Merry Christmas

Christmas Tree in Toronto

Hard to believe it's Christmas Day already! I had many good intentions and lots of traditions I like to observe. By the time I got around to them all, here we are blogging on Christmas Day in Detroit!

This year's Christmas card mailing was huge! Twice the usual amount because I combined it with thank yous to all the wonderful people I met in Ukraine in my family visits, folk arts and beadwork research quest. How do you stop and print a few photos for keepsakes when you snapped 2,000+? There goes a full week/weekend trying to edit and selectively print "just a few"... Then there's the handwriting of each card. Began to feel like a dinosaur when I mentioned it to folks. Seems like cardwriting has fallen out of favor in today's busy crazy times. I continued on because I believe it's important to personally thank each and everyone and send a token photograph of our good times... they'll get it in time for Ukrainian Christmas on the Jan 7th.

My husband Eugene picked up the tree and decorated it while I continued writing cards. The baking was done in shifts. Pinwheel and honey poppyseed log cookies were sliced and baked on the 23rd morning before packing. The baking pans and ingredients for other favorites were thrown in to finish baking in Detroit once we arrived after a white-knuckled drive down Hwy 401 near Ingersoll, ON.

Yesterday morning I assembled gift cookie plates. Then worked on a few gifts and off to my brother's we drove for a Christmas Eve celebration. Family and friends came from far and wide. Traditions were observed. New twists were added. It was really nice... perfect! Later, we drove down to my parish for Midnight Mass. The church was full of families and classmates because everyone came "home for the holidays". What a wonderful time...

Christmas Eve 2010 in MI - Maria & Eugene

Merry Christmas! Best wishes to all for a Blessed and Peaceful Christmas. May the spirit of the season continue throughout the year.

Snowflake Decorations

Snowflake ornament on my tree

"Snowflakes", TBS 2011 Calendar, December

It's hard to believe it's time to decorate the tree again.... Luckily, I have some of my snowflakes handy from last year. Glass bugles, seed beads and Swarovski crystals never spoil... Since they're specially interlocked in like a fan around a circle of beads, they keep their shape forever.

This extraordinary snowflake can be made quickly once you get the knack after you've made your first one. A very fine beading wire, .010 SoftTouch by Softflex, is the secret to holding the crystal-tipped long bugle V's in place around the circle of seed beads.

Several ways to get the instructions: See page 90-91 of Beaded Ornament for the holidays and Beyond from Bead and Button and BeadStyle Magazines by Kalmach Publishing Co., 2009.

Order an all-inclusive Snowflake kit with a choice of 15mm, 20mm or 30mm bugles and crystal pearl or silver-shade vitrial finish from Rypan Designs. Or get patterns for use with your own bugles and crystals. The instructions are available in printed pattern with a Supply List or a downloadable .pdf. Shortly it will be available in a Ukrainian .pdf version soon as I get the illustrations matched up to my translations.

Getting ready for Christmas

Sizing up the tree in Winter wonderland

The season has begun.... The annual drive to Erie, PA, was delayed a day. Buffalo got dumped by 3' of snow and I-90 was closed because of the lake-effect. Luckily, we were able to drive in on Saturday. The pressure was on because it was the only weekend where everyone was coming to search for the perfect tree.

The trip was "picture perfect" with snow on the trees and fields instead of the interstate. Side roads were a different story... especially the one to the tree farm. This year we turned left instead of the usual right and this is the tree that caught our eye. It's pretty perfect all the way around despite its interesting top.

There's something special about going out to the country. I love it when it's snow-covered and peaceful. Such a wonderful change from the crazy pace of the big city... A chance to appreciate beauty and peace with friends. Photographing helps keep the memory alive. Inspiration abounds. What a wonderful world!

Best wishes for a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Lexi & Don's Wedding "Korovai"

"Korovai" baked by Rosey Parubchak

I should be beading, but no.... I'm having too much fun putting together a iDVD for Lexi and Don from their wedding in Buffalo, NY on Oct. 9th.

It's a challenge as I took well over 500 photographs. I've been called a "chronicler" by Mary, so this is what I'm about to do. I'm trying out another "new" toy that came with my MAC. Should be very interesting...

