Holiday Onion Kits

The original Holiday Onion: December 2020

I created my first Holiday Onion in the beginning of the Covid pandemic, and it charmed my heart enough that I have decorated an onion every year since. (You can find my original Holiday Onion post here.) This year I decided to spread the joy by distributing Holiday Onion Kits. Most folks got a flat mailer, complete with instructions and decorations, and had to supply their own onion. A few recipients who live close enough to allow an easy hand-off got the full kit complete with onion.

"Maybe the best package I have ever received." - Cici, age 13 

The feedback has been enthusiastic and included requests to copy the materials and use the idea. I have always believed ideas are free, so I've decided to make it easier for Holiday Onion enthusiasts and post the how-to with links to PDFs of all graphics and copy. Enjoy!

Materials:

• Paper lunch bags

• Tissue paper for wrapping onion

• Decorations (Google "decorative paper fasteners" on Amazon for a range of options)

• Onions (Either make a complete kit and include onion, or mail kit and have recipient supply the onion)

The Gift Bag

Front of Bag (click to enlarge)

For printable PDF for front of bag, click here.

Back of Bag (click to enlarge)

For back of bag printable PDF click here.

The Ornaments

Ornament Packet

Ornament packet unwrapped reveals instructions

The ornaments

For a printable PDF of the ornament wrapper, click here.

click to enlarge

The ornaments are decorative paper fasteners. I just happened to have a bunch in my overflowing maker stash when Covid hit. I have discovered since that if you google "decorative paper fasteners" on Amazon you will have a variety of options to choose from. As shown here, you'll need about  13 - 15 ornaments per packet, depending on size of ornaments.

Mailing the Holiday Onion

Since it would be downright stupid (barring exceptional circumstances) to mail an onion, for mail recipients I created a mailing packet, sans onion, that slides into a mailing envelope. The recipients then supply the onion at their end. To help them comprehend what is going on, I have created an added "What the Hell is This?" sheet.

The mail version

For a printable PDF of the "What the Hell" insert, click here. 

click to enlarge

The End Goal

My dream is that, a century or two from now, people across the nation and the world will be decorating holiday onions each year without an entirely clear understanding as to why. The might have some vague idea that the tradition grew out of the great Covid pandemic of 2020-21, and that it has something to do with making do, being grateful, and the healing nature of tears. 

To this end, encourage your recipients to save their onion ornaments each year. I keep mine inside of an old caviar jar.

Ornament storage

Couture for the Reality Wars: Where Chaos Becomes Style

A Faux Fashion Line with a PR Pitch Created by AI

In a world where the boundaries of reality shift with every scroll, tap, and algorithmic nudge, fashion has found its ultimate muse: the breakdown of communication itself. We’re thrilled to unveil our bold new couture line, Asemic Elegance, a stunning fusion of art, rebellion, and commentary on the fractured state of modern discourse.

Hand-stitched embroidery on linen

This collection uses Asemic writing—marks that mimic language but carry no specific meaning—to craft garments that speak volumes without saying a word. Think flowing gowns adorned with swirling, glyph-like patterns, sharply tailored suits etched with cryptic loops, and accessories that turn symbols of confusion into dazzling statements. It’s a celebration of ambiguity, proving that even as meaning slips through our fingers, beauty remains undeniable.

The Designer wearing an Asemic scarf

Asemic Elegance isn’t just couture—it’s a movement. In an era of competing truths, echo chambers, and fragmented narratives, this line invites wearers to embrace the chaos and transform it into something powerful. The absence of fixed meaning in the designs mirrors the complexities of modern existence, encouraging conversation, curiosity, and creativity. Who decides what a symbol means? What stories do we create when language breaks down? With Asemic Elegance, the runway becomes a battleground of ideas, where every piece is a wearable manifesto for resilience and reinvention. So step into the swirl, and let your style speak the language of the future: one of infinite possibility.

The Original Instructions to Chat GPT Used to Create the PR Pitch

"Write a two paragraph blog post introducing a new line of couture designed for the reality wars. The design uses Asemic writing, marks that look like language but lack meaning, in response to the breakdown of communication as our realities fragment. The tone should be upbeat and enthusiastic."

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Postscript:

I became fascinated with Asemic writing  and proceeded to create this hand-stitched linen scarf using my own stabs at this challenging practice. When it came to writing the blog copy, I figured getting Chat GPT to come up with the PR pitch was appropriate given the musing that went on during stitch after stitch.

