enough.  I was wearing purple, and colouring in three shades of it.  And check out the shot below - matching everywhere!

Add caption

John, with his infinite patience, was working with very fine-nibbed pens!

I think the addition of the cross-slashed lines in the centre of this one by Laura adds a huge amount of pizazz.

TJ's colour choices are in total harmony with what she's wearing.

Maureen adds a pop of red - on the page and off it.

The evening reminded me of wonderful parties from the past, where friends would gather on a cold winter weekend to soak in a hot tub alternating with a mad frenzy of colouring in the warm and cozy house.  By the end of a weekend, our walls would be covered top to bottom with mandalas in every shade of the rainbow; the energy was palpable.

Why not hold your own colouring party?  There are a ton of colouring books for adults on the market (although I confess to a bit of bias towards the one at the top right of this blog - they're available at Puffin too).  And if you want to get in on the next one at Puffin, email me with your preference of daytime or evening slot, and I'll let you know the details when available.