As you can see, this was not your average wedding. There were traditions pulled in from all sides. The Ukrainian wedding bread is called a "korovai". It was baked by my sister-in-law Rosey in Toronto. Read all about the "korovai" in the write-up below.

The "korovai" and periwinkle wreaths on a specially embroidered "rushnyk"

Mary, the Mother of the Bride, embroidered an original "rushnyk", a ritual cloth which served functions throughout the wedding day. She incorporated symbolic patterns and motifs from both her and the groom's family into the 'rushnyk'. The wreaths you see on the altar represent the crowns of gold and are a folk custom from Ukraine. It was nice to see them blessed and worn for part of the service.

Don & Lexi Dixon hold the "korovai"

Lexi's family has a unique little ritual and requested a special smaller "korovai" ring be made. During the reception it was tossed and caught by the couple. The one with the larger half is the "boss". Guess who got the bigger half?

Small braided ring to see who's boss

Glamorous Channel Chains

Chandelier Earring

Perfect for the holidays. All Swarovski-ELEMENTS here... The Chandelier Earrings and Cuff use several lengths of channel chain and have 4mm bicones between the links. Glamorous dangles of a bicone sandwiched between two pearls finish off each bicone stack on the bracelet. There's a lot of versatility and room for creativity in the earrings. Choose to add a bicone dangle or end it with a cup chain. It's also an excellent exercise for working with head and eye pins.

The Channel Chain accessories were created for teaching at Swarovski NA Ltd's beadwork classes in Tucson. I have a few more limited edition kits. The instructions are all color photographs because the components and methodology are unique. There are four variations for finishing of the Chandelier earrings. Patterns are available for your unlimited creativity.

Channel Chain Cuff

You have to admit this is a departure from my usual beadweaving. Working with the channel chain was so much fun. It was very satisfying to step outside the box with such glamor.

"Embellishing Your World" show

Maria and Naomi Smith with a printout of the opening slide

It was great sharing my "Embellishing Your World: Beading & Surface Designs" with fellow beadmates on Nov 10th at the Toronto Bead Society. This was an inspirational seminar with beadwork examples and stories from around the world.

What was special that evening was that Naomi, a fellow TBS member, brought her collection of First Nations Beadwork. I featured photographs of her collection in the first five slides of my PowerPoint. We combined the best of two worlds for the benefit of our members. I projected images and pointed out interesting details about the unique artifacts of the Mohawk and Tuscarora Nations. Naomi brought the genuine articles so people could then see them up close. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for TBS members.

For my half of the display, I brought my collection of beaded "Pysanky" eggs. Several were beaded by Vira Pavlova Witkovska plus other bead artists from Ukraine. The beaded "Lilacs" were made by Oksana, a young student of an after-school Craft Program in Kolomyya. They're so life-like it's hard to believe they're just beads on twisted wires! Amazing... Love it!

Maria's collection of beaded 'pysanky' eggs, ornaments and bead wire "Lilacs"

I'll be presenting "Embellishing Your World..." to the new West Toronto Beading Guild on Mar 8, 2011 at their regular monthy meeting. We're going to combine it with a hands-on beading workshop on learning how to do the versatile Diagonal Weave. I'm looking forward to inspiring the new beaders!

If you'd like an inspirational program by a passionate speaker, just let me know.... I'll be happy to share this and other beadwork presentations.

Bead Unique - Snowflake Kit

Snowflake Kit by Rypan Designs on the top left of pg. 16

Hot off the press! Bead Unique offered up a spread of "Cool Kits" in this Winter's edition. My "Snowflake" ornament starts off this feature. They've just listed the basic components for one size. Patterns with instructions for two different lengths of bugles are available in printed version and a new 3-pg PDF.

Truth be told, once you have the pattern, snowflakes can be beaded in a host of colors and sizes. See my Student's Gallery for Jo-Ann's personalized gifts for her collegues. No two snowflakes are alike!

Rypan Designs Kits are available in two series: Swarovski ELEMENTS Crystal AB with pearl seeds and s/l crystal bugles; and Silver Shade with vitrial seeds and twisted s/l crystals bugles. See my Catalogue for all-inclusive beadwork kits with bugles ranging from 15mm, 20mm and 30mm.

Start now to be ready for holiday decor or gift giving. Enjoy!

Winter 2011