HOMDA Christmas Party

We had a wonderful time at our Annual HOMDA (Heart of Michigan Decorative Artists) Christmas Party on December 9th. It was attended by 29 members and guests. We had a lovely brunch served by Chef Teri Faulkner of Lansing and we had a great gift exchange and fantastic raffle. Members of the Christmas Party Committee worked very hard to make this a memorable occasion by painting a charger plate for every attendee and there were snowmen centerpieces as door prizes.

You can see the place settings were loved by everyone! The chargers were painted blue with a Christmas Tree in the center and a snowman on either side of the tree. Wooden lightbulbs, painted red, blue, yellow, lavender, green, and orange, were attached to the rim of the plates which had pine branches tipped with snow painted around the edge.

The handpainted centerpieces were taken home by seven lucky attendees! They were made of muslin, covered with gesso, then painted to match the chargers. The base of the snowmen had pine branches decorated with red, blue, yellow, and green lightbulbs and garland. The arms of the snowmen were made with floral wire wrapped with brown floral tape. Miniature lightbulbs on string was draped across the arms of the snowmen and cardinals were attached to their arms of hats. The faces on the snowmen were handpainted and their noses were made of fimo clay. Scarves were made of fleece and their hats were made of either flannel or fleece. They were each about 14" tall.

New officers were installed at the end of the event. Our new Board of Directors includes me as President, Jackie Ferris as Vice President and Program Chair, Sandy Young as 2nd Vice President and Special Events Chair, Becky Hilbert as 3rd Vice President and Membership Chair. HOMDA is a subsidiary of the SDP (Society of Decorative Painters) which is a National Organization. SDP has groups in just about every state and many countries overseas. They hold a National Convention every year in which they host reknown teachers, classes, special events, and a wonderful Marketplace where you can purchase items for painting. If you are interested in finding out more, click here.