gingassantasjuniper2006

Ruby Tuesday~Nov 10, 2009

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:53:00 +0000

~~

Ruby Tuesday

*Go here to find other RT posts!*

Just a little bit of red...getting ready for Turkey Day!

Junie

Can this santa be saved?

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Can this santa be saved?

This is the very first gourd santa I ever created. It is signed on the bottom, ‘Ginga’s Santas’, 1992.

Sometimes - well, oftentimes- painted gourd crafts get weevils from within, long after the craft figure is painted and finished into it’s decorative transformation. This, of course, can be prevented if the bottom of the gourd is taken off and the seeds are removed and the inside scrapped clean.

( notice the small , round holes...the bugs eat their way out.)

With my gourd santa figures I liked the added interest of the sound of the dried seeds inside, rattling around when shaken.

This, of course, was my very first experience working with gourds in any kind of craft projects. It was all guess work for me - trial and error!
I had never even seen one of these santas except in magazines. But I was pleased with the finished figure I had made. I liked the old world look of this santa.

I went on to make others-learning as I went along. In time I was adding papier mache trim- for beards and fur cuff on hats and and coats!

After a couple years of displaying this original santa at Christmas, I discovered the tiny holes...and some fine dust where he had sat on the shelf! Oh my! My santa had bugs-was being eaten from the inside!! Nothing to do but quarantine him in a plastic bag with a good dose of insecticide... tie the bag tight for a good, long spell of time! I did this!

I was still in the ‘figuring out phase’ of my santa making, but I liked the idea of the seeds inside and wanted to keep it that way. I knew I could take the bottom off if I chose to go that way...but I wanted to try this first! After some time (maybe weeks) I felt it safe to remove my santa, knowing the bug problem would have been resolved!
(The tiny bugs leave the gourd and die from the spray treatment in the closed up bag! :( Sorry!)

Meanwhile I had been busy with other, more elaborate styles of santas...much fancier than this first one had been. I did lots of crafts for shows and gifts during that time.

I always intended to do the proper repairs and the necessary repainting and refinishing for this poor old guy...but , somehow, he ended up on a shelf in my laundry room! There he has sat for many years, gathering dust and lint. NOW-he’s badly in need of renovation. After looking at him I’m afraid he will, indeed, need his bottom sliced off and the seeds and dust removed...but we’ll see! I’d rather keep him with his original signature and date ! I DO know for sure he will need some bug holes repaired and some new paint and varnish and some new holly trims!

However, I hope I can keep his original face...not that it's that great...but it is HIS! No one wants a complete change-do they?? ;)

Can this santa be saved?
The time has come!
We’ll see!

Note:

I continued to leave the seeds inside the majority of the gourd santas I made because I liked them better that way. A few more developed bug problems but most did not! My header shows some of my later santas.

Junie
of ' Ginga's Santas'

a slide show of dolls

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Santa didn't leave me a doll this year...and I think I know why! He must have seen a part of my collection of dolls and figured I have enough!

But-Hey- if you live a long time and be good all those years...you are bound to collect a lot of stuff!

;) I'm living proof of that! haha!

As you can see I like a lot of different kinds of dolls...in fact- seldom see one I DON'T like! But I agree with Santa...there is a limit to all good things! :) I haven't added a new doll in a long while!....Well-actually, I have...but nothing expensive. (Some yard sale finds that didn't even make it to my celebration this year!)

Anyway, hope some of you enjoy looking at a few of my dolls!

Love,

Junie Rose

Sasha

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 04:27:00 +0000

( Click to enlarge )

Sasha is one of my top favorites in my collection.

I had wanted a 'Sasha' for a long while-after discovering them in the doll books I had started reading when I started actively collecting. I had never seen one except in those books, but I was quite taken with the unique look of these dolls. They also come as boys and babies! I just have my one blonde girl!

~~~

About 6 years ago is when I first got a computer and discovered all the possibilities it offered!
To my great surprise I found there were 'Sashas' out there to be bought! I discovered Ebay!!
I began bidding on Sashas. :( They usually went too high...and I was reluctant to take a chance on losing a big amount of money!

My birthday came during my hot pursuit of finding a Sasha doll to buy! As it turned out my husband had to be away on my birthday.(some family business in Alabama) He gave me $200.00 as a gift because he hadn't shopped for me!

Oh, my!! I knew just what I wanted to get!! Now I felt confident...and determined! I pondered over all the most desirable Sasha dolls at that time on Ebay...and put bids on a few.

