Laume's Studio

A Magical Yule Swap

I'm not a big swap joiner but I've joined Kari's Sweet and Sinister Swap two years running now and had a lot of fun creating a box of treasures for my partner. I was thinking of joining another swap for the upcoming winter holidays and I realized I knew exactly what kind of swap I wanted to join and since I couldn't find it amongst my fellow bloggers, I decided to hostess the swap myself. I hope even just a few of you will want to join in and create something magical.

Although I celebrate Christmas in a culturally secular way, the heart of the winter holidays for me is Yule. The celebration of the return of the sun on the winter solstice, the promise that the darkness and cold of this time of year always gives way to the warmth and green of another spring.



But in this case, I'm using the words Yule and Magic in the fantastical fairy tale sense, a place where faeries decorate the forest with glittery frost and rainbow colored orbs of light.



Gnomes gather round the hearth on a cold dark night with tiny mugs of ale and tell tales of ancient treasures.


Elves (not Santa's elves, I mean the woodland kind) throw a winter party, singing and dancing with brownies and sprites, squirrels and owls, and the occasional magical teddy bear.



Witches decorate the Yule tree with the help of a green willow wand and brew up fragrant pots of spiced cider. Even dragons might get into the act, helping to light the Yule log with a small snort of flame.



You'd think it would be easier to find some photos of all the amazing swap ideas I have filling my head, but alas, I haven't actually made any of them yet. I'm imagining a shimmering snow faerie doll. A wee elven house set in a diorama of snow and ice. A wall hanging of elves dancing 'round a Yule tree. A witch's Yule Ball - maybe some Hogwarts alumni will show up? A red capped gnome wife baking holiday cookies.

What can you imagine in this land where all the magical creatures of the world - even the humans! - have joined together to push away the darkest month of the year?

Here are the mundane details - sign up through the first week of November. I'll assign each of you a Yule partner and the two of you can swap information that might be helpful to guide each other in personalizing your gift. Make your partner one magical doll, vignette, painting, decoration, wall hanging or whatever magical object you can imagine. Your idea might indeed be one beautiful object. Possibly it might be a small set of things. I'm sure you'll be walking along a snowy path or a foggy winter forest trail wondering what to make when something small will flash by, faster than you can see it, and suddenly, through a golden haze of faerie dust, you'll know exactly the perfect gift to make! To give you a helpful parameter, think of something that would cost about $25 if you saw it waiting for you in a shop of wonders. Of course you are encouraged to use your stash of ribbons and glue, fabric, paper mache, stones, paint, glitter, inspiration, elbow grease, (and even your magic wand if you've got one of those) to whip something up for only the cost of love and time and postage. Feel free to toss in a few glittery gumdrops or mossy acorns as well if you are so inclined (swappers tend to be on the enthusiastic side), but know that just the one gift is required and to be expected. Deadline to mail your package - December 1st - to assure time during the busy holiday mailing season for your package to arrive before December 21st.

Sign up by leaving your name and e-mail here in the comments of this post.

P.S. I can't find an image I like for the swap button. Which of the images above do you like best? Or do you have an even more magical image to share?