Merry Christmas

Wow! It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks.  I wound up work and headed home.  Hosted a family holiday get-together then prepared for Christmas Eve and another family celebration for Christmas Day! Now that the presents have been handed out, I can post the pictures of some of the things I made for gifts.

The first picture is a chapstick holder you make for your key chain. They are super easy to make and a little fabric goes a long way.  I purchased a 1/2 yard of coordinating fabric and made 10 holders and still have enough fabric to make an additional 10-15 holders.  

My sisters and I gave my mother cash for Christmas, she's celebrating New Years' at a casino so hopefully she can double her present. :) Anyway, since we gave her cash for her birthday in July I needed to make a different presentation for the money and my sister saw this idea on the internet.  It's quite easy to do but the directions aren't exact so if you google it, be aware.    I took a cinnamon stick and green floral wire. After folding the bills accordion style I secured the a 36" piece of wire around the base of the stick and attached the money by criss-crossing the wire in the front and continuing up the stick.

 And finally, below are the necklaces I referred to back in October.  I found a link on Pinterest to a website called Sun and Moon crafts. I was able to get all the supplies and instruction to make these cute necklaces.  Everyone really liked them.  They take a while to make because the glaze has to completely dry before you can finish it.

Creative couple of weeks

I have been busy creating but not in the paper sense.  I decorated three trees in my home last week.  The first, on Monday is a little 4-foot tree that I hang on the wall and decorate with glass ornaments.  The second tree, I didn't "put-up" (thank you hubby and boyfriend of daughter #2) our 12' tree in the family room but I did decorate it. The third tree was a 7' tree that my sister helped me put up and decorate in our front room.  As much work as it was to put them up, it's even more work taking them down and I am not looking forward to that.

I've have also been busy baking. I made 6 different kinds of cookies: (chocolate krinkles, chocolate surprise, chocolate thumbprints w/peppermint frosting, fruit thumbprints, cranberry/orange sugar cookies, butterscotch noodle cookies and coconut macaroons), I also decorated some nutter butter cookies to look like snowmen. PLUS - I made buckeyes, potato candy and chocolate covered cherries. There are actually a few kinds that I still want to make but OMG I am over baking right now.  

It's hard to tell from the picture but this is my deep freeze with several of the cookies in it.

I also spent yesterday afternoon out in the scrapbook room and made a variety of Christmas cards. Can you believe it?? I actually made Christmas cards this year! :)

It's been a joke in my family for the past several years because the cards always get pushed to the back burner and never get made. I'm quite proud of myself and if I hadn't had to get up at 4:00 a.m. to get hubby to the airport, I might very well go back out there tonight but, I don't know if I have the energy.