December 2008~ Yule
Greetings of the season everyone! This is such a glorious time of year. I love the magical spirit all around and decorating to create festive space. Time is going so fast I can hardly believe it! I hope your holiday festivities are well under way.
There are lots of fun things going on at this time of year. I love NYC at Yule and the Hudson River Valley has some great old mansions that offer candlelight tours. I love the old architecture and the way they decorate them for the holidays. The Met Museum of Art's Medieval collection, the Cloisters, also does spectacular Yule decorating in the old manner and I love it at this time of year! It has always had the most amazing distant energy. You can feel many spirits of the past within its walls.
I am really pleased with the way my vintage copper cookie press works! I started the baking here recently and I always use my beloved Auntie Barb's Cream Cheese cookie recipe which is the BEST and I'll share it with you here (I don't think Auntie Barb will mind!)
Auntie Barb's Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
1/2 c shortening (or 1 stick of butter)
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c sifted all purpose flour
Cream shortening, cream cheese and sugar well.
Beat in vanilla
Gradually blend in flour
Fill Mirro (or other) cookie press & form cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes
Cool thing about this recipe is that it is made in small batches so you can do each entire batch in whatever color you want by adding traditional or gel food coloring. I think I have done 7 batches of this recipe so far.
I went back to a large tree again this year, 7 1/2 ft, but still kept it unique in the form of a very sparse spindle bristle tree which I have filled with the antique doll parts and other oddities with this year's addition being antique glass ornaments, the kind with the indents and fabulous shapes. The more chipped up and aged the better. I also, for the first time, have used traditional tinsel which I was never able to use while my cats were alive as tinsel is very dangerous with cats around as they like to eat it and it can actually kill them! It looks fabulous and I am thrilled with it. My cousin Donna also sent me some beautiful vintage ornaments she had for it.
The Jinx Proof Dia de los Muertos Grand Re-opening party was great! I was over there early to help Denise clean, make cheese, veg & fruit platters and set up. The caterers brought in amazing Mexican food including 2 kinds of quesadillas, empanadas, Mexican quiche and both carnivore and vegtarian chilis. The place looks beautiful and the turnout was great. The weather was perfect that day, too. I am wishing my Jinx Boyz all the success and business they can handle. They deserve it!!
Completely inspired by the Santa Muerte altar Denise put together for the Re-Opening, I decided to create a large permanent altar at home. The type of altar I chose is an Ancestor Boveda (literally "vault") which is a tribute to one's deceased realtives and mine combines aspects of Catholic Mysticism, Wicca and Santeria all of which, combined, comprise my belief system. I have just finished my last lesson in Santeria with Sabrina of Our Lady of Enchantment and will soon be taking my final. I should have done a permanent altar a long time ago rather than the small portable altar I've been using for years. This altar imparts such magical protective energy to the house and I am enjoying it immensely. I'm lucky enough to have some ethnic enclaves around me and thus access to many wonderful Botanicas which I love, my favorites being Botanica San Santiago and Botanica San Lazaro. Denise told me about a good one in Newark. Maybe I can get Skeetie to bring me over there one day and we can hit a good Portuguese restaurant while down there!
Last month on my birthday my dear friend Eric Newman gave me an incredible gift of ink. It was a superb sugar skull totally designed and drawn by him. It was the most amazing gift and I love him for it. He's such a great friend and an amazing artist. He really made my birthday wonderful. Ox, Denise, Jay & Vinny made the day great too and made me laugh alot. I am always thankful when friends are there for you when you need them most. I love you all!
Most of the leaves have now fallen off the trees and the Earth is preparing for Winter's Sleep. Since I hate the cold weather, this is the best time for me to concentrate on studio work. I have been working on this year's Yule card and hopefully those will be finished and printed up shortly. I love doing the cards each year. Sometimes collage, sometimes photo. Last year I used one of John Rizzuto's photos from the photo session we did for his book on tattooed women in NJ. By the way, that book "T & A: Tattoos and Attitude" is still available as well as many other beautiful prints and books at his web site Old School Galleries and they make BEAUTIFUL gifts!!
Tis the season not only for baking but for sharing good food with family and friends. Nothing warms the home more than the stove going and the aroma of food cooking filling the house. The Winter is the time for comfort foods like soups, stews and chili and I've got a new stainless slow cooker that is perfect for all of these. If you have people around you that love good food it makes it all the more fun!
Having the large screen and the theater system makes watching flicks more fun especially in Winter when we are stuck in the house more. I got a good quality kettle popper and discovered a merchant on Ebay that carries theater kernals, butter, salt & oil so theater grade popcorn is the bomb here in the Woodland! There's nothing like theater popcorn. I love the old Yule flicks like a Christmas Carol (the Alistair Sim version) and White Christmas. I also love Bad Santa!!
Now is the time to help the unfortunates of our society both human and animal. I hope you are all remembering to visit the Animal Rescue Site where you can click daily for free and sponsors will donate food for shelter animals. This is SUCH an important cause and such an easy thing for us to do each day! The charity art auction for the homeless held at Back to the Grind Coffee House was a great success, Bree tells me, and I was happy to be able to donate works to the show. I thank all of you that attended and hope you had a great time and walked away with some wonderful art!
You know, the Holidaze are FAST approaching and if you are behind in your shopping, keep Tinker's Witch Crafts in mind! There are MANY unique things in all price ranges for those on your list that are hard to buy for. How about a Tattoo assemblage for the Ink Master on your list? Or an Atomic Fez that matches your (or your gift recipient's) personality? There is also the Cafe Press shop where you can get the Tink original collage "Our Lady of the Sideshow" on any number of giftable products.
I know the economy is bad. Artists feel it hard as people tend to spend only on what they really need, not luxuries like art. We're hurting these days and it's sales that inspire me to create new things. Let's hope the Democrats turn it all around for us and SOON. But I know it will take a few years to feel any improvement. We have to hang in there. This Winter I will delve back into the Art Doll scene as I really want to get back to my TWC roots and make some more photo transfer dolls.
This month's tune is We Three Kings by the Reverend Horton Heat and you can find this and many other WICKED holiday tunes on the Psychobilly Christmas CD.
My very favorite book of this season is Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. I have a red cloth bound version of the book that is a facimile of the original edition and read it EVERY year at this time.
"It is required of every man," the ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and, if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death."
God Bless us EVERYONE
Have a most joyous and magical holiday with the ones you love most.
A most Blessed Yule, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, SEASON! Love you all ~
Tink
Tinker's Web Item Pick for December:
Tink's Atomic Fez Factory
~
If at any time you wish to be removed from the mailing list or need to change your address just drop me a line!
Your wish is my command!
~
Please visit Prior TWC News Letters.
{ November 2008 }
{ October 2008 }
{ Septmeber 2008 }
{ August 2008 }
{ July 2008 }
{ June 2008 }
{ May 2008 }
{ April 2008 }
{ March 2008 }
{ February 2008 }
If you do not see navigation buttons to your left,
please click here to be directed to the beginning of my site.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
