Countdown to Christmas 2018
Here we are again!
The annual sharing of the gift ideas!
Let the sleigh ride begin...
Friday, November 30, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
For a Good Cause
The year was 1983 and the reporting out of Ethiopia was not good. The extreme famine was the worst that had hit the country in 100 years, and the government at the time was held accountable for the blame of untold deaths. Particularly during the 1983 to 1985 stretch.
Because of reports of the disaster from Michael Buerk of the BBC, the news caught the attention of Bob Geldolf of The Boomtown Rats and his partner, Paula Yates, who was a television presenter. They were so disturbed by what they saw in an Oct. 23rd report that they could not get it out of their heads even as they went about their normal daily living.
As so happened, Paula was doing a presentation during a live music show a few days later and one of the guests was the group Ultravox. Their front man, Midge Ure was talking to Paula backstage when Bob called her. Bob and Midge were old friends, and Bob asked to speak to him.
Bob was haunted by Ethiopia and asked Midge to meet him for lunch where they could discuss ideas about how to help the situation.
They decided that the best course of action would be to make a charity record.
That is when they got on the phone and called Sting and Simon Le Bon, and both were more than happy to participate. They saw Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet and he was in. Bob suddenly realized that he had headliners, and if they were willing, so would many others. As it turned out, other musicians said yes and people were all eager to participate.
The key was that the musicians would not be paid, and that they had to find a way to make, press and release the record without paying anyone a dime. UK music magazines offered free ad space, the artist’s sleeve was free, the distribution of it was free and the record company did not charge for their work.
The biggest challenge was coming up with a song, and since they did not want to pay royalties, Bob and Midge wrote it themselves.
It had to be a Christmas song, and it had to be done in one day in November in order to hit the streets, collect the money and get it to Ethiopia.
After some ribbing back and forth about tinny music on cheap keyboards, Midge wrote a melody and Bob borrowed from a song he was working on for The Boomtown Rats, and Do They Know It’s Christmas was born.
They jumped into Bob’s studio, got Midge to do the production and Bob’s engineer to lay the backing tracks, keyboards and drum machine samplings for free. Midge did the original vocal guide before Sting and Simon Le Bon dropped by to lend their vocals to the tracks.
While the studio was hard at work engineering the song, Bob was on the phone asking everyone he knew to participate. Only three people turned him down, and their names are sworn to secrecy. Those who wanted to but could not make the one day recording session like David Bowie and Paul McCartney did recorded messages that are on the B-side of this record.
Groups like the Thompson Twins, who were on tour at the time, wanted to participate, but couldn’t, so they donated part of the proceeds from their current single to the cause.
Bob had a booking with BBC Radio to discuss his latest album, but used his air time to promote the charity record. This helped secure more artists to the project.
The press showed up the day on November 25th to watch the parade of musicians head into the studio to record this record. The Daily Mirror had exclusive inside access to the studio where they took a team photo before the recording started.
As the backing track rolled, the artists all got into a group and sang “feed the world, let them know it’s Christmas time” over and over. As the group session ended, the individual artists headed to the studio to do their solo parts.
Phil Collins brought his drums with him and played live drums over the recorded track after all of the vocals were finished. Since he was a perfectionist, there were two takes of the drums; although, only one was needed.
While most of the stars of this record were UK artists, Kool & the Gang from the US was there since they shared a record label with Bob and happened to be in town at the time.
The song was released on December 3, 1984. It had a launch party on the 7th and hit the UK charts at number one the next week. It sold 200,000 copies in the first two days. MTV ran the video and it hit the US airwaves on the 10th. It sold 1.9 million copies in 11 days.
The video featured footage from the recording session, and this is what I have selected as our song. So many familiar faces.
They called themselves Band Aid and wanted to raise 70,000 pounds for the cause; they raised over 8 million pounds. This now famous Christmas song has been re-released a number of times with different participants as it has been used to raise money for other humanitarian causes.
It is good to give.
Speaking of giving, here are some wonderful gift ideas that you can give those on your shopping list.
