Daily Notes- December 6th. Monday, Monday. Rain here in Maine.

 This clipping holds an idea for a Christmas Ornament.  Over the years I handmade all my cards. At first from watercolor paper and scraps of silk etc.  Trees.  And then sewn on the card stock with the sewing machine --- straight and zigzag-- using gold and silver thread.  My neighbor across the street has her cards framed. They look amazing.  I wish I had sent one to myself.

In answer to your question- I used up all the small scraps of silks and velvet and bits of great old men's  silk ties over a period of three years.. some of the fabric went into the abstract art pieces I was making during this same time period.

And then I drew trees on smooth watercolor paper. Using my colored pencils- brown for the stems and branches and every shade of green pencil for the pine needles.  The trees were drawn into clay pots. One tiny red heart hanging from a branch.  Japanese simplicity.  Perhaps three or four Christmases.

After that, I bought brown cardstock and white ink pens.  I drew White Christmas trees and added  one little red heart to the branches like an ornament.  Those cards were achingly beautiful. I don't have one of those either. The making of the cards was very Zen. Another three or four Christmases.

The past four or more Christmases have been very nice commercially made cards.  Not "making" cards should have warned me that "danger was lurking ahead".  Not making Art.  That is never a good sign.

This idea in the picture.  Some stiff paper/board. Cut with mat knife into a tall triangle. Wrapped (around glue covered surface) in white yarn.  A small stick- (I like the idea of an unpainted twig) for the stem. I would need to find round wooden circles- perhaps something in the Tinker Toy container. And some fake moss. 

These couldn't be mailed... but for the neighbors???  Yes. Hand delivery. Sort of. Just to the Doors. Like last year's potholders. Drop off, ring the Doorbell and down the driveway I go.  Sewing the yard to cardstock would be very messy on the backside.  I thought of that.