Home Tour

Welcome to the bloggy tour of my home. Come on in.
Right inside the door hanging on the wall, is my newest nativity. I love it, a nativity and a tree. For only $8.If you look to left you will see our fireplace. With most of our Christmas decorations, and of course stocking (I love stockings.) Which is why I made our advent calendar 24 stockings.Here are some close ups. Note the antique looking Santa in the corner.I love my new pillow nativity I made this year.Also Christmas would not be Christmas without Charlie Brown's Christmas. I have watched that movie every year since I was a kid, hence the snow globe. If I was giving someone a tour of my house, I would play the soundtrack.Then if you turn around you'll see our tree. This is the first year my husband and I have had a full size tree, let alone a real tree. So ornaments are a little sparse.
In the next corner, I set up my Fontanini Nativity. I really love that one. Along with the snow ballerina I made, and some cone trees.
Across the room on top of my pantry, is my mini ornaments that I'm afraid would be thrown away with the tree if I put them on the tree. They date back to being engaged to my husband when we were in school, and I obviously didn't have a tree in my apartment.Next up, my kitchen. Here is a close up of the clock.
I live in an old bungalow so we have a cute shelf to decorate over our sink.I love this decoration, I made everyone lists, so maybe other people don't really want what I thought they wanted. Although my son did tell me he wanted a yellow choo choo, wall-e, and halloween candy. I asked do you think you would rather christmas candy, and he said YEA! CHRISTMAS CANDY. I'm also pretty sure my newborn could careless about anything concerning the holiday.
Here is my son making Christmas sugar cookies with his grammy, in our kitchen. I made the apron this year, to have festive cooking gear.Sugar Cookies
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
Combined flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt and sift into bowl. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add egg, milk and vanilla; mix until dough holds together. Press into ball. Wrap and chill well. Roll 1/2 of the dough at a time on lightly floured board. Cut into shapes with floured cookies cutters. Arrange 1” apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes. Cool cookies on racks.

Since my son is almost three Christmas is obviously very magical. (Back in september he saw a picture of Santa Claus and told me who it was, we hadn't mentioned Santa for the previous 9 months.) But also much of it is very breakable, so I've tried to give him Christmas stuff to touch. Here is the tree downstairs (the same handme down one we have used the previous 3 years of marriage, pretty sorry looking). My son decorated the tree which is why most of the ornaments are at the bottom. He also painted some of them.
Plus the santa that is on the other side of the door, and the snow globe nativity from his grandma, which is surprising durable.He also has some christmas in his bedroom. Like the stocking my sister made me in home ec, and santa's red long johns.Plus two more nativities on his dresser. I love how he matched up wiseman for wiseman, mary for mary, etc. The lambs, and donkey are by far the most favorite pieces.the end...

Star or Angel?

I told my husband when I was little I thought stars were secular, because growing up my family had an angel on top of the tree. He told me he thought angels were pagan, because its like you are worshiping the angel. So I made a star, I decided to make it because it seemed easier than finding what I wanted. I wanted a star in complete glitter. I picked the wrong type of glitter, using crystal (white) colored glitter instead of silver, but I put a little silver on top of the white. If I wasn't about to pop and I wasn't feeling a little poor this holiday season, I would have redone the star is silver glitter. Here is the finished product. One version with the flash and one without the flash.

I told my mom what my husband said about the angel, and she said what does he want to do put the baby Jesus on top of the tree? I told him that, and he said, he doesn't think we should have trees in our houses. For some reason he has decided to be anti christmas tree this year.

Finally a big brother

I made a gift bag for my son when I was at the hospital. I got this gift bag at his baby shower, still works.
First things first I wanted him to have a big brother shirt, which I made the applique.The other things in the bag were books. A birth scrapbook, and My New Baby, its very something, the mom nurses in it, which I was unaware of when I bought the book from Amazon. But there are no words, a lot of people in the reviews said they were disappointed with the lack of words, other said they liked that it didn't fill the kids head up with ideas like being jealous. Speaking of new baby books, I also like The New Baby by Mercer Mayer. He has become one of the favorites to pick up at the library. He does include a plot, but doesn't mention negitive emotions a toddler might feel, we have checked it out a few times.
I envisioned the scrapbook to sort of being a thing to explain to J about where mommy is what she is doing. Not to mention, I need a place to store things like our medical bracelets.His baby socks, and baby hat.Yes I know a little over the top. But as my husband said about my advent calendar, its not your style to do something simple.

