Here We Come A’Wassailing

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wassailing,
So fair to be seen:
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you,
A happy New Year,
And God send you,
A happy new year.

To wassail: to drink ale! 

This guy here is the “among the leaves so green” part with a bowl of wassail from which you drink and yell “wassail” to your friends. This honey-based drink is served in large pewter or silver bowls. These bowls can also be known as “loving cup” and are passed around the house to all of your guests. Another way to wassail is to bless fruit trees or celebrate the harvest of apples. 

The word wassail is derived from an Old English word for “be well”. In Saxon times, the lord of the manor would take the time out at the start of every new year to meet with the peasants. He shouted out “waes hael” or “be well” to his people, and they would respond “drinc hael”, which was translated to mean “drink and be healthy”. 

At some point, people began going door to door to offer this greeting to their neighbors. In exchange, they were given drink and food that would normally be reserved for Christmas festivities like mince pie. This exchange was thought to give everyone good luck for the upcoming year. 

The ale drink varied from region to region, but it generally consisted of hot ale, spices, sugar, roasted apples and cream. 

Wassail has been known to be used to anoint apple trees in an effort to ensure a good harvest. Followed by the scaring off of demons and the raising of the Tree Spirit by shooting off shotguns and rattling pots and pans. 

You may commonly see the Holly Man during the Mummer’s parade on the Twelfth Night. 



Since we’re singing and raising a ruckus, let’s add sparkly things and holiday dress to the mix and wave our green and reds to all those that we meet today. 

Let’s go wassailing!

Dog Collar Christmas Bandana
SewAmazin

Celtic Bracelet
SolanaKaiDesigns 

Gingerbread Dog Tag Necklace
BlueMorningExpressions 

Holly Bell Christmas Ornament
Kevs Krafts

Holiday Gift Tags
AdorebyNat

Antique Christmas Card
ButterflyintheAttic

Candy Cane Earrings
PrettyGonzo

Christmas Beadwoven Bracelet
KatsAllThat

Green and White Dichroic Post Earrings
Umeboshi

Jingle Bell Earrings
The Singing Beader

Green Leaf Charm Bracelet
TreasuresofJewels

Green Neckwarmer
Jazzitupwithdesignsbynancy


Hand Knit Red Cowl
CathyCreates

Christmas Holiday Bracelet
Diane’s Dangles

Red Candy Jade Bracelet
Specialtivity

Niobium Earrings
ElunaJewelry

Table Runner
RSS Designs in Fiber

Lampwork Beads
Covergirlbeads


Snowman Earrings
ShadowDogDesigns 



Since we’ve already started drinking this Christmas season, let’s commence to shopping! 

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

Week 1
 























All of our 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

Countdown to Christmas 2015 Week 1

Here we go! You know 12 weeks only seems like a long time when we first start, but how many of us will be saying, "WOW, that sure went fast!" when it's over. Let the reindeer games begin!

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code

Hurricanes and Focal Beads

Volume 12 Issue 9, September 2015

What's New in September?

Here I sit staring down a hurricane and putting the final touches on the September newsletter. It is my hope that it stays out in the ocean and away from my coast since I sit right on the edge that it is forecasted to skirt by. After 30 years of Florida living, I am fairly used to these kind of things. You stock up and you prepare. Then you wait. Don’t buy too many popsicles lest the freezer go out and do buy lots of bottled water and peanut butter. Check. I am ready.

Speaking of stocking up, my creative sparks have been flying, and there are a lot of beads to stock up on. I have been playing this month, and the results are about 30 new focal beads in a variety of styles and shapes. In addition, I am designing earrings for the celebrities attending the gifting suite by GBK for the Golden Globes. We are presenting earrings as part of The Artisan Group, and I am fiddling with designs. The upside of my playing is that I have a lot of new things that are heading onto the website. Like this new two sided peacock feather focal bead featuring my waterslide decals. Be sure and look for one of our cabochons in the next issue of Stringing magazine.

More Beads: My focus has bee on focal beads this month, so there are a lot of new beads featuring waterslide decals, faux marble and distressed appearances. I carved, inked and painted until my fingers were blue. Literally.

Charm Bracelets: From Christmas to cowboys, I have a couple stackable bracelet sets put together with many more on the idea table.

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 only have two left, 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.

I’ve Lost My Marbles

 

Sometimes, I actually get time to play in my little “studio” (that’s just another name for my card table set up with all my polymer tools and art supplies) in order to try out new techniques and have fun. My last experiment was with inks and crackle, which later became my “Yellowstone Series” of beads. These beads can be seen in the latest issue of Ritzy Too ezine and on my website under lentil beads. I had more ideas, but while I was waiting on those beads to cure and dry, I started some other experiments.

I have long been fascinated by the patterns and swirls in a good piece of marble.

