Birds for The Firebird Festival!

Gearing up for the Artisans Bazaar at the Phoenixville Firebird Festival. This final week beforehand, I'm in the process of cranking out bird wands!

If you would like to march in the parade with the flock of birds that we made at the workshop, and you don't have one, you can stop by my booth and get one! Then go join the flock across the street from The Children's Plaza by 7:25 on Saturday Dec. 10th. The birds will be ceremoniously welcomed into the parade as it passes by on the way to the bird site.

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Firebird Wand Making was Fantastic

Firebird Wand Making was great and I can't wait to see them at the Festival..

 I think these three kids were brother and sisters. Their firebirds look kind of related too.

Here's a mother daughter showing off their wands.

It was wonderful to see adults making them too.

I colored all day for two days and made many wands,

which will be available for purchase at the ArtyPantz booth in the Arts Bazaar.

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Handmade Paper Song Birds

I've been so busy making all kinds of bird items for the Arts Bazaar at the Phoenixville Firebird Festival, and some other local craft shows. Here is a picture of the paper birds I'm cranking out today...!

These paper song birds are so pretty, and the tail fans out! Can't find my camera as usual, but scanned this one in........made special envelopes for them too.

In addition to the Firebird Festival.....

ArtyPantz will have a booth at Camphill's Christmas Cafe on Nov. 27th

This ever-popular Christmas Cafe´ will be held November 27, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Please join us for unique holiday shopping opportunities, refreshments, and a chance to meet old and new friends! 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Blue Room at Karl Koenig Schoolhouse at Beaver Run.

Also coming up is a Holiday Soiree at the Center on Central on December 9th. This will be an evening of buying crafts, making crafts and socializing.......

I love to make things and this is just a sneak preview of some of what will be available at these various venues....as soon as I find that camera more pictures will appear.

Before the Arts Bazaar, ArtyPantz will be at the Farmers Market the morning of the Firebird Festival December 11th with a booth and a free kids activity.....probably something to do with fire and birds.

Families! Make sure to reserve Friday or Saturday December3rd and 4th to come and  make Firebird Puppets/Wands at the Phoenixville Libray, either day, anytime between 9:30 and 4:30. Go to the Firebird website for more info about this and other events.

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Starting to Get Ready for the Firebird Festival

The Phoenixville Firebird Festival is coming up on December 11th 

and this year I'll be conducting a special family workshop for ages 3 through adult

at the Phoenixville Public Library for people to

come and make Firebird Puppet Wands.

Come to the Library on Friday December 3rd or Saturday December 4th

 anytime from 9:30 to 4:30. It takes about a half hour to make one bird.

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Last Post This Year on the Firebird Festival

The Firebird Festival was fantastic. The Fire Dept estimated about 5,000 people gathered to watch the bird burn. It was cold but not as cold as years past. It was a crisp and clear night and everyone was happy.

It was so good to see kids walking around carrying the lanterns they made the week beforehand. Unfortunately, The Children's Procession of Light didn't really materialize as envisioned, because it was nearly impossible to round the kids up for the parade. We were to meet in front of the theater at a certain time but not many managed to show up.

The parade itself was kind of strange in that there didn't really seem to BE a parade. Suddenly the bird puppets took off and some of us went with them.......I heard later that we went at the wrong time. Oh well, next year it will be better, now that we are experienced.

The Artisans Bazaar was fantastic and people bought up all birds from the ArtyPantz booth in a period of about one hour, so that was wonderful. In fact planning to make more birds and offer them for sale at www.artypantz.com. Stay tuned for that. Some people who own an art gallery bought one, and asked me to contact them so they could sell them in their gallery. Ho hum. I bought up a bunch of fabric yesterday to make birdies galore.

All in all, the Firebird Festival is a fabulous example of what community art is all about. I can't wait for next year!

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Pictures from the Lantern Making Workshop

I meant to take lots of pictures at the Lantern Making Workshop but once we got into it, we became so completely engrossed in the activity, and forgot all about the camera. But these are two pictures taken right in the beginning of it all! Imagine this times six tablefuls, all day long! What a messy fun day it was. :)

Just realizing that in addition to needing a secretary, personal assistant, and a personal fitness trainer, a photographer would be fantastic too.

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Finishing the Balloon Lanterns

The Lantern Making Workshop at the library was fantastic. We had about 100 kids and parents make lanterns for the Children's Procession of Light at the parade for the Firebird Festival. For those of you who made them, if you have any questions please email me at artistvo@artypantz.com and I will respond pronto.

