November 17th—38 days until Christmas—Christmas Card Bowl

We’re under forty days to the big day and that means soon cards will start to arrive.  I hope you already have yours.  I hope you’ve even started to address them.  Remember we’re trying to do everything in advance so December will be stress-free and love-filled.

Since you’ll be receiving cards, you’ll be needing a place to keep them.  I decoupaged a painted wooden bowl with old cut-out Christmas cards.

The elves love to carry it away to a quiet place to look at the pictures and read all the greetings.  Decoupage is easy and takes no artistic talent at all–just cut and paste.  Here are the instructions for a box I made last year.

In my next post I’ll take a break from crafts and share some of my dear husband’s favorites for the holidays.  Hope some might be yours, too.

Made-with-Love Christmas Gifts

    

       You can be confident that once my husband’s s list is complete, he goes right to work making those gifts or, more accurately, giving directions to his elves.  What would he ever do without his wonderful helpers!

Giving handmade gifts takes you a giant step away from the commercialization of the holiday and more importantly you are saying to the receiver you care enough to put yourself into the present.     

If you are handy and like to make gifts for the special people on your list, then you must not delay.  Start working NOW!

Decoupage gifts are easy to do and don’t take any artistic talent or ability.  All you need is something wooden (a board, box, or bowl,) and lots of fun pictures and paste.  I made this present for my many-times great niece.  I’m very old!   Download instructions here.  I’ll stuff it with fancy socks for her young feet.

Perhaps you’re a Knitter  

Give your reading friends this bookmark, that you can whip up in no time. Download the pattern here.

The sooner you get started on your gifts, the sooner you’ll finish.  Trust me—the elves and I know every hand-made gift takes longer than expected.  You don’t want to be staying up the night before Christmas hemming the dress you made your daughter.

Tell us about any gifts you’ve made (send pictures and instructions, too.)  I always need new ideas. 

 If you’re not a crafty person, don’t worry, shopping hints come in the next blog. 

 Until then, let’s all strive for a stress-free, love-filled Christmas . . .