Given a busy schedule, production is behind, but I am determined to complete a few choice ornaments for this season. Today began constructive surgery on Santa's face. Tomorrow these will be completed with beards, glasses and hats, but for now, the face is an important step. I have already prepared my watchmaker's cases (Lee Valley Tools) with felt circles and a few layers of mustard seed, so the tools I need for today include tweezers, an accordion glue bottle with a fairly narrow needle, and lots of orange lentils. 
One by one, starting at the centre, the lentils are placed. It is important to picture two as eyes bumps and two as cheek bumps, minimizing gaps so that the face doesn't look too bizarre. My photo here is a little blurry (must locate my tripod), but you get the gist. Tiny glue dot for tiny lentil. The final step is the addition of a nose. For this, I use a knife to carefully cut a lentil in half, and it gets glued to the centre, slightly overlapping the eye bumps.Eight lentils x 9 ornaments later, voila! The many faces of santa!
This is a very brief post, I know, but hopefully this gives people an idea of how it all happens. I have two "new" ornaments to release to the public this year, though in very small quantity, and they are pictured below.
The less seasonal sheep in the grass.
A lump of coal set on a round, beveled mirror.All the coal was found on my family's property in Cobourg.
Very classy for a black & silver themed tree.
I will post again when the ornaments are complete. Until then, enjoy the beginnings of the holiday season!
