Welcome !

WOW!!

Just what I've always wanted...more space for my crafts-collectables-toys and dolls!

I think this will work out fine-all this extra room!

I wish I had been able to secure this neat space before I started the posts on my Gourd Santas and crafts...but I didn't think of it soon enough!....And , perhaps, I didn't realize how much time and space those Gourd Santas would demand! ...But how could I have forgotten how they dominated my life a few years back!!

(I will transfer those 2 long posts from there to here- so it's all together....except all the nice comments my santas got there!!

Oh,well!! No one ever said any of this would be easy...crafting- OR- blogging!!

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***Some personal Santa history***

I think the idea of Santa Claus was more important to me than to most children! Christmas and the anticipation of Santa coming, make up my dearest, early, memories. I was reluctant to let the concept go...resisted until almost age 12!
And , in my heart, I still have those wonderful feelings during the holiday season!
While the deeper meaning of Christmas is foremost...still-Santa is the MERRY part for me!

I always found the old fashioned stories and pictures best! Nothing more appealing to me than the old world look of the Father Christmas style santas. (Saint Nicks)

With this in mind, several years ago, I decided to make for myself a Father Christmas style-papier Mache santa! I had never done any such projects and knew nothing of how to go about it!...But I knew what I wanted.

What I did:

I made a crude form using an empty paper towel roll and pipe cleaners. I visualized a figure in a long, fur trimmed robe, with a long flowing beard! I used strips of newspaper, dipped in a flour/water paste and started putting these strips on the form.
(I would later use wallpaper paste)

I realized I needed to make the face before doing the fur trimmed hat... I had no idea how to do the face! (I later discovered a paper clay product and some face molds to use) With this first santa it was all guess work for me- finding ways to make it work! And I did! Crude- but it worked!

This first santa turned out pretty much as I hoped he would! I painted this first santa in a Rose colored robe- trimmed in antique white! He holds a grapevine wreath!

I went on to make many of this type santa-and improved on each one as I learned more about how things worked! I kept this one and a few others of this style!

These Santas and all my Christmas crafts were signed 'Ginga's Santas.'
Ginga is the name my first grandson gave me over 22 years ago (he's 23years old now! The name was perfect for my craft santas! :)

Here's a picture! My first santa is front and center in this photo! (These are all early ones!)
***A gathering of early 'Ginga's Santas'***


Junie