Crafty fun for Christmas

Crafty fun for Christmas

I married into a family of very crafty ladies. I don’t mean that they’re scheming…though they can pull off some good surprises when they want to….I mean that they all have wonderfully creative minds and share a bent towards the craft genres. Lisa has been quilting for several years now and has expanded her sewing talents. Jessica and Kirsten were both avid scrapbookers but have taken on other craft interests as well…Kirsten also leaning how to sew two years ago.  You’d think that because I learned how to sew when I was 10 it would have had some bearing on my abilities in comparison, but no…a 25 year head start means squat unless you continue to put in the time…these ladies put in the time!

It’s also become a Christmas tradition in the family for us lady crafters to create the same gift for all of the girl cousins (Hannah and Olivia have six girl cousins ranging in ages from 3 to 11) and the same or similar gift for the three boys.  The boys are pretty simple…they’re close in age, love legos, Star Wars and games…but the girls…the girls are getting so difficult!  Last year I made skirts for the younger girls and then bought things for the older two. I was told later that even though the older girls liked the purchased items I’d given them, they’d felt left out of the matching fun of the skirts I’d made for the younger girls.  Yikes! How to keep sewing relevant things for girls heading into their teens? Christmas is pressure enough, but figuring out one answer for the big exchange on Christmas Eve was panic-filled.

I follow several craft and fabric blogs, and kept an eye open this year for something that would work for our Woodbury Women. Early on I found Retro Mama‘s blog and her Etsy store and I was drawn in. I liked her eye, style, fabric choices, and simple whimsy. I had to admit some jealousy of the fact that she has quite a following and makes some money doing these fun projects and creating patterns when they are so simple. Just looking at them I could figure out the process and cut of the pieces without seeing the pattern. I could do that!  But here she was selling branded patterns and stuffed creations while I was appreciating them. Props to Retro. One of her creations caught my attention though and I spent the money to buy the pattern for Greta.  Greta is a cute little stuffed doll with all kinds of options on personalizing it to the recipient! Hmm. Wheels turning. Fabric scanning. I even owned the felt. Hmm! I posed a question to the crafty ladies when the cousins were not around…”Would the girls like a doll made to look like them?…Stylized, but you know?”  Everyone tentatively agreed, without actually seeing the pattern and I had my plan. Even the older girls would get dolls…even if it meant they left it on a shelf…at least they would all be included. It would be a memento.

I didn’t get the chance to get started on these dolls until a couple of weeks before Christmas. Several other to-do’s and projects had taken the forefront, but then the prospect of going back to an office job loomed and I buckled down to my scissors and pins to get Christmas under the tree before I had to start wearing nylons again every day. I chose colors for the dresses that matched the favorites of the girls I was sewing for. I made sure their hair color was right, of course, but I also cut the hair to reflect the amount of curl or lack of it for each girl (Jessica’s daughters have pretty straight locks, but my own girls still have ringlets). I thought about eye color and even tried to remember what side their hair parted on. It was actually pretty fun to think about each girl individually and wonder if they’d like this or that combination of dress and tights. I also found it interesting how even the distribution of coloring was! Two blondes, two brunettes, two red-heads, and two with light brown hair.

The pattern wasn’t difficult, per se, but making eight separate dolls was admittedly time-consuming, when I didn’t really have a lot of time to spare.

Rather grisly to say that I had a bag of arms and legs on hand, but handy too (pardon the “handy” pun while we’re at it).

I was up sewing together the dolls until after midnight on Friday night because the Woodbury clan were getting together on Christmas Eve morning, Saturday, for brunch. Flight schedules and in-law requests designated our get-together to that time, but it was quite fun. Okay…realizing at the last minute that because we are living in the home of the parents where these parties tend to be meant a rush of cleaning too and the rounding up of plates and utensils and the emptying of the counters for space for food which was just a bit more stress, and Jon helped there, but the dolls were the biggest time hogs for my night. I did get to sit and watch White Christmas and the Christmas Story while stuffing and stitching up the final bits. Awesome tradition there. Jon also helped me box and wrap everything, and by 3 a.m. when I finally went to bed I was feeling pretty good about things.

