White Christmas

I believe all children look for special moments with a parent to call their own. Everyday strife can be put away easily each time the moment comes again. Such was the case with my mother and me and our favorite movie, White Christmas.

I would wait for the moment when my mother would say, "I use to wear dresses just like those."; and she would wait for me to exclaim, "Oh, I love how he turns a table napkin into a winter wonderland!" When I came across Martha Stewar's skiing diorama, I just knew I had to create a version to recall my own special moment with my Mom, all my own.

Oh how this project reminds me of my mother who was an artist. I felt as though I was painting with paper. I drew upon all the images I have tucked away of the beautiful snow scenes she was noted for.

I learned from my mother that everything is about color. Vintage cards that call to me, do so because of their color and not their subject. Most all boxes of vintage cards will come with red, blue, white, and brown hued cards. I have used all of these to create my letters.

I began this project by pinking quadrangles from the cards. I divided the colors into "snow", "transitioning into sky", and "sky". You can see how the poinsettias provide the perfect transition color by having both red and white in the pieces.

Vintage cards work so beautifully with Mod Podge. Apply a thin coat to area you will place paper piece, apply a thin coat to back of paper, position, apply thin coat over top of paper, smooth with finger tip. Repeat with each piece placed. DO NOT PAINT your cardboard letters as the Mod Podge will pick up the paint and color your images.

I was always so embarrassed when my mother would sing the songs of White Christmas out loud not realizing I would do the same with my own daughter, and she secretly would know all the words as well.

"SNOW IS BLUE!" Countless times my mother would tell her students as they painted their own snowscapes. "Cerulean Blue, a little yellow, a little Allizaron Crimson, and then, only then Titanium White." I remember these names as though they were loved ones. You can see how I have transitioned the white with the use of yellow and pink.

The Neighborhood with the Hills, and my own home nestled at the bottom of the Halfway Woods. I loved how the deep winter snow would turn our streets into sledding hills for days and days. Fathers were so careful not to drive down the center when they came home from work.

Truly, this is such a special project and a very easy one as well. Any cards will do when divided into the three categories. Thinned Tacky Glue was applied to the "snow" and sprinkled with MS shard glitter. The little elves are made from paper clay.

 A Place to Be through the winter months, my White Christmas poster just to the right, my mother's heart now within my own. JOY