Christmas in July?......Oh yah!

Yes, it's true, it's Christmas in July! Already there are Halloween and the beginning of Christmas decorations in the craft stores such as Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Pat Catans. As a seasonal artist you have to be 1 to 2 seasons ahead of game to get things done in time. Therefore, I'm working on 3 new Christmas pieces to add to the Spooky Time Jingles Market Place on July 13th. I've got 2 done and now I'm off to create my 3rd offering which is going to be something different from the shadowboxes.

I like the 1950s retro look of aqua and red together, it hearkens back to a time of a aluminum Christmas trees, tons of silver glitter and Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas". This piece entitled "MaryBelle's Snowmen" has that touch of nostalgia, with MaryBelle dressed in her swing coat with her hand nestled in her tinsel muff. The snowmen are hand drawn and painted. The little one raised from the background as well as MaryBelle, she is raised about an inch from the background to give depth to the piece. The size is 5 inches by 5 inches square in a black wooded frame with small glittery red, silver and aqua balls and a small white bottle brush tree in the forefront.

The collage before I put it into the shadowbox frame.......

The collage in the shadowbox frame............

Some people are not into the retro 1950s Christmas colors and like a more traditional look to their Christmas art........enter........red & green. Nothing says 'Christmas' like the pairing of red & green. I've entitled this piece "Imogene's Red and Green Christmas". Imogene is a copy of a photo from around 1915. I love her giant puffy hat and obviously from her fur trimmed coat she appears to have been a child of privilege. She holds a candy cane in one had as if to usher in the holiday season and a Christmas ball in the other hand. This piece is full of detail from the original 6 cent Christmas stamp to the tiny glittery circles reading "family and friends" and "Happy Holidays". Vintage style sheet music of 'Jingle Bells' is placed diagonally behind Imogene which as been slightly antiqued. Stamped, lacy snowflakes dot the background. This piece is 5 X 5 inches in a black wooded frame with a glass front.

It's very difficult to take a good picture of the shadowbox when it is assembled because of the reflection on the glass. If anybody has any tips on how to take good pics with a glass front on the object, I'd be more than happy to receive them!