Hurrah, I got my Christmas wish…a photo with me and my kids. I do not have nearly enough of such shots and I am glad it occurred to me yesterday afternoon. I encourage everyone to do this SOMETIME during the holiday- do it!

Yes, my son is being quite odd. I figure that we are now entering an age of really bad photos of him- mostly goofing off and not really showing his sweet face and great freckles. AND, Penny is becoming her own willful little girl…but Ellie and I behaved!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and continue to feel blessings and peace.

I know I said I wouldn’t write until the new year, but had to give credit to this fabulous ornament idea.
These are so cute- of course Nathan(high school art teacher) had to add that I would be sent to the Dean’s office if I were to attempt any project like this due to the drug connotations…good thing I am way beyond high school and making them with my kids!


My head is spinning! How about yours?

I can now officially say that the workshop is closed. All my handmade items are complete and I feel really good with what I have accomplished. Like for so many, this time of year can be crazy and if you work in an industry that benefits from Christmas spending it’s even busier. I was able to juggle baking, cater parties, be a mother/wife, and playing Santa’s elf…this took a lot of strategizing and now I am ready to read a book, watch movies and do nothing…but I will have to wait until AFTER Christmas. That’s okay, like I said… I am done!

Oh, I do have planned some ornament making with the kids for family gifts, but this will be an event…something I am looking forward to and not fitting in at odd hours!

Okay, on to my gifts.

I made this suitcase for Ellie thinking she needs something when she spends the night at a friends. I loved making it and was completely inspired by this talent. Can I tell you how tricky it can be? Not easy and I have a new appreciation for those that can pull it off with no wrinkling and odd cut shapes.

Below are some pencil rolls for the kids. I’ve made several of these and my kids finally get one for their very own! Maybe this will solve some of our missing pens and pencils…nah, probably not!

Thanks to “the Small Objects” stacking tree tutorial, my kids’ teachers have something thoughtful to put on their desk.

AND gingerbread caramels that are heavenly. These caramels were fun to make, but be forewarned, it takes a lot longer to reach 248 on your candy thermometer.

Nope, I didn’t make these dolls. I had on my list to make Ellie a doll for Christmas, but got realistic and decided to buy her and Penny these sweet girls. I found them at a shop that sells a bunch of Fair Trade items. To erase the guilt, I hope to make some doll clothes with Ellie over Christmas break. I’m thinking she will think that is just fine!

Thanks to this blog, I have kept to my handmade gift list (minus the doll, yikes.)! It’s nice to feel slightly accountable to a whole slew of crafty blogs that are making Christmas so very personal and handmade. Hurrah!

I’ll be posting Christmas shots for the remainder of the month- just images, no words until the new year.

Merry Christmas!

check!

Nothing like a little freezing rain and dreary weather to get you motivated! I used wool felt for the crowns and reminded myself once again to “keep it simple”. Man, I love to use felt!

I’m feeling pretty good about my list…did you just read that?!?! I know, I can’t believe I am actually admitting this to the world. It’s my goal to have all my handmade gifts done by Sunday…throw in work and a party…can I do it?

Thanks everyone for your dollhouse suggestions! I will use the wooden dolls and even get my older kids involved. Penny will love to have all sorts of characters and not just made by me. Perfect for older siblings to give to the younger.

Okay, off with my modge podge and crossed fingers.

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Things are moving along in my workshop.

I adore this dollhouse and some of you may remember when I found it at a church rummage sale. I was going to give the house to Penny last year, but decided at 3.5 she is the perfect age to receive such a gift.


My biggest challenge when designing ANYTHING is loving color and detail and time…so, with this house I took a deep breath and chanted to myself “keep it simple, keep it simple”. I wanted a sweet little house, but bare enough for my imaginative girl to get lost it in it all on her own. I am happy.

So what do I do for furniture? I’m thinking wooden from my local toy shop OR maybe just blocks and she can stack to her heart’s content. And then dolls, should I make these?

Okay, so I am asking for all of your input. Don’t be afraid to comment, I want to hear all of your thoughts!

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Can a cookie look angelic?


I think so.

This batch of goodness I donated to my kids’ cookie exchange at their school. Unfortunately I can’t attend, but hopefully they will make their way to a good home.

The cookie?

Coconut meringue.

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Things are moving along in Santa’s workshop. A bit messy since I share my space with the playroom, but a good and productive mess. The clean up is always equally satisfying.

I had a few setbacks this week and didn’t get as much done. Penny had a double ear infection (oh the pain! terrible to witness!) and I had an awful sore throat, but alas, good old medication prevails!

First off, these fish are for Penny and Simon. I still need to make fishing rods and drawstring bags for the fish, but I am so pleased with them that I had to share. The only thing I actually bought for these fish are the paper clips inside them so when the fishing games begin the magnet on the line will pick them up! I love that I am using so much of fabric from my stash.

Okay, so this is by far one of my favorite gifts I have made this season. I’m making 2 and the little model in the photo has no idea it’s for her (the other is for my niece Lulu)! I’m glad I can get away with this, I know it won’t last.

Once again, I used blue velvet from my stash and made the edging with fabric I had as well. I bought the buttons (running really low on my supply) and the red velvet ribbon. At first I wasn’t sure what direction the cape was going… I didn’t want it too fluffy since I don’t have a lot of fluff in my stash, but I also didn’t want it to look too much like a priest’s vestment either! I think the edging sets it off so well and it is totally a reflection of my aesthetics when it comes to kids’ stuff (not that I don’t like a little sparkle!).

I think I may need to make crowns too and maybe some magic wands…we’ll see…

I like to think of the capes as “Penny and Lulu, Queens of the flowers!”.

Thank you Peppy for modeling your cousins gift (wink wink). Yes, I will let you make a silly face…

…and another! I’m just glad you are a whole lot better!!

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There are so many terrific advent calendars posted out in blogland that I thought I would share my method of counting the days (forgive me for not linking to all the great calendars, I’m lazy).

My mom made this wonderful calendar some time ago and it blows me away every year. I think she began it while I was in college and completed it when my husband and I moved back to the midwest. The time she took to cross-stitch every detail is amazing. You can’t tell, but there is glittery floss going through the tree and she handstitched the fabric “framing” the calendar!

Each square added to the calendar is some element of the season…a stocking, peppermint candy, Christmas pudding, train and so on. Adorable!

Of course her stitched “mom” makes it so personal.

Last night, as we were helping her and my dad decorate their tree I was struck with how incredibly personal most of their ornaments were…I was also struck that my kids were hanging the same ornaments that I did at their age!

This is one thing I really love about the season…the connections we make with our past and share with the future. These things are usually the simplest and brings us the most joy. This is my hope for all of you this month, enjoy the simple and lovely with your dearest!

Thank you mom for such a treasure!

Okay, now to start opening some of my boxes of decorations…gulp, am I ready?

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