 |
| Ornament and Photo by Carrie Johnson |
Carrie also sent a fantastic write up, so I'm going to include it here, verbatim:
"After several back and forth emails, I had a better idea of what Karen might like in her ornament. First, I had to find the perfect color combination that used jewel tones, but that would also have a slight Victorian overtone.
For the seed beads I went with bronze and wine metallic colors in addition to the cabaret permanent finish for the center herringbone section. I used both Lt. Siam and Garnet Swarovski crystals. Originally I tried to use royal blue on the outside of the arms in the ornament – but it just kept fighting me. I even tried to use blue for the center Swarovski rivolis but they just didn’t pop and instead faded into the background. So, I finally took the blue out (even though I wanted the contrast) and things finally came together.
 |
| Side view of Carrie's finished ornament |
I had the idea of creating an open shape which you could look inside to see the middle – and you can see the resulting ornament. It was made using one of my favorite stitches – a variation on cubic RAW in addition to CRAW, herringbone and peyote stitch. I tried adding fringe and dangles from the bottom of the ornament, but it was just a distraction (and would probably get caught in the tree anyways). In the end – I was thrilled to have everything fall into place with the ornament being very elegant and clean, utilizing Victorian colors and shapes, but at the same time giving them a modern twist. It is my hope that this will become one of Karen’s Christmas ornament treasures! "
The finished ornament has a wonderful three dimensional effect that reminds me of a lantern, while the colors she chose are indeed perfect!
Carrie was gone for several days right around the time that I sent her package, and she wrote that when she returned "there was a package just waiting to be opened by my front door. I stared at it for several days, just dying to open it. But, I thought it would only be fair to wait until the package that I sent to Karen, my wonderful ornament exchange partner, had been delivered."
How sweet was that? Her package arrived around 5:00pm on Christmas Eve (yes, I've had it awhile, I was waiting for her write up to make the post and time got away from me!) But I absolutely love Carrie's design, and the colors. It did NOT get packed away with the regular holiday ornaments, but is decorating my workspace as I type. Today is another chilly, rainy Seattle day, but Carrie's ornament makes me smile!
And luckily, Carrie enjoyed the little Happy Fish that I sent to her as well; "As for the secret ornament in my package – what an awesome surprise. My “little” fish is just stunning, using my two favorite colors - green and orange. In addition, it uses an island theme which has become a featured part of my holiday decor since moving to Hawaii. I’m honored to have received such a beautiful, handmade ornament – I will truly treasure it!"
Phew! The little guy was so different from my normal holiday ornaments that I'll admit to being a little scared that Carrie would look at it think I'd gone crazy.
Before I end this post, Carrie also shared several pictures of her ornament in progress:
 |
| Carrie Johnson - bezeling the center rivolis |
 |
| Carrie Johnson - building the structure |
 |
| Carrie Johnson - adding the rivolis |
Oh, and Carrie also let me know that she was indeed the one who sent me the honu cookie cutter! Mystery solved. She wrote that she "went to over 10 local stores and specialty stores, and NOBODY had any Hawaiian themed ornament cutters. It was crazy, I finally had to order one from the mainland and have it sent to you."
Thank you Carrie! This was one of my best Christmases in a very long time, and partnering with you for the Ornament Swap had a lot to do with it. Making and receiving handmade gifts, it truly is powerful.
