The Big Reveal: What I Made My Mom for Christmas

Several years ago, I picked up an unopened crewel embroidery kit at the thrift store for a whole whopping 79 cents (interestingly the copyright was from 1981). A couple of times I considered redonating it but I never did.

I decided that I wanted to complete this one for my Mom who gave me a cross-stitch of one of my favorite 'religious' or 'prayer' proverbs, which says "A Day Hemmed with Prayer Rarely Unravels."

When it was done, I had it dry cleaned like the instructions suggested - it was definitely worth it the colors became much more vivid after the cleaning.

I used a gift card for Michaels and 50 percent plus another 15 percent off coupon to defray the cost of framing.

It turned out pretty nice (although, I recently saw some crewel work by the girls' piano teacher that puts my work to shame).

Sharing:

good un-gifts

My mother-in-laws parent's ran a general store when she was young (I think they tried and failed in several locations). In the past, she has sent me lots of ribbon from what they still had. This week (in the box that held the Christmas gifts), she sent me some more stuff from the store including, wooden spools of thread.

There are the typical large spools and small spools (none of the green ones thought), but what surprised me were these spools about the same size as a bobbin - I have never seen them before. Have you? Do you know what they were used for?

There is some pretty lace and ribbon too. I really like the paisley ribbon - there isn't a lot of it though.

She also sent me a huge assortment of wooden embroidery hoops from her crafting days.

Sometimes the best gifts aren't gifts. :)

Christmas Decorations

It is fun to let the girls decorate the tree. They are so nostalgic and get so excited calling out "Do you remember when..."

My Mom crocheted these angels by the hundreds for craft fairs when I was a child. I have two of the small ones on my tree.

This ornament is a golden khokhloma ornament. I wish I had bought more. I can't find this kind anymore.

This was the ornament I bought for our first Christmas. It is K's favorite ornament on the tree right now.

A friend gave this to me the second year after we got married for Christmas.

Every year since C was a newborn, I've made photo ornaments for our tree and the grandparents' trees. The ornament for our tree is a family picture or a picture of the girls together. The ornament for the grandparents is individual shots of each of the girls. Someday, the girls will have loads and loads of photo ornaments to remember past Christmas's by.

I love listening to the girls examining the photos and talking about them as they hang them up.

I don't buy special 'ornament' frames. I just buy small wallet size frames (occasionally, I get bigger frames if they are light) remove the kick stand and add a ribbon.

K is in the above photo - just not visible yet.

One year, the girls went on a spree of making beaded ornaments with pipe cleaners. I've only kept the best examples.

When I was only slightly older than C, a great-aunt gave me a kit for four plastic canvas ornaments. I still have them. The girls both love them. For several Christmases after the first four I would design my own but they are not nearly as impressive as the ornaments from the kit. The angel and the tree are both from the kit.

The plastic canvas ornament below is one of several I made during the first years of our marriage. Variegated yarn and squares of canvas make something fun and easy to work-up. K wants me to teach her how.

The girls have both made some of these ornaments. They are from those kits where you fill in the areas with plastic beads and then melt them. Somewhere (it didn't show up this year) I have one I made when I was a kid.

C made these with my Mom one year from a JoAnn's kit that we decided to change-up and use buttons on instead.

Christmas Draws Near

Last week, I was sick, which is why I disappeared. I am feeling better now. The girls had an extremely busy weekend. On Saturday morning, they delivered food bags to the unemployed and underemployed in our area. They had been raising money in Kidz Klub and the group was able to distribute 47 bags of food that also included grocery store gift cards in them.

In the afternoon, the girls had dress rehearsal for their Christmas program. While they were busy Tim and I combed the local stores battling the Christmas crowds to find white pants.

On Sunday evening, we got to watch the girls' Christmas program.

WHITE PANTS! SCORE ONE FOR PERSISTENCE (I am glad I stuck to my guns and didn't get leggings).

C did such a nice job with her reading part - I wish my flash would have fired.