What a wonderful group of people. It was a blast, and then to top off the excitement, it started to snow. We watched the flakes through the windows as we made lanterns from 10 to 4:30. I was on my feet for the entire day and didn't even notice it.

Of course I actually charged the batteries in my camera and took it with me, and managed to shoot a couple of pictures right in the beginning and then forgot I had it. Now I can't find it to upload the pictures that were taken.......Shoot! Cameras and I are like oil and water.

Anyway, each lantern was placed into a plastic bag to take home and hang to dry. Here is one drying. The knot of the balloon went easily onto a hook that was already there in a window. The ones that went home from the library had a piece of raffia tied to them to hang.

Once the lantern is dry, and I mean completely dry, then pop the balloon with a pin. It will make a POP! noise then a loud and wierd sucking sound as it shrivels up, like the melting of the wicked witch of the west in the Wizard of Oz on fast forward.

The sides of the lantern may suck in too, but not to worry. Once you take the shriveled balloon out you can just put your hand in and smooth the lantern back to shape.

Then punch holes in either side and tie the raffia handle on, toss in a battery operated votive candle, and you're ready to roll. Please come to the Colonial Theater at 7:15 on the night of the Festival, with your lantern to meet for the parade.......!

If the weather is iffy, check the Firebird Website for updates on whether or not it will be postponed till the next weather permitting evening.

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Lantern Making Workshop at Phoenixville Library

I'm excited about the Lantern Making Workshop!

The Lantern Making Workshop will be taking place on Saturday December 5th

at the Phoenixville Public Library on 2nd Avenue in Phoenixville.
Come anytime between 10 and 4 to make your lantern.
It takes about a half hour to make one,
then they'll be taken home and hung to dry...for about twenty four hours.
On Saturday evening, I'll post the directions for how to finish the lantern here on the blog.


Hope to see you at the library!

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Birds Birds Birds

Just came in from making a clay bird, that will go into the belly of the giant (30ft high) wooden phoenix which will be set on fire at 8:00 p.m. at the Firebird Festival December 12th in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Every year our fabulous local potter Lisa Muller gives workshops on how to make them. She takes about a hundred of them and wraps them in various color producing things such as banana peels, eggshells and other random items, then wraps them in tin foil and places them inside the Phoenix. People come back the following day to pick up their bird out of the smoldering ashes. Here is a picture of some of the birds from last year.


The Firebird Festival is always a fun event, and this year I had an idea to have kids make paper lanterns and march in the annual parade along with musicians and giant bird puppets. The Children's Librarian at the Phoenixville Library is graciously allowing me to use their Community Room to conduct an ongoing workshop from 10 to 4 on the Saturday before the Festival, which is this coming Saturday, December 5th! The libary is located on 2nd Avenue in Phoenixville.

It takes about a half an hour to make a lantern. Then you take it home to dry. Once it's dry you add the handle and a battery operated votive candle. All materials are provided. A $5 donation is suggested to help cover the costs.

I hope to see you at the library!

In the meantime I've been making bird ornaments which will be for sale at the Artisans Bazaar on the night of the Firebird Festival. I just added more plumage for some extra va va voom.

This morning I sketched out an idea for a painting of a woman with phoenix wings that I'm going to try to paint/finish before the festival, and offer prints for sale there. If I get it done, the painting will be on display at the Artisans Cafe on Bridge Street in Phoenixville for the month of January, along with other Phoenix inspired artworks.



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Peace on Earth Birds for Firebird Festival

I designed these little birds to make and sell at the Phoenixville Firebird Festival this year. They're made with beautiful contrasting embroidered drapery fabrics, sewn together and stuffed. The tails are made of flat ribbon tied into pom poms. The eyes are tiny seed beads sewn on to both sides of the head. The hangers are made with wire, beads, and jewelry making tools. I recently took a class on how to make earrings and the wire bending techniques really came in handy for this project.

The first picture shows a bunch of them in gift bags, made from bigger gift bags. Peace on earth was stamped on pretty paper and glued onto the side of the bag. The sparkly nesting material is a nice finishing touch! What a nice gift.......I'll make extras to give to special friends and family....

I bought a live tree with wispy branches to hang the birds on, out of the bags. There will be some birds underneath the tree in the bags.....That will make a lovely presentation.

Hope everyone can make it to the Firebird Festival on December 21st. Every year it just gets better....

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