Some Holiday Cheer ~

I have made a few holiday ornaments, all for different reasons.

The first was for a swap in a polymer clay group I belong to -- our ornament swaps are so much fun!  The members look forward to this event all year!

This one went out to RuthAnne (because Santa said she'd been a very GOOD girl!):

 (Santa's beard is real goat hair, from Alaskan goats.   If Jay is still in business, you can find this at Arctic Fantasy.  Maybe I can find a link....)

The next one went to a friend of my dear friend Sprite, because a woman she volunteers with at her local animal shelter lost all her holiday decorations (well, she lost everything, I guess) in Hurricane Sandy.  Sprite asked me to make something for her friend.  Sprite has done so very much for me over the years; this was the least I could do in return.  I chose a kitty because of the good work they both do for homeless animals.  The models were two of my own cats, Leo and Cole.  It's more Cole's facial shape, but Leo's coloring; they are brothers.)

Last, but not least, is a commission -- a companion piece to one I did a couple of years ago.  I had done some generic House Elves, like the ones from Harry Potter, but not specific characters.  One of those went to a friend of my buddy Jean, as a Christmas present.  I was asked to do another one this year, because he needed a girl companion!  I had already begun one as Winky,  an actual character from the Harry Potter books, omitted from the movies.  With Jean's permission, I used that and continued it.  Winky is a rather sad House Elf, having been dismissed by her employer, Barty Crouch.  She was given clothes, as a sign of her disgrace, and she must wear them.  Dumbledore gives her and her friend Dobby jobs at the Hogwarts kitchens,  as they could never again find employment with other wizarding families. But Winky falls apart -- weeping uncontrollably, and getting drunk on butterbeer (which affects elves very strongly).   She's a pathetic little creature!    
  

                                                                     
                                                                           ... and ...

It was so much fun to make her little hat!  Her eyes, unlike most of the facial ornaments I make, are "store-bought".  I purchased some inexpensive ones that cannot be used for polymer clay, so this one is made with air-dry clay (no baking, no temps higher than room temperature).  Winky is not really a favorite character of mine, but I've gotten quite fond of this ornament!