Christkindlmarket 2014

'Tis the season.

In Chicago, that means it's time for the Chirstkindlmarket.  

Mimicking the large outdoor Christmas markets of Europe, vendors upon vendors line up in Daley Plaza, looking to sell their wares. 

There are booths filled with shiny ornaments, German food delicacies -not really anything for vegans :( - handcrafted cuckoo clocks from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), figurines, bath and body products and more.

The streets are lined with twinkling lights, 

…and evergreen decorations pop up everywhere. 

The little caramel-colored wood huts are super cute, complete with the bold stripe canopies.

Handmade confections line the shelves, and this stand was even making caramel candies in front of us, in large copper kettles.

German specialties, mostly gingerbread or lebkuchen, were the hot sellers. Other iced, decorated, sugar-topped and chocolate dunked types of cookies (kekse) were arranged in like colors and flavors.

Of course, there were enough chocolate (chokolade) Santas to feed all of Bavaria.

Tubs of colorful, foil-wrapped candies in contrasting colors shine bright, beckoning kids of all sorts to grab a few handfuls to take.

Ladybugs - strange yet cute.

Caramel and cheese corn are stacked high, displayed in the window giving the whole shop an orangey glow.

As you move past the Sweet Castle, you'll find rows of handmade ornaments. Here, precious and delicate glass creatures hang from floss like string, reflecting the sun through the colored glass and creating a dream-like aura. I liked the dragon dude the best. 

Slabs of santas hung a little precariously, especially considering of the infamous Chicago winds.

Little German flags line the stands, of course, adding a festive vibe.

Pretty handcut wooden ornaments line up in woven straw baskets, in various Christmasy shapes.

A manger meets the Menorah on the outskirts of Daley Plaza.

I loved this stand - even though these ornaments weren't shiny, the intricate patterns of the wood grain created an organic texture that I was diggin'.

The Ornament Haus - baubles galore in every color sparkled and glistened, creating a very holiday-like aura.

There were magentas, pinks and purples….

…silvers, champagnes and creams….

…ooh, and the infamous pickles.

Friendly psychedelic mushrooms reminded me of something from Alice in Wonderland.

I loved the feathers and elegant vibes of these bird ornaments.

Glitter drenched pinecones in every color and size were perhaps the most sparkly.

Dipped icicle spears are some of my favorites; a little edgy, yet certainly chic!

And there's more of the gingerbread! Around every corner. Frohe Weihnacht (Merry Christmas) was the common saying.

And the big tree - I captured it in bokeh. 

In the other Ornament Haus, (yes, there were many) featured these groovy mini Bug ornaments - super hippie. Love.

This was a cool idea; layer wire-wrapped glass ornaments on spiral white branches for a Winter Wonderland decoration. The contrasting lime and bright magenta here make for a modern palette.

There were a select few booths selling merchandise from outside Germany. Some had handcrafted woven sweaters from Nepal, ornaments from Poland and Canada, and more. This stand had super cool star paper lights. Totally gypsy/bohemian/star child = yes.

Alas! The cuckoo clocks. These are intense! All handcrafted from wood in the Black Forest. Boss.

Here's the Polish ornaments….

...and these curious little glass animals (less than 1" big!) from Canada. Which is your fav?

As we left Daley Plaza, we walked towards Macy's on State.

More Christmas cheer here, of course!

Ceilings like you'd see in Marrakech, right?

Umm… can I have this in my room?

The Walnut Room featured their annual decorated tree - this year, a very bubblegum pink scheme, with contrasting chrome decorations.

More bokeh, I love a dreamy vibe.

We walked back to the train, the adventure over.

One last photo that caught my eye; these grand golden doors, something that Midas would have touched. Kind of obsessed with the regality of these. Until next year!

Auf Wiedersehen!

All photos copyright Allison Beth Cooling - do NOT POST OR USE without linking to me and crediting me.

Cheap-o Pave Heart Necklaces- For Valentine's Day!

Want sparkle for Valentine's day, but don't have the cash?

No worries.

Make yourself a cheap-o diamond heart necklace out of clay and glitter.

Again, another fast and easy tutorial that doesn't take mad skills to complete.

Sparkles!!!

And you won't have to dish out $1000+ dollars for them.

Quick to make, these will become addictive. 

Maybe make them in other shapes if you are not into hearts (like me)....

Let's get started.

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are pliers, glitter, clay, a headpin and a chain.

I used a box chain because I think it sometimes looks fancier than regular chain.

Step 2: Pick out your color of glitter; make sure it's superfine glitter, not chunky.

Take a marble of clay; color-match the clay to the same color of the glitter. 

Some tips: add in little bits of color at a time, to slowly work to the color.

To make a color duller, add in some of the contrasting color, not black.

Your clay doesn't have to match exactly, but make it as close as you can.

Step 3: Take your marble of clay, and shape it into a little heart. It helps to flatten out the marble, then take a toothpick and press it right in the top, to create the two rounded pieces at top. Push your headpin right through the center. 

Take your glitter, and pour into a small cup or little dish. Gently rub the glitter onto your bead, pressing down to adhere the glitter to the surface of the clay. Press firmly but don't disfigure the bead.

You will want all the glitter to cover the surface of the bead; this is where the clay color comes into play; if some of the clay shows through, it will be unnoticeable if the colors match. If they are off by a lot, then it will be very noticeable. 

Step 4: Once all the glitter is rubbed in and covering the surface, go and bake your charm. I usually do like 125 degrees or less for 15 minutes in my

 toaster oven.

Step 4: Once the bead is baked and cooled, place back on the headpin (you could have baked with the headpin in as well if you wanted), cut and loop the wire. Attach to the chain.

You can also seal the bead with clear lacquer after baking if you want, to make sure any glitter doesn't rub off. It's recommended.

Pretty! Not real diamonds, but very sparkly and festive.

Make some in different colors for each outfit.

I made a hot pink one as well. 

I won't be wearing any of them, I'll give 'em away.

The box chain sparkles and looks a lot richer to me than other types of chain!

You could also use gold findings and chain if you like yellow gold better.

All images and text copyright Allison Beth Cooling. If you share/use/post this tutorial, please link back to me. 

It is much appreciated!