The last holiday craft of 2008

These little pillows are pretty self explanatory I think. The buttons are about 1/2 inch tall. I decided to put the phrase 'believe in hope', from Elder Uchtdorf's talk in October. There is no point in celebrating Christmas if we don't have hope in the redeeming power of our Savior, right?

Here are the wise men

Together next to each other on the mantle. They are too little for the couch, they would get lost under someone when they sat down.

Here is the back material, I absolutely love it. It is so unlike anything a chain store like JoAnns would sell. I bought it two years ago in March on super clearance at a quilting shop. I usually can't afford quilting shops.

Now its time for the baby to come. Sure, since I'm over due I bet some of you faithful readers are waiting in anticipation to figure out when the baby is coming. I'm boycotting talking about it, because the baby is boycotting being born. She is getting close though, and when she is done with her boycott, I will post a terrible picture of a newborn, and your anticipation will be over. Tonight is a full moon, and it is suppose to storm all weekend. Both good signs in my opinion, my first was born in the middle of a snow storm, so I've been waiting for the storm to come.

J's Holiday Craft #2

We have a full size, 6 foot christmas tree this year. It was payment for babycare help with the new baby. We don't really have enough ornaments for a full size tree, so my son and I found pine cones outside our public library, and he glitterized them. His grandma helped him as I took pictures.

I thought glitter was expensive, so I ended up only buying paint pens.

He sure had fun making his sparkly pinecones.

J's Holiday Crafts

I'm not the only one making holiday crafts in my house.

My son picked out this fantastic snowflake mask in the store and wouldn't give it up. So then we came home and he painted it.

Snowwoman Ballet

I few weeks ago in a craft store ad I saw a skinny snowwoman, and I thought that is the snowman for my house. I went to the store planning to spend about $10, it was $25, I decided no. It wasn't as cute in real life less ballerina like and more gaudy woman like. So I decided to make my own. The two look nothing a like, I love mine, especially way more than the one in the store. The tutu is huge, for the size of the snowman.

Here is what she looks like on our key spot. I have a thing for gaudy christmas tree cones.

Plus it only took one nap time to make.

Countdown

You might have thought I was counting down to the baby born, but no I'm counting down to CHRISTMAS!

I made an advent calendar for this year. I plead insanity for the moment I designed it.

I sewed 24 little stockings, to help my child count down. They are about three inches high, needless to say it took a near eternity, I didn't think I would finish them in time, for the beginning of December.

The garland that the stockings hang on took FOREVER to make, literally. I spent more than 4 hours on the garland. I couldn't decided how to do the numbers, I didn't really want to use a fabric pen, but I definitely didn't want to embroidery the numbers, I ended up doing the tags. I think the tags are cute, and it was a very non committal way of doing it, next year I can always cut them off and chose to do them a different way.

I used left over halloween candy in the stockings. I thought it was ingenious of me to use Halloween candy, after I came up with it, I found multiple blogs suggesting it.

I love the stockings!!! I wish I would have taken a picture of them before I put the candy in, because the candy makes them a little droopy. I put the candy in on Sunday night after my kid was in bed, he didn't notice until around 4:30 pm on Monday. We played in the living room all morning, and he never noticed. He was very excited when he saw the candy, but then very sad when I told him we only got one a day, and we needed to wait until daddy got home from work. He was so happy when he finally got his piece of candy.

Happy Holidays

As I have already mentioned I have way too much holiday material in my house. So I used some of material to make a fall/thanksgiving apron, and a Christmas apron. The first is thanksgiving if you couldn't tell.

My favorite part, the jack o lantern on the back of the neck. It was no accident.

The Christmas one.

The material was rather dark and busy and needed something to break it up, so I used the lace I had bought but decided not to use for something else. I love the way it turned out, maybe its a little grandmaish, but I think it adds to the retroness of the print. Plus it reminds me of a scalloped design on a cookie, or frosting trim on a gingerbread house.

