Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Christmas giving

Here are a few of the Christmas crafts that adorned the holiday this year...

Handmade ornament books.

I used techniques I learned in a book arts course and sewed these little guys out of some scrap papers. I glued the decorative rick rack and ribbon, added a little glitter, and then wrote out Christmas quotes and poems in each one. We used these on our Christmas dinner table, and had guests read from the poem books for our Christmas blessing. It was really special and fun!
ornaments

Poems used:

Let me not wrap, stack, box, bag, tie, tag, bundle, seal, keep Christmas.
Christmas kept is liable to mold.
Let me give Christmas away, unwrapped, by exuberant armfuls.
Let me share, dance, live Christmas unpretentiously, merrily, responsibly with overflowing hands, tireless steps and sparkling eyes.
Christmas given away will stay fresh—even until it comes again."

-- Let Me Not Keep Christmas . . . . . . . . Linda Felver, A Book of Christmas


I will Light Candles this Christmas
by Howard Thurman


I will light Candles this Christmas;
Candles of joy despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,

Candles of peace for the tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.


Somehow, not only for Christmas
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)

Somehow, not only for Christmas,
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others,
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing,
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing,
Returns to you glad.


Potholders

I made a few potholders for the grandparents, with AJ's handprint. They are kind of huge, so they might make better placemats or hot pads... I embroidered his name and the year on them too (did this after taking the photo).

potholder

New Sweater

AJ got a new sweater for Christmas... I started this one over the summer I think! I finally finished it and it is big enough that it should fit him through this summer and into next fall/winter. The color is so close to his eye color, I can't believe it. I used really cute fishbowl buttons from Jimmy Beans Wool. I only had three, so I am ordering a fourth one. Great pattern -- the Aran Pullover from Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas.

new sweater

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