Crafty goodness

Ya know the saying, "It is better to give than to receive?"

Well, this Christmas, I've felt so much JOY from giving. I think I may have had more fun making gifts than I ever have. And I couldn't blog about them because then I'd spoil the surprise for you and others!

I was in a whirlwind of craftiness, which means I didn't even photograph a bunch of it....oh well. Here are some snapshots of the fun I had (and did photograph).

1. Sweater wreaths....ya know, similar to the ones we made for our little baby tidbit and sold at our November boutiques (shall we make some up to be available for our blog friends??).  But these have one special piece....haha....the black and white striped wool at the top is indeed from a J.Crew sweater I couldn't bear to throw out. Now THAT'S recycling. I made two of these and was really happy to give them as gifts.




2. Birdie hoops....you get the big one! This idea was inspired by Jill and this post on her blog Pocket Full of Posies. She made some, offered the template, I printed it out, sized it for my hoops, and went to town!  Whew. I made 5 of these, and still want to make one for my big self.




3. My very own Christmas banner. Yay. You are my banner muse, little friend. Letters cut out of book pages, braided yarn for hanging, and felt. How I love felt. I bought the strand of teeny bells hanging above it at Cost Plus World Market. Aren't the bells sweet?




4. Then Remember these guys?  My 10 tins? I tried three recipes for them. The first was April's Peppermint Bark (ridiculously easy - she posted the recipe on her blog here ), Classic Peanut Brittle, and Macadamia Nut & Coconut Brittle. Both brittle recipes were from an old Martha Stewart special edition magazine I had kept called Handmade Gifts. The tins looked so pretty, lined with wax paper, filled with treats. But darn, I gave away all the Peppermint Bark-filled ones before taking any pics. I got the best feedback on those. Everyone liked it.






5. Oh, and the yarn rosettes. I have made about forty of them....I used some of them on the Birdie Hoops. Some others became gifts too, and the rest have yet to take shape into something. But SOON they will be headbands and barrettes and brooches. I can't wait.  I'll need your help with these, using all our new buttons and scraps....maybe making some goodies for a little nook in a local shop!! Maybe, just maybe....

All this craftiness makes me wonder: When are the kids going back to school again??

Ha ha. For now, I'm knee deep in Lego parts, train tracks, wooden beads, dirty laundry, cluttered counter tops, unmade beds....and rain streaming down the windows.

It's a kind of Christmas-break heaven over here, and I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Craftiness can wait a few more days.