Merry Christmas!

Grands #3, #4, #5 and Christmas DeJunking

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it here again: I love this time of year. I do love the holidays and all that go with them. And I hate to wish them away, but by the time January 1 rolls around, I am more than ready to get all the Christmas decor put away and my house back to a nice fresh, blank slate. It makes me feel like I can take a big deep breath for the first time in a couple of months. Again, don't for a minute think I dislike the holidays. I LOVE Christmas and everything that goes with the celebrating of it. But, I also love January.

Having said that, I made up my mind that this would be the year that I truly would purge old decorations as I was putting things away. My holiday closet was getting far too crowded and hard to maneuver. There are shelves built in it, but way too much to fit on those shelves. And so much of the boxes are full of things that I haven't used in years. I bet I decorate with about a tenth of what is in that closet. Ugh. Something has to go.

And part of the closet goes back under the stairs. We have Christmas trees of all shapes and sizes stowed away in there, and I haven't used or looked at them literally in years. I think it's time I roll up my sleeves and empty that cavern. It's kindof frightening, honestly, but someone has to do it. It seems like it's some sort of a combustible fire hazard.

Every year I say I'll go through everything, and every year I end up just stuffing the same things back into boxes and stacking and positioning everything just so, so that it all fits (somewhat), and then closing the door until the next time. Not this year. No sir. And this quest of mine happens to coincide with some really great "grandma-nesting" time, so I really am slowly accomplishing this Herculean task. As I take boxes out to put things back in to, I look through the contents of the box, and set things aside that I haven't used in years. When I'm done, we'll have a Christmas Decor Giveaway with my kids. They can take whatever suits their fancy from the piles, and then I'll give the rest to Deseret Industries. Sounds like a perfect plan. Trouble is, as I was beginning to go through the painstakingly long process of going through each box (I'm not going to divulge here how many boxes I actually have, but it's wayyyyyy too many), Grandbaby #3 was getting ready to come! So of course I left my boxes and bags in the basement, and readied the house for the older, two-year-old sibling of Grandbaby #3, so that he could have a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa whilst his baby sister was coming in to the world. And in case you haven't had the experience yet, I will tell you that when you're watching grandbabies, that's pretty much all you want to do. No work gets done, and that's as it should be. In fact, I didn't even think once about the mounds of Christmas decor strewn about my basement as I happily played with Grand #1

And then Grandbaby #3 made her arrival, and it became even more apparent that nothing else in the world mattered. Just our three beautiful grands. It doesn't get much better than that.

New Year's Day came and went with a slight celebration. We were happy and tired, and just curled up on the couch together with one of my other daughters, her husband and her sweet baby (Grand #2). We shuffled around in our sweats and slippers and enjoyed every lazy bit of it, holding and playing with Grand #2.

The next day, after our house guests had gone, my grandma-nesting kicked in again, and I carved out an hour to get down there and do just a bit more. But then Grand #1 and Grand #3 were calling to us, and we went over and made a visit and soaked up their sweetness.

That night I promised myself that I would work on my Christmas decor project the next day, and would accomplish great things with the heap. And I did get a couple of hours in before we zipped off to the temple for some much needed peace, perspective and renewal. When we got out of the temple, we got word from our son that his wife was in labor with their twins who were expected on February 18. We zipped down to the hospital, and a few minutes after we got there, two beautiful, perfect, healthy baby girls were born! Talk about our cup running over! We were (and are) so full of joy that we can hardly contain it. Grand #4 and Grand#5! And we still have two more to come, in February and March. We go through the motions of our days with such a big smile in our hearts and on our faces!

Yesterday, as we made visits to the various families, we thought how lucky we are to be able to see and visit all 5 (what?????) grandbabies in one day. They all live pretty close by, so we can get our baby fixes often.

And now back to reality. The basement. Today will be another day where I can get only a couple of hours in, but I'll plug away at it -- all the while watching my Christmas Decor Giveaway pile growing bigger and taller, and enjoying the luxurious space (one can only hope) of my holiday closet. And I'll have the 5 (+2) best reasons to have a huge smile while doing it. Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas!

Grandchild Version of Our Christmas Stocking

Last year I posted the directions for making scrappy Christmas stockings. I made all of our in-law kids stockings like the ones below. And this year, I needed to come up with a simple grand kids version. Simple because I know that I'll need to make several in the coming years, and I wanted it to be a do-able thing. You'd hate to have any of them have to wait three years for their matching stocking! I know there are darling stockings that crop up every year, but I'm too nostalgic to oust the old for the new. I made our original two stockings just after we were married (30 years ago), and I'm sure they'll be hanging on the mantel for the next 30 years. And these grandkids' stockings will be fun, because they're basic enough that they'll never go out of style, and I can use fun, different fabrics for the cuffs.

For the instructions on how to make my scrappy patchwork stockings, click here. My grandkids' version is basically the same stocking, but skipping the patchwork part. 

To make these Christmas stockings, I followed a pattern from Moda Bakeshop. The pattern is "His and Her Scrappy Christmas Stockings" by Nicole Willmore. Click here to see the original free pattern.

