How the Happy Birthday downloads came to be
If I were to select just one symbol for each month of the year, which ones would best match which month? If someone were to look at my calendar book, could they tell which month it was by these symbols? Of course my experience of seasons is in the Northern Hemisphere, so I realize everyone south of the Equator does not have the same experience of weather and seasons. I played around with some ideas from journal writings, my own feelings about the months, and came up with how each one has its own personality. The Gaelic calendar year starts in Na Samhain (November). What happens in November? Cold weather; the trees lose their leaves pretty much. The moon is clear in the crisp autumn air, life is slowing down. So November became a leafless tree in front of the full moon. na Noliag (December) Winter begins. Snowflakes were the best fit to go along where the cold, long nights take over. Eanair (January) starts the new year as most of us know it. What better symbol than a beautiful star to represent the dark month.
Symbols for each month is hand drawn and colored with one and two strands of embroidery thread in two analogous colors (next to each other on the color wheel). These then harmonize with the colors of each month next to them.
Febhar (February) is the month of love and hearts everywhere. But the month is usually very pink and red and that did not fit with the rainbow I was creating. Oh, well. I didn’t want Autumn to be pink. Marta (March) has the most iconic holiday of St. Patrick’s Day when everyone is Irish for a day so that became a shamrock. A Blue one. Oh, well. 😀 And so on, and so, some of the Irish in me came out as a pretty, little handmade book. The entire year then makes a complete rainbow gradation.
I used regular cardstock paper and bound it by hand, sewing it to oilcloth as an accordion book. I made two books. One I kept and one was swapped at Puget Sound Book Artists; make a book, get a book. It went to a lovely person with a matching shirt. 😀
The first installation of this now enormous project “Winter Series” is ready for purchase here: December Birthday Digital Assets for your own projects. Small trees and moons, stars, and snowflakes feature in the background of each. I will continue to work on January assets in time for your projects. To Be Continued…