A Handmade Christmas

I know, I know. It's the day before Thanksgiving & I should be respecting the turkey. But, like most moms (& dads), I have to start thinking and working on Christmas long before the man in the red suit makes his first appearance and churches light the first Advent candle.

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Like many of my friends, online and in real life, we are attempting a mostly handmade Christmas morning. Some things will be bought. It would be too much on myself & J if we were to try to make everything.

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To help others who are attempting the same idea, I thought I'd post a sampling of what has been/will be made with love to sit under the tree

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Sewn:

*Napkins for lunchboxes
*Children's clothes

*Barbie clothes

*Alterations from thrift store found prom dresses to dress-up clothes

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Knit:

*Socks

*Sweater

*Ornaments

*Hats, scarves & mittens

*Barbie & Ken sweaters

*Cotton washcloths

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Crafted:

*Hairbows

*Ornaments

*Candles

*Raw sugar body scrubs

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Canned & Cooked:

*Jellies
*Salsas

*Pickles

*Candies & cookies

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It's a lot of work, I won't lie, but I started working on things this summer, and am excited about every item as I put it in the chest at the foot of our bed. It's quickly filling up!

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I am No Longer Scared to Have People Ask to Use the Restroom

It wasn't so much that I was scared "scared" per say, but partially embarrassed. The room was a pale disaster that showed dirt horribly and was in all together shabby condition. And this is the one room of my house where my house guests can be 100% alone.

:::shudder:::

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I give you, the before pictures:

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It was the rugs that did me in.

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I bought them 3 years ago, and after many, many, many, many, many, many washings, they had lost their grip. To step on one was to risk your life. One wrong step, and Slip! out the window you would go.

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Okay, not really, but you could slip and fall.

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Their edges were frayed and separating.

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Such a sad, sad sight.

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So I thought to myself, Hmmmmmm...

I should buy new rugs. But what color to get? What really goes with this nasty seafoam wall color?

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Nothing.

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But if I painted the walls, too...

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And so it began.

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I've wanted to do a chocolate room for awhile now, but J always vetoed me. His reasoning? Dark walls make a room feel small and closed in. I, of course, have always diagreed. Which led to a sign on the door, and only myself allowed admittance while I worked.

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The sign also kept my children out. Little fingers like to touch wet walls. It's a hardship.

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I baracaded the door with a couple laundry baskets of folded laundry as well, to ensure everyone stayed out.

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It took about 2.5 coats to paint the walls choclate brown, also known as plymouth brown (benjamin moore).

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Have you ever painted around a toilet? It's not fun.

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I opted to treat the cabinets like furniture, and paint them a bit different than the trim. I painted them bright white (with teflon!), and then rag glazed stone colored streaks on the surface area and doors. It's subtly nice!

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Once the doors were returned to their rightful positions, I started putting the space back together. I put up the freshly laundered lace curtains,

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Hung the shower curtains on their new hooks,
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Hung my 5.5 year old Home Interior's mirrors that have lived their foam box since the day I got them (loved them, but never could figure out where to put them)

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Returned the toiletories to the counter space,

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Placed the toothbrushes in the new tumbler I found on sale at K-Mart,

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Spread the new rugs on the floor,

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And called J in to take his first look. He, of course, was awed by how the brown DIDN'T shrink the room. He is quite impressed to say the least. His kiss said so.

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After showing the fresh space to J & the kids, we put the 3 urchins to bed, and I set about finishing the room.

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The last thing on my list: stenciling a gold design around the top of the room.

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I used my Cutterpead, cut the design I desired out of cardstock, and pounced some acrylic pure gold paint into the template.

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LOVE IT.

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Don't you?

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The completed space:

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It's soooo very, very different now!

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And finally, the cost breakdown:

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Paint, $20.53

Rugs, $26.98

Curtain Hooks, $7.49

Tumbler, $7.19

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Grand Total, $62.19

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Of course, now I want the matching liquid soap dispenser, 2 matchy matchy soap dishes, and the trashcan, plus new towels, and possibly some new tiles for the floor....

