Handmake All Christmas Gifts: CHECK!

This blog has been a bit silent this past week, but I promise it is for a good reason! You see, all this week, my life has revolved around MAKING CHRISTMAS GIFTS. If you recall, I declared I was going to make all my gifts by hand this year – which, as it turns out, requires a good deal of planning, collecting, purchasing, and then of course… making. By hand. And shipping, on time, to ensure they arrive by Christmas.

photo: Anna Inghardt ♥

While I don’t regret a moment of it, trying to get it all done with only a few days to do so was EXTREMELY exhausting! When I wasn’t working this week, I was dragging Julian through Michael’s, making him cut 2x4s (by hand) for my letter blocks, browsing thousands of fabrics, cutting, gluing, sanding, painting, taping, beading, gold-leafing, folding, brushing, wrapping, etc. While my whole body aches from lack of sleep and from moving from one project to another with only brief momentary breaks for food, my fingers have received the brunt of the pain – I can’t decide if hot glue guns are my best friend or my worst enemy. I also have splinters. Delicious.

But the good news is – I got every last project done! And with the exception of a few minor mishaps (i.e., burning the cover of a scrapbook while attempting to iron on letters, spilling half a box of tiny beads all over the floor), it all went smoothly. I even managed to get them to UPS on time and they should arrive by Christmas (unless the 20″ of snow expected in Virginia tonight slows them down)! Love UPS.

I will post photos of my lovely creations, but I can’t just yet for fear of spoiling the surprise for my Moms, Dads, sisters and brothers! While it was tough on a short timeframe, all in all the process was amazing. I really missed making things with my hands… it is so, so gratifying and fun. I wish I were going to be able to watch my family open the presents.

All together now…. EXHALE.

I am SOOOO looking forward to the weekend! Tonight is a date night with my superstar boyfriend (whose new video, Techno Jeep, is currently going viral) and this weekend will be spent relaxing, reading, enjoying fires in the fireplace, and maybe (MAYBE) attempting to make hot chocolate on a stick again. You see, I destroyed the first four batches I tried to make because the melted chocolate did not agree with the cocoa powder. IDGI. It prompted my first (and God willing, my only) holiday meltdown of the season.

So, in summary, if I had time to write Things I Love Thursday yesterday, it would have been HANDMAKING GIFTS. So much fun, even with dark circles under my eyes, burnt fingertips and possible beads in my cat’s stomach.

Cute Alert: Homemade Pink & White Snowflakes

What makes a Saturday even better than eating nothing but donuts & coffee all day? Making pink and white paper snowflakes! I might be a terrible photographer (as these rough looking iPhone photos will prove), but I am a darn good snowflake-maker! Today I felt inspired by the festive paper snowflakes on Holy Experience, so I decided to make my own. I used a few sheets of pale pink printer paper I had stashed away, along with some tissue paper from Coach (from a clutch that I’m currently selling in the name of getting rid of crap I don’t need.)

I had to make do with the supplies I had – a few different sizes of scissors, scotch tape, thread from a sewing kit, and some snowflake patterns I found online (like this one, and this one).

It was very easy. Once I got the hang of it, I even make my own patterns. All in all, I made about 15 snowflakes. They’re a little flimsy, so they may or may not be destroyed by the end of the season, but I’m going to look into making more from cardboard/poster board and fabric that will last for years (hopefully).

I hung the pink ‘flakes in my kitchen window, and taped (carefully) the tissue paper snowflakes to the french doors on my balcony, so the whole neighborhood can enjoy them (if they can see them).

One tip for getting the snowflakes to be flat: iron them on a low-setting between two sheets of paper.

Fun!