Christmas Creations

Although I could celebrate Christmas and the Solstice for a month each, I am super excited now that the holidays are over, because now I can share some of what was made with you. 

 Flower Ear Muff Headbands (tutorial to come)

 Upcycled Wrist Warmers for my nephew with antiqued wooden buttons

 Upcycled Sweater Dress with Corduroy neckline, bow, and wide hem for my niece

Upcycled Wrist Warmers for my brother

 Constellation Cards for my sweet astronomer

 Carry Case for the Constellation Cards

 Upcycled Portable Denim Road with Travel Bag

 Aprons for everyone!

Salt Dough Jewelry for each munchkin to paint as they please

 8 Foot Teepee's for the two oldest 

Cozy Cuddle Pillow for the littlest 'little' in the house

How was your Handmade Holiday? What extra special creations were gifted to you or the ones you love? What extra special gifts did you make to gift? If you would like to share your handmade holiday with us, leave a link in the 'comments' section for all to share and see.

holding close the magic

As Christmas and the Winter Solstice leave us I can't help but reflect on this holiday season. The slow pace, the peace, the handmade and hand me down gifts...the quiet joy. I feel that this has been one of the most beautiful holidays we have had. Every moment glowed and shined with its own special magic and I cherish them all and will carry the gift of them into all of my days.

time well spent

 (the flower and Bodhi were photos taken by Loki my 7 year old...pretty wonderful!

So much joy is to be had in these days and I intend to take part in all of it. So that I can enjoy these delightful times with friends and family to my fullest, I will be away from here until after Christmas. Have a fantastic holiday and see you all soon!

in this moment...

I am

...sitting at my work station hunting for the piece of needle that broke off my machine and bounced off of my face last night; yikes.

...staring down all of these nearly finished handmade lovlies with determination!

...wishing Mary Poppins would come deal with my kitchen.

...enjoying the shift from Fall into Winter; no snow but fog and wind equals brrrrrrrr.

...listening to the little bluebirds and sparrows munching on yummy bugs in my yard.

...thrilled that my "honey" is nearly finished with school for the season; we've been missing him!

...reading Piers Anthony and Karen Moning books way too late into the night; sleepy mama!

...loving every inch of my life.

very merry

Now that the tree is up and in its proper place the fun of watching the kids decorate has begun. They all take such pride in where they place each ornament and how it looks in that place. Sometimes moving a single ornament 3 or 4 times until it is just right. The amount of care they take to make their tree beautiful is a sight to behold. And when I step back and the finished product of all their hard work I love what I see.

perfect...

 exactly 3 feet tall

 my mighty men

Since you can not cut down wild trees n California we took the kids to do the next best thing. Where we live there are bunches of cut your own Christmas tree farms. We found the sweetest local farm and went about the job of finding our perfect little tree. After much tromping and laughing and deliberation and baby chasing we found this little fella. Not to big (don't wanna temp the youngest of our brood to try to climb it) not to small; it is just right! Kinda feel like Goldilocks with the porridge...haahaa! Today to decorate our sweet little tree. Love this time of year. 

Did you cut down your tree this year? Do you have a living one? Leave a message in the comments and let us know your tree story!

simplicity christmas

 Kissing the snowman Grandma Rose made before he was born

Loki likes to keep the decorating simple and I think it looks lovely! The stockings were also Handcrafted by Grandma Rose (my lovely momma!)

There is so much going on in the world during the holiday's. It seems that people are moving at 10 times there natural speed frantically trying to get everything together for that one special day. In all the mayhem that comes along with this holiday I can't help but ask myself, what would happen if suddenly Christmas was part of the slow movement. Would places like Toy's R Us close down while Waldorf and Handcraft suppliers flourished. Would children ask for things that really meant something special to the instead of asking for every last thing they have seen on the television or all of the toys that their friends have that they do not. If the clock on Christmas was turned back to it's earliest pages before big box stores and the "plastic hell" of toys what would we be doing with ourselves?
From this Christmas forward this is the question I will be trying to answer. My children are simple in their requests and have a huge sense of gratitude for gifts given them. This makes simplifying Christmas an easier task for me than others. I believe that Christmas needs to be taken back to it's roots. To when people were glad to receive a beautifully sewn dress from their aunt. A time when Grandma made a funky knit vest every year and you wore it because you  liked it (regardless of it's cool factor). I want to show my children the beauty of a Season that has become all glitz and no substance. Christmas is the domain of the heart and the imagination.
There is much fun to be had when you take the commercialization out of Christmas. Here are some fun ideas...
You can make signs from reclaimed wood and use scrap twigs to make a mock runway for Santa to land his sleigh on.
You can craft little miniature elves from clothespins and felt.
Cotton balls become small scale Winter Wonderland Scenes.
Cinnamon sticks can be crafted into many varieties of beautifully scented ornaments.
And the options for baking are endless and fantastically delicious!
This is how I plan on celebrating it with my loved ones from now on!
How do you plan on simplifying this Christmas? Share a link to your craft and gift ideas in the comments. We love to hear from all of you!