Making Ornaments

Boll Weevil seemed all excited when I sat the ornaments out in front of him, but when I started to paint his hand to make the ornaments all the fun stopped. We will try again closer to Christmas.

Bag for Christmas Books

I know that I have been away from my blog for awhile now. I hope everyone understands that I have been busy with the holidays and getting ready for the baby that I haven't had much time to sew and I didn't think you really wanted to see me wash and seperate baby clothes.

I did make time to sew over New Years. I made this drawstring bag. I made it a little to large, but it works out great. I plan on using it for Baby's Christmas books. Several years ago I read about a mom that would put up their children's Christmas books and bring them out with the Christmas decorations making their Christmas books seem new again.
For Christmas the baby got several Christmas books from his grandmothers and cousins, then on Christmas day I hit a great sale at Target, 75% off all Christmas items including the Dollar Spot. Many of the books pictured below were a quarter a piece. You can't beat that. I can't wait to read these to the baby next Christmas.

I hope all of you had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas Train

Christmas at our house wouldn't be complete without a train. Thank you Bo for putting ours out tonight.

More Stocking Fabric

I sometimes feel like a Christmas stocking factory. Lucky for me these don't have to be finished until next year. The penguin and the hat fabric are stockings for my Mother-in-laws house. The penguins will be for my niece and the Santa hat fabric will be for my son. The blue Santa fabric will be for my son at my parent's house. My mom has only one specification for the stockings at her house, they have to be made out of Santa fabric. It is really hard to find a small fun Santa print. I have to find one more Christmas fabric for the stocking for my son for at our house. I just haven't found one yet.

Candle of Peace

Last year I did a segment on different ornaments Bo and I have on our Christmas tree. I debated on sharing the meaning of this one, and decided not too. I think this year it the right time to do so. After I experienced my first miscarriage a friend of mine suggested that I buy a Christmas ornament to represent the child, hopes, and dreams that I lost at that moment. She told me she did this after she had a miscarriage. She said she had other ornaments on her tree for all her other children, and she thought why not represent the one she lost.

I thought about this for several months and one night Bo and I were in Hallmark getting an ornament for my nephew. We looked around and both agreed on this ornament. This weekend as we were unpacking our ornaments and decorating the tree. I thought about how far we have come on our pregnancy journey, and how close we are to having our first child. This ornament is bittersweet, but it will always have a place on our Christmas tree.

Like any good Hallmark ornament it has a little verse written on the box. This box says the following:
Let's light a candle

to shine in the darkness,
calming and soothing
til troubles all cease...
Let's light a candle
to dream, hope, and promise...
Let's light a candle of peace.

How much more appropriate can an ornament be.

Christmas Wreath

I just wanted to share with you a Christmas Wreath a co-worker made. When she described it to me this isn't at all how I pictured it. This is ribbon is some kind of mesh extra wide ribbon weaved in and out of a traditional evergreen like wreath. I'm still not sure how she made it, but she said it only takes about a half hour to make. She has offered to teach several of us how to make this. So hopefully in the next couple of days I can put up a tutorial on how to make this.

Stocking

In between all the painting I still had time to make a stocking. This stocking is for my parent's house. Next year I'll have to make 3 stockings for my baby. Yes, that's right he won't have one but 3 stockings. One that Santa fills and one at each grandparents house. I'll have to make one more for at my in laws house because Bo's sister-in-law is having a baby. I guess most of my sewing time will be taken up with making stockings next year. I'm so glad that I can smock in the car and this pattern whips up in no time.

Stocking?

Some of you know that I'm going to get a niece in April. Well, since there will be a new member of my family I will make her a stocking for at my parent's house. My mom has requested that I use a fabric with Santa in it. I looked in my fabric stash the other night and this is the only Santa fabric I could come up with.
If my mom likes it this will be my nieces stocking. If my mom doesn't like it I will keep looking because I don't mind going shopping for fabric.

Pom Pom Garland

I needed garland on one of my Christmas trees for next year. Well, I saw on a blog this idea. (I so wish I could tell you which one and give the woman credit, but I can't remember for the life of me and I didn't save it. )
I have gotten two bags of these pom poms at Micheal's. Each bag makes about a 5 1/2 foot strand of garland. I used wax thread to string the pom pom.
This is how it looks strung along the Christmas tree. Yes, this is my Christmas tree. It stood naked in the corner of our living room until yesterday. It has either rained and Bo couldn't go get the box it belonged in or we were out of town. My mom jokingly told me we should leave it up until Easter. But now it is down and my living room seems bigger.

I think I will only need to maybe 10 -15 more strands of garland. Good thing they only take a half hour to make.

