Sustainable Christmas decorations made from clover mesh!
Christmas is always an important holiday for me – almost like a personal Thanksgiving. A year draws to a close with all its events, encounters, decisions, and already ushers in a new opportunity: a new year with new possibilities.
This includes contact with people who are important to me, as well as a special external setting in which advent calendars and gifts are conceived and designed, and where music is heard, baking is done, and decorating takes place.
I don't find this atmosphere in the Christmas decoration shelves, which have been full for weeks, and I am increasingly dismayed by how many of these items are made from plastics and non-separable material mixes, come from very far away, are encased in a lot of packaging material, and yet are so cheap that the unpleasant question arises as to who in the production and supply chain could have made any profit at all. I do not find satisfaction or peace with these impersonal things, their production conditions, and disposal options.
On the contrary, it becomes clear to me: my favorite Christmas decorations are those that I have received personally as gifts or discovered myself, for example, from artisans whose work I can directly see and appreciate.
Appreciation
should be reflected in the decorations – towards those whom the decorations accompany and delight, towards those who designed and crafted the decorations, and also towards the materials from which they are made.
How these Christmas decorations came to be:
In the summer, I discovered a handful of old baking molds. I found them so timeless and beautiful with their simple shapes and traditional motifs that they are now being repurposed in the development and production of these Christmas decorations.
Regarding the paper maché idea: here craftsmanship meets sustainable material and local production. I am a wood sculptor and designer in crafts, and I enjoy working with malleable materials like clay and wax. Here I chose paper maché, which provides the necessary strength and requires little energy in production. The old, "vintage" baking molds are cast using this material.
Paper maché (also papier-mâché) has been used in historical toys and everyday objects.
It is a material that is easy to produce, malleable, and can be refined in many ways through sanding and painting after drying. Most recipes are based on the use of paper and wood fibers.
This can also be more sustainable: already in earlier centuries, there were attempts to use grass in paper production to compensate for shortages (e.g., regarding wood material or rags).
Today, grass paper finds its way into our everyday lives in the form of packaging, writing paper, and envelopes.
This is "clover maché":
developed from old paper maché recipes, about 30% clover grass* is used here (unfortunately, more is not possible, as the material's strength would then significantly decrease) and thus sustainably replaces wood fibers. Another main component is paper fibers from 100% recycled paper.
This saves a lot of water and energy.
All ingredients are vegan and come from Germany.
*) Clover grass (a mixture of clover and grasses) is primarily used in organic farming to naturally enrich the soil with nutrients. It is locally available, nourishes our soils, and grows quickly – unlike the trees that are felled for paper production. Additionally, four-leaf clover is occasionally found in clover grass – may it bring good luck...
Good for the tree – good for the forest!
The design of the clover maché pendants:
White – with the matte white natural chalk paint, it offers a simple, pure accent. It looks a bit like icing on Christmas cookies.
These pendants can also be designed by yourself: do it yourself!
This is a lovely little project over coffee or tea for yourself or with a nice person, for quality time with children or grandchildren.
Red – for me, it's an absolute must for Christmas: festive and cheering in the dark season. The delicate patterns on the back are subtle like delicate indigo print motifs.
White-blue – I really like it, as it reminds me of historical tile motifs by cozy hearths and of the timeless blue decor on "good china" for special occasions.
Thoughtfully Made Locally
Sustainable Christmas tree decorations – conceived and handcrafted in a small manufactory (Rauschgoldwerk, Osnabrück)
