Getting Ready for The Firebird Festival

December 12th is the Phoenxville Firebird Festival, one of my favorite events of the year. I had an idea this year to have a workshop for kids to make a lantern for the Festival. I contacted the Children's Librarian at the Phoenixville Public Library and am delighted that they are going to host the workshop from 10 to 4 on the Saturday December 5th, a week before the Festival.

Each year several artists are invited to set up an Arts Bazaar outside, in the midst of all the action, and I'm so honored to be one of them, for the past four years. Festival activities include dancers, a parade, storytellers and other entertainers, giant bird puppets flowing though the air, music galore, etc! The evening culminates with the burning of the gigantic wooden bird that is being built by volunteers as I write.

It is absolutely breathtaking to watch this gigantic bird burning in the night. There is nothing quite like it. To see flames like that, in the shape of a giant bird is really a wow wee experience. Witnessing something burn is a usually a complete tragedy, but in this case, it's beautiful, intentional destruction. This festival attracts thousands of people who stand there screaming, shouting and wowing while it burns......

I traditionally offer Phoenix wands for sale for the kids. I made about a thousand of them a few years back and have about 250 left. I drew and colored the bird image, printed tons of them on card stock, cut them out, and hot glued a chubby craft stick, with the words "Let your light shine" stamped on them, to each bird. Then I tied silky yarn and tinsel on the sticks. I sell them for a dollar each, a lovely inexpensive bird wand to wave around.......The wings are folded in such a way that they flap back and forth.

I also just cranked out a dozen recycled can candles......using decorative papers and the same phoenix image. These candles are made of soy and are triple scented with vanilla oil. Each one will burn for about 80 hours! I actually bought the candles, in the cans a few years ago....knowing that if I tried to make candles I'd burn something, myself or the house down, or all three.

I also designed some beautiful silk stuffed birds and will probably make a couple of dozen of them. I love designing things, and it was very fun figuring out a good way to make the birds, then designed a wire hanger, and great packaging......I'll take a picture of my prototype and post it next. I just got a live tree from the grocery store to hang them on. It came covered with hideous velveteen ribbons, but once they came off the tree is perfect. And after the Festival we can plant it somewhere.

But before doing much more, there's a regional La Leche League conference happening next Saturday about five minutes from my house, and the WrapADoodle inventory is really low .....so off to the sewing machine I go. Sewing on and sewing forth.....

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