Once the present opening began, the kids had a blast with matching but personalized aprons sewn by Lisa, and bean bag pillows from Kirsten. Then the boxes from us got handed out and my anticipation reached its height. Wrapping paper gone. Boxes open. Dolls tumble out. Each girl paused for a moment to take it in and then little Kira dove on top of hers with a shout of, “Oh! I wuv you dowwy!” The other girls were only a moment behind in hugging or saying “Cute!” or “Wow!” As the presents ended the girls used their bean bag pillows for the dolls to take naps and the aprons became blankets, and the middle of the room became a dolly sleepover. Of course the real compliments came from the moms as they got the chance to look over the dolls and I was able to explain some of the fabric and accessory choices. They were a huge hit and Hannah and Olivia continue to play with theirs or at least fight over Hannah’s in the green dress. I get used to lack of sleep sometimes, but such heartfelt praise for a gift is rare, and I am happy that everything was well-received.

More than that…Lindsay Cousins Kelsea and Chloe were visiting one day during the construction of the Woodbury Eight and showed some jealousy. Well…maybe not jealously, but they wanted dolls too!  I promised that after Christmas when I had some more time, they could come over for another play day and we would make them their own dolls. These girls would even get to choose their own fabrics and accessories. That happened, and it was pretty fun. Yes, I have gotten so good at the doll-making that we were able to complete two dolls from start to stuffing in one afternoon!  Score! Both of the girls were fantastic to turn and stuff the arms and legs while I sewed dresses and faces, and Lisa was very patient to wait around at the end while we were doing the last bits of hand-stitching and even did some stuffing herself, but both girls were able to take their dolls home with them. Like I told Lisa…I may have given K & C too many options for their dolls…and they accepted a few more than I had used for any of the other girls…but I enjoyed their joy in getting their way. The color choices were either ALL pink or ALL blue, where I like some contrast and color opposition (Chloe’s dress had a little purple in the pattern which would have been fun to accent with the shoes or appliques, but she loved the monochrome, and that’s what counts), but I liked the touch of flowers on the shoes and lace at the neck. I may have to put together a few more just to see what options I can create. Of course, then I have to find a way to sell them, but that’s another problem for another day.
Yay for well-received crafty Holiday goodness!

Can you guess?

Can you guess?


Can you guess what Hannah got for Christmas?

We inherited a riding helmet for her some time ago and had talked about how she’s getting old enough and how much she would like a bike for the summer. Why not keep an eye out on KSL and Craigslist for something lightly used and cheap? I came across a princess bike one day for $5 at a house about four blocks away from my parents. I called Bonnie, who, in Superwoman-esque style swooped over, dropped a $5 bill (which my dad gave her and stubbornly insisted was not to be repaid because he wanted to do that for Hannah for Christmas…he’s a little sweet on her), and then snuck it home to hide in her trunk for a couple of days until Jon was there to pick it up. We found some training wheels at Smiths for only a few dollars more and did a bit of cleaning, and we had a perfectly great present that was completely unexpected. 

The sweetest, cutest, smartest, funniest 4-year-old on the planet.

The sweetest, cutest, smartest, funniest 4-year-old on the planet.

It’s official. Hannah is 4!  Yikes! When did that happen!?  She is such an amazing kid! I have had a couple of people tell me lately that when most moms post comments about or by their kids on Facebook that everyone just skims over it and doesn’t actually care what’s said…but that when I post about Hannah or when Jon repeats things she’s said, that we are one of only two couples that people continue to read. A testament to how entertaining our kids truly are.

