Showing posts with label pin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pin. Show all posts

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Shamrock bottle stoppers and other St. Patrick's Day gifts





It' s nearly time for our St. Patrick's day party! For many Americans, St. Patrick's day is Irish Mardi Gras. With their green beads, cat-in-the-hat hats, and the dreaded green beer. Not around here.

I prefer to think of it as Irish Thanksgiving. Our home will be filled with good friends, great music, and traditional Irish and Irish/American food, just like Grandma used to make. We'll serve colcannon, corned beef, ham, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, spicy potato soup, and enough soda bread to feed an army. There'll be vegan options for our vegan friends, and beer and whiskey for our drinking friends. Maybe even some whiskey punch.

I'm especially looking forward to playing my Grandpa's old records. From John MacCormack to the Clancy Bros & Tommy Makem, The Dubliners, the Irish Balladeers, and more, his music always reminds me of him. As the son of an Irish immigrant, St. Patrick's day was always my grandpa's favorite holiday.

Of course I'll add in my own music as well, adding the likes of Christy Moore, Planxty, and Pat Kane into the mix.

I've carved over twenty little giveaways, including harp-shaped pins, shamrocks, fridge magnets, and the pins and bottle stoppers seen here. I'm making some green spike trolls for the kids to find. I might have another idea or two, and would love to carve more gifts for our guests, but we'll have to see how the chips fly.

Friday, February 11, 2011

St. Patrick's Day party favors (part 2)



As you can see, some of these pins and fridge magnets are soaked in linseed oil while others are painted with acrylics. It's a nice break to carve these simple little items, plus I'm using up scrap wood from other projects. (and yet the clutter continues to build.) Next I'll add pin backs and glue on magnets.