Baubles, bangles, and beads.
Baubles, bangles, and beads.
by R.M. Walker
There’s nothing prettier than the lights, and decorations at Christmas time. Whether you celebrate or not, the beauty of the season can be enjoyed by everyone.
Last year I bought a beading kit from Spellbound Beads (UK) to make a bauble. Cedric the Dragon.
It sat in my cupboard and I kept looking at it thinking… too difficult for me. I’m not capable of making something that intricate. (I had/have a self esteem issue)
Anyway, thanks to Mike Chandler, a therapist who saved my sanity, I’ve realised that even if I did try it and messed it up. So what? I’m not perfect. But it’s better to try and fail, than let it sit in the cupboard taunting me. And then I thought, I can do it. I will do it. It might not be perfect, but I will do the best I can. And I did.
As you can see, it’s not quite perfect. But I’m pretty damn pleased with it anyway.
So I made more…
Wenceslas Kit by Spellbound Beads
This picture has from left to right, partial Emperor Kit, Astor Kit, Snowdrop Kit. The gold bauble is a partially complete Peacock Kit.
Right to left: Emperor Kit, Cygnus Kit, (two baubles can be made from one kit)
Harder to see but between the Cygnus baubles there’s a hanging star. One kit makes three of them.
A bit of history behind the glass and beads.
According to Wiki, before baubles were made Christmas trees were decorated with apples, white candy canes, and pastries in the shapes of stars, hearts, and flowers.
The tree comes from a pre-christianty practise of celebrating the Winter Solstice (December 21st) called Yule. A tree is brought into the house and then decorated with evergreen wreaths, and stars and sun symbols to welcome back the sun.
Glass baubles were first first made in Lauscha, Germany, by Hans Greiner (1550-1609) who produced garlands of glass beads and tin figures that could be hung on trees. The popularity of these decorations grew into the production of glass figures made by highly skilled artisans with clay molds.[1]
The decorations we see today has grown from this to become a festival of light and beautiful.
Here’s a few trees that I saw recently. Putting two of my favourite things together; peacocks and baubles. 😊
So, if you believe that Jesus is the reason for the season. Or if you believe that the Season is the reason, just remember to have a happy, peaceful time.
Merry Yule, Merry Christmas, Merry Holidays to you. And please ignore the mess behind the pics… Organised is not my middle name. 😊 Oh, and brownie points if you can say where the title for this article came from. 😉
Love,
Ruth
Pictures and content copyrighted.
To see the baubles and loads more excellent beading materials and kits visit :
http://www.spellboundbead.co.uk
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_ornament#Invention