Santa Came and Went

Now that it's after Christmas, i can share with you what's been keeping me busy for the past few months. The hardest part, the part that took the longest, was the planning and organizing of what gifts to make. Once i knew what to make for whom, the flow of creativity was much easier. And this year, there was a good balance between knitting, sewing, transfer work, and other mediums of crafting. J also got into the creative side of gift-giving too and made gifts for people - he made record bowls and made transfer hankies for his dad. The bowls are quite easy to make - just heat up the oven and melt them a bit to shape. (Here's a guide.) Of course, we did work right up until the last minute, but it was all worth it.

We decided to use fabric to wrap our gifts, instead of buying new wrapping paper. This way, we save on the environment, save some money, but also give great pieces of fabric as an extra gift. I also got some wonderful gifts but i will post about them later. Christmas is, after all, about giving, right? Of course, the other great part of the holidays is to be with family and eat. A lot. I ate constantly for about 4 days in a row. A lot of yummy nut loafs and some great chocolate mint soy milk to drink. I'm glad to be home, even though there's no snow!

I have created a Flickr set of my holiday presents - to see more, feel free to check out the pictures. But, for the most part, my gift-making included:* a book bag for my sister, who's an environmental chemist, so this book was perfect
* a cat tunnel for her cat, who loves to bury herself under the covers
* a yo-yo belt (for my sis too - we always out do ourselves for each other)
* a linen table runner with block prints and cross-stitch detail for my mom
* car dice for her too because she WON a car
* a knit scarf for my dad:* placemats
* pot holders and oven mitts
* an apron* a baby jumper for a nephew who's dad Loves Star Wars
* tea pot cozies
* soaps
* dog toys and vegan dog biscuits

ps. the photo on the top was made with this cool kalaidescope thingie i bought J