The Christmas Song

As always, the days and weeks just fly by, and before you know it, we are saying good bye to the countdown and finishing our own shopping.

This has been a year of change. We have seen marketplace changes and learned to adapt; we have ventured out on our own and survived; we have friends who have become ill and we have rallied to lend support; we have lost friends and held our new ones close; we have cried, laughed, smacked our computers and vented among ourselves as we acted like real friends unseparated by glass and plastic. Cheers to another year of living each day the best that we can and to holding on to each other.

When I asked for photos, my original intent was to shower you with whimsical and simple holiday memories, but what I intended and what happened was simply two different things. Instead, we have all decided to share the elves behind our little productions (if there were elves, and if not, then our own faces and remarkable talents), and I took those elves and started to compile them into a staff at Santa’s workshop.

Then something truly remarkable happened.

Well, instead of telling you about it. Let me show you. You might need to see this a couple of times and don’t forget to sing along to this lovely Mel Torme and Bob Wells song written on a hot summer day in 1945. The lyrics were not lyrics; they were notes that were meant to make Bob think it was cooler than it was. Mel took them; they wrote the song in 45 minutes; they were still hot. Nat King Cole was the first to record this wonderful and traditional Christmas song.

I take full responsibility for speeling errirs and other miztakes in the following presentation. I really appreciate all who sent me their photos!

If you still have a little shopping to do, then shop from these lovely gift ideas.

Embroidered Lone Star Hand Towel

SimpleEmbroiderySew 

Religious Cross Pendant Necklace

PrettyGonzo 

Gold Watch Bracelet

TreasuresofJewels 

Pale Yellow Dangle Earrings

ResetarGlassArt 

Bird of Peace With Olive Branch

RSSDesignsinFiber 

Gold Hamsa Earrings

SolanaKaiDesigns 

Wire Wrapped Boho Handcrafted Dichroic Glass Dangle Earrings w Swarovski Crystals

Umeboshi 

Lavender and Gold Lampwork Beaded Bracelet with Earrings

bluemorningexpressions 

Cow, Rooster, And Chicken Farmyard Scene Christmas Ornament Handmade

KevsKrafts 

Wire Wrapped Spiral Choker Style Necklace

CathyCreates 

Infinity Scarf Extra Long Off White Shimmering Gold Finger Crochet

JazzitupwithDesignsbyNancy 

Gold Filigree and Swarovski Crystal Golden Shadow Gold Earrings

KatsAllThat 

So Thankful Thank You Tags for Fall Season or Thanksgiving

AdorebyNat 

Taos Inspired Gold and Blue Earrings

WyvernDesigns 

Dark Autumn Maple Leaves Over-the-Collar Bandana, XSmall

SewAmazin

Etched Straw Yellow Lampwork Beads

CovergirlBeads 

Brown Leather Gold Earrings 14 Gold Filled Ball and Post

DianesDangles

 

Buy it now because handmade, artisan jewelry is HOT, HOT, HOT and sells fast! 

Enjoy all of these goodies, and if you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can find more at:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week10
Week 11
Week 12

Here We Come A’Wassailing
Deck the Halls
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Good King Wenceslas
I Saw Three Ships
The 12 Days of Christmas
Children Go Where I Send Thee
Do You Hear What I Hear?
The Little Drummer Boy
The Holly and the Ivy
Joy to the World

All of these handmade designers are ready to make something for you. Just ask them! 

