Homemade Christmas

Kenny Rogers sang a song called Kentucky Homemade Christmas. For our Christmas this year I rewrote the chorus, and read it to our kids before giving them their presents...

"It's just another homemade Christmas at Lake Emily,
            Just odds and ends we fashioned with our hearts and with 
                    our hands.
It's just another homemade Christmas at Lake Emily,
           Our fine and fancy homemade love, 
           God's precious gift from up above,
Make up the homemade Christmas of this poor Minnesota home."

Craig and I decided to make most of our gifts this year. We had such fun planning them, and working on some of them together, and we hoped that the kids would like these gifts from our hearts - and they did!

Here are the gifts we made:

Pillows for the gals - I stenciled the tops using patterns I designed and cut out with my Silhouette. Then I sewed them and stuffed them.

Plaques for some of the guys, and for someone at work - I made the design for each plaque on the computer. For this first one I just printed it, glued it to card stock and slid it into the clear plastic holder. Then I used a glue gun to glue on two cornstalk buttons.

For this next one I used my Silhouette to cut the letters out of vinyl and put them on top of the plastic holder. I glued on some jewels in the middle of the stars and put a patterned card stock inside the holder.

For this last one I used my Silhouette to cut the design out of white card stock. Then I cut colored card stock to fit behind the words. I added a full piece of card stock on the back and stickers on the front before sliding the whole thing into the plastic holder.

These next projects are made out of cork, which I bought already cut as coasters and trivets.

I created the designs on the computer in Silhouette Studio. Then I made a stencil by having the Silhouette cut out the design. I stenciled the designs onto the cork by using a stain marker.

Carrie and I found this mini calendar at a craft sale in Crosslake this fall. I bought this one to use as a sample, and made two more to give to my daughter-in-laws.

Carrie saw this pegboard box on Pinterest and asked us if we could make one some time. This box could be used as a gift wrapping station. You can put the rolls of paper, gift bags and tissue paper in the box. You can hang ribbon, tape and scissors from hooks on the outside. I think there are other things this box could be used for too, maybe for scrapbooking or craft materials? 

Maybe jewelry on the outside and magazines inside the box?

Craig and I made the box together. Craig spray painted the box white. Then I cut stencils for the words and feathers out using my Silhouette, and then painted them on the box. The words go all the way around. There are smaller feathers of the same style on the back. The only thing I wish I would have done was to "lace up" the corners using ribbon or shoe laces. Wouldn't that look cool?

For our boys Craig and I made these hockey stick coat racks. I found directions about how to do it online. We had the sticks from years ago when our boys played hockey. We got pucks from our oldest son, and we bought hooks and screwed everhything together. It was a little tricky to get the sticks upright and the pucks level.

(Aren't these boys  men handsome?)

For family and co-workers I made these Santa ornaments. I had seen one at a craft show in the cities, and I bought it to use as a pattern. I bought 2 inch wooden brushes and spray painted them red. I had some fuzzy white yarn that is wrapped around the brush before hot gluing wiggly eyes, a red bead for a nose, paper holly leaves and jingle bells onto the brush. For some of the noses I used wooden "buttons" that I purchased from the hardware store and painted red. Then I used ribbon/fabric for the hanger.

I also gave some of my coworkers this really good Party Mix. If you make this, beware! It's so good it's almost addicting :)

These are the gifts we made for Christmas 2014 - gifts of love. And that's what Christmas is really all about isn't it? Love - love for one another, but most of all the love that God showed the world when He sent His only Son to this world to save everyone who believes in Him. (John 3:16) 

If you want to know more about this love, you can read about it in the Bible, and you can pray and ask God to show you His love. He loves to show people just how much He loves them.

Merry Christmas!