If I wasn't busy enough already I sure am gonna be busy now and this is a time of year for surprises (and secrets) so I'm sharing a few of my hand made gifts but clearly I can't say who they're for!
This first sneak peek is one that I'm actually helping my eldest daughter make. She's always on a tight budget (but then who isn't these days?) and asked me to help her with gift giving for friends this year. This one is still very much a work in progress cos we ran out of ribbon and need to go get some more but can you guess what it might be when it's finished?
After we stood back to admire our ongoing handy work we both looked at each other and said 'I want one!'. Of course it looks even nicer in some fabby CK fabric so who wouldn't want one? I have seen one of these for as much as £24 in the stores - this one just used up supplies I had around the house (except for ribbon of course).
This is a second sneak peek at a couple of items that work with each other. This was a sewing project I have had ear marked for a while now and although I still have one more item to add to it I'm really pleased to be able to say I've made a dent in my project pile - well a start at least. Only !!!! sewing projects left to go then LOL!
And finally this one is really fun and cute! More CK fabric I know but I just lurve it and besides you can make several of these without cutting deep into your yardage so you can still keep lots of yummy fabric for something else. Perfect!
I went to an event in Watford last weekend (Soul Survivor Church) that had hot chocolate for refreshments and shame on me I took an extra 'empty' (& clean) mug and lid so I could present this gift. I could fill it with hot chocolate sachets & marshmallows, coffee sachets and flavoured creamers or syrups, yummy candy or even fill it with ribbons, buttons and embellishments. Half the fun is thinkin of things to pop inside your pretty boxes and containers.
This shot shows the fastener for this 'hug 'a' mug' cosy. I reckon this would be just as good in summer to keep from getting wet hands with a chilled or iced drink as much as in winter with mugs of hot drinks. I also think I need one with some wheat in it to keep my tea hot longer - it's forever gettin cold when I get engrossed in a project!
For me 'home made' makes up a big part of what Christmas is about and I've done it for years - initially out of necessity and later for fun. It takes time, effort, thought and planning plus a whole lotta love when you create something and everyone can do it - YES, EVERYONE can do it!
Whether it's baking cupcakes and presenting them on a pretty vintage dish (just happened to pick one up in a charity store yesterday that wouldn't look out of place in Sunrise, St John's Street), presenting a pre-packaged cake mix in a jar with a wooden spoon and hot pad tied around it, home preserves in a basket, seeds from your garden in pretty brown envelopes, decorated and tied with ribbon (and gardening gloves tucked in for good measure - or home made gardeners handcream!) to hand sewn blankets, crocheted pot holders or dish cloths and knitted dolly clothes - it's all good. My only difficulty each year is limiting myself cos I wanna make it all!
Of course it's still Christmas without all the gift giving - after all 'Jesus is the reason for the Season' - without Him we'd have no reason to celebrate but I'm still excited to know I have a home made gift coming this year and equally excited that I have a home made gift in exchange - plus a whole lot more besides if I EVER GET THEM FINISHED THAT IS! Only 24 days AND counting - aaarrrggghhhh!!!!
Tonight I am teaching my last class of the year so I can't even make use of this evening while hubby's at youth group. Still there are plenty more evenings and the promise of Jilly coming next week to craft with me. Even in the midst of hubby's redundancy life still has good things to offer so I'm making the most of them. Christmas this year is away from home so a change of scenery, our immediate family all under one roof - well almost - we've had sense enough to book a hotel - very much a joint effort and a real chance to be together - weather permitting of course - we still have to be able to get there.
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