Poinsettia Coasters Set of 2
Necklaces for Women
Vintage Christmas - Bell and Snowbird
Santa Christmas Key Chain, Holiday Key Ring
Candy Cane Earrings
Santa Face Head Christmas Holiday Earrings Lampwork Glass Gift Boxed
Lampwork and Lava Stretch Bracelet Black Green
Candy Cane Red White Beaded Christmas Silver Heart Hair Clip 45mm
Red Rocaille Bead Bracelet
Silver Christmas Tree Earrings w Swarovski Crystals Red & Green
Santa Christmas Earrings, Holiday Jewelry Handmade Gift Red Swarovski
Red Cinnabar and Swarovski Red and Green Crystal .925 Dangle Earrings
Christmas Tree Earrings
Don’t see what you are looking for? Maybe you will find it in some of the following showcases or ask one of our talented artists to design something special for you.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
And even more!
War is Over
When Kittens Sing
You Better Watch Out!
Maybe He was Drunk
She was only 13
Sad and Lonely this Holiday Season
It Might Only be a Dream
Dance Through the Streets
Born in a Heat Wave
Hurry because handmade sells out fast, and when they are gone, they are gone! Buy now.
Enjoy!
Julie
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
Friday, November 23, 2018
Countdown to Christmas Week 10 2018
Countdown to Christmas 2018
Here we are again!
The annual sharing of the gift ideas!
Let the sleigh ride begin...
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Born in a Heat Wave
Born in a heat wave in the middle of July of 1946 and inspired by the old Currier and Ives lithographs, this modern classic was not finished and recorded until February of 1948.
The original was written as an instrumental and remains a great piece for orchestras and was first performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler in 1949. It was a hit pressed red record for RCA and became a signature song for the Boston Pops.
It was written by Leroy Anderson who did not record it until 1950 where it reached a best-seller chart in 1952. It was given words in 1950 and The Andrews Sisters did the first vocal recording with the lyrics.
This song has no lyrics that mention Christmas, but it is considered a Christmas song due to the nature of the subject.
The clever use of instruments is what makes this song a classic. With a slapstick for a whip, a block for horse hooves and a trumpet for a whinny, you can see why Sleigh Ride became a Boston Pops signature song.
I found this wonderful rendition by the United States Navy Band from 2012. I hope you enjoy it as much as Harry and I did! If you prefer vocals, in addition to The Andrew Sisters, The Carpenters also did a version of this festive song.
Think of all the presents you can pile into the back of that sleigh! Here are some wonderful gifts to add to the pile.
Heart To Heart Crochet Oval Doily
Best Dad Ever Heart Shaped Christmas Ornament
Necklace Artisan Lampwork Floral Heart Pendant Onyx Glass Beads Swarovski Crystals
Ranch Red Cable Hearts Scarf with Corkscrew Heart Fringe
Red Key Necklace
Red Heart Stud Earrings
Garnet Earrings
Heart Necklace
Heart Shape Moss Tree Agate Undrilled Polished Stone 30mm
Black Heart Red Crystal Engraved Love Bead Valentine Gift Earrings
Personalized Bridal Shower Photo Album
Turquoise Mom and Yellow Aragonite Mothers Day Gemstone Necklace Set
Valentines Hearts Flowers Earrings, Pink Purple Lampwork Jewelry Gift
Heart Beads Purple Handmade Lampwork Beads EDP Shiny Silver 15mm Small
Enamel Heart Shaped Drop Earrings in Royal Blue with Lotus Flower -Vintage Jewel
Don’t see what you are looking for? Maybe you will find it in some of the following showcases or ask one of our talented artists to design something special for you.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
And even more!
War is Over
When Kittens Sing
You Better Watch Out!
Maybe He was Drunk
She was only 13
Sad and Lonely this Holiday Season
It Might Only be a Dream
Dance Through the Streets
Hurry because handmade sells out fast, and when they are gone, they are gone! Buy now.
Enjoy!
Julie
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
Friday, November 16, 2018
Countdown to Christmas 2018 Week 9
Countdown to Christmas 2018
Here we are again!
The annual sharing of the gift ideas!
