Thursday, December 19, 2013

snow and christmas



two weeks ago we were covered with this beautiful blanket of snow. i am always in awe of the way snow can make the simplest things transform into this magical world. it is a real gift here... we usually get one snowfall per year... in a lucky year we may get more... but some years we get none at all. 



peace.
"it does not mean to be in a place
where there is no noise, trouble,
or hard work. it means to be in 
the midst of those things and still
be calm in your heart."

(unknown)


inside the house i have been intentionally pairing red and green in every little nook that i can. our pace has switched from steady to very fast and we are doing our best to keep up. there are always so many more things that i want to do this time of year... and with so much less time... there is always a point where i must stop, sigh, and say "maybe next year."









gathering with friends and family is such an important thing this time of year. we felt so fortunate to have a visit from the sweet couple above (all the way from the land down under) and even though it had been five years since our last visit it felt as though hardly any time had passed at all. we were so happy to be a stop on their journey.






my mom, sisters, and nephew also made a visit in hopes to revive an old tradition that belonged to my mom and one of her sisters... wreath making. i remember each year my mom would make wreaths and centerpieces out of a vast array of greenery and most years my aunt and cousins would join in on the fun. we had such a wonderful time and my sweet mom spent so much time helping my little girls make their own swags for their own rooms... they were absolutely thrilled.



then we finally got our tree and that decorating began. i put up the lights and then the kids hung every ornament we had. i was quite impressed with how well they did. in the beginning all of the ornaments were at the bottom front of the tree and i was thinking i may need to adjust a few things... but then... they started adjusting on their own and we came out with a fairly balanced and definitely beautiful tree. i think that the imperfections are what makes it so perfect.


i know that i said an ornament tutorial would be on the way and i am sorry that it hasn't come... i didn't expect things to get quite so busy. we definitely have been getting the elving spirit the last few days especially... so it's still possible... but not likely before christmas. 

i have been so inspired by the making here (alicia) and here (amanda)... goodness those women are brilliant. maybe some new ideas for next year.


Thursday, December 12, 2013

a doll for bee








there was a sewing whirlwind over thanksgiving break... and with some heavy encouragement from my little bee a large amount of progress was made. ever since i made this doll for eislee, layla bee has been asking for me to make another for her. i had some knit fabric that i thought would make a beautiful tan skin color... and as a skin color it is very beautiful... but being a knit fabric it was very difficult to work with for this project. when stuffing, instead of her body getting tight and firm the fabric just kept stretching and looks somewhat misshaped. it was also very difficult to embroider her face... once again... the stretching. bee picked all of the colors for her face and hair and she came up with the idea to unravel the yarn and make curly hair.... love love love! i was considering finishing this doll for her for christmas but i have decided that since everything has been done together thus far that we need to finish her together as well. i believe we will be taking a break though as we have been switching to christmas "making".

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

i found christmas





i love the way that one cold night can transform this little farm into a frozen winter wonderland. it is especially beautiful just after sunrise when there is a pinkish blue hue to everything.... that hue combined with the white frost is so peaceful.... that, and the extreme quiet that only happens this time of year. 



christmas made an appearance here a couple weeks ago in the form of a paper snowflake marathon, the addition of christmas lights in (almost) every bedroom, and the annual performance of santa and his reindeer. it's a tradition now for maiko to dress up in a santa hat and carry a pillowcase full of random things around the house and deliver them to every person present. below you will see santa on his sleigh pulled by his little reindeer and followed by his reindeer assistant each with a pillow sack of gifts.





each and every year my fondness for this holiday seems to grow. i am in love with the joy and light that now becomes a focus during these darkest days of the year. the more aware i become of this season and its effect on everything in it's wake i become so thankful for a pleasant distraction.

on a side note... i plan to do a proper ornament tutorial. every year we make clay ornaments, and it has become such a natural process for us now that i believe it is time to share or method. 

Monday, November 25, 2013

fabric fever






yes, there has been more sewing.
i have wanted to make one of those fabric banners for quite a long time now. i have made paper banners before... i made a little tutorial here. the fabric banner has been on my list for years though, and now that i finally made one i can't stop laughing at myself. it was so EASY!!! i always knew that it would be... so that wasn't really too much of a surprise... but none the less i put it off for years. silly me. i am now very excited to make more of these fun little banners... maybe for every room in the house? at least every bedroom. i have cut fabric and started sewing on another project though... and i will share that one soon. it is special for my layla bee. i also plan to cut the batting for my first honey bun pouf over this next week. yes, fabric fever indeed. 

Monday, November 18, 2013

as the days grow short













  • i love these beautiful foggy mornings... there is something mysterious and magical about the mix of fog and vibrant fall trees.
  • we are so close to the shortest day now and once again i feel it's effect on my family.... everyone tired and a bit more irritable this time of year... i'm glad we have lots of holiday celebrating to get us through.
  • i have been consistently working on one creative project or the other... it feels so good.
  • my creative spirits have been giving my children a pull to come work along side me on some projects of their own.... we are all falling in love with the stamp making.
  • the christmas spirit is catching in this house and will soon be spreading like a wild fire.
  • i never thought i would be one to play christmas music before thanksgiving... but i surprised myself this year with a yearning for old bing crosby... nothing gets me in the christmas spirit like "have yourself a merry little christmas".

if your interested in stamp making the book that we learned from is in the reading section of my sidebar... it is called "making an impression" and if you click on the picture it will redirect you to amazon where you can look inside the book and read reviews... it is a very inspiring book.