~~~My Ebay bidding became comical during those early days! It was all so brand new to me-and FUN! The kids laughed when I would say I 'Won' something on Ebay! :) I didn't care- I was enjoying myself with this new thing!~~~

However...this doll was not just a few dollars! This was something pretty big! I was nervous ...still, I went for it! I WON! I WON!...At the last moment! It was my birthday $ plus another $37.00 with shipping! Yikes! Pretty much...but I was happy!

I need not have been worried about the deal going bad because the lady shipped 'Sasha' even before my check cleared! :)

OK- Maybe I paid a steep price for this doll... I'm not sure. I just know I'm happy to have such a doll in perfect condition!

Isn't she so pretty? :)

Note:
The history of these dolls is quite interesting! Go here!

Junie

Katie- & a baby too!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 23:32:00 +0000

This little girl is Katie, by a very talented, present day, doll artist- Titus Tomiscu. (hope that is spelled right!) He designs very realistic dolls!
I have two of his dolls-'Katie' and 'Cute as a Button', a cute baby girl!

I will show pics of both of them here.

Katie is a little kindergarten age girl- I would say- all decked out for school! And you can see she's a very smart girl! Just look at that report card! Oh, and she has a little McDonald's backpack-which I forgot to get a picture of! She looks very cool in her school outfit! Katie is about 16-18 inches tall.

Cute as a Button is an adorable baby...Well, I have seen more beautiful babies but she certainly has her charm! She looks very happy in that crib I recently found for her! (bought it with her in mind! :) )

~~~

For a few years I was buying myself ONE collector doll each year...usually from the well known mail order catalogs such as Franklin Mint- or Lenox and some others! I was able to break the
cost up into 3-4- or more payments and it wasn't a strain on my budget! I would usually arrange to have it come right at Christmas. They were Christmas presents to myself! :)

...But for the past 3 years or so I have not added any dolls! The main reason is I have run out of space!!...Still, I have recieved a few dolls as gifts since then. (The Baby Elvis, for one- from my daughter Tina!)

I have no idea exactly how many dolls I own these days!
My favorites have always been the babies and children - old and new!

I enjoy my dolls a lot! :)

Junie (the kid)

Buddy Lee Doll

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:48:00 +0000

This is Buddy Lee!

We bought him on one of our two trips to California (visiting our kids) in 1986!
We found him at this huge Flea Market in some town north of Salinas! (the name escapes me, but Charles will know!...lol- I leave it up to him to keep track of such things!)
Update: Charles says the town was Prunedale, at the Big Red Barn Antiques!

Anyway- back to Buddy Lee.

This little boy doll was made by the Lee manufacturing company from 1920-1962.
The first ones were composition, made up to 1949- and in hard plastic from 1949-1962.

Buddy Lee dolls are 13 inches tall, with the body and head molded together - but with arms that move. The faces are painted with closed, smiling mouth and painted eyes, turned to the side!

My Buddy Lee is dressed in the Lee overalls and matching cap which has the original labels.

At the time I bought him he had to be around 40 years old! That means he must now be almost 60 years old!! Yikes! That's OLD!
( no way can I be exact on his age- but that has to be close, according to the info I just looked up about these dolls!)

He's a cutie! He has faded some in the past 20 years...and the composition of his face has chipped a little. :(
( but we all fade and chip with age, ehh? )
I have never been one to hide my treasures away. I like them out so I can enjoy them!

~~~~

The little friend he's with in some of these pics is a little Cupie I have had even longer than I have had Buddy Lee. She's old too- at least as old as Buddy Lee...probably older!

They seem to go well together so they stand side by side in their doll case!

Enjoy!

