12 Days of Christmas Day 10

“On the tenth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me-

10 lords a’leaping…”

Ray Kampf, Neatorama

Well, probably not those kind of 

Leaping Lords…

Since this children’s rhyming game was popular around 1780, the Lords probably looked more like this -

Dribble, Pinterest

If you want to use this game (put to music in 1906) as something to help you remember Biblical events, places and people, then the 10 Lords stand for the 10 Commandments,

given to Moses by God and told in the Old Testament part of the Bible.

Lori Siebert - Courtney Davis

Just please don’t perpetuate the myth that this was the true meaning of the rhymes, as it clearly is not.

That would be like taking the 

‘Do re me’ song from The Sound of Music 

and giving each sound a religious 

meaning!

Personally, I have always liked frogs as representing the 10 Lords leaping.

By fabulous author and artist Sandra Boynton

Lords leaping brings such fun images to my imagination!

This one reminds me of the chimney sweeps in 

‘Mary Poppins’

Jane Ray, gillianmcclure.blogspot.com

I think 3 of them have fallen off the roof…

No, wait, they are just hiding on the next page!

         Let’s have some crafty fun with these fancy dancing fellows.

Suncatcher Studio

This is a great pattern to cut from paper and make ornaments for your tree, or package decorations.

Tip:

Use a small hole punch in the small areas.

You can then fit the tip of your small scissors inside the hole and snip out the area.

Let’s learn how to draw a frog!

pilllpat (agence eureka), Flickr

Next I have a great coloring page,

and a simple line drawing you can fill in with doodles (Zentangles) -

Edupics

Mom Junction

Here are a couple of beaded frogs -

Attica, Pinterest

Tiffani Cartier

I found many free beaded frog patterns on Pinterest if you would like to make a whole army of frogs!

(No, not military. Army is what a group of frogs are called).

Webshots; ScreenSavers

Here is one version of how to make an origami frog. There are a couple out there and depending on how you fold your frog, you can make it jump!

sweet trees, uploaded on Pinterest by Julie Samplawska

Frogs not your thing?

That’s okay! Here is a Leaping Lord coloring page for you -

S. John Davey, 1993

Oops!

12 leaping lords?!?

Yep. There are a few versions of 12 days of Christmas. Here in America we usually stick with the 1906 musical version (and order) that Frederic Austin wrote (published 1909). So, I’m sticking with 10 Lords a’leaping.

Stampscoinsnotes.com

Here are some charming beaded people that could easily be lords -

By curious, Pinterest

Again, I found several versions on Pinterest.

Well, that concludes our tenth day of presents.

Next up -

11 Pipers piping!

Til next time,

inkspired

Angie McLane Crossin 

12 Days of Christmas Day 5

‘On the fifth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me -

5 golden rings’

Ann Shen

I’ve had the hardest time with this day because we’re talking here about, well, gold rings.

They are gold.

They are in the shape of rings.

Bo—-ring.

Linda Lee Johnson

Even these have at least little diamonds!

‘On the fifth day of Christmas 

my true love gave to me…

5 gold rings with little diamonds!’

Okay, doesn’t really have the same kind of rhyming, does it?

When people try to add religious meanings 

to this children’s game,

they like to attribute 5 gold rings to mean

The Pentateuch, or The Torah.

(That is simply the first 5 books 

in the Bible.)

You can certainly do that if you wish, just please don’t insist that the original had any hidden meanings to it.

Yes, many ‘nursery rhymes’ DO have

Hidden meanings, usually a slur about the current

 political situation, kings/queens, etc.

But not all, and this seems to be the case with this one.

Just a fun forfeit game played as a parlor pastime.

Dar Ann uploaded to Pinterest

I like the way artist Sandra Boynton interprets this verse -

These next 5 gold rings 

are my kind of rings -

THE FRANCOFLY uploaded onto Pinterest

Oh yeah!

I suppose if they were big enough you could do this with 5 gold rings -

Or

You could make some paper chains out of gold paper

($1 store is great for wrapping paper)

Or

You could make or buy some ‘gold rings’ that are a bit bigger, like these -

I Heart Naptime posted on Pinterest

Or

You could embroider some, 

like these done in traditional redwork -

Sewterific.com

(and no, that’s not a typo, I double checked!)

Feel like cutting something instead?

This is a nice pattern for an X-Acto blade or scrollsaw -

Sun catcher Studio

You can also make your own paper rings using Origami. Here is just one example of many different styles I found online-

Fumiaki Shingu drew this one.

I guess I did find some rings that were not the traditional ones after all!

Hope you had fun with me today!

Next up -

“6 geese a’laying”

But what does that mean?….