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Because I Love You

When you wake to this:

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And this:

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And then you see this:

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You melt into a puddle of warm goo

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Meet: Mo(w)

One week ago yesterday, I attened our district's Title 1 Parent Conference. Always informative and fun, this year proved to be the best yet. And I know. I've attended all 4 conferences they've put on.

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From learning about how to help our children become better readers to listening to motivational speakers talk about who we parents are the main defining part of our children's education to learning about how our children learn (it's not how you and I did!), I soak up every minute in hopes that I can help my children become the best students they can be.

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This year, we also had a class called Agriculture in the Classroom. It was extremely shocking to discover how many parents are clueless about farms! This is where our food, clothing, and Christmas trees come from people!

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Along with learning that Pennsylvania is the mushroom capital of the world and how our children are learning about farms, we did a few hands on projects to bring agriculture into the home. The pinecone feeder is hanging in a tree outside the kitchen windows, the kids ate the trailmix that explained what makes up a pig's food, and Mo(w), our illustrius grass seed catipillar, is living on the kitchen counter.

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Mo(w) is aptly named, because in one week he not only prouted his hair, but his "hair" is almost to the point of needing mowed.

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With a little water, some sunshine, and lot of love, Mo(w) will live with us for a long, long, loooooooooooong (to the point Mommy may have to make him disappear during the night) time.
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Hawt.

One perfectly fitting dress under my belt, and I'm feeling confident! (I'll show off the dress once the hem is set. My 401A, with all it's many stitching glory is having a factory only part replaced)

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As my luck would have it, JoAnn's had one of their big pattern sales going on when I was there on 10/30. So I gave a peek.

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The first pattern I snagged, a Vintage Vogue, I've actually had my eye on. But the $25 price tag, even at JoAnn's usual 40% off was too pricey. The sale had them at $3.99, and I pounced!

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I think the lines of this dress are incredible. And hopefully a little, or a lot, slimming.

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While leafing thru the drawer for my first pattern (the patterns were a little mixed up), I ran accross my 2nd $3.99 bargain:

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Love this dress. J says to make it in a rich shade of a lighter green. I'm still trying to figure out what he meant. Maybe he means a richer shade of chartreuse?

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The Butterick patterns were $1.99, or was it 99c? Hrmmm. Oh well, doesn't matter. They were cheaper than normal.

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So I looked thru the book, hoping to find something with structure (a must with my figure), when I found this vintage wrap dress.

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This dress is so simple in design! Perfect for whipping out a couple to wear in the summer. I love a nice, light summer dress with good lines, and this is it!

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So there you have it folks. I bought 3 patterns that I can't touch until January, because I am a busy bee prepping for Christmas. Lots of Christmas presents to knit and sew. 2 rooms to paint in the next 2 weeks. 3 big meals to prep and cook. And a birthday party to prepare and throw.

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Craziness!

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Uh-Oh!

The decorating bug has bit. Again.

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Le'Sigh.

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Or is it a SQUEEEEEEE! ?

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Hrrrmmmmmmm....

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Either way, it looks like the mudroom is to be painted pumpkin orange (a plan long in the works), and the batheroom will have milk chocolate coated walls. I'm going to paint the cabinetry in the bathe a fresh coat of white, dry brush on some antique white, and then rub on a gold gilt on the cabinet doors' edges. Maybe I'll treat the linen closet door and the inside of the batheroom door the same. We'll see. The trim is getting a fresh coat of white as well. I'm keeping the glass handles and knobs. I wonder what a handpainted gold border of scrollwork would look like at the hight of the walls...

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Of course, all be done by Thanksgiving, so as to not hinder my Christmas decorating the next weekend.

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Is there a support group for habits like this? Do they come and help you paint?

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At least the wall space is actually pretty small in both spaces. They just need something new. And to look like our home, not the former owners.

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I wonder if J & I can find money in the budget for new batheroom towels....

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