Santa Lucia Song and a Crafty Playmat Site

My daughter has been out of school for a good part of the past two weeks. She's had a nasty cold that's dragged on. She's finally on the recovery end, but now I've got the cold lodged in my throat and limbs. I need quiet space in order to think, and that is why I have not had much of a chance to blog or comment. However, I did record a simple version of the "Santa Lucia" song yesterday so that people could have it in time to celebrate on December 13 (I could hear the "fogginess" in my throat even then): Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy) Song. Here are two different Santa Lucia dolls I've made:





Since today is "Crafty Thursday", take a look at the needlefelted playscapes of Sage Dream Design. In addition to finished playscapes with swings, mushroom dwellings and the like, the website offers kits for people to make their own magical forests and meadows. I don't do much needlefelting, but I've been looking at a lot of playmats and nature table scenes for inspiration. My daughter's class auction project this year is going to be composed of four playmats (for four seasons) with figures and accessories. I wanted a project that could be large and impressive in terms of display but be easily packaged away when not in use. Projects from previous years like the circus and puppet-stage required household space that a lot of people simply do not have.