‘Til next time,

inkspired

12 days of Christmas Day 2

 Two turtle doves…

African Ring-Neck Doves

Photo credit: J. Washington

‘On the second day of Christmas

My true love gave to me -

Two turtles doves…’

Painting by Kerri Kimbriel

Doves have been mentioned in literature since ancient times. King Hezekiah talks of them in early Judean literature. King Solomon and King David wrote poetry in the Old Testament that included comparisons with doves.

Courtesy stampscoinsnotes.com

Doves were used as sacrificial offerings 

because they were considered pure.

Shakespeare even featured a turtle dove in his poem ‘The Phoenix and the Turtle’.

It wasn’t a reptile he was referring to,

but a turtle dove!

Courtesy Monjuri Jannat

So what is the history of this favorite Christmas-time song?

For sale on Etsy

I was surprised after doing some research.

I had always heard that it was a song to help children remember Catholic catechism during a time of Catholic persecution in England.

Partridge in a pear tree stood for 

Jesus on the cross,

2 turtle doves stood for 

the Old and New Testaments,

Etc.

By NVillustration on DeviantArt

Wrong!

Let’s think about it.

Protestant and Catholic believe in many similar theologies.

They both believe in:

1) Jesus on the cross

2) Old and New Testaments

3) Faith, hope & love

4) Apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke & John

5) the Torah or the Pentateuch

(first 5 books of the Old Testament)

Etc.

Why make a hidden meaning rhyme?

Courtesy: Not On The High Street

Let’s enjoy it for what it most likely started out as -

A children’s ‘Memory-and-Forfeit’ game.

This game was played in 1800’s England.

Everyone sits in a circle.

The first person starts with up to 3 verses.

The next child repeats the 3 and adds 1 more.

Each person recites the verses before and adds one more, until someone forfeits-

(Messes up a verse!).

Then it’s either give a kiss

or give a piece of candy!

Here are some fun things to do with two turtle doves -

Doodle away inside this simple line drawing and create a masterpiece!

Thomaslefever, Pinterest

Here’s another one:

GZ blog

Why not trace it onto a piece of clear plastic, like the front of ornament boxes.

Then glue on squares of colored tissue paper. Punch a hole in the top

and hang in a window.

Pretty!

Here’s a cute cookie idea:

By Little Wonderland, Pinterest

Like to play with felt? Here you go!

From Etsy

Let’s take a few drawing lessons:

Courtesy HOWTODRAWFORKIDS.COM

Courtesy ActivityVillage.co.uk

Turtle Doves have many symbolic meanings. Just a few are love,

friendship, loyalty, loving kindness,

fidelity and trust.

Let’s make some origami doves

and give one to someone who has one of the above characteristics.

Courtesy tavinsorigami.com

If those directions are too confusing, just type in ‘dove origami’ into your search engine and there are many similar instructions out there.

Courtesy PheeMcFaddell.com

That’s all for now!

‘Til next time,

inkspired

In addition to the last blog’s credits,

here are a few more sites I checked out:

ChristianityToday.org

Coleswildbird.org

Operationturtledove.org

there be frogs a'jumpin.....

Bueno!
Today, I see frogs.....
    I see frogs jumpin'......
        I see green frogs jumpin'.....

Ghost Glass Frog

It must be a frog jumpin' day!



c. 1916

I like the graphics that go with this little poem!

Just a note here - you never see Great Danes in silly costumes like these,

right?

Ah, a day at the pond...

Checkin' out the chicks....

Prince Azim, Disney's The Princess and the Frog

Singin' a few froggy songs....

c. 1896

Playin' hide & seek....

 artwork can be found at web site to right

Splashin' each other....

and playin' froggy games....

and hidin' out from the bull frogs

(they're bullies you know)....

Some frogs like to sketch self portraits,

over at the edge of the pond....

and some just like to soak up the sun,

      and the humidity,

                and the green.....

 Hyloscirtus_colymba_Jaramillo, almost extinct 

Pristimantis_moro_Jaramillo 

There's always one who's grouchy,

no matter what....

and one who's just a big mouth.......

http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Mouthed-Frog-POP-UP-BOOK/dp/B0002TX4YI/ref=sr_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305333770&sr=1-19

Some frogs are fashion-istas.....

and some get into home decor....

http://www.justtoocute.com/

www.prettylittlethings.etsy.com

www.bellinsfamilygifts.com

http://www.chinawholesalegift.com/

recycled bottlecap magnet:  http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

Background is from "Tuesday" by David Wiesner

http://www.amazon.com/Tuesday-David-Wiesner/dp/0395870828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305334266&sr=8-1

If you don't have this book.....you should!

But mostly,

Frogs just are.

Hope you have a frog jumpin' day!

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com

http://www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com/

http://www.myinkspired.com/

lemur leaf frog, found in Panama