It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Well, the reality of the season struck today. We had one of the worst storms I can remember - not in snow accumulation, but in snowing conditions. I think we got somewhere between 4-8 inches of snow, but it's hard to tell exactly because the wind was crazy. At one point we were driving home from running some errands and I literally got lost in our subdivision because I couldn't see anything - houses, cars, streets or anything. I really understood why old timers used to tie ropes between the house and the barn. I couldn't have safely walked across the street in this storm.


We are really hoping this weather clears up quickly because we are supposed to have our house moved from North Carolina out to Wyoming the week after Thanksgiving. I can't believe it's finally going to be here. We love that house and it will double our space. Not to mention, it will allow us to have our daycare separate from our house because we are keeping the house we currently live in for the daycare. So, for obvious reason, I hope the weather cooperates.

In the mean time, I've been working on some Christmas ornaments. Or rather, I've started them and set them aside. But I'll get to that in a minute.

A couple months ago I ordered this book. It is a wonderful craft book full of ideas for felt Christmas ornaments.

Here are a few of my favorite projects - pictures are taken from the book. Hope that's okay.

Love the owls!

These felt "animal cookies" have feathers and seed beads decorating them. How cute is that? I think they would be perfect for my daycare tree. I was hoping we would be all moved in to our other house by Christmas, but things have been so delayed that I'm sure that won't happen. Originally I was hoping to get a metallic tree for the daycare - or a white one - something fun and different. I wanted to decorate it with pom pom garland and bright colored, fun ornaments - you know, candy and toys, gum drops and candy canes with horse toppers, little felt ice skates and all sorts of fun stuff. I thought these would just be the perfect thing. And next year, they will. But they may just sneak their way onto my family tree this year :)

The book has so many good ideas that it is difficult to choose which one is my favorite, and which one I want to do first. I guess that's a good problem. It means I got my money's worth.

So I went right to work cutting out ornament pieces thinking I could just stitch on these during my free time. Sorry for the crummy pictures. I need new batteries in my camera :(

This will be a matroyska doll when it's done, and these colors are completely off from the real ones. But notice in both of these pictures the size of the felt pieces in comparison to the pin. These are normal quilting pins - not huge ones. This is going to be some fine stitching on tiny pieces.

There are tons of little pieces to cut out, and I've tried to keep them all labeled so I know what each one is.

I'm even keeping my scraps. I read in a book once about someone using their scrap embroidery floss to fill one of those clear glass ornaments and thought it might be a cute idea. I don't know whether I'll actually do that or not, but I hate to waste anything, so if not, maybe I can use this for stuffing a little stuffed animal or something.

I'm trying to stay as organized as possible - the three sandwich bags hold ornament pieces, pattern pieces and scraps. I have to say I thought I would be a lot farther on this project (and many other projects) by this point. The problem I'm having is two-fold. First, we are trying to bring the house out here and that has taken an enormous chunk of my time. I've had to organize everything from finding someone to move it, to getting the permits, switching over deeds for the land it's going on, arranging for a well to be drilled, septic to be installed, foundation to be built, etc., etc. Then there has been all the planning for paint colors and flooring. We're giving the place a complete overhaul.

The second challenge has been the fact that I have gone back to college - online, part-time. It turns out that since I am a licensed daycare provider, I qualify for a grant in the amount of $1,000 per semester, three semesters per year. So I can get my bachelor's degree for free. It seems irresponsible not to take that offer. But, I do find that all the reading, homework and online posting is eating up all the time I used to use for sewing and crafts. Hence, the long blog absence. I'm going to try to do better. This is my first semester and things are going very well, so maybe I'll be able to settle into a better routine, where I can get back to creating. I sure hope so, because at this rate, it will be Christmas 2012 before I'm done with anything!