angel of the fallen snow

December has been a busy month, preparing for Christmas with holiday decorating and shopping; trying to make everything extra special for the birth of baby Jesus.
My Christmas decorations have always included angels. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to create an angel with the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts santos doll that I can include in my displays. Recently, I was gifted a few found antlers, and this year much of my decor incorporates them among evergreens. This inspiration carried over and "angel of the fallen snow" was born.

I love working with the GSLC santos doll, this is the second one that I have made. The first, "bird lady," can be found here. The santos doll arrives flat. Carefully remove the pieces from the surround and wipe down the edges with a dry cloth. I like to do an initial assembly (without glue) to gather ideas. When I pre-assemble the santos doll, I check to make sure that whatever I will be locating within the caged skirt has adequate space and looks appropriately scaled.

Once I have settled on an idea, and have gathered my components, I dis-assemble the chipboard pieces and begin. To give the cage portion of the santos a natural woodsy feel, I begin by painting the base pieces with a layer of traditional burnt umber acrylic paint. Each piece is painted on both sides and allowed to dry. Next I dry-brush metallic brushed bronze paint onto the pieces to add highlights. While I have the brushed bronze paint out, the doll torso and arm pieces are painted on both sides and set aside to dry.

Once all of the paint has dried, I glue five of the six cage uprights into the base. I place the top circular flat piece onto the uprights without glue so that the pieces will attach at the right angle. One of the uprights is left out to facilitate adding the contents to the base. I glitter two dyed bottle brush tress and secure them onto the base with glue. 

Next, I use a palette knife to add texture paste around the trees. I carefully mound some areas along the wooden tree bases to make the scene appear like drifted snow. The texture paste is coated with collage medium and sprinkled with distress mica flakes to create the natural drifted snow effect. Two glittered Ideaology deer are also added to the scene. The last upright is then glued into the base.

With the base scene in place, I begin to work on the doll. I add a narrow piece of crocheted lace around the edge of the top flat circle. This same lace is used to create a cuff detail around each wrist. These pieces are set aside to dry. The angel's halo is created with a large snowflake from the GSLC snowflake shape set. I carefully remove the snowflake and then coat one side with collage medium and sprinkle vintage platinum glitter dust to cover the entire snowflake. The second side is finished in this same manner. The glittered snowflake is then attached to the back of the doll's head with hot glue. The doll arms are secured together using jump rings allowing them to bend and pose.

With the crocheted lace edge secure, the top circle can be attached to the cage uprights with glue. 

I begin to create her wings. Using a die, I cut the layered wings from multiple papers. Each layer is edged along the bottom with glue and glitter dust and then secured together. The back side of each wing has an added (mid size) layer of glittered paper. While the wings are drying, the doll torso is inserted into the slotted opening and glued in place. A larger width of crocheted lace serves as a shawl around the doll's shoulders. It is fastened in the front with a glittered snowflake from the snowflake shape set minis. Lastly, the angel wings are attached to the doll's back with hot glue.

I love the way the glitter captures the light and sparkles. 

The angel of the fallen snow stands guard over her beloved deer.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, 

I truly appreciate you taking the time during this busy season. 

Wishing you a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate!

~Ann

 xxx

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:

santos doll

snowflake shape set minis

snowflake shape set

Sweet winged dressform

I've started this blog post a million times. Trying to come up with a good explanation, a reason for this project. The truth is, there is none. It's just a fun silly thing that happens to be pretty.

And you know, that's ok. Why does there need to be a reason to create something other than the urge to do so?!

 So I've made this pretty frock using a Dressform Hang Up as a base.

To it I've added a pair of wings from the Wings Assortment

And nestled a piece of the Victorian Corners 2 set onto the bodice (it fits just right!)

I've layered silk rose petals and tulle for the dress portion, simply hot gluing them in place. A bit of glitter, paper flowers and a heart embellishment and voila! you've got a sweet little something. 

If you need some guidance to create this piece, I have a video walkthrough HERE, but rest assured it's easy as can be.

Here are all the bits you'll need:

Dressform Hang Up
Wings Assortment
Faux Metal Number Plates 1 to 25
Victorian Corners 2

acrylic paint

paper flowers

silk flower petals

tulle

glitter

glue

Winter Wonder Santos Doll

Hello!! Jennalee here today. I don't know about you but now that Halloween is done and over I am ready to start Christmas creating!! When I saw the Wings Assortment Mini set (coming soon) I knew they would be perfect on a Santos Doll. I don't have an angel for my tree so I thought I would make one to display on a shelf or tabletop. Plus I love any reason to make another Santos Doll!!

Begin by painting a thin layer of gesso over the Santos doll body. Once dry paint face and hands flesh color. 

Smoosh Iced Spruce Distress Oxide on craft mat using palette knife mix Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Crackle into ink. Use palette knife to apply texture paste to doll body. Set aside to air dry. 

Once dry distress body with Vintage Photo Distress Crayon. Rub crayon on and blend in with paper towel, wipe away excess with baby wipe. 

Paint a base layer of Ground Espresso Distress Paint on wings. Once dry smoosh Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide onto wings and lightly spray. Set aside to air dry. Once dry layer more Frayed Burlap if desired. Using a scrunched up paper towel randomly pounce on Tarnished Brass Distress Paint. Heat set to make sure all layers are dry. Randomly apply Vintage Photo Distress Crayon. Don't blend in the crayon as it leaves a nice texture. Keep building layers until you reach desired look. 

