2025 Limited Edition Christmas Angel Ornaments

2025 Christmas Angels are here!

I am super honored to have been chosen for the Directory of Traditional American Crafts again this year (the 18th consecutive!). I love what I do and pour my heart and soul into each and every piece. In a world full of AI and machined everything, it is so important that we keep the Heritage trades and crafts alive so that the knowledge and skills will not be lost.

I usually put out an heirloom embroidered ornament kit for Christmas, but a few years ago I got sick, and it was too much work for me at the time, so I made a painted ornament. It has become a tradition now that I am happy to continue. What is unique and fun about my Christmas Angels is that each is inspired, or a painted version of an angel found on an extant 17th c embroidery. 

I am happy to tease that I will again have a special 2025 Embroidered Ornament coming out in November, and this year's angels are available in my ETSY shop!

Each is designed and hand made by me from maple, then hand painted, one at a time! There is NO die or laser cutting here.....no decals! Me, my saws, sandpaper, paint and brushes, that it. 

Once the ornament itself is made, and I prep the wood, I draw on the designs with a steel tip nib and India ink. Yes. By hand. I only make a few, and each year is a different design. I have made 20 ornaments for this year, and I have been working on them since the first of September!

Each is hand-painted in black to resemble 17th-century blackwork, and then overpainted in gold mica. What I love about the overpaint is that from the front, one doesn't readily notice the shine, but when viewed at different angles, the design sparkles.

Each is signed and dated on the back and inscribed "Blessed Be". I thought it was fitting as this year's inspiration is the Annunciation angel on an embroidered mirror at the V&A Museum, depicting scenes from the Life of Christ, as seen below. 

If you would like to see the entire mirror, you can follow the link

here