Merry Christmas!

We just want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We will see you at the beginning of 2011!

Neighbor Gift

This year as a neighbor gift I just went really simple. I found these ornaments at a local craft store for $1. Then I attached the tag (Wise Men still seek Him) and attached it to either a bag of cookies or a small loaf of banana bread. Super simple and easy!

Reindeer Food

My mom discovered this a few years back and she makes some every year. Last year I started making some as well as neighbor gifts/visiting teaching gifts. We make reindeer food. All you do is mix oatmeal, rice, coconut, and cookie sprinkles together and put them in bottles. (We buy our bottles at Hobby Lobby) You sprinkle it all over your yard so that the reindeer will smell this magical food and bring Santa to your house. Fun and easy!

Christmas Figures

I bought these wood figures last year to do when I was painting everything. They were my last project for the year and I couldn't ever figure out what to do with them. I had painted them I just couldn't pull them together. So I put them away but they still nagged at me all year.

Finally I pulled them out the other day and was bound and determined to get them done this year! Part of my projects challenge list! So want to see how they turned out?

What do you think?

Glass Block Snowman

At our local craft store they have had tons of projects shown for glass blocks. This one I stumbled upon in their ad and I thought my son and I could do it together. So I bought two different sizes of blocks, fabric and some glass frosting spray. I sprayed the two blocks and then glued them together. Then I let my son help me make his face and buttons and I cut them out (They are done in vinyl). He helped put them on. Then I sewed up the hat and scarf and he helped me put them on. Such a fun craft to do with my son!

J-O-Y

I bought these wood letters at the Wood Connection here. I love the way they turned out!

Car Mat

So here is my last sewing project before Christmas. Christmas this year is all about planes, trains and automobiles.

We have an advent calendar that has pockets and instead of him getting tons of candy I fill half of it with matchbox cars. He got a tiny car garage last year so this year I was trying to think of something I could do in his sock to go with the cars.

I thought of a car mat. I have seen tons of felt ones that are really cute but I don't have the patience for all the detail. So I went on the hunt for a fabric panel that he could drive his cars on. This is what I found at a local store. There was just enough of the fabric panels for me and my mom, she took the last one. Lucky us!

For the back I bought a yard of some other car/road fabric that if he wanted he could flip it over and drive them on there too.

Super quick and easy and I am sure he will have tons of fun playing on it!

Another Teddy Bear

I made another bear. This time the minky color is a little bit different and since it was for my son for Christmas I put a blue bow on it. Also this time I saved some time and machine stitched all the felt on his face and hands. It changes his look a little bit. I can't decide which I like better (Handstitched or machine). What do you think?

BTW: I also had to hide this from him, just like the one for my sister. He took of with it before I could finish it and I had to bribe him to get it back! Looks like it will be a hit for Christmas!

I'm linking this up to Fabric Tuesday on Quilt Story and some other parties too, check out the links on my sidebar

Tree Ornaments

Every year since 2006 my little family has made a new set of ornaments for the Christmas tree. My husband started it. He wanted some like he had when he was growing up. They took stickers and rub on stickers and applied them to clear glass ornaments. Then they swirled glitter inside of them. So that is what we did. Here are a few we did that year:For 2007 we were too poor to make any. We didn't even buy gifts that year. (Saving for the new baby!)

For 2008 I wanted something that my son and I could do together. It was our first Christmas without my husband but I wanted to do something with my son. So we made these beauties. We scrapped up every blue button we could find in my mom and I's buttons. It was fun to do though and my son just really liked eating them! Go figure, he was only 7 months old!

For 2009 we made snowmen. Here they are in my tree this year.

This year since my tree has become blue and white snowflakes and snowmen I wanted to try some of the flat ornaments. I thought I could use vinyl and cut out snowmen and snowflakes and put them on and put glitter inside of them. Some turned out really pretty and others just okay.

Also this year I found some 50 cent wood ornaments so I let my son paint one while I put the vinyl and glitter on the glass ones. He loved it and as soon as he was done he went and hung it on our tree.

What will be next years ornaments? (Really I am hoping to find a big tree on clearance after the season ends and have two trees next year. A whole new tree to decorate!)

Advent Calendars

At our monthly family home evening my entire side of the family got together to talk about traditions of Christmas and memories of Christmas. The big memory tradition that got brought up was our advent calendar growing up. Here it is:My mom made it. We reminisced about counting how many days it was until our turn and if we didn't like what figure was on our day we would switch it with one we wanted, hoping no one would notice. Also the star was the last one to go up and it was my dad's responsibility to put it up, Christmas wouldn't come unless he put it up. He gave us the hardest time about it and waiting until the last possible minute on Christmas Eve to put it up. (My dad just chuckled as we talked about it!) We had good memories over that calendar!

Some of my siblings asked if I would take it and duplicate it. This is quite the task! My mom came to my rescue though. She still has the original Pellon that it was made out of and the green Pellon for the tree portion. She also pulled out the ric rac left overs she has saved over the years (39 cents was the cost back then!) Then she pulled out the big guns, she found the paints she painted it with. She replaced the tips on them and we will see how they work. I hope I can duplicate this!

As we began our own family we decided it was time to get our own advent calendars. We are now up to four of them. My parents give us this one every year:(Sorry photo wouldn't turn!)

You build something new every day and you have a city of Lego's at the end of the 25 days. Really fun!

Then I found this big stocking last year at Tai Pan. My son loves checking the pocket every morning. (I stick anything from candy to matchbox cars in it)

My mom gave us these at our family home evening get together. She is amazing. She made them. Each day you build the nativity with the baby Jesus being 23 and the star 24. We love it!

I also last year made this one. I just have to remember what day I am on. (Counting backwards is a little bit more challenging for me!)

We also do the traditional chocolate calendar now that my son can eat them. He gets it all to himself since I am allergic. We love our advent calendars and my son can't wait until tomorrow to open another day!

Full/Queen Comforter

My son graduated to a full sized bed a while ago and I have been trying like crazy to get his comforter done. I finally did it after two months!

I loved his crib bedding so much that I wanted to use the same fabric colors/patterns. So my search began to find all the fabrics in it. This is his crib bedding from Eddie Bauer:So there are 3 different gingham fabrics, denim, brown corduroy, a green and white striped and a multi colored (blues and browns) striped. Do you want to know how hard it is to find the right color of gingham used in this? I couldn't find the right yellow gingham so I had to use a plaid. Then I couldn't find the blue gingham (It was blue on blue) so I went with regular blue and white gingham. Obviously the corduroy and denim were easy! I found the exact red gingham and I couldn't find the green so it is just a solid green in his comforter. I really like the texture and patterns all together. I put navy on the back and his bedding is navy. So here is how it turned out:Here it is in his room. His room is still in progress after converting his crib to a full sized bed. I painted the wall blue and I am excited to show you the entire room after I get a few more things up on the wall. My son loves the comforter and can't wait to sleep with it!