I was assigned to make a vlog for our Christmas Parol Making Contest. It was an honor to be given such task. I didn’t expect that waste materials like egg shells, soda bottles, used cds, paper clips, dried husks and many more can be recycled by artistically putting them together to produce such a beautifully crafted star lantern. I was truly amazed by the creativity of our team. My contribution to the team is to make this video which I hope will do justice to our beautiful star lantern.

THE VLOG

 If you do like my video don’t forget to subscribe my YouTube channel https://youtube.com/c/chasingpotatoes THANK YOU SO MUCH! 

I’m sharing this blog also because, who knows, this may be useful, as this may give you inspiration in making Christmas star lanterns or other Christmas decors. Christmas is fast approaching and you may want to brighten your office or home with Christmas decors. So, here now, I’m sharing this economical way to make Christmas decors. You may reuse or recycle things which have been discarded or considered as waste and which can be seen just around the corner. With a slice of creativity and effort, for sure, you will have a festive array of Christmas designs and decors.

Anyway, here are all the entries from the different divisions in my workplace. Can you guess which parol won?

1.

Look at those bulbs of garlic. How cute and how precisely patterned after the real garlic they are! Actually they are made of cotton and paper. By observing their output I could say that they made paper mache out of many pieces of paper and formed the carabao and Santa Claus. I admire their creativity and originality. They really deserve to get the FIRST PRIZE.

2.

In this Christmas parol, egg shells, peanut shells, corn husks, cotton balls and sea shells were the materials used for the entire lantern except for the Belen in the center where styrofoam was used. Look how neatly they combined the materials to come up with a beautiful parol. I think, the concept that they want to convey is White Christmas.

3.

This entry got the third prize. I loved the way they recycled straws into flowers and leaves. The use of dried leaves for the most part of the star lantern was also nice.

4.

You may wonder why farm products and livestocks are projected in the designs of the lanterns. It’s because we work in DA which stands for Department of Agriculture. So, it’s not surprising to see those fascinatingly cute chickens and pigs. hehe! 😂

5.

For me, this is the most colorful entry. I love how plastic bottles were shaped into beautiful flowers and how cardboard sprinkled with silver or gold dust turned into stars and butterflies.

6.

This Christmas parol looks simple but when its light is turned on, it resembles an expensive lantern for sale in big stores. Very well made.

7.

Despite the limited time, the makers of this star lantern completed this lovely work of art. Look at the tail designs. I find them cute, hehe! 🙂

8.

9.

Lastly, our Christmas parol… The bees are my favorite. They are so endearing to look at. Knowing that their bodies are made of yarn, their wings of paper clips and their eyes of thumb tacks, makes one admire them for they become more aesthetically winsome. Our star lantern got the second prize. Yey! Just watch the vlog on how we made this star lantern. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt8S0kT1WY8&t=33s

This blog is not my usual entry but it hits me differently. I’m sharing it because the activity gave me a lot of serotonin that boosted my happy hormones to the full. I was thrilled, excited and ecstatic for being a part of making this Christmas parol and also for doing something that entailed creativity. For you see, in the past days, I was sad and crestfallen and oftentimes triggered with anxiety maybe because of too much caffeine intake, huhuhu! It seemed that sadness was trapped in me and dominated my being. _{(I should probably stop taking caffeine, hahaha, lol, noooo!!!)} But this parol making contest made a diversion from the negativities in me. And much more that now that Christmas is in the air, I should and ought to feel differently.

How about you? Have you started decorating your home for Christmas? Tell me about your story. I would love to hear from you . Please connect thru my FB page and Instagram. Join me in my adventure and misadventure. Let’s chase those potatoes.

_{Those naughty potatoes roll so fast that I could hardly catch up with them in SOMEWHERE OUT THERE. I wonder what place will they be venturing next. So stay tuned for my next chasing potatoes adventure.}

Thanks for reading my blog and watching my vlog. Stay safe and take care.

Please remember

 Please remember that the virus may be lurking nearby. Always think of your safety and of the safety of others.

Always do these:

• Wear your facemask.
• Keep your safe distance.
• Wash hands regularly.
• Avoid mass gatherings and large crowds.

Let us not be complacent. Let us follow the health protocols.“Better safe than sorry.”

P.S. I put a lot of effort in taking these photos and I placed hidden watermarks in all of them, so please don't download them freely without asking permission. If you want to feature my photos without watermark, just message me.