November (and a little bit into December) is book month at Whipup.net
The Art-Full Tree; ornaments to make. Jan Gilliam and Christina Westenberger. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2011.
If your thoughts are turning to decorating your tree this year, you might like to have a look at The Art-Full Tree, which is inspired by objects in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.
The book begins with a quick history of the museum, that was started by Abby Aldrich Rockerfeller who started collecting and exhibiting folk art in the 1920’s, at a time when common crafts and amateur arts were not highly valued. She left her collection to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and this collection forms the core of the current Folk Art Museum in Willamsburg, Virginia.
The museum has had a long and treasured tradition of decorating a holiday tree every year with ornaments made by staff, volunteers and guests of the museum. Some of these ornaments are inspired by items in the collection, and others are based on the skills of each contributor.
The Art-Full Tree presents 33 ornament projects that have been inspired by some of the most popular items in the museum collection. The book is an interesting combination of museum catalogue, inspiration notebook, project instructions and stitch guide and template sections.
Each project features the original artwork, with a short history of the item and some information on the artist or style of art. There is a very detailed materials list, and step by step instructions and photographs on making each ornament.
There is a wide range of crafting techniques used in the creation of the ornament projects, including needlepoint, paper craft, punch needle embroidery, foil work, metal punching, painting and collage. My favourite ornaments are Recycled-Card star (inspired by a compass design quilt), Scherenscnitte Birds (inspired by a cutwork picture), and Aluminium Butterfly (inspired by a metal weathervane).
I really like the process of taking a formal artwork in a formal setting, that is meaningful to the people around it, and appropriating all or part of the work to inspire the creation of anther objet, in this case tree ornaments. I feel that readers of The Art-Full Tree will be inspired to look around them, in their local museums, public spaces, or around their own treasured and meaningful objects, and to create ornaments for their own family trees that are small and perfect reminders of things that they love.
To win a copy of The Art-Full Tree, please leave a comment on this review. The comments will be open for 72 hours, and a winner will be selected at random. Good luck! Congratulations to Becky!
About the reviewer: Kate is a busy mother of four with many craft projects on the go, including, but not limited to, crochet, knitting, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She also has a very very patient and tolerant husband.
DISCLOSURE: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation PROVIDED WHIPUP.NET REVIEWER KATE WITH A FREE REVIEW COPY.
{ 78 comments… read them below or add one }
fun! I have been saving some ornament ideas for Christmas to pinterest, hoping to make some this year!
I started working on a beaded flower ornament last night. Working my way up to a tree topper. I went to Colonial Williamsburg at Christmas with my dad when I was 11. The wreaths on the houses were amazing too.
This looks like a very interesting and useful book!
I love how this book includes information about the collection and the artwork that inspired each ornament! Seeing how the art is translated into an ornament would help me to come up with my own creations. I love the photo above with the aluminum butterflies incorporated into gift wrapping. I’m not sure that I have time to pull of something like that this year (plus I have a pile of gift wrap I have to whittle down), but it’s definitely something I can do for next year.
This sounds like a great book. I’ve been gradually making decorations for our tree over the last few years (as well as buying some) and I always get really excited to rediscover the random assortment of goodies when we put the tree up each December.
Wow I think I need this book, last year was the first year we had a tree, I’d love to make some decorations and need to be inspired!
that book looks full of inspiration!
I love the Folk Art Museum, and the book sounds lovely.
I love the idea of handmade decorations! I’m slowly but surely working our annual Christmas tree into something more personal, not just the boxed ornaments we bought from Target.
Lovely! I already see several that I would love to make!
The book looks wonderful!
Wow, my museum studies class just finished up a lecture on Colonial Williamsburg! Didn’t learn they had a folk museum there, but we were mostly concerned with the absurd term “authentic reproduction,” and that whole angle.
With all the ornaments I make, this might go a long way towards (slightly) rehabilitating Williamsburg in my mind!
My museum nerd and craft geek sides both want to get there hands on this book. Thanks for letting know about it.
Wow, some of those look just darling. I love making ornaments. My tree is entirely decorated in hand made ornaments each year.
Oh, I think I’m ready to start making Christmas ornaments!
LooKs like a beautiful book with great ideas! Love those aluminum butterflies!
It looks like a wonderful book, and making ornaments for our tree that represent the town my children have grown up in will make wonderful keepsakes that I can pass down to them in the future for their own trees!
Gorgeous book! Lots of great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
It looks like a very inspiring book!
Beautiful ornaments! Thanks for having a giveaway, and there’s time to make some ornaments before Christmas.
Very cool book! Love the museum and this looks great!
This looks like a great book to add to my collection. Thanks for sharing.
I would love to win this! The book looks beautiful, and I’ve been really into making Christmas ornaments, both to give and to keep. Thanks for the chance to win!
I make ornaments as gifts for my family each year and have been looking to branch out from felt and origami. Those aluminum butterflies sound delightful. Thanks for the chance to win.
What a great idea for a book! I would love to whip up some homemade ornaments to go with the handmade ornaments that we inherited from my grandparents.
This looks like such a fun book! I love homemade ornaments.