So, to do the grand kids stockings, the directions are as follows:

I wanted the stockings to be the exact same shape as the others that I already have, so I used my others as a template to draw up my own pattern. Years ago, I made six stockings for my family. As my kids have married, I knew that I wasn't going to go back and cross-stitch stockings for their spouses, so I wanted to come up with something else, and these scrappy stockings fit the bill. I like the idea of having the stockings being a little mix-and-match, so the fact that they are different designs from the originals doesn't bother me a bit. In fact I sort of like it... it seems to represent the phases our family has gone through (first our little family of six, then the four marriages of our kids, and finally, the additions of grand babies to the family).

You may notice the sad shape that my cutting board is in. It has some battle scars from previous projects (which may or may not have involved kids with markers). I have a newer one, but I love this little one that fits in the corner of my counter so well. So, ignore the scars and the marks. 

The Moda pattern is great to follow along with. I'll just add a few of my own photos here and some of the changes or adjustments I made. The original pattern makes two stockings. My stockings each measure about 16" long and 9-1/2" wide at the foot of the stocking.

On the Moda ingredient list, you'll notice that it uses a jelly roll. You won't need a jelly roll for my more basic version of the stocking. You will need about 1/2 yard (depending on the size and shape of your stockings) of whatever fabric you'd like the stocking to be made out of. I want all of my grand kids stockings to match, as far as the stocking part. And then, they'll each have a different fabric for the cuff. I chose a nice mid-weight cotton muslin for my stockings.

You will also need a piece of warm and natural that you will cut to just one piece that is exactly the size and shape of your stockings.

Cut four stockings out of the muslin, and one stocking out of the warm and natural batting.

And with any patterned fabric that you choose, cut the following:

-7 x 13-1/2 (cuff)

-2-1/2 x 6 (hanging loop)

The larger of the two, the cuff piece, may change depending on the size of your stocking. I changed mine from the original pattern.

Stack three of the stocking shapes as follows: 

1-warm and natural piece

2-stocking front (one of the four stocking shapes already cut out), with the right side away from the warm and natural

3-stocking back (right side facing the right side of the stocking front)

Pin these three together and sew them together, right sides facing each other.

Sew the other two stocking pieces together (they'll end up being the lining). Be sure to leave about a 2" opening on the long, straight edge of the stocking for turning later. Trim and clip the curves so that the stocking will turn easily, being really careful not to clip the seams.

To make the loop, I used the 2-1/2" x 6" piece of fabric. I folded it in half length-wise, and pressed. Then I unfolded it and folded the outside edges into the middle, and pressed again. I sewed along the entire long edge, using about 1/8" seam allowance.

Then, I took the large cuff piece and folded it in half and sewed the 7" edge, right sides together.

I turned half of it so that I had a cuff folded in half... like the picture below.

this cuff is for a different stocking, but you get the idea...

I placed the raw edge along the raw edge of the stocking at the top.

Then, I pinned it with the seam in the back, or along the seam of the stocking. To add the loop, I folded the loop fabric in half, centered it over the side seam, and then pinned.

Then, I placed the quilted stocking inside of the lining stocking and pinned all along the top, being careful to pin the loop exactly where it should be.

I sewed carefully along the top, and then pulled the quilted stocking through the opening of the lining stocking.

Sew along the lining opening to close the hole.

Push the lining stocking down into the quilted stocking, and iron flat.

And my sweet husband engraved the name tags that I attached to the stockings. You could also embroider the names, or whatever suits your fancy. Again, I wanted to do something that wouldn't take me too long, or I knew it might not get done very quickly. And remember, next Christmas I'll have five more grand baby stockings to do.

    

Projects Crowding Me Out of My Kitchen

Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen and was struck by the little projects I had going on just about every possible surface. Mind you, I have a craft room, but that is currently being inhabited by another throng of little projects. 

I've got vintage key ornaments on-going. We've made over a hundred, and there are still about 40 to go... 

I'm also working on Ollie blocks for my two grand babies. Soooooo cute! 

When they're all done, I'll post about them. 

I've also put together 30 little jars of chocolate almonds for visits my husband will be making in the neighborhood in the next day or two...

And another 15 little Christmas bowls with chocolate almonds. Also for visits he'll be making. (That adds up to lots of visits for him and the other men!)

A little less pretty to look at are the stacks of lesson binders I'm working on to get ready for the new year in Primary.

And of course, quilts to bind.

It's fun to work on these projects and also fun to see them go out the door! The two boxes of chocolate almond treats went out the door last night, and I have reclaimed many, many square feet of counter space. My goal is to keep that bit of real estate empty.

Only one week left til Christmas! Can you believe it?! It's been a wonderful December so far. So full of things that have helped to remind me of the true meaning of Christmas. I love the Christmas plays, programs, ward party, music, books, conversations, etc, that help to keep my thoughts and feelings centered on the birth of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful, simple event that made so much possible for each of us. How blessed we are!

Angels We Have Heard on High - Guinness World Record - ThePianoGuys Chri...

Simply Beautiful.