Guess what these will be:

 

I know that it is hard to tell from this photo where I am going with these, but after a few hours of really manipulating some polymer mixtures, I managed to smash together some beads and bake them.  Those beads then got a good coating of acrylic before sanding. The sanding was long and tedious, and I managed to wear down a couple of fingernails in the process. However, it was well worth it when I got the finished results. The new focal beads are not uniform, and they may come in twos and threes, but they are not matched. It was too hard to measure and form due to the stiffness of the polymer mixture, but I tried to get close.

Here are some of the results:

If you are a jewelry designer looking for a some unique beads, these may fit the bill. They are all hand-sanded through several grits and polished by hand. You get all of the look of refined and polished marble without the weight of the stones.

I am very happy with the results, but it’s going to be awhile before I make faux marble again, so get them while you can.

Enjoy

Julie and Blu

Technorati Tags: bluemorningexpressions,blue morning expressions,faux marble beads,marble beads,marble focal beads,faux marble focal beads,unique handmade beads,beads,handmade beads,polymer beads,polymer clay beads,polymer clay marble beads

The Yellowstone Series and Bracelets

Volume 12 Issue 8, August 2015

What's New in August?

Heading into the hottest part of the year, and all it’s done is rain, rain and more rain. Strangely, all this new rain has revived an exhausted banana pepper plant and encouraged it produce at least one more pepper for me to sprinkle up onto a pizza. I thank it kindly!

I am working on a new list of products that I will spend the rest of the summer creating and designing, so that they will be ready for the early Christmas shopping season. I am exploring new ideas, techniques and designs. I have had time to play in the studio, and I got out paints, inks and all other sorts of gooey, goopy things to stick my hands into. I need to wear my smock for this kind of play. I do like the way things turned out for my experimental round. These beads are part of the new “Yellowstone Series” of beads that mimic the looks, colors, textures and landscapes of those found in Yellowstone National Park. As many of you already know, I am a big an of this amazing playground.

More Beads: In addition to the Yellowstone Series, I am working on more beads with inks and some faux marble.

Charm Bracelets: From Christmas to cowboys, I have a couple stackable bracelet sets put together with many more on the idea table.

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 only have two left, 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.

Timeless Classic–Black and White

Elegance and luxury are associated with black. The bold, no nonsense color says “look at me” and demands attention. White is so pure and demure. These black and white beauties are among the classic and timeless.

Romantic Couple Dancing - Filet Crochet Image Art Decor by RSS Designs In Fiber

RSSDesignsinFiber

Personalized Hand Knit Michael All Cotton Black Dishcloth or Washcloth

HollyknitterCreations

Good Luck Earrings, Figa Charm, Black Obsidian and White Quartz Beads,

PrettyGonzo

Encased Black Handmade Lampwork Glass Beads
Covergirlbeads

Black and White Leather Crystal BOHO Wide Cuff 7 1/2 Inch Bracelet

KatsAllThat

Black and White Bracelet Pearl Bracelet Charm

TreasuresofJewels

Cat Or Kitten Wood Wall Art Decor Handmade From Oak Wood

KevsKrafts

Small Black and White Photograph of San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge 1940

postcardsintheattic

Vintage Typewriter Handmade Happy Birthday Greeting Card Black Vanilla
CardsbyLibe!

Tribal Style Black White Lampwork Beaded Necklace & Earrings

BlueMorningExpressions 

Orca Pod 11 x 14

Kanweienea Kreations

Outer Space Tent Cards for Party Food Menu or Guest Place Cards

AdorebyNat

Dappled Gold and Black Dichroic Glass Cabochon Earrings
Umeboshi

Black Cat Coin Purse Key Fob with glow in the dark eyes

SewAmazin

Black and Gold Beaded Bracelet

Cathy Creates

Swirls Zentangle ACEO Black & white Original Pen Ink 278 –OAK

watercolorsNmore

Black and White Polymer Clay Stretch Bracelet

Wyverndesigns

Dove Bird and Flower Charm Earrings with Swarovski Crystals

Solanakaidesigns

Infinity Scarf Finger crochet Black Shiny sequin multiloop extra long
Jazzitupwithdesignsbynancy

Chunky Snowflake Obsidian Handmade Necklace, Pewter, Sterling, Artisan Jewelry
ShadowDogDesigns 


If you don’t see what you are looking for here, then take a look at these:

Week 1
Hot, Hot, Hot
Week 2
Baby, It’s Cold Outside!
Week 3
Fresh and Green
Week 4

If not, then message one of these remarkable and gifted artists and vintage collectors, and they may be able to help you. 

Happy shopping, 

Julie and Blu

Technorati Tags: bluemorningexpressions,blue morning expressions,handmade beads,lampwork beads,handmade jewelry,handmade necklaces,handmade bracelets,handmade earrings,christmas in july,cij,shop handmade,vintage postcards,vintage gifts,handmade christmas gifts,christmas shopping

Christmas in July - Buy Unique Week 4

Aww, we have reached the end of the Christmas in July party. However! It's only 6 weeks until September 11 when we start our 12 Weeks of Countdown to Christmas 2015! 

An InLinkz Link-up

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