Let the sleigh ride begin...
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Dance Through the Streets
Heavily commercialized and monetized, this song has been slowly creeping its way into our holiday song list, and though it is not a true carol, as in your church group is probably not going to sing it to the neighborhood, it is now considered a Christmas standard.
It made its debut in 1994, and the singer-songwriter has been the most successful with it; although, it has been covered by others.
It contains a ton of heavy backup singers and synthesizers, and it is filled with bells that made it a perfect song for my Zumba class to include in the neighborhood Christmas parade. After the parade route and six or seven performances, we were quite sick of it. The public loved it and all knew the words!
No matter which performance you have seen Mariah Carey do, all are entertaining renditions of the song, and its popularity is only growing with each passing year. It has global s ales of 16 million plus copies and charts around the world.
It is funny to think that it took her and her then husband less than 15 minutes to create this piece.
Here is All I Want for Christmas is You; try not to think about a bunch of old ladies dancing through the streets doing this as a Zumba routine. Ha, made you think of it! At least only one was wearing antlers.
Now that your toes are tapping, let’s get to sharing these dance-worthy gifts!
Whitetail Deer
Gold Threader Chain Earrings
Romantic Couple Doily
Marriage Blessing Pearl Rosary Bracelet
Knitted White Snowdrop Scarf
White Pearl With Silver Necklace Earrings Set Double Two Strands
White Carousel Horse Leggings
Tallit Clip Prayer Shawl Clip White and Blue with Star of David 6"
Mother of Pearl Handmade Jewelry
Handmade Postcards, Set of 12 with Dog Howling At the Moon
Crocheted Baby Booties Newborn Boy Blue Ribbon
Shiny Opaque White Handmade Lampwork Glass Beads Glossy Beads
Child's Adjustable Holiday Apron
Christmas White, Red and Green Earrings
Carved Rose Shell Pendant and Mother of Pearl 19 inch Necklace
Petrified White Palm Wood Oval Pendant Gold Freshwater Pearl Necklace Artisan Jewelry
Don’t see what you are looking for? Maybe you will find it in some of the following showcases or ask one of our talented artists to design something special for you.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
And even more!
War is Over
When Kittens Sing
You Better Watch Out!
Maybe He was Drunk
She was only 13
Sad and Lonely this Holiday Season
It Might Only be a Dream
Hurry because handmade sells out fast, and when they are gone, they are gone! Buy now.
Enjoy!
Julie
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
Monday, November 12, 2018
Fall Craft Shows and Stocking Stuffers
Volume 15 Issue 11, November 2018
What's New in November?
We are once again going to be at the Indian River Mall for the H.A.L.O. no-kill shelter arts and crafts show on November 3 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so if you are in our area, stop by the mall and see our beads in person. We will also do the December show on December 1 at the same times. Then, I think that will be our last show for a few months.
I have been busy creating new pieces that work well as stocking stuffers, and the keyrings for the guys are hard to keep in stock!
Harry is getting bigger and bigger and starts Puppy Kindergarten tomorrow after successfully finishing a few weeks of Puppy Social. Now, he is ready to learn the simple commands. I need to learn a few, too! He is not quite 5 months old, and ready to learn how to behave in public. :)
What’s New
Key rings: I added quite a few new hot rod keyrings for the guys. I also started working on purse charms and rings for the ladies. I have some cats on the bead board ready to bead up. I might have them ready for the next show at the mall, or they will go online.
Cuff Bracelets: I have used cuff bracelets as the backdrop for some of my Poser work and other art pieces. I have added cats and am working on peacock jewelry as we speak.
You will find all of my beads, canes and finished jewelry on my website. www.bluemorningexpressions.com
Until next month,
Julie
Things to Look Forward To:
New Products:
Leggings: My supplier has added a great legging line, so I have been experimenting with design and element placement. I have one new set ready in my shop.
Posters: Many of my bible verse posters are available in my Etsy shop.
Magnets: A full line of individual magnets that I have created for the shows are now available in my shop. Buy them individually or in sets. Lowest prices are at BME.
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