Christmas Hutch

I've decorated the China Hutch with Christmas china!   

The Christmas holiday season always seems to fly by fast, making a quick seasonal change in my hutch a blessing. 

Image 1: Christmas Arrangement in Welsh Dresser Hutch

Arranging my "new-to-me" Christmas Portmeirion china in the hutch made the switch from fall to Christmas go quickly. 

Image 2: Christmas China Hutch Detail

The china pattern is Portmeirion's "The Holly and the Ivy" pattern, made in Britain.  (That's different than just England, right? I'm guessing that maybe it's manufactured in Ireland or Scotland)

Image 4: Christmas China Hutch Detail with Birds

I added vintage red glasses and accessories, some vintage stemware with gold trim, and my two favorite little birds, and the hutch arrangement was done!  (I have since found out that the vintage ruby red water goblets and the red footed "boat" bowl are the Moon and Stars pattern from L.E. Smith Glass.)

Image 5: Portmeirion Platter and Ruby Moon and Stars footed bowl

I purchased the china set at an estate sale.  A post Christmas sale in snowy weather yielded the china with tons of accessories priced to sell.  On the last day the markdown price was great, and I bought the entire set for around $100.

 

Image 3: Portmeirion Christmas China Hutch Arrangement

Sometimes I think about the previous owner lovingly collecting this Portmeirion set piece by piece.  She may have been a fantastic hostess.  I aspire to become a better at entertaining, and maybe this set will help.  In an unusual twist, I actually use this china for dining.  (Many dishes I own are for display only.)  

Image 7: Christmas China Hutch Arrangement

I can only hope that setting up and decorating the Christmas tree will go as fast.  Enjoy the oncoming Christmas season!


Oh, it's fun to share posts with viewers on-line!  The work of collecting and displaying a collection is shared with dozens, hopefully some of which enjoy the post, whereas family members barely notice or register that a change has been made to their surroundings.  Really, 2-3 comments on-line can surpass all the accolades from the family - So leave a comment if you have time, but either way, thank you for visiting and ... 

Enjoy the Christmas Holiday Season!

Click on the images to see them enlarged.

 

You might also enjoy... Click on the photos to see these posts:  

Christmas in New York City

Below are two earlier Christmas hutch arrangements. 

Welsh dresser with Christmas arrangement

My earliest Welsh dresser Christmas arrangement!

Here is a link to all my Hutch posts!

My Collection of all Hutch Posts

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References:   Amberina   Moon-Star

Nice post: Redwood Park

Autumn Wreath Monoprint

I created my "Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath" monoprint while playing with a collection of oak leaves that I had created because I couldn't draw an oak leaf.*  (Cause and effect relationships are fun to ponder!)  In fact, I created a whole series of monoprints while playing with oak leaves, but this one has turned out the best, (to date).  I love the result and hope you do too! 

Image 1: Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

The printmaking methods I use create an organic texture that would be nearly impossible to draw, or paint, or even predict, which is why "pulling" a print can be so exciting.  

Image 2: Oak Leaf Detail showing Texture

After making the print, I hand-colored the oak leaves in using autumn colors seen more often in maple leaves.  In my experience oak leaves colors in fall are mostly green to yellow (briefly) and then brown, but I wanted maple leaf like colorations on my oak leaves.  

Image 3: Some actual Maple Leaves Fall colorations

And so my oak leaf wreath becomes a fantasy wreath, inspired by the fantastic colors maple leaves turn in fall.

Image 4: Detail with Green Leaf of Hand Colored Leaves

Some definitions and notes: A monoprint is a form of printmaking where the printed image can only be made once.  The transfer of (usually) hand inked surfaces, images, and/or shapes to paper will result in a unique print.

Image 5: Wreath Monoprint and Mirrored Ghost Image

If enough ink remains on a transfer surface, a second print might be able to be created (or "pulled"), but the ink will be lighter and create a noticeably different work.  This second noticeably different image is sometimes called a ghost print.  

Image 6: Brown Oak Leaf wreath Monoprint

Ghost prints can also be made as mirror images via other methods.  Look closely - the two wreath monoprints shown side by side in image 5 above are basically mirror images.   

I printed multiple wreaths with oak leaves.  Below is another wreath monoprint I made, using 2 colors of ink.  I plan on hand coloring this image in the future.  The extra layers of leaves is otherwise confusing.

 

Image 7: Red and Brown Oak Leaf Wreath Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

I tried multiple concept wreath arrangements before I printed the versions I am showing you today.  You can see preliminary wreath layout using brown oak leaves below. 

Image 8: Oak Leaf Wreath Layout 'Auditioning' leaves

Other Notes: 

* I posted an Oak Leaf Monoprint post that elaborates on this story.

Individually inked leaves were pressed onto paper using a printing press.  The overall print dimensions are approximately 20 inches by 20 inches high (50cm by 50cm high) on Arches paper.  I framed the print in a resale shop frame that was 24inches x 24inches, (61cm x 61cm). 
 

Image 9: Framed Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

"As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see"

                                                -  Vincent Van Gogh
_________________________________________________________________


"Winter is an etching,
Spring a watercolor,
Summer an oil painting, and
Autumn a mosaic of them all" 

                                                -  Horowitz

Click on the images to see them enlarged.  Leave a comment if you have the time, they brighten my day!

