12 Days of Christmas Swap, Day 9

Today was a day I was not looking forward to. This wonderful box was created by my dearly departed friend Gina Wise. But as I removed the ribbon from the box,


I decided it was time to celebrate her art and not mourn her. The box was handmade by Gina. She made the boxes for the first 12 Days Christmas swap group too, but this time, she told me she made the boxes a bit thinner so they would fit better in the return envelopes.


I could see why Gina created the box. She didn't want her dancing lady, which pops away from the page, to get crushed in the mail. Added to that is a piece of HVAC tape, which she ran through her die cut machine using an embossing die. It appears she added alcohol inks to color the tape, too. In true Gina fashion, nothing was left unattended. The arms on the girl move, and the dress raises to show legs that were individually cut (not that I go around looking up dresses, but I needed to understand how she made it so I could describe it to the Yahoo group). Hand dyed cheesecloth was held in place by bling. Even more bling was used for the belt and a piece of doily was used for the bodice.


The back was equally lovely. The HVAC tape continued to the back to make a cohesive piece that included all the baubles and the day (9 ladies dancing). Thank you Gina, for one final piece from your creative soul.

I hope everyone has an awesome Monday. I'm off to deliver two Christmas presents today, one to my neighbor and friend Sally, another to my friend Billie (who also collects rocking horses). Bet you can't guess one of the gifts I have for Billie. Not sure when I'll share photos, since I seem to be behind on both Christmas and New Years celebrations. Maybe next week after Epiphany, I'll have more time to share these memories.