Wednesday, December 31, 2008

A Handmade Christmas.

Long before the stockings were hung by the chimney with care & the pitter-patter of tiny hooves on the rooftop were heard our family decided a Handmade Christmas was in order. Considering the distance we have to drive returning to Texas & the time we wanted to spend with family once we arrived I was glad we opted for our handmade items as the majority of our family gifts. The girls had been beading, scrap booking & knitting for somewhere between full time job & college hours. I of course was not as on the ball as my girls & had some of my projects running right until I wrapped them up & placed them under the tree. I completed one more Tee-Shirt memory quilt & countless knitted items as well as some photo tiles with some of my black & white photos. Early mornings & a few late nights made it all come together in time though. Possibly one of the more enjoyable projects for me was the Gingerbread cookies we decorated late one evening while watching Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye sing "White Christmas". A holiday movie favorite was all the better when it involved Royal Icing & Spices. The blogging daughter posted the recipe here:






























I even picked up a new technique from my daughter when she taught me how she made her knitted rosettes! Now I am wondering how many things can I put these little rosettes on?






















The handmade Christmas items are the ones we hold close to our hearts for many years to come. The loving care which went into them make them treasures for a lifetime.

11 comments:

Reeni said...

Your tee-shirt memory quilt rocks!!! I have been wanting to make one of them but am horrible at sewing. I love homemade gifts, we had some of them in our family this year too and they are just extra-special.

Shelby said...

What a special Christmas!!

Dee said...

Reeni~the Tee-shirt quilt is not that difficult it only requires fabric selections, straight line sewing & a little organization. The Tees are cut out with a 12 inch quilting square making the quilt squares exactly 12 inches. I have seen very simple quilts like this & much more complicated types. There are also people who will turn your tees into quilts.
HoneyB~thank you, it truly was.

Chef E said...

Wow, I used to be crafty like you guys are...lost my mojo eight years ago...now I just cook, and paint once in a while...

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and the family!

katie lore said...

Handmade Christmas is such a great idea! Sounds like a special time for you all!

Mariana Kavroulaki said...

Happy and healthy new year to you and your family. Best wishes for 2009.

Photonuts said...

Your work is beautiful!

Hello there my Texas neighbor...Chef E sent me over here...I am not much of a cook like her, but your site is nice...like the music!

Gloria Chadwick said...

Homemade Christmas presents are the best! So much better than store-bought because you put love into them. :)

Get Off The Pot said...

love your homemade Christmas! tagged you on my page with a fun holiday idea!

http://blondeappetit.com

Hornsfan said...

I loved handmade Christmas - it's more fun than shopping for everything (by a long-shot)!

Mrs. Ibrahim said...

i loveeee the quilt...i have to make something like that for my hubbyy!! what a lovely idea.