Catching Up

Rem and I are at Sea Ranch enjoying post-holiday down time. Things get a little chaotic before the big day and in the days right before Christmas I was up early every morning and staying up late at night crafting and wrapping gifts and ornaments.

Our Christmas tree is lovely but putting a large tree in our small apartment means moving the dining table up against my craft desk and eating dinner on the bed. I worked on several craft projects at once, letting glue or paint dry on one while I decoupaged another. The art supplies covered both the table and desk and, as usual, I just kept working on top of the mess, letting my work area shrink down to the size of my hand instead of putting things away as I worked.

So here we are, spending some time with my mom in her vacation home, really relaxing and catching up on our rest.  It is wonderful having free time with no schedules or deadlines.  There are no streetlights outside the windows, no neighbors in apartments above or next door, hardly any traffic and the prevailing sound outside at night is the whoosh of the ocean. We come downstairs to the chilly bedroom after sitting by the wood burning stove in the living room. A soak in the hot tub under a star-filled sky then murmured conversation as we snuggle under a cozy down comforter and sink into deep sleep.

I have brought craft supplies along but without any deadline and with plenty of space, I don’t feel stressed to finish things, and better enjoy the creative process.  We’re heading back home tomorrow and I still have vacation time to enjoy more crafting and cooking.  Maybe I’ll even catch up on blogging.

Thank you for your visit.

 

 

12 Ideas for Christmas

Here are links to 12 past posts I’ve written with some of my favorite (Christmas) things. No girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, but recipes, gift ideas, ornaments, a card and wrapping paper you can make.

These Glass Tile Pendants use beautiful scraps of paper.  A link to an Etsy site has beautiful tiles, jewelry bails (the little loop), glaze and chains.

Another necklace idea are these Hand Stamped Washer Pendants.  I gave them out last year and still love and wear the one I made for myself.

Ornaments are some of my favorite gifts to make and these are some of my favorite ornaments.

Vellum Ornaments are like miniature works of stained glass made with vellum paper, stickers, colored markers and stick on jewels.

Since I said I was going to share 12 things, I’m not going to give you the link, but if you click on the link for the Vellum Ornaments, you can go to the next post and find Easy Paper Heart Ornaments for a simpler project.

Last year I made a whole bunch of these Little Clothespin Doll Ornaments.  They are really fun to make and I really enjoyed the details that gave each little doll her character.

If you like to make your wrapping extra special, here are two ideas.

First is Vegetable Printed Wrapping Paper.  It is really easy and looks great.

This is a way of scrunching tissue paper while wrapping for a ruched effect.  Take a look at  Scrunched Tissue Paper Wrapping to see how to do it yourself and also how to make the tissue paper roses.

I used to make and send LOADS of Christmas cards.  It started to feel like a chore that I no longer enjoyed.  After a few years of sending no cards, I make a handful and I’m happier.

This is the card I made two years ago.  The Half Circle Christmas Tree (or Angel) Card is made using two-sided paper and embellishments.  It’s a fairly easy technique and the results are really cute.  Do the same fold and make it into an angel.

Always popular are food gifts.  I made this easy and delicious Infused Oil after receiving some as a gift myself and I decided to reuse the bottle.

How about a gift of fudge or truffles?  This Chocolate Nutella Fudge & Truffles recipe makes creamy and delicious treats.

Christmas Crunch is a sweet salty combination of cereal, M&M’s, pretzels, nuts and melted white and peanut butter morsels.  Make a batch for a party or potluck.

These Cheese Wafers are a big hit.  My niece, Caitlin, often requests I bring them to our family Christmas Eve party.  They’re made just like drop cookies but are loaded with sharp cheddar cheese, butter, Rice Krispies and a little flour.

My twelfth and final Christmas idea is the ever-popular and oh-so-delicious Cracker Toffee made with Saltines, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate chips and pecans or almonds.  I LOVE this stuff.

I would be delighted to hear if you use any of these crafts or recipes this Christmas.

Thank you for your visit.