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Oak Leaf Print

Glass Leaf

Pumpkin Pour

Halloween Hutch

Harvest Plates

Autumn Fun

Autumn Art P2

Kaleidoscope 3

Autumn Art P4

Glass Flowers 2

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Grammys grid: I made it Mon 32 (Entry 22 of 26.)                       I was featured here!
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Oak Leaf Monoprint

My love affair with trees goes back decades, and it re-surges every fall when leaves in Wisconsin explode into fall colors.  Easily identifiable maple leaves were an early love, because their showy fall colors stand out.  At some point I became interested in oak trees.  I realized I could recognize oak  leaves, but I couldn't easily draw them.  I realized why when I started collecting oak leaves to draw - there is no one typical oak leaf shape.

Image 1: Oak Leaf Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

What is the shape of an oak leaf?  Well, see above.  Oak leaves have 5 to 10 lobed sections with pointy or rounded tips.  While enjoying autumn I collected all sorts of oak leaves and dried them flat in books.  Eventually I amassed a collection of dried oak leaves, and for fun I used this collection to create the large monoprint* shown above, using the many shapes and sizes of oak leaves I had found.

Image 2: So many leaves to choose from!

The diversity of oak trees leaves here in my state boggles my mind.  If I drew all these oak leaf shapes people would think I took SO much artistic license, because some of these leaf shapes are so fantastic.  Look at the crazy oak leaf below, how pinched the cutouts between the lobes go.  It's like an animae or chibi version of an oak leaf.  God or Nature creates fantastic shapes, in millions!

Image 3: Oddest Oak Leaf Shape
If hand drawn, would you believe this shape?

Arranging the oak leaves for the monoprint took a long time because I wanted to show the diversity of shapes and some of the size variations, and I found it hard to create an arrangement that seemed balanced and made sense.

Image 4: Oak Leaf Layout Auditioning leaves

Eventually I settled on the arrangement I printed below.  I wanted my oak leaves to have bright fall colors, so I used the unlikely color of red ink for the print.  But in reality, oak trees fall colors typically are briefly yellow then brown, and frequently the (brown) leaves stay on well into winter. A sometimes rich brown, but nothing showy like the maple trees. 

Image 5: Oak Leaf Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

My monoprint is nowhere near perfect, but I achieved a print I like that reflects my interest and love of oak leaves, which I continue to gather and press.

Image 6: Oak Leaf print close-up Detail

I love how the monoprint reveals the texture and veining in the leaves that are hard to see in the actual leaf.

Image 7: Layout Comparison to Monoprint

(I could go on for paragraphs about finding different oak trees, collecting leaves, monoprints and printing, etc., but I will spare whatever readers are still here.  Below are some how-to notes only if you are interested...)

* Notes:
A monoprint is a form of printmaking where the image can only be made once.

My process is as follows:  I "auditioned" leaves in a layout before individually inking them using a roller brayer and oil based red ink.  The leaves are then laid onto a smooth plate, ink face up, and Arches paper is laid over the leaves.  The "sandwich" of the plate, inked leaves, paper is then run through a printing press with felt blankets that squish the paper into the inked leaves.  The paper is lifted off, any leaves sticking to the paper are removed and I have my monoprint!   The overall print dimensions are approximately 22 inches by 30 inches high (56cm by 76cm high).

Above is an image showing a layout concept vs. the actual print. Notice many of the leaves I ended up using are "mirror images". The large leaf in the middle is over 9 inches long, so now I look for smaller leaves when collecting leaves to dry.

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree"

                                                -  Emily Bronte
_________________________________________________________________

"Autumn is a second spring
when every leaf is a flower" 

                                                -  Albert Camus

Image 8: Oak Leaf Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

(After starting this post, reflections in the photo made me need to re-photograph it.  And so to make it look better, because I never liked the soft white paper floating on white cardboard framing, I re-matted this print with red matt board - Blogging can improve your art! This image shows the original print on white, not as nice.  I re-purposed a resale shop picture frame, saving money and being green!)

 

 

Click on the images to see them enlarged.  Leave a comment if you have the time, they brighten my day!

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Autumn Wreath

Glass Maple Leaf

Pumpkin Pour

Halloween Hutch

Harvest Plates

Autumn Fun

Autumn Art P2

Kaleidscope P3

Autumn Art P4

Glass Flowers 2

I am linking up to these parties:
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Mostly blogging: Inspire me Mon 443 9a (Entry 21 of 101.)
Rachel Swirl: Sunday Snapshot (Entry 9 of 9.)
Good Random Fun: Good Fun Mon 4a (m Entry 31 of 45.)
*BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday 6a (s Entry 35 of 39.)
Loulougirls: Fabulous-party 500 Mon 1p (l Entry 15 of 55.)
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My Wee Abode: Tuesday Turn About (s Entry 19r of 136r.)         I was featured here!
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Stonecottageadventures: You're the star (l Entry 38 of 131.)
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Cottagemarket: A morning cup of Joe 164 (L Entry 41 of 67.)
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April Harris: Nov Hearth and Soul (Entry 126 of 211 monthly.)
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Interesting posts found:

Fall foliage prediction map
Bryce Canyon Utah
NYC marathon
WI parks