HOMEMADE WITH LOVE

When GiBee at Kisses of Sunshine announced a couple of weeks ago that she'd be hosting a homemade gift idea exchange called Homemade With Love, I knew I'd be participating. Homemade gifts have been a big part of our Christmases for almost thirty years. I've always loved making gifts for Christmas. This year it's a good thing I love to do this because our Christmas budget will be smaller than it's been in a long time. Still, I've always believed you can't put a price on gifts made with love. Here are a few things I'm making this year as well as a few I've made every year since Rob and I married each other almost twenty-eight years ago. If you click on the images, you'll be able to see the detail in the ornaments I've made.

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

Of all the things I've made over the years, this is the one my family would miss the most. I've made so many of these felt Christmas stockings from kits, I lost count ages ago. Of course we all four had a stocking - Daddy, Mommy, Krissy, Mandy. But I made Andy (Krissy's husband) and Aaron (Mandy's fiance) stockings the first Christmas we shared with them. Of course Cameron got his last year, his first Christmas. I've made them for all my nieces and nephews and even for family friends. This is a photo of two I made this past winter, after Christmas. These are for my next two granchildren, as yet not even conceived. All these stockings need are the names applied and the backs sewn on. That's me. Always prepared!

CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS

The very first year Rob and I were married, I made my first ornament. It was a wooden clothespin reindeer. I gave them to everyone in both our families. They still have them. It became an annual event. Every year I make a new ornament. This year I chose Santa Stars. I started these at the beginning of the year.

I'll not only make these for our immediate family, I'll also give them as gifts. I always find pretty tins and boxes to give them in.


So far I've made about fifty of them. (Yes, hours and hours of work but I really enjoy it.) I'll be making a lot more. One of my annual gifts to my daughters is that I make enough of that year's ornaments that they can give them to their friends and their coworkers. They always give me the credit for the ornament. Their friends know their mom made the ornament.


Did mention I love to make ornaments? I'm also making these this year. These are cinnamon stick Santas. I'm only making these for myself and my daughters. These cinnamon sticks are hard to find!

I'm also making these sweet snowmen and again, only for the girls and myself.

As you can see, I've only just begun the ornament making frenzy. I'm ready to get started on lots more Santa stars. Throughout the year I kept my eyes open for perfect fabric to fit the many different tastes of my friends. Some are like me - I really like the silver and gold lame stars. Others would like the more traditional Christmas prints. And still others will love having these stars made in country prints. I'll probably make fifty or sixty more of these between now and Christmas.


Another thing I make every year is food gifts. Right after Thanksgiving I start making Chex party mix from the original recipe. I give each of the kids a container full to take home and they know they can bring it back for refills all through the holidays. My family wouldn't know what was going on if I didn't have this sitting out all through the holidays.

You know how people bring goody trays in to work during the Christmas season? About twenty years ago my boss brought in a tray and his wife had put some of her 30-day friendship cake on it. I immediately begged her for the recipe. It involves a "starter" and seriously takes thirty days to make. This is so special, I plan to do a separate post soon about that cake and I'll include the recipe. This friendship cake is a wonderful gift to give.

I also give gifts of southern divinity which is almost a lost art any more. And with every food gift I give, I include the recipe written on a nice recipe card.

I ordered these two little books last winter. I plan to make some of these "gifts in a jar" this year. Everyone loves brownies and special winter drink mixes. So I thought these would be very sweet gifts to give.

Honestly, any gift you make for someone is a very special gift. Gifts that involved the giver's time and thought and of course LOVE are the nicest gifts of all.

And because I really believe in giving credit where it's due, my sister Bev sent me a wonderful little Christmas box last year. In it were two Santa stars, a cinnamon stick Santa and a sweet fat snowman, all for my tree. Within minutes I'd emailed her and asked for the patterns. She went one step beyond that and sent me the craft books that included the patterns for my birthday this year. The stick arms on my snowmen are made from sticks from Bev's back yard. She sent me a package of sticks from her back yard in Pennsylvania! Everyone should be as blessed as I am to have a sister like Bev.


NOTE: The very first comment I received on this post, from Kathleen Marie, made me realize I should have said this in the first place. I'd be more than happy to share my ornament patterns if any of you would like to have them. Just email me with your name and address - my email link is in my profile. And by the way, the new profile photo showing up when I leave comments is none other than the infamous Chelsea herself! I'm working on a little more realistic photo of her. She's not nearly so fancy smancy looking these days. :-)