I enjoy decorating my studio for the holidays. I spend a fair amount of time working on last minute gifts in that room and I like being surrounded by the holiday spirit. All I need to go with is a cup of coffee and an old Christmas movie to keep me company and I’m well on my way to finishing up my holiday gifts!
Last weekend while I was putting the finishing touches on my studio tree, so I could get busy on my gift list, I realized I needed a tree topper. I didn’t just want a bow, and the one I used last year was really just too small. I figured something would come to me or I would just have to go without. Besides I really needed to FOCUS on my gift list!
While initially making room for the tree I ended up moving a fair amount of the eye candy I keep in the room for inspiration—things people have given me, needlework tools, and even a few things I’ve made. One group of treasures that refused to move gracefully, by falling to the ground in total disarray, were the magic wands I made for my Super Simple Costume book. One of the wands came totally apart with the top to my left and the handle to my right. While being frustrated that I had to bend over to pick one more thing up off the floor, I suddenly had a great idea - one of these wand tops would make a perfect Tree Topper complete with ribbon streamers. Good thing I forgot to glue that wand in place!!! It was the perfect last decoration for the tree and studio. Better yet it didn’t cost me any additional time or money! I love when stuff like that happens.
Check out Super Simple Costumes for the wands, I mean tree toppers, and other project ideas you can use to decorate for the holidays! Let me know what you come up with…..
Give your gifts a festive touch with these charming, personalized gift tags. They’re so easy to make using the Ready-to-Go!® 5″ x 3″ Tag-shape Blank Board Book, you can create one for everyone on your list!
Materials
- Ready-to-Go!® Blank Board Book 5″ x 3″ Tag 2-Pack
- Designer paper—background
- Chalk ink—background
- Design materials: diecuts, photos, glitter, brads, rhinestones, etc.
- Ribbon for attaching tag
- Craft knife
- Metal-edged ruler
- Paper adhesive
- File or sandpaper
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I love giving handmade gifts at the holidays… the sense of satisfaction, the smiles on their faces, the justification for being able to buy new patterns, fabric and yarn all throughout the year with the reasoning that it is for my dear friends Christmas present. Priceless!
It was in college when I discovered that I could make presents for people that they honestly enjoyed receiving. I remember it distinctly. I made a friend a flannel nightgown, complete with inset lace and ruffles. I even had to set in a third sleeve after a major scissors mishap took the life of one sleeve. She was thrilled, in fact, I remember tears of joy, both hers and mine! I learned that day handmade gifts were a very cool thing!
I start collecting ideas for my holiday gift projects early in the year. I check out new patterns, various magazines (past and present), and even make a few trips to the library to see what the many new books have to offer. I sketch out ideas or make notes about what people have said they want, their sock size or their favorite color. This year, I got this crazy idea to really get organized and keep a notebook of all my proposed holiday projects so everything would be in one place. (Maybe this is a carry over from the holiday wishbooks of my childhood!)
I started out with a 1˝-wide binder that I found for all of a 25¢ at a local thrift store. It’s the kind you can slide your own cover inside. It was in great shape all it needed was some personality. I raided my holiday scrapbook papers and came up with a fun cover using a happy mix of some Christmas papers and embellishments, I was well on my way to a well throughout and successful hand made holiday.
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From pretzels to the always-favorite chocolate, from Brach’s to See’s (a California favorite); from hot cider in the winter to ice cream bars in the summer, this office is fueled by goodies, snacks, and treats of all shapes and sizes.
Chocolate in various forms and intensities is available in our office at all times. Between the holiday specialties and the ever-popular snacksize, ready-to-eat candy bars, rarely does someone want for a sweet diversion. A Production Coordinator, in order to expose us to more adventurous chocolate treats… brought us a chocolate bar—get ready for it—with BACON in it! We all enjoyed the opportunity to taste test… but most decided they’d stick with the less unique varieties.
We are equal-opportunity snack consumers. Our fondness for snacks is not limited to chocolate. We are fortunate in that we have a couple weekend bakers on our staff. Every now and then some fresh cookies or zucchini bread straight from the oven make their way to the office—such a decadent treat.
On occasion, though I admit less frequently, we go for a healthy snack. If someone recently made a trip to a local Farmers Market, they might bring in a bunch of the fruits in season. Some of the group has a big backyard, or at least a green thumb, and they, too, share the bounty of their gardens throughout the year.
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Photo by OCPetPhotos on Flickr
I adore the two “fur people” in my life. They provide me with hours of entertainment and companionship. Our cat Dink has been with us since his beginning, and Raider was a rescue cat that our daughter found at the local college parking lot. They like to take turns sleeping in the window of my studio or jumping on my worktable to provide their opinion on a just-laid-out pattern or a freshly poured paint.
“The boys” really aren’t one for store-bought toys… though I faithfully keep trying! Oh, they humor me for a minute or two—literally—but they have more fun with twigs from the garden or bringing furry surprises to me late at night. That is until last week….
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While initially making room for the tree I ended up moving a fair amount of the eye candy I keep in the room for inspiration—things people have given me, needlework tools, and even a few things I’ve made. One group of treasures that refused to move gracefully, by falling to the ground in total disarray, were the magic wands I made for my Super Simple Costume book. One of the wands came totally apart with the top to my left and the handle to my right. While being frustrated that I had to bend over to pick one more thing up off the floor, I suddenly had a great idea - one of these wand tops would make a perfect Tree Topper complete with ribbon streamers. Good thing I forgot to glue that wand in place!!! It was the perfect last decoration for the tree and studio. Better yet it didn’t cost me any additional time or money! I love when stuff like that happens.
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