So ends our fourth annual Countdown to Christmas. See you in three months for Mother’s Day!
Enjoy, 
Julie and Blu

Technorati Tags: bluemorningexpressions,blue morning expressions,handmade beads,lampwork beads,handmade jewelry,handmade necklaces,handmade bracelets,handmade earrings,shop handmade,vintage postcards,vintage gifts,handmade christmas gifts,christmas shopping,christmas ornaments,bracelets,necklaces,earrings,knit sweater,knit cowl,neckwarmer,jewelry,christmas carols,12 days of christmas,I saw three ships,good king wenceslas,here we come a wassailing,deck the halls,children go where I send thee,christmas songs,do you hear what I hear,the little drummer boy,the holly and the ivy,joy to the world,the christmas song

Countdown to Christmas 2015 Week 12

Once again, we come to the end of the countdown 
Time flies so quickly, and if you are like me, you haven't done any of your shopping yet!
Hope you have enjoyed the countdown 
Hope you have enjoyed ooing and ahing over all these goodies
Hope you enjoy the holiday season 
Best wishes to all of our friends, no matter how many feet they have! 
Julie and Blu
 
 

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code < --- get your blog hop code here

Joy to the World

What you may not know about this very popular Christmas carol is that it is not a carol at all. In fact, this is a song that was not written about the birth of Christ. It was written in 1719 by Isaac Watts, and it was part of his collection of songs that were inspired by the Psalms of David. This particular piece was written about the second half of the 98th Psalm, which goes like this:

Psalm 98

A psalm.

¹ Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
² The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
³ He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
⁴ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵ make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
⁶ with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
⁷ Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
⁹ let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

The second portion of this song from David is about the triumphant return of the Messiah to earth, so this song by Watts is not about birth, but about the second coming, which is why he says “the Lord IS come”. It is the calling of the nations to celebrate because God has been faithful to the children of Israel. 

Parts of the music is believed to have been borrowed from Handel, and the rest is Antioch. This song is the most published Christmas song in North America. 

In another twist, Mariah Carrey took this song and twisted it up with Hoyt Axton’s Three Dog Night hit, Joy to the World, and created a dance-pop version of the song. 

This song has been recorded by a host of melodic voices and instruments from Percy Faith to the Mannheim Steamrollers. It was hard to choose just one, but I managed to find one. 

Verse 1

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her king;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Verse 2

Joy to the earth! the savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

Verse 3

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Verse 4

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders, wonders, of his love.

Now that you are singing and dancing with the incredible Whitney Houston, let’s dance off and shop!

Damask Print Fabric Lined Cover Cozy fits the Silhouette Cameo

SimpleEmbroiderySew

Elegant Silver Gray Stained Glass Business Card Holder with Corner Embellishment

2GlassThumbs 

Beaded Crochet Cuff Bracelet

Wyverndesigns 

Owl Necklace

Bluemorningexpressions 

Chainmail Earrings with Rainbow Beads

CathyCreates 

Blue and White Snowflake Stud Earrings

ResetarGlassArt

Romantic Couple Dancing

RSSDesignsinFiber 

Wheel Horse Tractor Desk Or Shelf Clock Handmade From Maple Wood

Gratitude Tags for Fall Season and Thanksgiving Holiday

AdorebyNat

Bracelet Hand Crochet Beaded Gray Black Silver

JazzitupwithdesignsbyNancy 

Smokey Gray Puppy Dog shaped coin purse

SewAmazin

Transparent Clear Handmade Lampwork Glass Beads
Covergirlbeads 

Ankh Cross Earrings

PrettyGonzo 

Sterling Silver Lampwork Bead Earrings

SolanaKaiDesigns 

Preciosa Crystal Zarit Pewter Chandelier and .925 Sterling Earrings

KatsAllThat

Victorian Silver Watch Bracelet

TreasuresofJewels

Vintage Lisner Silver-tone Sheath Brooch Vintage pin

ButterflyintheAttic 

Unique Amboyna Burl Dangle Earrings

ExoticWoodJewelryAnd

Sterling Silver Harmonica Earrings .925 Ball Posts Musical Instrument

TheSingingBeader 

Black Onyx Teardrop Handmade Earrings
ShadowDogDesigns 

Sterling Silver Newgrange Swirl Cuff Bracelet Average Size Wrist

DianesDangles


See something you just cannot live without or that would make a great gift for someone on your gift list? 

Buy it now because handmade, artisan jewelry is HOT, HOT, HOT and sells fast! 

