Seasonal Crafting

I mentioned in the last post that I had been attempting to squeeze in some holiday crafting, one of my great joys of the season, and I thought I ought to share them! Sometimes I can save a little moola by making my own gifts or decor, and sometimes I end up spending too much--it's the fun and inspiration that's indispensable.

First off, there were Christmas cards to be sent. It was a very limited run this year--very sorry if you didn't receive one in your mailbox! (New Year cards are in the works for those left off the list, so send me a message if you need a handmade card!) I was inspired by the new Peacock color at PS--it adds a fun punch of color to the holidays and complements nicely with so many colors. I layered snowflake scrapbooking paper, small paper bag business cards, and die-cut snowflakes with a little faux aging. A shiny snap holds them together.

Some of the ladies at the shop put these cute paper snowflakes together one afternoon, and it became the crux of my imaginary-Martha-Stewart-holiday-fantasy! In my head I made oodles and strung them together in garlands to hang from doorways and the mantle. In actuality I only got around to making these three one afternoon...sigh. I cut text weight shimmery paper into 1/2" strips, created loops, and double-stick taped them together. Easy! They'd be even lovelier with quilled details for intricacy.

Lastly, I knew I wanted a wreath on our front door. The front door is a very important place for me as a designer and a domestic person. Unfortunately, wreaths are quite expensive! Have you noticed? There were all sorts of tutorials for various holiday wreaths online--real and fake greenery, fabric, pompom, paper. I ended up finding a basic metal wreath form at Ben Franklin for $3 and the bundle of boxwood branches at Home Depot was $6.

My advice....if you're too impatient to wait and pick up the floral tape and wire at the store tomorrow (like me)--don't be. The right supplies would have made this so much easier and more fun, but instead I used thread to wrap/tack on each branch. Bah. However, in the end I am so happy with how it turned out.

I'm glad I didn't make excuses and let this one go by the wayside as I often do when it gets busy around the holidays. Some people may never understand why the effort is worthwhile...but this makes me happy when I walk up to my door.

I hope your 2011 is full of creative pleasures--I'm planning mine!

December in Pictures

That came and went in a flash! Strange as it sounds, I feel like I was saturated in Christmas yet nearly missed it altogether. Something about working in retail, I guess... Anyway, Christmas stressed me out this year. December was a busy month and the few extra challenges that come with making your own holiday cheer put me under. I caught cold for a few days a week before Christmas; it passed quickly but made me slow down and calm down a bit.

It wasn't all bad though. In fact, there were a lot of highlights. As I mentioned in the last post, I started going to my friend's gym as a guest, and I've decided to keep going. It will be a change of pace, but I think it will be worthwhile. I tried as much as I could this month to work on holiday traditions and festivities...baking, making cards, holiday crafts. A couple weeks ago, thanks to Mom and Dad, we attended The Nutcracker ballet. It was beautiful, all of it--the opera house, the music, the dancers, the sweet children, and having Nathan there for the first time.

Our Christmas itself was relaxing and cozy. I worked until early evening Christmas Eve, and at home we made spinach lasagna and chex mix then settled in for a movie. Christmas morning we slept in, had cinnamon rolls and coffee, and opened our stockings and packages (thank you, all!) We bummed around the house the rest of the day until we met up with Christie and Kevin for Chinese food and cinema (True Grit, thumbs up).

Phew! That brings us to now, the day after Christmas: I worked today but was sent home early because we're having a blizzard--perhaps a foot of snow! So here we are, warm in our house, enjoying leftovers and playing with new toys--for me, a new MacBook (xo Nathan) and for Nathan, an Xbox 360 from yours truly. And what did Nathan bring home this morning before the storm hit? A television. We were good to each other this year.

I hope you were good to each other and yourselves this year, too! Love from New England.

xo

first cookies of the season: mini hazelnut sandwiches

Night out to The Nutcracker ballet

Our first big snow and the twinkling lights on Lewis Road

O Little Tanenbaum

Our cozy Christmas Eve at home

The annual spinach lasagna tradition continues at our house...delicious

Christmas morning cinnamon rolls, hot from the oven

Bacon Spread, a salty stocking stuffer from Seattle!

I love my new MacBook Air! Thanks Santa....uh, Nathan!

Blizzarding in New England, the day after Christmas

December

Well, we've made it full circle! Does anyone else get that feeling about December? The last month of the year, a month of festivity, the month we are all shocked that we've arrived at yet again?

I like December. I like the plans, the busy fingers, the cozy nesting, the nostalgic ache, the small lights in the dark. December is a reflective month. You can't help but think about what you were doing a year ago and what you've been doing since. I think this brings about rotating feelings of peace and anxiety. Oh, the holidays!

And if it weren't simply enough to let December usher in these magnitudes of time--my niece and nephew turned 18 yesterday! Criminy! My family is growing up. Lots of change.

In other non-related news, I am working out again. I'm not sure I can fairly say this yet because I just started on Sunday. My friend shared a monthly guest pass to her really nice, pricey fitness center, so I'm going to give it a fighting chance this month. Unfortunately I don't know what I'm doing...

Though athletically inclined in my school days, I never really learned about fitness, just sport. I know how to play for a team, but aside from jogging (which I do not love to do), I never learned what I could do on my own to stay healthy. She and I have been going to some classes, but hopefully I can also get some instruction on the self-service gym stuff. I am certainly weak, but I will thank my body for being so forgiving. It seems like after just a couple sessions that firm heart-shaped bulk in my calves is already returning (thanks Dad). Or maybe I'm just sore and want to believe!

Anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Do you know how to navigate yourself through a gym?

Happy December, all.