Fan Wheel Snowflake ornament

This is my Deluxe Fan Wheel snowflake gracing the Christmas Tree. I love how the Crystal AB Swarovski crystals reflect the miniature tree lights. Being 3-D, it looks wonderful from all angles.

It's available in a beadwork kit or in Beaded Ornaments for the Holidays and Beyond book from BeadStyle magazine.

Best wishes for a Creative New Year!

Zulu Angel ornament

This angel ornament was made by Zulu women. The heavier wire outline has free-form beadweaving inside. Contrast wings and trim around give this angel a personality.

Legend of the Spider and Christmas Tree

This beaded ornament represents the spider that saved Baby Jesus’ life in the legend told to me by my teacher friend.

When King Herod was going to kill off innocent babies after Jesus was born, Joseph took Mary and the baby to escape the city so Jesus would not be killed. They ended up in the hills past the city. Mary had to stop and feed the baby. They hid in one of the caves where a spider wove a web at the entrance. When the soldiers came by looking for baby Jesus, they passed the cave where the Holy Family was hidden because the spiderweb was intact.

Best wishes for a Blessed Christmas.

Little Christmas Tree

Here's our little tree full of handmade ornaments. It was decorated by my husband as I baked cookies from my favorite recipes. I enjoy giving mini paper-plated cookies as gifts. The fun is to bake a variety of flavors, shapes, and textures. Best of all, there's no trace after I split them amongst family and friends. I didn't say there weren't any calories. Yum....

As time goes on, I'm going to show off the different beaded ornaments from my gorgeous little tree. We Ukrainians have a long Christmas season between the Dec 25th (Gregorian) and Jan 7th (Julian) calendars.

Off to Detroit to start the with "Sviat Vechir", a traditional Christmas Eve celebration on Dec 24th. Merry Christmas!

Winter Wonderland

Last weekend we went on our annual Christmas Tree hunt with friends in Erie, PA. Even Eugene's goddaughter can home from Scotland's year of study for this not-to-be-missed event. What a difference a day makes! Friday's driving trip was cancelled because of snow and I-90 road closures. However, Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and picture perfect as we drove in from Toronto. It was exactly as I ordered... "roads clear with lots of snow on the side!". We did manage to find the perfect tree. Played in the snow like kids... It was exhilerating!

Later that evening, we attended a Nativity play called "House of Hope". It was really well done and helped put the season in perspective. Let's all share a little kindness.

Best wishes for a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Creative New Year!

Iryna Senyk Memorial - White Aster of Love

TORONTO - I had a chance to talk about the White Aster of Love project at the "Метелики спогадів" memorial tribute for Iryna Senyk on Dec 6, 2009. Pictured with me is UCWLC member Bozhena Iwanusiw who often visited Iryna in Ukraine and attended her funeral Oct 27, 2009 in Lviv. I'm holding my portfolio of embroidered garments created from Iryna's 50 fashion sketches smuggled out in 1989.

The publication of White Aster of Love and its gala multimedia book launch in 1992 was my most satisfying accomplishment to date. I was commissioned by UCWLC St. Demetrius branch in Toronto as the fashion designer to help interpret Iryna Senyk’s unique fashion sketches into wearable art. I consulted with 27 women and helped each one recreate a dress style based on the sketches, as well as embroidered samplers trying out their colour schemes. Then I designed and produced the bilingual deluxe book shown below. Iryna’s poetry was translated into English and each one was illustrated by her unique charted miniature embroideries. On Sep 27, 1992, each lady modeled her dress at the premiere fashion show which included a montage of Iryna's poems, transparencies of her fashion sketches and show of original embroidered creations at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom in Toronto. Iryna's presence at the Book Launch was our dream come true because after all, it was her poetry and fashion sketches. Afterwards, 1,000 books were shipped to Ukraine for distribution to schools and libraries. The Premiere show was repackaged into a traveling slide show which made its rounds around Ontario, Montreal and Detroit, USA.

Iryna Senyk, poet, former political prisoner who spent 34 years in Soviet hard-labor camps and exile, member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Helsinki Group (UHG), died on October 25, 2009 at the age of 83. Indescribable suffering, hunger, degradation, failed to crush her invincible spirit.

May Her Memory be Eternal!

"Вічна її пам'ять"