I've been wanting to make a birthday apron for months now, but haven't been able to find any good material for it. I saw one at a store for a large lump sum and thought it was a cute idea. I thought my small children would think it was fun if their mom had a special birthday apron for their birthdays. I know that sounds cheesy but none the less, I decided to jump on board. So now I'm well on my way to having an every holiday apron. I now need to go get some clearanced Halloween material so I can be ready for next year.

Ladybugs

I finally made the pillow case out of the ladybug material. Yes I admit it took me forever to get around to a 15 minute sewing project. It turned out a little big, because I didn't feel like trimming extra material. (By the way, that is not his blanket or bed, that's way too girly for a little boy.)

Which means my son can use it as a sleeping bag. He loves it. He went to bed the other night in it.

This is what the picture turned out like after my husband said, pretend like you are sleeping.

I thought he was so cute, in his lady bug bag. Once again, good thing he found manly looking beetles.

MY FAVORITE!

Every girl needs a pair of black mary janes. So I decided to start my daughter off early. I made them with black craft felt, because I could not find black wool felt. I love them. They are about my most favorite things I have ever made in my life. No exaggeration. I love them! They make me happy. Which is good, because the hormones are starting to get to me, and I'm a wreck, I started crying in the middle of dinner the other day, and on our way home.

Homecoming Outfits

When I was two months pregnant the first time my husband and I went to Argentina (yes I admit a terrible time for international travel). While we were there we bought a baby outfit. White with blue little chicken like birds, we were positive the child growing in me was a boy. It was the outfit we brought my son home in the hospital in. It was sized 0-3 months, it drowned him, my mom said, he isn't three months yet.

He was so cute! (Can you tell I'm hormonal?)

I spent too much money on this outfit, but my baby will look so cute coming home from the hospital. Its newborn size so it won't drown her. It didn't come with a hat or built in feet on the pants, so I had to take matters into my own hands. I added a matching bow on a white hat, so her head stays warm, and still matches.Here is a close up, you know I love to give my viewers a close up.And I made baby shoes that match! I have an on going love affair with homemade baby shoes for girls. Luckily after making my sister's girl some, I got pregnant with a girl. (They are a different pattern then the last pair.)

This might be a little much, but my first child came while I was busy in school. So my second child, is the child that will have way more stuff than the rest. In fact this was scaled down, I was thinking about making a matching baby bracelet, but I decided I'm too tired. Not to mention I'm sure a day old baby doesn't want to wear beads on her wrist. I'll save that for when she is three weeks at her baby blessing.
PS more baby shoes to come in the future!

Add a fourth

Stockings are my favorite Christmas decoration. Here are my family's stockings so far. Please Please Please click on the link. I love them.
If you will recall, I went on a stocking craze last year.
Luckily this year, the only one in my family having a baby is me, which means, I only had to make stockings for one child. MINE!
So all I had to do this year was add a fourth to the family collection. Luckily I already had everything to make this stocking. My son picked the main material, out of a stack of Christmas material.

I had to buy the green bobbles for this stocking, but that is all. At first I planned on keeping this one, but I'm afraid its too fancy, and I'll set too high of a precedence for my future children.

So I haven't really decided which one is staying at my house, and which one is going to live with all the cousins at grammy's. I like the green bobbles, and it is by far my son's favorite out of two. But I also the how the silver trim brings out the silver in the red material.
Not to mention, my husband confirmed my fears. My son was "helping" me sew the green trim on, and when we finished he went to show his dad. His dad, said pretty fancy, are jealous its not yours? Luckily my kid looked at him like he was crazy and said, no.

First Holiday Post

For some crazy reason I made a Christmas dress for my unborn daughter. I've been wanting to try this pillow case dress, From Freshly Picked.
Obviously a newborn is too small to wear a full size pillow case, but I didn't have a Christmas pillow case anyway, I made a small one out of this material. My real problem is not having a baby girl inside of me, my real problem is way too much Christmas material in my house, because this is not a holiday were I can go spend money at JoAnn's every time I turn around, its about making due with what I already have.
When I finished it looked like a potato sack with holy berries on it, so then I took it some under the arm pits, to give it an A line appearance, instead of a square pillow case.
For the record, Making your own bias tape is about the most ridiculous thing in the world.