Holidays

First off... HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and all. I hope everyone had a lovely Holiday, and wish everyone blessings for the coming year :)

As you know, we've been on "break" for the past 2 weeks. 2 weeks... where DID the time go? Anyway, as everyone gets back into their normal routines... Michelle and the wee ones will fall into their school days, and Tim has headed back to work after 2 Heavenly weeks home, I find that I really need a break from my break! I'm sure many... perhaps MOST of you can understand that!

The plan is to stay in my jammies A LOT, get some projects organized, and do some serious strategic planning for the coming year. We have been working on our shop, but we are still undecided as to how to balance our online time with our real life projects. At least our lives are never boring!

I am off to drink my cup of coffee by the picture window that overlooks our wooded backyard. It is FINALLY snowing, the birds are busy partaking of the banquet we have set for them, and I will start this next week lingering a bit too long at the window, slowing down, counting my blessings, and making plans.

See you in a few days :)    

Back in early November, I had my idea for Bug's Christmas gift. He LOVES to draw, and I thought it was high time he had his own supplies. So, I got him a sketch book, a couple of "how to draw" books, and a nice set of pencils and erasers. 

I think he will really enjoy the drawing books. The first is The Boys' Guide to Drawing by Aaron Sautter. It has "aliens, warriors, robot and other cool stuff". The sketches get harder as you progress through the book. The other book is Drawing Dragons by Sandra Staple. It teaches you "how to create fantastic fire~breathing dragons" and such. This book is more complicated than the first, but the pictures are awe inspiring, and like the other book, the drawings become more complex as you make your way through the book. The Kohinoor Gioconda 24 Piewce Drawing Set includes pencils, erasers, chalk and charcoal. Lots to experiment with. And, of course, I included some Strathmore Drawing Paper.

Next, I needed something to put everything in. I thought of making him a messenger bag, but I must admit, I decided to buy one instead. I started looking at kid's bags but they were too small, and had designs on them that Bug would consider babyish. Finally, I hit some shops in town. The price tags were all very dear! Did I really want to spend $50.00 just on a bag? Then, I got lucky. I was in Aeropostale. I didn't see any bags, so I asked. The manager said there were a few in the back left over from a promotion. She brought out the bag, and it too was $50.00. (Must be the going rate for messenger bags this year :) As I was hemming and hawing, she did a price check, and it was reduced to $15.00! Well... YAY! So, I bought the bag.

It is really a cool bag. It has a distressed look about it, too. Just the kind of place to put all your treasured work. I did want to do SOMETHING to add a little panache and individualize it. I considered appliqueing something on it, than decided it would look more "grown up" to add a tag. After considering Bug's favorite things, I made a keychain to look like Kai, a Lego Ninjago. I also embroidered his initials on the back.

And here is the final result...

Although I think Bug will like his drawing supplies, I know he is going to LOVE Kai. Tomorrow I will share the pattern I made just in case you have a Ninjago lover in your life :)

I have been busy finishing up Christmas gifts for the wee ones. I thought I might spend some time this week sharing their gifts, plus a tutorial on the drawstring bags I made for the Little Lady and Pixie.

First off... every year I buy the grandbabies a piece to their 5" Fontanini Nativity Scene. For their first Christmas I get them the holy family. For their 10th Christmas (not there yet), I will get them the 3 Wisemen. In between, they get angels, barnyard animals, and various villagers. By the time they are 18, they will have beautiful Nativities to share with their own children some day. This year I bought Lady the Little Drummer Boy. It was her daddy's favorite piece in our set. Thought Drew would enjoy it :)

In the top photo is the rest of the Little Lady's gift. I started by making her a colorful drawstring bag. (I'll include the tutorial later this week.) I bought unfinished wooden eggs and cups. I watered down some soy paint, because I wanted a translucent look. When the paint dried, I worked in some of my beeswax and olive oil finish. It gave the wood a wonderful luster.

Little Lady just turned 1 in October. The size of these cups and eggs are perfect for pudgy little hands and pose no chock hazard! It is also a great first sorting and matching activity. Matching the egg to the cup is just right for a toddler.

Just think of all of the other uses she'll find for all these eggs. They will be perfect in her little wooden kitchen.

Then, I made a Flower Wand. I plan to make her several more styles for her over the year. I will be sharing this pattern with everyone in January.

Finally, I added the lovely book, Around the Year, by Tasha Tudor. Tasha has long been one of my favorite authors/illustrators of children's book. Her illustrations and stories are soft, gentle and kind. She also has a wonderful ability to share the wonders of nature with young and old alike.

Lady's gift is now ready to be wrapped and mailed. (Have I mentioned that Drew, Meghan and Little Lady will not be home this Christmas? It will be my first Christmas without one of my children. If you happen to hear muffled sobbing, you'll know where it's coming from!) Hope she'll love her gifts :)

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent. It seems that no matter how far away Christmas may seem throughout the year, those last 4 weeks fly by. Although I'm sure all of you know that we keep a pictorial gallery of our past crafts, it can be accessed by hitting to Freebie button at the top of the page or in the right column, I thought it would be fun to pull our Christmas Crafts to the front page. Yikes! I had no idea how long the list had become! Of course, these are just projects specifically for Christmas. For gift giving ideas, we would have to highlight everything in our galleries!

So, below is a list of Christmas projects, with direct links. There is still time to get many projects made... whether they are for the home or for gift giving. I was at JoAnn's late last night, getting some fabric to make a few more Easy Cotton Shawls. Judging by the line at the fabric cutting counter, LOTS and LOTS of people feel like they have plenty of time yet to craft :) Also, I've included a link to the Advent Celebration we used last year. Each week includes a book, craft, recipe and applique. So, take a few minutes, scroll down the page, and hopefully you'll find something that inspires you this holiday season. And make sure you visit our gallery for a plethora of other ideas.

And... visit our Recipe Page. There are some of our Christmas cookie recipes and many from our readers.

ADVENT CELEBRATION

Week 1 - Giving From the Heart

Week 2 - Symbols of Christmas

Week 3 - Celebrating With Family

Week 4 - Birth of Baby Jesus (Didn't get all our activities posted last year, perhaps this year!)

APPLIQUES

Advent Poinsettia

Primitive Angel

Cardinal

Holiday Log Cabin

Poinsettia

Christmas Tree

HOUSEHOLD

Advent Calendar

Mini Flower Stocking

Mini Star Stocking

Traditional Snowflakes

Poinsettia Garland

Star Advent Wreath and Candle Holders

Wool Roving Angel Ornaments

KIDS CRAFTING

Rolled Beeswax Candles

Rejoicing Angels Watercolor Painting

Gingerbread Men Garland

Stuffed Star Ornaments

Wet Felted Cookie Cutter Ornaments

Felted Wood and Ribbon Ornaments

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GNOMES AND DOLL HOUSE STUFF

Santa Gnome Peg

Christmas Holly Banner

Several weeks ago a reader asked me for a applique block for a cardinal. I finally got it done :) Although we have cardinals in our backyard year round, they look their loveliest in the winter world. Here, we have a male cardinal perched in a tree. I'm sure he has his eye on his mate which is always close by. BTW... although it is very hard to see in this photo, his eye is made up of 4 black seed beads. In person, the light makes his eyes twinkle, just like a real cardinal :)

Our cardinal was designed to fit a 6" x 6" block, but can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. The pattern for the cardinal can be found HERE. Enjoy!