Around the beginning of November, I had an epiphany: I don't need to wait until *after* Thanksgiving to start my Christmas projects. Say What?!? I don't? So once I finished Muffin's birthday present, I picked a Saturday and did my Christmas shopping- Lowes, a local craft store, and Joanne's. I made a schedule. and I stuck to it (for the most part). All of my baking was finished by the end of the first week of December, gifts were started and finished here and there, I wanted to be DONE and have everything wrapped by December 22, the house cleaned the 23rd. And I did. Except for the wrapping, which I did Christmas Eve while watching It's A Wonderful Life with B. I was in bed by 11:57. I truly *enjoyed* the season for the first time in I don't know how long. Wanna see what I made?
A doll bed for Muffin- the braided rug turned out much smaller than I was planning. Oh-well.
A doll bed for Honey- the lamp is made out of a round jar and some lids.
Sprout doesn't play too much, not when there are so many exciting things to get into and siblings to pester. So I made him what *I* wanted and I. LOVE. It. Crooked paint jobs and all. The drawstring play mat is a little small and doesn't quite hold everything. So much for winging it.
Large knobs with flat bottoms. And the pig has no defined head.
A barnyard mooning. Ahem.
The one on the left is a duck
The poor farmers elbow is hyperextended carrying that bucket...
I'm a lousy sander. Fortunately the pictures hide it.
Biscuit has been bugging for a tent for a while. And he is most excited over the stick horse. He's been "Wanting one for years and years." The cookware was a wedding present we never used.
Beans (well, all of the kidlets are) is Daniel Boone (Fess Parker version) crazy.
So a Daniel Boone gift was in order. Vest, stick horse, "skoonkin" hat, long rifle (Biscuit got one too. Free hand drawn, prayed through the cutting out, stained, painted and some plumbing thinga-ma-bob used for the trigger),
lantern, and furs. He wears that vest constantly.
Biscuit made this for the girls with a bit of help from me- a doll sized fire.
He made this hatchet for Beans, (again with help) which is Beans second favorite gift.
Honey made (with a bit of hot glue help) this bag for Beans- he keeps his furs in it.
She made these finger puppets for Muffin and Biscuit, with me painting the faces (since that puffy paint can be a big pain sometimes), and doing a little bit of the hot glue.
Muffin made play-doh for the 3 older children, and all 4 older kids made a book for Sprout, but I don't have pictures of that either.
A good time was had by all.
3 comments:
Wow! These are so nice! You did great! Love the doll beds - and the drawstring farm... and the stick horses... :-)
Wise woman, you. I bet you had a lot more FUN making all these treasures too- not having a time crunch forcing its unpleasantness upon you and your projects!
These gifts are amazing. I don't know how you do it, but you somehow manage to outdo yourself every year. I remember thinking last year "She'll never top this!" but magically, miraculously, you did! Those guns! OH MY. My boys would D.I.E. I had never ever thought in a million years to MAKE one of them and I never wanted to spend the money to buy them. Thanks for the inspiration there.
The doll beds? And quilts? I was totally thinking I needed to make a baby blanket this year. And then didn't. :-) Something about tiny baby doll quilts gets me all fuzzy inside.
And your farm play mat is WAY more adorable than mine. Yours has the amazing peg and ball creatures-which I never would have thought of. And they are just the most precious things ever. I LOVE how the people are holding things. They have personality! Little wooden peg personality!
Equally impressive are the gifts the children gave to one another. I have known all along that you are teaching them what true gifting is all about, by being appreciative and loving the gifts that someone worked hard to make for you. But you've taken that lesson up about a million notches by giving them the gift of opportunity to experience those feelings for themselves. WAY better than taking your kid to the dollar store somewhere.
Well done, Bonnie. Amazingly done.
AAACK!
I am horrible.
I received your card and beautiful gift and haven't yet written back. Forgive me!!!
Official thanks soon!
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