Marsha, who writes the blog, Marsha’s Musings, recently hosted an ornament exchange for bloggers. I thought it might be fun to join the party … and it was! I had the privilege of trading ornaments with Pat, owner of Pat Carlson Miniatures.
I wanted to send Pat an ornament that had some link to East Tennessee where I live, so I decided her ornament would be made of carved wood, a popular craft in the Appalachians. Pat, who lives in sunny Florida, told me she likes snowmen. This is the ornament I gave her …
In exchange, Pat sent me this beautiful miniature book ornament … handmade by her! She said she chose The Night Before Christmas because she has such wonderful memories of Christmas Eves spent listening to the story.
It’s an incredible work of art, and I wondered how it was that Pat learned to make such a tiny masterpiece. In Pat’s own words, here’s her story …
Once upon a time … many years ago in other words … my husband bought me a dollhouse kit. One of the rooms in the dollhouse was to be a library, so I needed books – LOTS of books! Wanting my dollhouse to be as authentic as possible, I wanted REAL books, but I found it very difficult to purchase real books in miniature, so I decided to make my own. After much research, trial and error, cussing and stomping, gallons of printer ink and reams of paper, I finally achieved my goal of making real miniature books.The books I make are hardbound using traditional sewn and glued binding methods. The pages are single pages printed on both sides in clear, readable text, and are in some cases illustrated.
Pat’s miniature books have been featured in magazines as well as on the Martha Stewart Living show! Her books (and other miniatures) are available in her Etsy shop. Wouldn’t they make an incredibly unique Christmas gift for someone who loves miniatures? Here’s the link: Pat’s Etsy shop
To see ALL of the ornaments that were exchanged, stop by Marsha’s blog for a peek!
Thank you again, Pat, for such a beautiful treasure for my Christmas tree! And thank you, Marsha, for hosting the 2010 Ornament Exchange!
And thank you to YOU for stopping by today! May your own special holiday memories be rekindled as you deck the halls this holiday season.
Your ornaments are so precious!
Hope you have a very happy holiday season. Merry Christmas!
WOW, I love the vintage look of those. soooo pretty Ÿ
You both gave very thoughtful and creative ornaments. I enjoyed reading about how and why you chose her ornament. Merry Christmas!
I’m really enjoying looking at all the peoples blogs, that were involved in the exchange and seeing what Ornaments they sent and received.
What a fun event! I would have loved this! Great ornaments!
Coming back later to read more.
xoxoxoxo
Sheila