Crafting at Christmas

I love to make things. It's part of the reason I started this blog - to share ideas about creating art, music, food, or even wearables. 

When Christmas rolls around....or the thought of Christmas presents or decorations enters my head about mid-July I start dreaming up different things to make or bake for people around me. I love it! I love the challenge of finding something fun for me to knit that would also be liked and worn by the receiver. I like spending time praying for the person who will get it as I finagle over the tiddly-bits.

I also LOVE putting Christmas decorations up. I also LOVE making Christmas decorations. Often S has to reign in my desire to be crafty at this time of year because it is super overwhelming all of the different ideas streaming through the house. 

Last year's big idea was capis shell look-alike garland. Basically, I punched/cut out HUNDREDS of wax paper circles then sewed them together to make garland for the tree. It looks just like I wanted it to.  Problem of this year, though, is that we got an absolutely GINORMOUS tree and I have to probably cut about 3-5 hundred more circles out in order to make enough to go around the rest.  Never can have too much, right? 

This year, I had two main ideas: cinnamon snowflake garland for the windows and a stocking hanger. The first one started off grand. (I'll do a post about them later this week) I made them all up and decorated them with puff paint so they actually look like gingerbread.  I love them....but they will not do what I want them to, which is hang straight. There are some improvements that S has thought up (thank God for critically minded husbands! ...really, he balances out my zany ideas and gives them legs), but they might have to wait until next year until their fruition.

BUT!  I did get the stocking hanger all finished! Here are the pictures of the process (the long, and over complicated process that we would refine, should we ever attempt to do it again):

Step 2 (step 1 being cut the board to size) Paint background colour

Step 3 -get your husband to mark off 1/4in squares in the most complicated manner you can think of (our method was tacks and string)

Step 4 - pencil mark in your pattern (I chose a cross stich pattern I found on Pintrest)

Step 5 - paint over your pencil marks

Step 6 -Seal the whole thing with a spray lacquer 

Step 7 & 8 - add hangers to the back and hooks to the front

Step 9 - step back and admire after you hang your stockings!

And there you have it, folks, how we spent our last week on my latest crafty idea!

More Christmas craftiness to come in the next few days!
XO,
J

Soli Deo Gloria!