Enjoy all of these goodies, and if you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can find more at:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week10
Week 11

Here We Come A’Wassailing
Deck the Halls
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Good King Wenceslas
I Saw Three Ships
The 12 Days of Christmas
Children Go Where I Send Thee
Do You Hear What I Hear?
The Little Drummer Boy
The Holly and the Ivy
 
All of these handmade designers are ready to make something for you. Just ask them!  

Enjoy, 
Julie and Blu

Technorati Tags: bluemorningexpressions,blue morning expressions,handmade beads,lampwork beads,handmade jewelry,handmade necklaces,handmade bracelets,handmade earrings,shop handmade,vintage postcards,vintage gifts,handmade christmas gifts,christmas shopping,christmas ornaments,bracelets,necklaces,earrings,knit sweater,knit cowl,neckwarmer,jewelry,christmas carols,12 days of christmas,I saw three ships,good king wenceslas,here we come a wassailing,deck the halls,children go where I send thee,christmas songs,do you hear what I hear,the little drummer boy,the holly and the ivy,joy to the world

Happy Holidays and Other Sentiments

Volume 12 Issue 12, December 2015

What's New in December?

It’s the end of the year. How in the world did that happen so fast? Time flies, and all the little projects that I thought I would get done this year are still sitting in the “good intentions” box next to my desk. Well, maybe some will get to the new year and some may end up thrown away. It’s time to clean house if nothing else.

In looking back over last year, the only thing that I really created was a lot of loose bead sets and focal beads. For some reason, 2015 was the year of the bead. Maybe 2016 will be too.

By the time this goes to print, the Golden Globe earrings will be boxed and on their way to L.A. I took a lot of beads and a lot of time to create 100 pairs of earrings with spinning silver stars banded around them. I have planned to create a few of these beads as

loose beads and with different colors and designs on them.

More Beads: All but one of my latest cabochons sold out, so I have to make some more as soon as I can.

Coffee Mugs: My hotrod series of art prints are now on coffee mugs. I tried to get them together in time for your holiday shopping. We are now on Amazon Handmade, so things are getting changed up a bit as we settle in.

Art Prints: I am adding prints and other products to the site that feature my art and photography. I am also including a digital art section.

You will find all of my beads, canes and finished jewelry on my website. www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Things to Look Forward To:

New Products:

Watches: I am making new rose beads to add to watches, and I am considering creating bead kits with the watches so you can make your own.

Thimbles: I am working on getting some new thimbles created. I have sold out, and I want to add another dozen or so to the website.

Bangle bracelets: It took me a long time, but I finally got the blanks built to finish my smaller bangle bracelets. They are a lot of work to build from scratch and take a considerable amount of time, but they are ready for me to decorate with flowers and such.

Countdown to Christmas 2015 Week 11

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code < -- get your blog hop code here

The Holly and the Ivy

This pretty holiday song is a traditional British tune that we may not be so familiar with since it rarely shows up in the States as a standard Christmas carol. This particular carol has been around since at least 1911, but has been noted in an early list of songs that dates back to the early 1800s. It is possible that it dates back even further, but there is no proof of it. It was once described as a “touchingly simple class of religious ballad” by a reviewer in the early 1800s. It almost was misplaced forever, but one copy managed to make it through to a collector who was compiling a list of songs in 1849. The early versions do not contain any music for the carols, but it was called an old French carol.

The church started using holly and ivy in their decorations in the 15th century, and they are part of the traditional British holiday décor. Holly is associated with the winter solstice in druid lore and the Romans have paired up holly with Saturn. Henry VIII paid tribute to holly and ivy in a love song that he wrote. He is as true as the holly and the ivy are green in the winter. Holly and ivy have even been used to represent men and women with women being the ivy and men the holly. Make your own interpretation here. The  story goes that the men would sing of the great traits of the holly and how horrid the ivy was, and likewise, the women would sing of the virtues of the ivy and the hideous nature of the holly. These “carols”, “sing alongs”, “ battles of the bands” took place when, apparently, there was nothing else to do. The only way to resolve the “fight” was to take it under the mistletoe.