I entertained myself during the week by exhuming photos from a trip back to Kansas that I took in 2007 and making a little video feature music from the 70's rock group Kansas.

Nativity Video - My Photos - Go Fish Music

boxing season, round iii (a visit to middle earth)

I've made more boxes featuring the animated "The Hobbit" movie book. This box is huge. My MIL is forever buying the girls American Girl Doll accessories and something big came in this box. I don't remember what but it was big and it came in a great box.

The tunnel to Smaug's cave.

A hobbit and his hole.

The lonely mountain.

Finding the ring.

Bonus points to anyone who might guess why I put butterfly tulle on a Hobbit box.

K is absolutely smitten with the box making process and loves The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (both girls have listened to both books and have watched the animated movie - it will be awhile before I feel they are ready for Jackson's version).

She asked if she could decorate her own box. She picked this image of Gandalf. She did all the cutting and gluing herself. She used glitter glue for "magic."

easy, inexpensive, homemade gifts for your geeky and nerdy relatives

I will start with the most complicated gift because it entails embroidery.

This is a box that is the gift - not a gift box. I found a coloring page of Harry Potter I liked and traced it onto the fabric. Then I embroidered the outlines and used filling stitches for his hair, tie, and wand.

I pulled the embroidered fabric tight on a bulletin board and pinned it in place. I  used a Sharpie to color in his robe, and color a radiating pattern around him. Then I sprayed it with rubbing alcohol. The process was unnerving and I colored and resprayed it a number of times. I am not sure I will try this particular experiment again.

It was interesting to watch the fabric dry, the embroidery floss seemed to push and pull the inks around, the end effect is effective.

Oh, I forgot to mention I embroidered gold seed bead coming out of the end of his wand. Then I did my normal box magic. :)

I made another Muggle Deluminator.

I used a cheap black plastic switch plate (around two dollars) and silver stickers (a dollar a pack - I needed two). After, I applied the stickers, I sprayed it with a couple of coats of Krylon's Triple Thick Clear Finish to protect the stickers.

I taped the screws to the back and then I stapled label to the top. It reads:

Muggle Room DeluminatorTM

For muggles, life is complicated. The nuances of lighting rooms

for activity and darkening them for sleep can be frustrating.

Alleviate difficulties with a

'Muggle Room DeluminatorTM.'

By simple moving the switch up to LumoS the muggle can light a room.

By moving the switch down to NoX the muggle can darken a room.

No longer, does a muggle need to be embarrassed

when his wizarding friends come to tea!

A Star Wars Mood Notification Chart

This is another pretty easy project. I found a photo of Darth Vader's head I liked and duplicated. For each image, I came up with a adjective for a mood (I tried to be a bit goofy about this one).

After I printed it, I simply stuck it in a frame and glued a Scrabble tray that I painted black to the bottom. I added a dry erase marker and it is good to go.

For a fun touch, I did add the following text to the back of the frame:

The Force Sensitivity ChartTM

Are you frustrated by your non-enlightened cohorts, who are callously unaware to the nuances of The Force?

Do your minions constantly misunderstand you, resulting in their ultimate demise? Are you frustrated by the need to constantly acquire new minions when you've been forced to dispose of idiots? We have the solution for you!

Try the new Force Sensitivity ChartTM! The Force Sensitivity ChartTM will allow your subordinates to learn to recognize the subtleties of The Force. The chart comes with a display of the various fluctuations in the force that underlings must learn to recognize. After a short training period, your minions will soon easily recognize when you are irritated or pleased.


Instructions for using the Force Sensitivity Chart:

1.) Give each minion a copy of the chart.
2.) Keep a copy for yourself during the training period.
3.) When you walk up to a minion's desk, circle the Force mood that they must recognize in you at that moment.
4.) If they respond inappropriately, cut of their breath.
5.) If they respond appropriately, issue your command and watch as they execute it flawlessly.
6.) After several weeks of negative reinforcement, discard your chart. Your minions should refer to their charts when in doubt.

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