JUNIE

Here's Johnny!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 19:39:00 +0000

As I mentioned before-the$ value of a doll does not determine whether or not it will be one that appeals to me to the extent that it becomes a keeper! This is the case with Johnny.

This little boy doll goes back a long way in my kids lives. We bought him at a second hand place when my first daughter was just a baby and my little boy was just 3 years old! I liked him because he was the size of a baby. He could sit up and my babies were very taken with him. I named him Johnny!

Johnny is over 2 ft tall , made of hard, molded plastic. The head is of a softer material and he has open and close eyes- molded hair. I find no names or markings of any kind on the doll, so I have no idea of the company who made it) I always dressed him in some of my babies clothes! He's dressed, still, in clothes that were my first grandson's.

My babies and then my grandbabies, all played with Johnny when they were little! I have pics of all of them with this doll! ( Just happened to come across the one's of Zach- who is my 3rd. grandchild)
SO...as I said before... a doll doesn't have to be valuable to mean a lot to me! This one, I will always cherish.

Johnny has been with us for 44 years!

Photos:
My grandson Zach at about 6 months - with our doll, Johnny!

Junie (The kid)

...and more...

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:40:00 +0000

I got these 3 girls from the same elderly lady over 20 years ago in Miami.

Again- I have more information of them somewhere but -here- I will just list what I see on each doll.
~~~
~ For me-collecting has always been just about fun so my record keeping is not the greatest! ~
~~~

Anyway-my history with these three dolls is this:

They were bought from a lady we knew in our neighborhood in Cutler Ridge. (South Dade Co. Miami) They had belonged to her and a cousin when they were young girls. She was in her late 70s at the time I got the dolls in about 1986. At the time, they were in pretty rough shape; needing new wigs and a good cleaning-new dresses etc! One 's eyes had to be reset! There was also a box of original clothes for them. The doll with the white dress and matching jacket is in an original outfit that was in the box. The other two outfits and hats were made from vintage materials.

We found a doll restorer in Pensacola, Fl and made a trip there and left my dolls in her 'hospital' for a few weeks!

Wow! What a thrill - the first sight of them - all new and spruced up!

What do you think?

~~~~~~

The markings on these dolls are as follows:

Blonde girl in red velvet~
Queen Louise~Germany

Girl in white with dark hair and hat~
COD and with the #6

Girl with long brown curls-in an original outfit bought with the dolls~
#1079 found at the top back of head~ and at the bottom is Germany with the #8 under that.

All of these dolls are about 18-20 inches tall and have fully jointed composition bodies. The heads are fine porcelain!

Again - I have more detailed info on these dolls , from researching them, but don't have it available at the moment!
Some of these dolls may date back earlier than I stated in my last post!

~~~I am fascinated with the beauty of these dolls - and in the way their beauty has not diminished over all the years they've been around! I'm happy to have these 5 antiques in my collection!

Junie

Meet my girls! (and some boys too!!)

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:58:00 +0000

I have always loved dolls!
One of my earliest memories is of a doll I LOST! (Annie Down The Well)

Annie was just a little rag doll but I remember, so well, losing her that day!

I have always had a desire to own dolls, as an adult! I suppose that event had something to do with it!

I have a few very old dolls I have collected over the years which I'd like you to meet!
I will tell you a little about them as I present them!

Hope you enjoy seeing them!

~~~~~~

Both of these dolls are from the 1930s-40s! Don't know for sure!

The girl in pink with the curly hair stands about 24 inches tall. She is marked on the back of the body-Made in Germany ...on the outer rim of a circle/with K & W in the center of the circle. On the head she is marked with the # 390 and at the bottom of the back of the head the #6

The girl with the long brown hair and brown eyes is marked on head....Halbig - K * R
(* = star)
and with #55 below that. She is about 18-20 inches tall!

Both dolls are German made with jointed composition bodies and porcelain heads.
Human hair wigs and clothes are not original!

Note:
There was a time when I knew more about my dolls - as I used to study my books on antique dolls constantly! And I have info stashed away somewhere but I don't have it handy !

Lol- it doesn't matter! Just wanted to show them!

Hope you enjoyed meeting two of my girls!

Junie

~~~~~~

Gourd Wall Hanger with Holly

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:22:00 +0000

I posted this gourd before but not filled with holly!

