Olive, a Primitive Christmas Angel with Peace & Stillness in Her Arms.

This little charmer is Olive. I’ve created Olive for a special Christmas challenge posed by the eBay artist group, Prim & Whimsy Girls. The theme for this challenge is “A Caroling We Go’. (To see more pieces created for this challenge, search PWGL CHRISTMAS on eBay through Nov. 8th.) This little lady was inspired by the Christmas carol “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”, originally a poem by Edmund Sears. Though this poem first appeared in print in 1849, its call for peace & stillness is just as relevant today. Olive was inspired by these words.

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet seen of old,
When with the ever-encircling years
Shall come the time foretold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Olive is 16″ tall. She has been made of muslin & stuffed with fiberfill. Olive has been painted & sanded many times, giving her a lovely, aged patina. She has been sealed with a combination of matte & glossy sealers so that she may be beautifully preserved. Olive is made for standing. She has no legs. Her base has been weighted. Olive’s arms are lightly wired allowing them to be gently posed.

Olive’s face has been painted with a variety of media. Her nose, bottom lip & tiny fingers have been needle-sculpted by hand.

Olive’s skirt is made of soft handkerchief linen. Her top skirt is made of slightly sheer cotton voile. Both skirts feature swarovski crystals at the hemline for a touch of sparkle. There are 10 swarovski crystals, in total, on Olive’s dress. Her blouse has been made of muslin & features two dark grey mother of pearl buttons at the neckline & hand gathered sleeves. She sports grey painted gloves. All visible hems have been hand-stitched, as has the back of Olive’s blouse. All clothing has been treated to a coffee bath for a slightly aged & grungy appearance. It was then hand-washed & pressed.

Olive carries upon her arms two doves. Each dove has been made from three separate pieces & features hand-quilted wings.  They have been painted, sanded & aged & are wired to Olive’s arms with rusty wire.

Olive’s wings are 11″ from tip to tip. They’ve been made of muslin & are machine quilted. They’ve been painted & sanded & aged a couple of times & have been dusted with vintage-style glass glitter. Olive’s wings are attached to her back with several strands of heavy duty button thread & a gorgeous, vintage mother of pearl button.

Olive’s hair is brown mohair. It is styled loosely to the sides. Olive wears a halo of dried sweet annie.

Olive will be available on Ebay at 9:15 PM EST. She will end Sunday, Nov. 9th at 9:15 PM EST. Click here to view or bid.