Where Did December Go?

Oh, how often I thought of ideas to post during the Christmas season...but the act of actually DOING the crafts and activities took precedence over POSTING about them. Ah, well...the best laid plans. My family and I did enjoy the holidays, and we hope that yours did, too. 

My daughter had two elves visiting her this year, sending reports back to Santa about her behavior. Harriet and Lizzie Beth managed to get into occasional trouble themselves whenever they were treated 

to sweets, but it was all in good fun. 

My daughter danced in "The Nutcracker" for the first time this year, so that kept our weekends hopping, getting to performances. It was a wonderful experience. I favorite performance was at a retirement home. The residents were so excited that the girls were there, and fascinated with their costumes.

Our Girl Scout Brownie troop went caroling at a retirement home, and handed out candy canes and cards. Don't know who had more fun, the residents or the girls. Guess it's a toss-up!

We made LOTS of jars to Christmas cookie mix for teachers, coaches, the postman and friends. Everyone seemed extra-excited that there were M&M's involved. I've been wanting to do mix jars for the holidays for years, but this is the first time I actually got my assembly line up and running. Glad that I made the effort, because they certainly brought smiles!

 White chocolate-covered Oreos, with candy corn noses and icing eyes and smiles. Need I say more? This plate was empty in NO time!

We change up our mantle decorations each year, so I made a felt "icicle" scarf and brightened it with a bit of spray mount and LOTS of glitter. But my favorite addition this time around was the apothecary jars. They're just so cheerful. Now, convincing my daughter that they were for DECORATION ONLY for a couple of weeks was another matter!

At the beginning of the holidays, I read about a new book titled "365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life", by John Kralik. I pre-orderd it through Amazon, and it has finally arrived. (It was only released a couple of days after Christmas.) The thought behind the book is the difference it can make in your and others lives by simply expressing gratitude for the small and big things in your life. I decided that's a worthwhile (if a bit imposing) resolution to add to my list for this year. One note a day...to someone...anyone...to say thanks. The postman, a kind store clerk, one of your former teachers, a friend, the list goes on. And I can honestly say that I've stuck with this resolution so far! HURRAY! O.K., O.K., I know it's only January 2nd, so that only means two nots so far....but, hey! Take pride in small victories right?

So let's take on this new year and do wonderful, creative, fun things, and spread the love. I'll be turning 50 in a couple of weeks so I'm especially determined to make this year a contagiously joyous one.

Wishing you and your loved ones a fun-filled, exciting,
safe and happy 2011!

Winding Up a Shamrock for St. Patrick's Day

Top of the Mornin' to ya! I finally finished my St. Paddy's Day yarn shamrock. I wanted to make something that looked a little homemade...a little bit rustic...but not messy or overly shabby. And here's what I came up with:

I started with four foam hearts, a couple of clearance-priced

skeins of green yarn (one "regular" and one "nubby" for texture). Then I just started winding...and winding... and winding the yarn around the hearts. It's a great project to work on while you're watching tv or waiting at dance lessons or in carpool line. Think of it an a bit of Zen....ahhhhhh.

Once I had wound the darker yarn around each heart, I used a

single strand of the nubby textured yarn as an accent.

But I needed a stem. I originally thought of taping a couple of paint stir stick together and wrapping them in yarn, but settled on a piece of

cardboard from a box in our recycling bin. That way I could control the shape a bit more. Again: winding, winding, winding.

I just used long straight pins to connect the finished hearts together, and then added the stem with two more. Ta da! Ready to hang. I paired it with this cute cloth banner from Hobby Lobby.