I like the way it looks all decked out with the holly! :)

Junie :)

Santas-Old and New

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:08:00 +0000

...Some more of my Santas I've collected (and made) over the years...

I really love the older ones...the little elf-like figures (ornaments)-These are cardboard usually; also some are made with small pine cones for the bodies.

Also love the made in Germany - Candy holders! These are usually cardboard and come apart with a place inside that originally was filled with candy!

I have several of the 'Dancing santas too! They are covered with a felt-like material and look as tho they are dancing! (from 50s-60s)

These pictures show older and newer santas!

Junie (The Kid!)

SnowPeople ~ (Ginga's Santas)

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:10:00 +0000

Meet some of my SnowPeople!

I know -I know....their smiles are usually made of black coal but I painted all of mine with cheery reds or pinks, to match their scarves!

...If I ever do any others I might try to do them in more subdued colors! But for now we'll just have to make do with these little happy SnowPeople!

These little guys look very content with that snowy background, ehh?

Also- here's a picture of " The Snodens." They came to visit one Christmas Eve, looking all spiffy, we all thought; with those matching scarves!

Truth be told-I was a bit nervous to have them in the warm house and on my couch, but I quickly adjusted the AC...( I did it in a subtle manner so as not to offend!)
...and I DID NOT offer any hot chocolate to them! :( I hope they didn't think me a poor hostess!

Junie

The real santa.....

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 02:36:00 +0000

Which do you think is the real santa?

Hard to say!

Junie

Santa X two!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 01:36:00 +0000

These are a couple of old santas I bought off ebay!

Left is a very fat, stuffed santa.

Right is a santa doll with arms and legs that move. He's of some plastic -like material! His beard is kinda in pitiful shape-but that's ok!

Both stand about 18 inches-as I recall! And both are probably from the 50s or 60s-not sure; and it doesn't matter-because they both make me smile!)

They both help to make things Merry around here during the Christmas holiday! :)

Junie

Some Angels!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 21:03:00 +0000

Here are a few of my angels:
center and far right are my papier mache' angels and the little one holding the hearts is a mini-gourd with goose feather wings. There are a couple of crochet ornaments. (which I got at craft shows)
The beautiful angel on the left in burgandy gown is a tree topper I have had for at least 35 years!

~Some of my favorite things~

Junie

A very delicate Christmas Tree

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 19:53:00 +0000

This is a cone Christmas tree I made a few years back!

~a different look in Christmas trees~

JunieRose

More Santas from my collection !

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 18:32:00 +0000

From my earliest childhood I had a fascination with SANTA CLAUS!

In fact- never wanted to give up the idea of SANTA...
some might say I never did! ;)

A few years ago I decided to start making some Santas of my own. I did a LOT- in Papier Mache-Gourds and Cypress Knees!
I went on to create a lot of different things; mostly Christmas items!

I want to share some more of them here!
(I have posted some already)

