Holiday Greetings

I am writing this the week before Christmas.  If you are like me, you are busy with holiday preparations.

I like this time of year with the decorations, the lights, the wishing each other (including strangers) a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday.  Everyone seems friendlier and homes and streets are dressed up and cheery.  We need more of that in the world these days.

I just wanted to take time to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I hope your holiday includes a lot of creativity in gifts or decorating, that you try something new maybe a recipe or a different way to dress up your tree, and you take time to care for yourself in all the holiday busyness (I bought myself some new embroidery threads for a little stitching during this holiday break).

So once again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

What To Do On Your Birthday

I love birthdays.  I enjoy wishing others a birthday.  I like sending gifts (particularly those I have made for the birthday person). I smile when I hear about birthday celebrations.  But I will admit my favorite birthday is my own.  

My birthday comes around a holiday where people take off to go on vacation – July 4^th.  As a little kid (and sometimes as an adult) I have considered the celebration of our country as part of my birthday celebration. Who wouldn’t want fireworks for their birthday?

But my birthday at this time of year often means my friends are gone for the day.  A birthday alone can be a lonely thing but it doesn’t mean it is a sad or bad thing.   I began long ago to plan a celebration of my day just for me.  I would make sure I did things I enjoyed doing but maybe didn’t have time for it.  I would go out to a restaurant and eat a favorite meal.  One year I did a shopping treasure hunt.  I tried to buy something to represent everything I loved.  So I got a mystery, a little glass hummingbird, some needle work, fabric, an item to represent my favorite soft drink, you get the idea.  It was fun trying to find each item.  I don’t remember if I got it all but I do remember having fun doing so.

Last year I took the whole week of my birthday and did a creative retreat   I finished projects, made an Art Doll, did some quilting created a beach necklace.  It was the best little vacation at home I had had. I am planning something similar for this year.  And the best part for me is the planning of it.  In a round about way I get to celebrate my birthday before my birthday by making the plans.

It is important to celebrate and have fun on your birthday and what better way than to do something you enjoy.  If you are like a lot of people and don’t have a lot of time for the things you enjoy because of work or other obligations, to do that favorite thing on your birthday make it even more special.  It gives both the activity and the day a special meaning (like my favorite thing shopping treasure hunt).

So if you find yourself spending your birthday alone, make it special.  Do exactly what you want and make sure it is something you enjoy. Be spontaneous or plan it out (which ever you enjoy).  But celebrate it.  It is your day.   And even if it is just a cupcake, get yourself a cake.  To me it isn’t a birthday without cake. 

© 2018 Cheryl E. Fillion

Artistic Graduations

There are a couple of businesses in my town which offer artistic parties. You scheduled a day and go for a birthday or shower.  You create something while you are there and often times they decorate or provide a cake based on whatever theme you choose.  I would have loved this kind of birthday party growing up.

The other day I was thinking about the upcoming graduations of some of the students I teach which got me to thinking of my graduation.  Wouldn’t it be fun to have an artistic graduation?  Either go to one of these businesses and schedule something for everyone to make or create one of your own for the artist you love who is graduating high school or college.

Suggest that gifts could be art supplies or gift cards to art supply stores.  Or have some sort of project that everyone can make and take home as sort of a party favor from the graduation celebration.

A few years ago I was trying to sort out what I was going to do with the next part of my life by making collages.  How about a big collage (or lots of little ones) representing what everyone at the celebration wants for the graduate.  What type of career, or success, or adventure you wish for them.  And then of course present it to the graduate at the party’s end.  Maybe if there is time, explain to the graduate (and other guests) what your collage means. It would be a great way of sharing your best wishes for them.

Wouldn’t this be a great way to celebrate that graduating artist? And to any graduates out there reading this:  Congratulations and best wishes for your future.

©2018 Cheryl Fillion

Create Your Own Souvenirs

With the exception of thimbles, I am not a big souvenir person when I travel. And I don’t much care for t-shirts.  But I usually want something to remember a vacation or a special event.

This year I went to the Nutcracker Ballet at the community college where I work.  They were selling wooden Nutcracker Princes in all sizes and while they were tempting, I didn’t buy one.  Instead I came home and started working on an embroidery piece of the Nutcracker and a ballet dancer.  This would have a lot more meaning to me that a wooden nutcracker.

I realized while I have been working on this that I do create my own souvenirs.  I mentioned above that I am not much for t-shirts.  So when I went to Door County Wisconsin for my 50^th birthday, I bought fabric to make blouses.  Now when I wear those blouses (one had sailboats on it which is one activity Door County is known for) I think of that trip.

In Door County there are numerous lighthouses.  I went to one which was a favorite of my father’s.  Now I will admit I did buy a travel mug from the lighthouse but I also create a wall hanging of it.  I took a picture of it and printed it on a special treated fabric that could be sent through the printer.  And with that lighthouse picture on fabric I created a wall- hanging adding more trees and beach and water in appliqué to expand the image.

Lighthouse

Lighthouse wall hanging
(the above photo is in the center)

I work with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.  I am working on a t-shirt quilt (I may not buy t-shirts but I do keep them from special events where they are given).  I didn’t want to make just a t-shirt quilt but one with meaning for me.  So for every year I do the relay, I prepare the front of the t-shirt to put in the quilt and also create a quilt block that represents either the theme of the relay or some member of it.

My first Relay year

Purple is the Relay's color.

While I was writing this blog I began to wonder how making your own memory souvenir would work for a Christmas holiday.  If a family is traveling to visit Grandma or just to spend the holiday somewhere new, the kids could draw a picture of their favorite activity or memory of their visit.  You could take pictures and make a collage to hang on your wall (it could be, but doesn’t have to be, done in fabric). 

Or how about make an ornament that represents this holiday.  Did you build a snowman in Grandma’s front yard?  Create a snowman ornament to remember it and don’t forget to make a snowman for Grandma too so she can remember it?  Did you go to the beach?  Collect some shells to decorate a framed memory of your holiday.

Store bought souvenirs are nice but making your own personal souvenir makes your special trip or holiday even more memorable.

 

©2017  Cheryl Fillion