Christmas Tags From Vintage Cards

Boy, oh boy. Do you know that feeling when you find a treasure at an antique or thrift store, and you can't believe your luck? My sister and I scored some very vintage scrapbooks a few months back. We've seen empty ones before, but these were full to the brim of vintage cards -- for all seasons and holidays!

I bought two of them and set them aside, just waiting til I had some time to actually do something with them. And I found the perfect reason to pull them out last week. I needed some Christmas gift tags, but not just anything would do. I had made some decorated bottle brush trees, and I wanted a tag that would "fit" the style.

Enter Scrapbook #1:

Just look at these pages.

They're chalk-full of vintage Christmas cards. And since they aren't to or from anyone I know, I don't feel too bad re-purposing them for gift tags.

I imagine whoever took the time to put all the cards in the book, would get a kick out of knowing that 70 years later, they are being put to use yet again.

They could not be any cuter!

I had a hard time choosing which card I wanted to use, but I finally found one I thought would work. I cut the card away from the book, leaving only the glued-on back page of the card.

And this is what the card looked like.

I suppose you could just cut a shape out of the card, and use it without any other backing, but I wanted it to be a bit stouter, so I simply used a glue stick to glue a plain tag to the back of the card, being careful to hold it up to the light so that I could see through it and know I was gluing it right where I wanted it.

Then, I cut around the little tag, and punched a hole where the tag's hole was originally.

I got three tags out of one card! Can't beat that. And there are literally hundreds more waiting to be made, when the time comes. So next time you see vintage Christmas cards, or better yet... an old scrapbook, don't pass it by!

Bottle-Brush Trees: Failure and Success

The Christmas season is in full-swing, and I love it! I think this may be our busiest one yet, but I'm bound and determined to love every single minute of it, and so far, so good! I put a lot of thought into how I wanted December to be. I knew we had things scheduled every single night for the first two weeks, and many of the others beyond that. I knew that we had not been able to get much done before December hit, so we'd be scurrying around, playing "catch up" almost the whole time. I knew that my husband would be exhausted from his many, many hours spent in his church calling at this time of the year. And I knew that the first of our five grand babies that are currently expected, would be making her appearance the week after Christmas. Lots to do, and truly not enough time to get it all done. I came up with a plan:

1. Plan ahead, and be organized.

2. Don't be afraid to say no.

3. Live in the moment. Enjoy it all!

4. Play Christmas music around the house all the live-long day.

5. Be aware of those around me. Serve even in the smallest of ways.

6. Spend a few minutes every day pondering The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Click on the title to read it. It's beautiful, poignant, and speaks to my heart) and read from good Christmas books.

7. Cross things off the "to-do" list that are just fluff, and don't need to be done.
8. When I'm busily running around, remind myself what that trip to Costco, or the grocery run, or the stop in at the mall has to do with Christmas. Most of those errands have everything to do with buying/making gifts or preparing food and our home for family gatherings, and thinking about that just helps me keep my head in the right place. It's all good.

At this time of year, especially, it takes real effort to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas. So many things to do, events to be at, gifts to buy, things to make. But what a gift it is to know and feel that at the heart of all of our celebrating and hustle and bustle, is our love for family, friends, and Jesus Christ. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

Moving on to one of the crafts I had planned to make for Christmas. I found these donut cutters at a antique shop in Logan, Utah. 

I love the look of them, and as soon as I saw them, I knew they would make a perfect base for the bottle brush trees I had wanted to try. I had seen a few different pins about bleaching and dying bottle brush trees, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Oh boy.

I soaked the trees in a bleach/water mixture, and when that didn't do anything, I went for straight bleach. I left the trees soaking for 48 hours, and all they did was change to a dingy color of green. I had thrown 2 smaller trees, that were made of a different material, and to my surprise, they actually bleached beautifully. BUT, when they were drying, and I gently fluffed the little piney spikes back out, they all fell out. Bleh. At that point, I threw the whole kit-and-caboodle out in the trash can, and went to WalMart and bought some while bottle brush trees with very little decor on them. They were cheap and already white. I knew I could work with those.

I got to work taking the bows off, and many of the little peg-shaped ornaments. They weren't glued in well, and most of them were cockeyed so that you could see the peg. Not the look I was going for.

Then, I took the bases of of each of the trees. Easy. Just unscrew and gently pull as you do so, and the bases come off. I then ran a bead of hot glue around the top inside of the donut cutter, and held the trees in place until they dried.

The decorating was so much fun. I don't have any pics of the process, because my hands were covered in white snow fluff and hot glue. I had bought a box of odds and ends from vintage glass garlands, so I used those pieces on the trees. I pretty much used up all that I had, but I would have kept on going if I had had more tiny ornaments to work with. As it was, I was making them for my mom and sisters for an event the next day, so I didn't have time to find more ornaments online.

Notice the "snow" all over the table. These trees did shed a bit of their snow, but it was easy to clean up, so it's all good. I tied a tiny card with a teeny tiny candy cane around each one with baker's twine, and Done! A fun and really quick project.

I had enough of the white trees for my sisters and mom, but I ran out of the white, and made a green tree for myself. 

Which is actually okay, because I have a lot of white/off-white bottle brush trees.

And there is my newest addition. Sitting as proud as a peacock in a donut cutter. Love it!