I hope some of you will enjoy seeing them! :)

~~~

Along with the craft santas etc. I have made, I also have a bunch that I have bought over the years! I will identify all as I go along!

***The little santa at the bottom is one of my all original Papier Mache Santa CandyCane Holder! He stands about 8 inches tall and the bag he is holding open is just the right size to hold CandyCanes!

***Next up is a group of 3 Papier Mache and 2 Cypress Knee santas. The motorcycle guy is one I couldn't resist buying for my husband! :)

*** Top photo is 3 Christmas trees, made of strips of newspaper applied to a cone; painted and decorated.

Enjoy!

Junie

A couple of my favorite guys!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 21:33:00 +0000

(Click on pics to enlarge)

These 2 guys have been around for a while now! (Since the little boys who once owned them are ages 21 and 23!)

Curious George was Dan's constant companion when he was age (approx) 3 to 5- and My Buddy was Brian's buddy during that same (approx) time frame!

Dan would make up elaborate stories, staring Curious George and some of his other toys!
(Snoopy, for one)

I always expected to have these guys join my collection - and, sure enough, they did eventually come to have a permanent place at my house!

A little funny, mystery tale goes along with Buddy.

Brian, when the time was right, told me he was ready to let Buddy come live at my house! :) I was thrilled! (Me-the DOLL lover and Grandkids lover-made it very desirable to have these 2 toys, which had belonged to my first 2 grandsons!)

Ok- Brian was maybe age 7-8 and Dan age 9-10 when I finally got Buddy added to my dolls!

Buddy had that little Dutch boy haircut ...you know -sort of like the early John Denver look! He had the bangs and straight hair-all around his head. With that hair and the Blue eyes he resembled Brian...in fact that is the reason his mom had got Brian the doll when he was just a toddler!

Later in the day -that very day- I noticed someone had given Buddy a haircut! The bangs had been cut- very short in the front! :) When asked, neither boy would own up to having done the deed! To this day they both say they 'don't remember!' ;)

I might would have thought I could have been mistaken...except I found a hunk of Buddy's hair in the trashcan!! ;)
Buddy's Haircut:

;) Doesn’t matter- I treasure these two guys...and the two little guys who once played with them!

Buddy sits in my bedroom on a fancy chair (bad haircut and all) and Curious sits in my husband's den!

~~~Some of my favorite things!~~~

Junie

(Ginga)

Cone Santas

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 01:46:00 +0000

These guys have been around for a few years. I made them in 1994.

They usually have this spot on this same shelf each year to help us celebrate Christmas! I like to pose them all together like this!

They are made of papier mache' - over a styrofoam cone shape; with torn bits of newspaper making the beards and fur trim! They stand about 12 inches tall.

(Ginga's Cone Santas)

Enjoy!

Junie (Ginga)

Carved Bird!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 21:00:00 +0000

This is a piece we have had since 1986.

On a trip to visit Daughter and family, (at Fort Ord Army Base) we made a side trip to Medira.

Charles had a cousin (2nd cousin) there who he had not seen since they were kids. We had heard through the family grapevine that this cousin was a very talented artist - creating extraordinary woodcarvings of birds!

Photo:
Charles (in white pants) and his cousin, Jerry Dollar

We were not prepared for the fantastic quality of his work! He had several finished bird woodcarvings on display. The one we bought was, by no means, the most elaborate or showy piece, but was one of the more affordable sculptures! Even so-it was priced at $400.00! I was thrilled to get this little 'Black Capped Chickadee!'

At that time he told us of having sold a piece for around $30,000. He had a picture of it. It was a hawk and two Western Blue Jays, fighting! It was a fantastic sculpture!

~~~

Although Charles and his cousin enjoyed visiting together that day they did not keep in touch.

When I thought of posting about our BIRD I decided to see if there was anything on the web about the artist, Jerry Dollar!
To my great surprise his name came up, first thing- and with the piece of ART that we saw the picture of that day!

There's a picture of that sculpture on this website...and it's up for sale!
(By original owner, it says)

You'll agree Jerry Dollar is a most talented woodcarver!

Junie

Mother & Child Sculpture

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 01:14:00 +0000

Mother and Child Sculpture

~~~

This is an unusual piece of ART that we have had for many years. It's a metal sculpture, made of screws, nuts and bolts and other pieces of metal! It is a mother nursing her baby!

This is something we have always enjoyed having around as a one of a kind piece of work that I find quite creative and whimsical.

Best of all, it was created by someone my husband and I both knew. He was the father of one of my friends in school-and beyond-and my husband knew him well also. Charles worked for him, at his garage, for a while. His name was Hy Mizell.

This artist did not get into creating these pieces until his retirement (as far as I know) and my husband and I were surprised and thrilled to come across him and his ART set up in an art show in the mall near us. This was many years ago in Miami, Fl.
Of course we wanted to buy a piece-not only because we had known him for a long time but also because of the uniqueness of the sculptures!

This is one we both liked though he had other, more elaborate, pieces!

