Here's a quick peek

Christmas House opens December 6th, so here's a quick peek at just a few of the wonderful items for sale this year.

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Be sure to visit (and LIKE!) our Facebook page for news about other Christmas House Exhibitors.
Christmas House Facebook Page

And visit the South Cobb Arts Alliance website for a complete listing of December events.
South Cobb Arts Alliance Events Calendar

Hope to see you soon!

Sharon Foster returns with her lovely French Beaded Flowers

We are so excited that Sharon Foster is returning to the Christmas House after skipping last year.  Here, Sharon explains the art forms of French beaded flowers and Ganutell.

Most of my life I've enjoyed some form of crafting, but it was not until late in life that I discovered I could be creative. I’d always had a need to be doing handwork, and after years of needle crafts and the occasional art project for fun, I spontaneously signed up for a class in stained glass. I loved it! I worked at it constantly, and then one day I learned to work with glass in a kiln. I was lost to a passion for firing glass. Five years later, though, I sold my home and studio and began a search for a new avenue for all this creativity.
With the discovery of French beaded flowers and Ganutell, I've rekindled the same passion for creativity that I had for art glass.

While somewhat similar in that they both use a process of wrapping around a central wire, the resulting flowers are quite different. French beading of flowers is a craft from early Victorian times wherein glass beads strung on wire are used to sculpt the flowers, which can be quite large. They are quite lovely, with their colorful, glittering glass beads, and striking in their presence.
Ganutell is the creation of flowers from a prepared thread … a thin strand of wire and floss spun together. The completed flowers are quite small and delicate, and often include beads and wire embellishments. The craft comes from the Isle of Malta, where Ganutell flowers grace many churches, and are used as wedding favors, headdresses, etc.
Although largely self-taught, I've been blessed to receive wonderful mentoring from experts in French beading and Ganutell, and continue to strive to perfect my skills. Certainly both these crafts provide tremendous opportunity to be creative with shape, color and texture. One of my great pleasures is to hear from someone who has purchased my work or been gifted with something I've created, telling me that it’s made them happy.
Currently my completed work is sold through Art Things, a retail gallery in Dallas, Georgia, and I am a member of the South Cobb Arts Alliance and the NC Arts League.

The art of quilling

Wikipedia defines quilling or paper filigree as an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs.  This definition doesn't come close to describing the beautiful work produced by Charlotte Canup of Powder Springs, GA.  Charlotte is one of our Top Sellers and returns to the Christmas House with more of her lovely pieces.  Here's what Charlotte has to say about her passion for quilling.

I have been asked many times how I have the patience to spend hours quilling. But ever since I was a little girl, my fingers have instinctively torn paper into strips and rolled them into curls. While in high school, I happened upon a how-to book about quilling (also known as paper filigree) and was immediately enthralled by all of the beautiful designs that could be made with coiled and scrolled bits of paper. I wanted to learn more about this centuries-old art form that was enjoying a resurgence of popularity in the craft world and amassed quite a collection of books, each one showing me something new and exciting that could be done with quilling. I lost no time creating framed quilled art and dimensional pieces as gifts for family and friends. These works were so well received that I entered my first craft fair at the age of 16 and sold out the first day

I enjoy the challenge of creating my own quilling patterns and I find inspiration everywhere – from traditional quilt blocks and vintage fabrics, to mosaic tiles and wallpaper patterns. Quilling allows me to “paint” a design with paper that can be as simple or as intricate as I choose. And since this timeless art form adapts beautifully to both flat and three-dimensional designs, I never run out of ideas. While I love quilling in its purest form (just me and the paper), I enjoy mixing it up with trendy techniques and materials. What could be better than quilling pretty posies to decorate a tag you’ve tea stained yourself? Or, how about using quilled roses for “pushpin” heads on a bulletin board themed scrapbook page? Quilling isn’t just for shadowboxes anymore!

Along with participating in craft fairs, and giving demonstrations, I teach the art of quilling to other paper craft enthusiasts in my studio located within Art Things (a retail art gallery located in downtown Dallas, GA). Various tools can be used to curl the paper strips (slotted tool, corsage pin, needle tool, and even the trusty toothpick) and I show my students how to work with each. However, I still love the feel of the paper between my fingers and prefer to finger roll my coils and scrolls.

 My designs have been published in Crafts ‘n Things™  and CardMaker™ Magazines. Two of my quilled cards (“just ducky” and “Christmas Cheer”) appear in the book, 1,000 Handmade Greetings: Creative Cards and Clever Correspondence, by Laura McFadden (Author), and Deborah Baskin (Author).

I’m a proud member of the North American Quilling Guild and the South Cobb Arts Alliance, Inc.

For all you RMM Ornaments Collectors

I started collecting RMM ornaments and pins even before I knew what RMM meant.  Well, it stands for Rose Marie Mitchell who has been exhibiting at the Christmas House for 28 years! And she brings new and wonderful things every year.  Here's Rose Marie's story.

 I have always worked with many different crafts but feel like I really found my passion in 1986 when I signed up for my first decorative painting class.  In the beginning I would paint on large surfaces as I just could not find the “love” of painting small things.  Ironically,  ALL I paint now are little pieces and absolutely love it!

In the beginning there was always a huge amount of wood pieces to purchase but over time it has become very difficult to find what I enjoy painting--Christmas ornaments and pins.  Due to the lack of availability, I started cutting my own wood.  Once I decide on what I want to paint (the most difficult part for me), I trace the pattern onto the wood and then start cutting.

 Once the pieces are cut each piece is sanded, sealed and sanded again.  Then the fun begins!  Each piece receives at least two to three coats of paint and once all the details are in place and I am satisfied with the way each one looks, I put three coats of finish on them.  I especially love painting the little faces on my “ornies” as each one takes on it’s own look and takes on it’s own personality to me.

My husband, Richard, and I have been married for 51 years and have two children and three grandchildren.  I retired from the Cobb County School system after working for 33 years as a paraprofessional

I’ve been told that a lot people have been collecting my pins and ornaments for many years. What a wonderful compliment!   I love knowing that people enjoy my work so much.  I would like to think that maybe some of my work will be handed down to their children and grandchildren.   A special “Thank You”  to all those wonderful patrons.