Hannah turned four on Saturday the 17th, and it was calm, but so fun. I was asleep in bed when I felt a little head lean against my shoulder. I smiled and pulled Hannah into bed with us and proceeded to tell her the story of the day she was born. She laughed a lot at the moments when I said things like, “OWIE!” or “Ohhhgh!”  When it was over, I thought we might slip back into a snooze, but Olivia proceeded to whine and we all woke up together.

Daddy had to shoot a wedding, so the girls and I hung out at home for a while. Between the ceremony and the reception that night we made a trip to Walmart and picked up the one thing Hannah had been asking for, which was a booster seat. We had taken the picture I’d printed out from the internet, and it took a little discussion with Hannah to convince her that it didn’t have to be the exact same fabric, and that the one she liked best on display wasn’t in stock either, so she needed to choose another. She finally settled on a floral one with a cup holder that she adores. We took everything home and while daddy did some computer work we cleaned out the car, took out the old carseat and put in the new booster. She was thrilled! While daddy was at the reception we made a cake and decorated it to her specifications and then played and watched tv, which is also her favorite. When daddy got home we sang and blew out candles (sans Olivia since she’d gone to bed), and then after a slice of cake we all went to bed too.  After church the next day we gave Hannah her second present.

A collection of dolls and dress-ups. They remind me of the paper dolls that my mother used to draw for me in church, but these are magnetized and are quite adorable. Hannah was awe-struck and so excited. She sat down to play with them while I put Olivia down for a nap. I checked in and Hannah was carrying on conversations and fashion shows with the dolls, giving them names (though we realized later that they had names already printed on them), and thoroughly enjoying herself, so mommy took herself to bed as well and got quite a wonderful nap. Best purchase! She still plays with them daily and even lets them sleep at the foot of her bed. It was quite a happy birthday weekend for our Hannah.

On Friday, she started to feel a bit of pressure for her birthday and said that she didn’t want it to come after all…that she would just stay three years old. I told her that was alright…that I’d send the presents back to the store and we wouldn’t make cake and she could stay three. The wheels turned for only a moment or two before she said, “I changed my mind. I’ll be four. I want my birthday.” I am so blessed to have such an awesome child in my life! She’s trying at times, contradicts me at nearly every turn thinking that she knows more than I, and is sometimes just so FOUR…but she also gives love so easily, loves to help, says the smartest and funniest things sometimes, and makes my life so complete. She is the epitome of joy. I love you Hannah!  Happy Birthday!

MIA

MIA

The worst thing about being a crafter at the Holiday season is the MIA status as far as computer access goes. Okay…maybe the WORST thing is staying up until 5 a.m. to finish those projects, wrap them and get them under the tree…but getting behind on my posting means more work in the end, so that’s bad too. Still, it turned out to be a fantastic holiday, with Hannah’s birthday included, so I will start the writing of stories and be back shortly. Thanks for your patience.

…After

…After

Compared to the haphazard placement of candy on our house last year, this ginger bread domicile is a masterpiece! Amazing what a single year can do when your three year old grows to a four year old who finds patterns fascinating.
I only got a quick pick of Hannah actually placing pieces on the board, and my phone wasn’t very forgiving, but she did have fun deciding where everything went. All the gumdrops in the yard are her “garden” and all the fruit slices are bridges or bushes, except for the two blue ones in the back, which are her swimming pool. I give extra points for creativity!

Letters to Santa

Letters to Santa

We took some time last week to write up Hannah’s letter to Santa with her wish-list for this year.

The nice thing about younger children writing letters to Santa is that you can sort of direct their thought process and write down the things that you may already have in the closet ready to wrap. The bad thing is that some bits come out of left field and then I have to scramble to find them. The princess statues I have downstairs, but the three Hawaiian leis and the makeup were totally random! Socks I can do, and butterflies are easy enough, but “my own makeup”? Seriously!
I’m hoping that the other upside to young imaginative kids is that they forget quickly and can’t read yet, so reminder notes from the actual letter mean squat.
We did some data entry at the Portable North Pole and Hannah was thrilled to get a response video from Santa himself. The anticipation of whether or not she made it onto the nice list was palpable! I’ll post the video of her watching Santa’s email when it’s loaded, but feel free to see what she saw in her video direct from Santa’s workshop.

