The Santa Maker..........

  

 Well, it would be about now that I would be dressing the shop in holiday fare.  As I run my errands, I am

 reminded of the beautiful store windows and how festive everything is beginning to look.  Holiday home shows are starting to pop up, invitations are arriving in the mail and the festive season is truly upon us.  It was at one of these shows, many years ago, that I would have the pleasure of meeting Dee Gann.  She would come to be known in the Chicago area as the Santa Maker.  Her Santa's are a "one of a kind" and amazingly, she is never without a name for each one.  

This Santa is called Chef Claus......from his chefs hat and bright twinkling eyes to his lace trimmed chefs coat.............

Each one of these jolly ole fellas are made from her heart and soul with the end result reflecting the whimsical side of Christmas.  They are dressed in bits and pieces of vintage clothing, antique buttons, vintage laces and velvets, castoff pieces of mens' suiting, or maybe even a collar or a jacket made of Mink or Fox.  Vintage photos are stuck here and there and are often members of Dee's family

  

                    ANATOMY OF A DEE GANN SANTA...........his name, Ole Time Santa

                          His bright twinkling and happy face...................

  
                      Goodies ready to share in one arm.........Grandma's face hand sculptured by Dee

Another arm full of toys

                       Ole Santa has turned his back on us in his vintage red satin coat and hand knit
                                         red hood.....................

                  ........"he is dressed all in fur from his head to his foot"...............

 

Santa the Sailor Man

   

 

This Santa has been named Sweet Santa

Mr. S Claus

This santa has been named, Santa Delivers.............this is one of Dee's smaller santas.  He is only about 12-14 inches tall.

Women's waistcoats from the turn of the century,  are a favorite of Dee's, but they have become scarce. (if you happen to know of anyone who might know where to find them, I am sure she would love to know).  The toys, miniatures of all that could be possibly stuffed into Santa's pack, will always find their place. One thing that will always catch your fancy, is that "twinkle in their eyes".  Each Santa face has been carefully sculptured, left to dry and then painted.  It is at this time that they begin to come to life.  Their expressions are unlike any other Santa I have ever seen.

If you are interested in purchasing a Santa or wish to chat with Dee about a custom Santa, you can go to her website: http://www.deegannsantas.com/.  She couldn't be more wonderful.......and I feel so lucky to call her my friend.  You can also find her Santas represented at Scentimental Gardens, Geneva, Illinois          


*To Note:  If you wish to leave a comment and the comment box has disappeared again,  scroll down to the white bar following this post and run your mouse across the bar until you see comments pop up....click it and it will go to a comment box.  I would love to know that you have stopped by.  M.A.