Paint the base of the Santos brown. Paint all pieces front and back. Apply faux cinnamon rust to each piece. Using a cosmetics sponge apply brown paint and then dip directly into cinnamon. Pounce on more brown paint and heat set. If you have a heat gun that runs hot you can burn the cinnamon for that great crusty effect. But be careful!! 

Mix Antique Linen Distress Oxide with the Crackle Texture Paste using the same technique as above. Using a palette knife lightly and randomly apply to the Santos base. Set aside to air dry. Once dry add Pumice Stone Distress Crayon to crackled areas. 

Look at that crusty crackle!! 

Cut a length of Craft Thread and run thru a baby wipe. Lay on craft mat and randomly run Vintage Photo Distress Crayon along thread. Run baby wipe across thread again. Set aside to dry. 

Sew doll body together with distressed thread. 

Using Distress Collage Medium in the cut outs of the cage skirt base and bottom construct skirt. Adhere doll body on top of skirt base. 

Construct a crown using a die cut piece of Dresden. Heat emboss crown with Burnt Copper Leaves. 

Attach a small tree to the top of the cage base and position hands to look like they are holding it. 

Make a small necklace and add charm. 

Are you beginning to think about creating Christmas projects or do you still have a few more Fall ideas? I love creating and decorating for Christmas and always feel like I run out of time so if you need me I'll be in the studio. 

Thanks for stopping by!! Be sure to leave a note and say hi!!
Happy Creating ~ Jennalee 

A Christmas Love Story by Betsy Skagen

Nothing sets my heart aflutter like Christmas decorations made from the 1940s-1960s.

Since this era was before my time and people typically collect things from their childhood, my infatuation may not make a lot of sense. But as the youngest child of older parents, most of my family's Christmas decorations came from the 1940s and '50s.

As a child, I loved arranging our broken and ragged Putz houses into cute village scenes and lining up the pink, purple and green Celluloid camels in front of our cardboard nativity. (I still put these same pieces out every year, except for one camel that shattered after a horrific freeefall last year).

My family makes our nativity scenes welcome to everyone. Dogs, giraffes and elephants have been known to travel to the manger. The year this picture was taken, the kids decided Harry Potter would visit Baby Jesus. Apparently, a cow was magically transported to the roof as well. 

Another ornament from this era that I cherish is any figure made from a spun cotton ball. Today, spun cotton ornaments are highly collectible. Try nabbing some on ebay and you will find plenty of competition.

My appreciation for spun cotton ornaments came about from something my mom did for me when I was a young girl.

Our Angel Tree bathed in white , while in the foreground is the traditional "everything goes" tree.

An Angel Tree Becomes a Love Story 

One winter day, when I was just six or seven years old, my mom placed a small Charlie Brown-like Christmas tree in my room. Together she and I decorated it.

The only ornaments we placed on the tree were angels. Truthfully, they were the reject ornaments--those that had lain unwanted and forgotten in the bottom of boxes after the family had finished decorating our main tree with far more colorful mercury glass ornaments.

Many of these forlorn angels had round heads made from spun cotton. Often their tattered dresses, wings and halos were beyond repair. My mom and I crafted new outfits using discarded tinsel, ribbon and even bubble wrap.

Having my very own Christmas tree in my room made me feel special. The little tree my mom gave to me all those years ago has evolved into an ongoing love story of sorts. My mom turned 90 last month. Soon she will come to my house on Christmas Eve and just like every other year, she will see the Angel Tree.

A small act of love that a mother did for a child is now getting passed on to new generations. My children, now nearly grown, know that I will someday pass the ornaments along to them for their own angel trees.

While my family decorates several trees every year (we made certain each of our children would have their very own trees!), the Angel Tree is the most special to all. No longer a small Charlie Brown-like tree, it is an eight foot tree that takes a place of honor near our grand piano.

It includes angels new and old, fancy Radko angels, exquisite Waterford angels, gold angels, dog angels, bear angels, Santa angels, porcelain angels, vintage angels and colorful angels representing cultures around the globe.

However, the two kinds of ornaments I cherish most are the simple angels made by my children when they were young and a few spun cotton angels with bubble wrap dresses made by my mother and I so many years ago.

Tutorial to make a Vintage-Style Spun Cotton Angel Ornament

You can special order spun cotton balls on the internet. I found by trial and error--mostly a lot of error--that 20 mm. is a good size. 

Glue a toothpick into the head. Mix pink, white and a dab of yellow acrylic paint together and paint the ball. Let dry.

Next, use fine line pens to draw on a face. Even if you can't draw well, this is not much more difficult than drawing a stick person. 

Evenly apply craft glue on the top of the head in a circle. Dip in Distressed gold glitter. 

Choose the snowflakes you want from the Snowflake Shape Set. 

Paint snowflakes with white acrylic paint. Dry with heat gun. Spread a light coating of craft glue across snowflakes and cover with glitter. 

Next cut a four-bump chenille pipe cleaner in half. Bend each section in half.

Twist the two sections together to form two legs and two arms.

Trim the toothpick so it is shorter. insert it into the body and hot glue in place.

Cut a hole in the bottom of a paper muffin cup. Add lace to the bottom of the cup. Slide the body through and hot glue in place.

Glue a snowflake to the back of the head and glue the feet to a larger snowflake for a base. Add another sparkly pipe cleaner between the arms and add decorative elements.  

Great Stuff

Snowflake Shape Set. 

Spun cotton balls

Acrylic paint

Clear glitter

Distressed gold glitter

Chenille pipe cleaners with bumps

Glitter pipe cleaners

Paper baking cups

Fine line pens

Craft glue

Hot glue gun

Lace

Decorative items