Keeping the baby...throwing out the bathwater

Charlotte over at Waltzing Matilda has pointed out a few things about the Fling Wide the Doors! Advent Calendar in her posting, um...about that advent calendar.

I agree with all Charlotte's thoughts completely and I don't mean Rosa Parks (God bless and reward her for such courage!) and all the ladies from El Salvador, the massacre at Wounded Knee ARE bathwater, it is figurative speech for the fact I am not looking for those sort of issues that are more political in nature in an Advent Calendar BUT not to give up on the calendar as it is excellent. Also, in my part of the world these issues are relatively unknown. As to Adam and Eve's sans clothes, that is just very disappointing.

If you have the calendar or are still wishing to buy one (which I still encourage you to do) please drop by and read Charlotte's posting - then come back and I'll show you what I'm doing about it.

....back? Great!

Firstly I cut with a stanley knife some of the 'tissue paper' that lines the inside of the calendar that the images are printed on, this is a spot where I could get the size I needed..

Then I decided that St Edmund Campion and St Bibiana would be perfect as our replacements - in Australia we have a wonderful new Catholic university called Campion College in Sydney and many Catholic schools are named after him so a perfect choice for me...and then St Bibiana, I LOVE her connection to herbs. You might want to use the same saints or maybe there is another theme or saint you would use? For anyone who wants to change, I'd love to see other postings with their endeavours!

So I sketched up their images... the great thing is, this is a easy style of artwork, where the 'perfect look' is not the aim, it's stylized and fairly easy.

I couldn't find a smudge-proof blackliner, so it is just pencil lines that have been coloured over with coloured pens.

I glued it into the back on the double window, all done! For next year, I'll write up something for those two saints to go in the Fling Wide the Doors! booklet.

Ok, poor Adam and Eve needed some figs.....I used some of the same tissue paper, laid it over their figures, traced their outline where the clothing would need to go and then drew the figs inside the outline and coloured it green, all done!

Here is the new window for the 29th (was Massacre at Wounded Knee) but since it is the feast of King David of the Old Testament, I've just added a simple Star of David and crown.

Anyone wanting to replace their windows and don't want to draw something original, you are welcome to save my photo and print and trace from it. Also Charlotte has some images that can be printed as well. (Though you might find this is a great art project for one of your children that they would love!)