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/mZk9SAjg6UFnjXPiJJC9eVw

Decorating the tree

Decorating the tree

Hannah watched a cartoon friend make snowflakes out of paper and wanted to try it herself. I had her draw where she wanted me to cut and mommy used the scissors to create the snowflakes she had in mind. She is now VERY particular about where they sit on the Christmas tree and SHE must be the one to place them there every time they fall off because mommy’s idea of pushing them onto a branch or having a branch poke through one of the holes is just unacceptable.

Before…

Before…

This is the fun addition to our fruits and veggies in our Bountiful Basket this morning; a box with the framework of a gingerbread house and the icing-mortar. I picked up the cheap candy packs at the grocery store and now we have the makings of a fantastic holiday art project. “After” pictures will follow.

This unassuming and literal cookie-cutter project brings back some awesome memories of my single days being included in the festivities with my sister Annette and her family. Annette bought the house that we grew up in from my parents, so it sort of became the natural homestead for those of us that lived in apartments or rental homes. The five of us (Lisa, Joni, Mike, Dave and me) would descend yearly on Annette and her family and we’d all have the most amazing holiday fun!
Every Christmas Eve consisted of a Martha-Stewart-esque meal with amazing centerpieces and folded napkins a-la the ever amazing hostess extraordinaire, Net. There was a puzzle table by Lisa or Dave or whatever new addition of Monopoly Mike had acquired that year. (Star Wars and Simpsons were probably my favorites.) I think that too was the beginnings of the wicked-competition for the Scrabble trophy that continues at Lindsay family holidays to this day. Several years in a row, Annette made sheets of gingerbread and Joni would cut and construct the most elaborate gingerbread houses! (They probably shouldn’t be limited to the term ‘houses’ since they ranged in difficulty from a scale replica of our family house up to Notre Dame…she was quite amazing with 3-d models.) The nights always ended with everyone being allowed to open one gift, which was always a new pair of pajamas. Once we were all ready for bed and had loaded our chosen comfy spots with treats and blankets, the yearly viewing of A Christmas Story (Bumpuses!) and It’s a Wonderful Life began. I didn’t always make it through both (warm cocoa and soft chairs are a dangerous combination late at night), though being forced into a round of backrubs usually extended my attention…you’d think I would have learned that I never actually got a backrub in return from any of the other five…but I was a sucker for making other people feel good…Maybe that was my contribution. It was always worth staying awake though to get to that moment of George Bailey figuring it all out and Harry raising a toast, “To my big brother George, the richest man in town.” Joni has never been known for tears, but that line set her weepy every time…(try it on her some July!)…which usually set the rest of us off.
I love remembering those Christmases. One by one we all married or moved away. Relationship struggles and drama enters every family, ours was no exception. Joni and Mike now join Lisa on the 24th each year, I believe. Dave moved to Hawaii for a while. Somehow I married and had two kids myself! Still, “No man is a failure, who has friends” and our family still behave as amazingly good friends. I still wear new jammies each year. I watch Zuzu’s petals and laugh through the tears. And every 25th I drive to my parent’s house and laugh and hug and enjoy my phenomenal friends some more.
Amazing how a little construction project can make you remember how much you adore your family.

Looking Ahead to Holiday Art

Looking Ahead to Holiday Art

Isn’t life just better with a jar full of freshly sharpened pencils?! Ahh. It took quite a while because my Rose Art set hadn’t been sharpened in years, and heaven bless my mother in law (the retired grade school teacher) for having an industrial electric sharpener!

The children’s 2011 Holiday Art Projects are brought to you by the YeJen Pencil Sharpener.