While in Slovakia six or more years ago, I was attracted to the painted eggs. I brought home several and would have brought home more if I had been more confident I was going to get them home in one piece.
I have tried my hadn at simple eggs. I haven’t worked up the gumption yet to do the complex geometric patters of the central and eastern European eggs.
This is the egg I painted last year. There is a different scene on the front and back. The two images are incongruous, but it was a first attempt.
I made two designs this year. The first is of Santa in his sleigh. The second is the magi walking toward Bethlehem. It’s been fun. Perhaps next year, I’ll try my hand at more intersting designs.
The “diorama” below was inspired by something (overpriced) I saw in a catalog. I used O- or S-guage railway figures I bought unpainted in a bag in the Choo Choo Barne in Strassbourg, PA. The window was made from a simple, white picture frame on which I applied individual bricks cut from picture matting. The molding on top was from a doll house store. This year, I added the wreaths and the garland to decorate it for Christmas.
I have purchased lights and other odds and ends. For next year, I’m going to make a retro department store front with four windows and a fancy door. The windows will have moving displays like major stores from the 50’s. I’m starting with some surplus Lemax kits from Michaels to get the motors. It should be an interesting conversation piece at Christmas next year.