I remember one was of a mother, in childbirth, with a doctor and nurse and a newborn babe, just delivered!

:) Amazing!

Junie

Gourd Wall Hanger-Finished!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 02:30:00 +0000

I did it!

*********

Although it is kind of rough...the cracks are on the back side and won't be noticed! I'm glad I decided to finish it!

I put some Ivy in it just to make the picture. I will probably put holly in it during the Christmas season.

Here are the steps in making it.
(Rather, in finishing it up!)

#1- set up to start the painting

#2- Half way through

#3- Finished and hanging on the wall

Junie

Resurrected Gourd Project!

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 21:04:00 +0000

Resurrected Gourd Project!

This is a gourd project that I let defeat me some while back; some years back, if truth be told! It was a quite fragile, thin shelled, gourd and while beginning work on it, it cracked! I liked the shape of it so wanted to try but it just became too much of a hassle to work with! (Perhaps I was just fed up with gourds at that time!!) :)

I had already put a lot of work into it- even so far as patching it up with some sort of plaster!

Today, after finding this again, I decided to make this my new beginning!
I worked in finishing up the design I had started-oh, so long ago!
I think for this one I will need to paint the inside - as it will show!

This gourd is unusual and I had never found one of this type before. It’s about 11 inches round but is only about 6 inches high! It is very flat on the bottom. I had in mind making a wall pouch to put holly or other Christmas flowers in! A hanger of wire can easily be added to hang it and it should fit snug against the wall!

This close-up picture shows pretty well what this gourd is like-the shape and also the rough condition of it!

Wish me luck! I may need it!!
But, this time, I will not back down!
I refuse to be defeated by this gourd! :)

Junie (Lady of the Gourds)

How To Do Gourds! (Part Three)

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 01:26:00 +0000

...To continue and conclude my GOURD CRAFTS...

Parts one and two can be read at Junie's Place!... Click on my profile to find the way! This place is still under construction, you know!
~~~~~~
How To Do Gourds! (Part Three)

…To continue with my gourd work…

This post is about Birds, Bowls, Vases and Birdhouses.

Only the birds are embellished with paper Mache…or added bits, here and there …as in beaks and hats!

The birdhouses- (mini and full size) - the bowls, and vases-are all done with a wood-burning tool. I draw a freehand design and then burn it out with my burning tool, being careful not to burn through the gourd all the way.
The bowls and vases:

To make the bowl or vase, of course, you have to be able to cut the top part away and clean out the seeds. Sometimes it’s necessary to clean the inside with white vinegar. I sometimes have used a weak bleach solution, to soak for a while. The inside has to be scraped and cleaned thoroughly and dried completely before you can continue. Some people even paint the inside, but I never have.
When gourds are completely dry then you are ready to draw your design and then to start your wood burning! A lot of work and time goes into this! I make a decorative design to finish off the edge of these projects (the tops of the bowls and vases and also around the hole in the birdhouses…I also woodburn the dowel that I use for the perch on the birdhouses!

Bowls used for:

Bowls make good holders for nuts or wrapped candy - in bathrooms - trinket holders-
Or planters (lined with foil)
With the vases that are left tall (the pic I’m showing here) it is not necessary to do more than remove the seeds. That is MY WAY, at least!

Vases used for:

I use these vases for dried flowers etc…. especially pretty for fall decorating!

Birdhouse:

The same process is used- except you’re working with the whole gourd and a hole has to be cut out, after you decide what size you need! (By husband/boyfriend with a fancy power, hole cutting tool!)
:) This can also be done with your wood-burning tool. It just takes longer!

Now is time to draw your design and then start your wood burning!
(I like the Sun Fower design as it gives you a good place for the opening for the birds, but still is an attractive finished design. I add the perch after I have my design drawn, so I know just where I want it!

Painting is the best part! After it’s all painted I usually go over a lot of the burned lines to make it all stand out just perfect and bold!

The last step is the spray varnish to cover the item -as many coats as you like!

Enjoy!

Junie

Welcome !

juniper5541@aol.com (JunieRose2005) — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 01:52:00 +0000

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!!

~~~~

***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