The Chatterbox: Brain Mapping

 

Materials: paper towels, linen, embroidery

How to capture the ongoing, incessant, inner workings of the brain? I think the trick is to catch it unawares. Happily, it turns out a habit I've indulged in for decades offered valuable clues.

A lifetime of random doodles

For decades I've been in the habit of always having a glass of diet ginger ale at hand, and to avoid condensation from the glass hitting my work table and oozing onto whatever I am working on, I always place a folded paper towel beneath the glass. This means I always have a handy scrap of paper to use for random doodles, phone or zoom recommendations from others, fleeting thoughts, and inspiration on the fly.

A pile of random thought processes

A few months ago it suddenly occurred to me that these meandering notes and doodles offered an uncensored peek at the subterranean level of my own thoughts, and I started saving them. Ultimately they became this piece - "The Chatterbox."

The Chatterbox framed - 24"x24"

Here are a few close-ups:

Traveling Stones

 

I have talked about my passion for stones before, including those featured in this interactive medicine cabinet installation. Now the medicine cabinet gallery has undergone a curatorial update and has expanded to become international in scope. Globe-trotting friends have scoured remote beaches and forests and brought back their prize funds to the gallery. Let the celebrations begin!

The medicine cabinet gallery

Upper shelves

Top shelf: domestic stones, chunks of tombstone from the Piedmont cemetery, and interesting little oddities found in the narrow crack between the sink and bathtub.

Second shelf: bottled emotions 

;

Lower shelves

Third shelf: our new international gallery featuring (from left to right) stones from northern Portugal; stones from the Algarve on the Mediterranean; a vial of small white and black stones collected on the beach at Sifnos, Greece; latente stones from Gambia.

Globe-trotting stones

Fourth shelf: user instructions for the rock exchange and an assortment of locally collected stones.

And finally we have the exhibit reader panel, an article I wrote decades ago which served as the original inspiration for the gallery.

Click on image to enlarge

Hopefully this visit to the updated Traveling Stones Gallery will inspire you to pick up a stone the next time you are out and about.

The School: Lessons from the plague years

 

Because I often work with found materials and what could frankly only be called garbage, it's not unusual for friends to give me bits and pieces they think I could use. About two months ago a friend handed me a cotton covid mask they'd purchased from a museum, saying, "I thought you could do something with this."

Their donation reminded me I still had an entire drawer in my dining room I had cleared out at the start of the pandemic and then used only for Covid masks and gloves — before the science evolved and we learned that cotton masks aren't terribly effective while cotton gloves were worse than useless.

I dumped the drawer out on my table and studied it during idle moments for a week or so.

The covid stash

Once the "ah-ha" moment occurred I started to papier-mâché.

Papier-mâché fish

And fish by fish, the covid school emerged.

The final result, installed in a corner of my living room:

The Paper Bag People: An Interactive Art Experiment

 Why is the effect so visually and cognitively intriguing and puzzling when a human puts a paper bag on their head? I have been intrigued by this for years, and point to the best existing example I can think of that always serves as an inspiration: the Mask Series by Inge Morath and Saul Steinberg (https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/art/inge-morath-saul-steinberg-masks/).

Inge Morath and Saul Steinberg

Steinberg's drawings on the paper bag masks turned what was probably already a pretty good Manhattan dinner party into a whimsical triumph.

But it turns out no drawing is necessary. The simple act of photographing someone with a bag on their head produces magical results and uncertain reactions, with no embellishment necessary. Here are a series of photos of family and friends that illustrate this point. Note that the "da"s were originally added to the photos as a nod to dadaism, but if you say them out loud as you scroll through the photos you will find yourself humming the tune of the Vienna Waltz.

Citroen Rally

The Dada Olympics

Sushi Tuesdays

The vivarium

Selfie

So why do we humans find seeing a fellow human with a paper bag on his or her head so intriguing? I turned the problem over to ChatGPT, asking it to write a one paragraph response. I believe AI has nailed it:

"Photographs of people with bags on their heads have a strange and intriguing appeal because they distort our perception of identity and individuality. By covering their faces, these images create a sense of anonymity and mystery, allowing viewers to project their own thoughts and emotions onto the subjects. It also adds an element of playfulness and absurdity, as the act of wearing a bag on one's head is often associated with whimsy and humor. The juxtaposition of this unconventional accessory with the human form creates a visually striking and thought-provoking image that challenges our preconceived notions of beauty and identity. Overall, these photographs captivate and captivate us with their enigmatic and distinctive aesthetic." - ChatGPT

It is your turn to reclaim your sense of play. If you are looking for a way to see the world or your fellow man in an altered light, grab a paperbag and have at it.