Finally

I finally got my last Christmas present. Bo's dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told him that I wanted some craft books and a pitcher with my monogram on it. Well he put Bo in charge of purchasing the craft books. Which all came except one. The book pictured below was guaranteed before Christmas arrival when Bo ordered it on December 18Th. It still hadn't come as this week. Bo finally got an email from Books-a-million saying that it was no longer available to ship and they credited our account. Well last night after we ate we went to the local Books-a-million store and lo and behold they had my book so I purchased it. We shop at Books-a-million because it is an Alabama corporation and located near our house. The guy at the store didn't understand why they couldn't ship it. He was really confused about the email we got and really nice. I so wish they would get their act together with their online site. So that is my little rant and now I'm off to craft.

Still Undecorating

We are still taking down Christmas decorations. The tree is now in a big pile waiting by the back door to be put in its boxes then it will be head down to the shed for another year. All should be put away tomorrow after work.

Christmas 2008

I have already shared with you the new t.v. that my parents gave us. Bo and I got two GPS systems one from Brother and SIL and one from Bo's Dad. I guess both of our families have gotten tired of us calling them and asking them for directions when we are on a trip. We don't need two so we had to return one, but we will put the other one to good use when we go to New Orleans for New Years. We are going to the Sugar Bowl.



I wanted to share with you the books I got for Christmas. My FIL gave me bend the rules sewing, simple gifts to give, pretty little pincushion, and big a-- book of crafts. Big A-- was on back order. Hopefully, I should get it this week. I gave Bo a list of books that I would like and he picked them out and ordered them for my FIL.


Then I received a Barnes and Nobles gift card. I had so much fun looking for exactly what I wanted. I was torn, but I ended up with Seams to Me and Simple Suppers.

Bo's cousins gave me easy comfort food from Create and Barrel. I love new cookbooks at the beginning of the year.

I also received another gift card, this one was from Books-A-Million. I made my dollar stretch as far as possible. I was torn again but I ended up with What can I Bring? Cookbook, Last Minute Christmas magazine, and Better than Mom's Slow cooker Recipes.

Now, I hope to use all these books to there fullest.

Christmas Decorations II

Today I wanted to share some of our favorite Christmas ornaments. We have many, but I will just share four of them.

The first one is from Disney World. My parents took my brother and I there in 2002. This was the summer before he got married my parents, my brother and I have always been close and this trip was great fun! It would have to be favorite family summer vacation. Great memories. I would love to go to Disney World now with my parents, Brother, SIL, Nephew, and Bo. Maybe one day.

My In-laws gave me this ornament last year. I just think it is just adorable, and something I could actually make something similar one day when I have time.

Bo had this ornament before we got married. When he was at an accounting firm one of the partners gave this ornament to the entire staff including the other partners. It is the Hallmark ornament that commemorates the new millennium, and something Bo would have never bought himself. He admires this ornament every year. I guess now that 2000 seems so far away it was really a big deal.

This one was our first Christmas together ornament. My friend Deborah gave us this ornament and it goes on the three every year. I actually bought a backup in case something happens to this one.

Christmas Decorations Part I

Since this is the week of Christmas, I thought I would share some of my favorite Christmas decorations. Today I'll share handmade items.

First up: This is one of those plaster items from either Wal-mart or Michael's. I don't know which one. My mom painted this and gave it to me. I just LOVE it! I think she did a great job with the colors. They are very muted. These pictures don't do it justice.

Who doesn't love Snoopy? My grandmother, Maw, made this throw rug for me several years ago. Since Bo and I have gotten married it has found a place at my back door. I just love it and I think Maw did a great job. She made it from a latch hook rug kit. She has terrible arthritis in her hands, but her Dr. has encouraged her to knit and do latch hooking to keep what mobility she has left.

This is a pillow I smocked for Bo I actually made it to match his Christmas stocking. It is suppose to be snowflakes, but think they look more like little UFOs. His stocking is the plaid and the pipping is done in the red. It is so nice to use scraps to make coordinating items.

Holiday Bakeoff

Bo and I spent the day baking. We filled up our dining room table with cookies and we weren't even done. We made Tole house Chocolate Chip, Sugar, Peanut butter with a Kiss, Snickerdoodles, and Butterscotch and Oatmeal. We hope to pass most of them out tomorrow and Tuesday.

Bo was a huge help. I mixed the batter and he would take them in and out of the oven. I couldn't have do without him.

Bo is batting a 1000

Last night when I was sorting my A.C. Moore goodies I asked Bo to get me a plastic bag. We have like 6 million in the kitchen and above the dryer in the laundry closet. It couldn't be that easy. No, he had to go into my sewing room and take the bag off his surprise Christmas present that I haven't wrapped yet. Then this morning when I noticed it he told me, "I didn't even notice what it was." I just can't believe this!

Christmas Tree

I though I would share one of our Christmas trees with you. Bo set this tree up in the sewing room for me. I just love it. It fits my personality to a tee.