Christmas gifts and a Lady and a Unicorn

My fingers and I have been working to finish up the little list of Christmas presents that I have for this year. This first is a pendant that I created for my sister. I know the colors seem a little drab for my normal, but it was made to accompany a sweater that she has.

My other sister wanted barrettes. So, I created one in some colors that I know she wears and I really love creating this plaid pattern out of beadwork.

This one is for my mother. One day as I was surfin' the net I came across these gorgemous leaves on Etsy and my mom thought they were beautiful.

Well, I bought her the maple leaf when she wasn't looking and then created some little beaded beads to go with the leaf. Strung the whole thing on this intense purple/fuschia silk ribbon and ta-da!

This last one I'm putting in my Etsy shop. It'll be the last thing to go in there before Christmas. (Can you guess what stone that is?!) I'm calling it Forest Floor, the name came to me after I took this picture. It's in my shop here.

Tomorrow will be the last day for shipping in my shop, and if you get something, be sure to buy the priority mail upgrade and I'll send it so it'll get to you.
Also, if you need a super last minute gift, I've still got gift certificates and I might be having a gigantic after-Christmas sale to get rid of this year's stuff. (But that was a secret, so don't tell anyone)

Okay, finally, we're getting close to Margie and Me: The Finals, so it's time to talk about the Lady and the Unicorn. I actually studied this group of tapestries in Art History and was as blown away by the colors and images then as I am now. This actual tapestry was the sixth in a line of tapestries that now hang in the Musee du Moyen Age. They were created in the middle ages and while there's a lot of speculation as to why they were created, most scholars agree that the first five represent the five senses with the sixth as a possible renunciation of the feelings of passion that the other senses create.

It's neat to think about why and for who they were created. Some of the artistic elements that I take from them are the gorgeous tight floral patterns in the background, on the tent, and even the pattern on the penant. There are also an abundance of shapes in this painting, the cones of the trees, the square pennants, the triangle in the tent. Here's the color palette again:

Okay, finally, Artbeads.com is GIVING AWAY gift certificates to friends and family! Click on the picture to find out more about this great offer!

Have a great Monday!