I came here looking for ornament ideas for a handmade ornament swap in a few weeks. I’d love to win this book!
I love homemade ornaments and it would be great to have a different set of things to do other than small pieces of cross-stitch and knitting.
Thank you for a chance to win this lovely book! Christmas is my favorite time of year and I try to make at least one new ornament for my tree every year.
The book looks great! Want it!
My husband and I spent our very short honeymoon at Williamsburg almost 30 years ago. We didn’t have much money so the one keepsake we bought was a Christmas ornament.
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this beautiful book.
My sister is a crafter and Williamsburg fan. This would make such a wonderful gift for her! I am pretty sure she would share too….
I want to start a tradition of handmade ornaments. This sounds like a good start to it.
I just joined an ornament swap so this would be a perfect start to my holiday crafting!
What a beautiful book! If I don’t win it I’ll definitely have to buy it!
I love the idea of making ornaments with my children for all of us to cherish over the years. What a great book!
Beautiful works :-)
This book looks wonderful! I made some paper ornaments last year and loved it.
My family makes new ornaments every year, so I’d love some new ideas.
Inspiring description. Immediately, I was imagining my favorite pieces exhibited in the collection of the PMA. Looking forward to seeing this book and making a visit to Virginia to see the collection in person…..some day.
Thank you for the review.
What a great book! We decided this year to make all our Christmas presents and the kids have got right into it and we are already about half way through our list. This book review has given me another idea – we should start making some ornaments for the tree too. The kids would love that.
Thank you for the giveaway. We make two new ornaments each year to add to the tree. So this book would be handy.
I was looking for inspiring hand made ways to come up with our ornaments this year this would be great from my whole family to come together and have our creative ideas contribute to our tree this year !
Thank you for sharing information about this lovely book – it looks amazing!
ET
Love handmade ornaments for my tree. I have saved all of the ones my daughter and I have made over the years and we always make some each year. This book looks like it is full of great ideas!
this looks like a perfect gift for a dear friend!!
It looks like a great book full of crafty inspiration!
The aluminium butterflies are so beautiful! I make tree decorations for the teachers in our life each year and this book looks full of lovely and unique ideas.
this book looks beautiful!
it looks like a beautiful book, and i love that it covers a wide variety of techniques and historical styles.
What a book!!! Love what you shared from it with us. I would love to win this prize. Thanks.
Looks great! I’ve done the Freshly Blended Holiday Ornament Swap for the last 4 years, this would be great for ideas!
What a great book. I have been thinking about making ornaments with my kids and this would be the perfect book!
Thanks for the chance.
That is such a lovely looking book!
While I don’t generally bother with a tree (not generally a decorating person, and the cat likes the direction Up!), I adore making and giving ornaments to friends who do. This looks like a fantastic book :)
I would love a copy so I can make these with my girls.
Thank you so much for letting us know about this book. I definitely want a copy!
The book sounds lovely! I still plan (someday!) to cover my Christmas tree in a gazillion crocheted snowflakes that I’ve made.
I hope I am not too late. What a great book!!!
Over the years, our commercial ornaments have been replaced by those handmade by either family or friends. Each with a memory – what a great way to celebrate with friends and family that cannot be with us over the holidays.
What a fun family tradition this would be! I’d love a copy of this book!
How awesome! I was just thinking that ornaments might be the order of the day for handmade Christmas gifts this year
Those paper cut birds are beautiful! What a wonderful idea for a book. I’m really hoping you’ll pick me. Thanks for the giveaway!
I love Williamsburg! You could join me with 80 fourth graders on Friday!!!
I love handmade ornaments and I would sure love to have this book!
Oh, I would love to win this!
I’m always looking for new Christmas decoration inspiration, and Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite places! Thanks for the giveaway.
I am always looking for new ornament ideas for my students to make! This would be a great tool to expand what my students are creating!
Would love to win, thanks for the chance!
I grew up making Christmas ornaments. It was a family tradition! I’m hoping to pass it on to my kids some day and this book would be such an inspiration!
What a great new tradition to start with my kiddos – handmade ornaments.
Out of necessity, my earliest tree was was covered with hand made ornaments. These were made by three generations of my family. With the arrival of the next generation of my family, I started the kids on their own personal Christmas collection, building on it every year.
The necessity of hand making these family momentous is a thing of the past. However, the desire to make hand crafted treasures lives on into the present and the future. This book appears to be a good road map in that direction.
I have made ornaments over the years, and friends have given me handmade ornaments. I love them because they bring happy memories to mind, and add something special to the tree.
Oh, ornament making is one of my favorite things!
Ooh, that looks like a great book! I love handmade ornaments!
Love it! Can’t wait to get a peek inside this book. Christmas at Williamsburg is truly magical.
I would love to win this book.
Thank you for the great giveaway.
Adorable! And you are very brave little ones with peenanrmt markers [] Reply:December 11th, 2009 at 12:34 pmLOL. Actually, we did most of the coloring with paint shirts on, then I realized I hadn’t gotten any pictures of the kids coloring. So, I briefly gave them a marker to color one more ornament so I could snap a shot. So you see, I’m not really THAT brave. []