Like most folks, these last couple of weeks have been really hectic for me. I didn't even manage to send out Christmas cards this year, *sigh*, so sorry I did that. However I think I have redeemed myself with the latest art project completed! I wanted to make something different for my nieces and nephews this year. I normally take the easy way out and just get gift cards to WalMart or Target, which for the most part I did this year again. However, I decided to present the cards in a gift of their own, a "gift within a gift" if you will.
The idea came to me to make small paper decorated cowboy boot sleeves with a themed card that fit inside. I made three pair that I put up for sale in my Etsy shop but did not sell. Again, *sigh* (oh well, there's always next year!). So I decided, why not make a larger size that a regular gift card could slip inside? And, why not decorate it with a small painting of an individuals likes? And the gift card boots were on their way to being created!
So the next step was to discretely find out what each of my nieces and nephews enjoyed and then create a representative painting. Luckily, through the help of my sisters they directed me to what I should look for. My oldest nephew enjoys fishing, the other nephew enjoys dragons (which I remembered from his wedding theme), two nieces enjoy wine and one niece enjoys cooking. With this info, I went to a few websites I use for reference pictures and was able to find suitable photos to use. I was a little stuck for the cooking reference, so I used a collage of different photos to come up with a "cooking" theme. I hope my niece "gets" it and doesn't think I'm the strange old aunt! And here are the results:
Each boot shank is large enough to slip in a regular size gift card with a small envelope. I hope they keep these boots as a keepsake. I am going to tell them that if they just want the gift card and not the boot, I'll take the boot back! (I put a lot of effort into these). I also personalized each boot on the back with their name and the year. But these guys are all old enough to be appreciative of a family member's efforts just for them. It was fun and good artistic exercise for me, creating miniature paintings in still life, fantasy and realistic styles.
Today is the busiest day of the month for me but I never forget why Christmas day is here for us no matter how tired or busy I get. Hallelujah, He is born!
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