Hello everyone, just when you thought you had finally gotten a little break from my writing, here I am again, hihi.
I was away for about two weeks or so. To be more precise, I did stop by a few times to reblog something and leave a comment two, but I did not have the time to actually write. That is why I tried to take plenty of photos, so that once I found some free time to write, I would have something to write about.
I was thinking about whether to share this in one of the DIY communities, but in the end I chose this one. Why? Well, because besides making something with my own hands, practically from scratch, I also made an effort to photograph it as well as possible. Not only did I capture the process step by step, but I also wanted each photo of every flower and rose to be interesting and high quality on its own.
So the time I spent photographing everything was probably equal to, if not even greater than, the time I invested in actually making it. That is why I believe these photos belong here, and I hope you will not mind or take a stand against me. 😁
A few days ago, more precisely on December 19, we celebrated our Serbian Orthodox Slava, Saint Nicholas. And you know how it is when something is being celebrated and dear guests are coming over. You need a few days for cleaning and tidying up the house, preparing food and all kinds of little delicious treats. I was in charge of some of the cleaning and when it came to food, my task was savory mini cakes and savory rolls for the appetizers. And guess what I started with first. Well, decorations, of course. 😄
I was thinking about using flowers that are still in bloom to decorate the candle, some winter roses, but I switched to something more creative and a bit more challenging. I had orange and yellow paper napkins, a few small white ones and one colorful from who knows when that had been left on its own, without a pair.
I can be creative sometimes, and when I say sometimes, I mean once or twice a year. xD And then I usually end up impressing myself and thinking, hey, I can actually do this, this did not turn out bad at all. But while I am in the middle of making something or drawing or painting, I think about crumpling everything up, throwing it away and giving up at least a hundred times. That is just how I am. Very often, those bursts of creativity get defeated by my self doubt.
This time it was not the case. I believe that had a lot to do with the purpose of the decoration itself. And since we are currently observing the Orthodox Christmas fast, I felt quite calm and happy while working on it, just as it should be. I slowly and carefully folded the napkins, then fastened them together with a stapler and cut them with scissors, until I got something that I had partially imagined at the beginning.
Then I realized it could be even better. I took some tempera paints and started coloring the edges of the paper roses and flowers. That was exactly what was missing to make them look as if they had just been freshly picked from the garden.
At one point, I did start to doubt a little how I would manage to connect everything into a meaningful and interesting group and how I would even attach them to the candle or the candlestick.
A needle and thread, yes! I first sewed the larger flowers onto a piece of fabric that I had saved from an old hair tie. Then I tried to stitch the smaller ones in between the bigger ones, placing some above, some below. I brought a few into the foreground and pushed others deeper to enrich the background and help the rest stand out. In any case, each one received its own representative place.
And here is how it all turned out. In the excitement of welcoming family, relatives, and guests, I forgot to take a photo while the candle was still intact, so I took the pictures yesterday, when it was already almost completely burned down. How do you like it, or should I ask do you like it at all? 😍
Along with that, there were sometimes orange and sometimes yellow napkins with little bows on the plates, and in the center of the table, alongside all the tasty and colorful food, both sweet and savory, we also placed a bowl full of mandarins to tie everything together and bring in even more color and a bit of “sunshine.” We served those as well, of course. Mandarins are just perfect for breaking up the somewhat heavy fasting food and making it easier on the stomach.
I am sending all of you lots of love, joy, health and a loooot of sunshine. Even if the weather where you are is like it is here right now, beautiful December winter days and we are all eagerly waiting for the first snowflakes, I am sending you sunny smiles and warm emotions. ❤️