Holly, ivy and mistletoe are forever green plants that have long been associated with the Christmas season.

1

The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown.

The rising of the sun

And the running of the deer,

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

2

The holly bears a blossom,

As white as the lily flower,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,

To be our sweet Saviour.

The rising of the sun, etc.

3

The holly bears a berry,

As red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

For to do us sinners good.

The rising of the sun, etc.

4

The holly bears a prickle,

As sharp as any thorn,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

On Christmas Day in the morn.

The rising of the sun, etc.

5

The holly bears a bark,

As bitter as any gall,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

For to redeem us all.

The rising of the sun, etc.

6

The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown.

The rising of the sun, etc.

While you enjoy this carol, enjoy these lovely gift ideas from our talented artists.

Red Garnet Flowers in Evergreen

RSSDesignsinFiber 

Amidst The Ferns Fern and Dragonfly Double Toggle Switch WallPlate

Wyverndesigns 

Green Aventurine and Olive Luster Beaded Bracelet

CathyCreates 

Hand Knit Holiday Tree All Cotton Picture Dishcloth or Washcloth

Hollyknittercreation

Antique Postcard Christmas Eve Salor's Greetings

Postcardsintheattic 

Victorian Beaded Bracelet, Pearl Bracelet

TreasuresofJewels 

Green Earrings, Lampwork Bead Earrings

bluemorningexpressions 

Big Dangly Handmade Fused Glass Starfish Beach Earrings

Umeboshi 

Peace Sign Dream Catcher with Green Peace Beads Handcrafted from Walnut Wood

KevsKrafts 

Green Plaid Pet Scrunchie Neck Ruffle

SewAmazin

Neck Warmer Green Hand Knit Shield Pattern Dark Sage Caron Simply Soft

Jazzitupwithdesignsbynancy 

Silver Celtic Bracelet, Celtic Knot Bracelet

SolanaKaiDesigns 

18mm Round Afghanistan Green Jade Gemstone 18" Necklace

EvezBeadz 

Green Elephant Favor Tags

AdorebyNat

Green Yellow Leaf Earrings Swarovski Crystals Sterling Silver Long Dangles

PrettyGonzo 

Green Mountain Jade Oiled Bronze Crystal Necklace Bracelet Earrings

KatsAllThat 

Transparent Sage Green Handmade Lampwork Glass Beads

Covergirlbeads 

Green and Red Swarovski Christmas Earrings

ShadowDogDesigns 

Recycled Bottle Christmas Ornament, Fused Glass Green Wreath, 3 Inch

ResetarGlassArt 

Emerald Green Abstract Pendant Earring Set

Watercolorsnmore 

Peridot Green Crystal Dangling Chain Earrings Sterling Silver Wires

TheSingingBeader 

Kingman Green Blue Turquoise Nugget Sterling Silver Beaded Bracelet

DianesDangles

See something you just cannot live without or that would make a great gift for someone on your gift list?

Buy it now because handmade, artisan jewelry is HOT, HOT, HOT and sells fast!
Enjoy all of these goodies, and if you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can find more at:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week10

Here We Come A’Wassailing
Deck the Halls
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Good King Wenceslas
I Saw Three Ships
The 12 Days of Christmas
Children Go Where I Send Thee
Do You Hear What I Hear?<
The Little Drummer Boy

All of these handmade designers are ready to make something for you. Just ask them! 
Enjoy, 
Julie and Blu

 

Technorati Tags: bluemorningexpressions,blue morning expressions,handmade beads,lampwork beads,handmade jewelry,handmade necklaces,handmade bracelets,handmade earrings,shop handmade,vintage postcards,vintage gifts,handmade christmas gifts,christmas shopping,christmas ornaments,bracelets,necklaces,earrings,knit sweater,knit cowl,neckwarmer,jewelry,christmas carols,12 days of christmas,I saw three ships,good king wenceslas,here we come a wassailing,deck the halls,children go where I send thee,christmas songs,do you hear what I hear,the little drummer boy,the holly and the ivy