12.20.10

Oh Christmas crafts.

I love to create. I'm still wrestling with how to make time for it, how to not feel guilty when I do find time for it, and how to not get frustrated when the time I find for it never quite seems like enough. But because I love it, I typically decide that making the majority of our Christmas gifts would just be perfect. This year, our house was on the market. So each time the room looked like the pictures below, I had to clean it all up if we got the call and then drag it all out the next day. It was tricky. Still fun to get to create some new things, but tricky.

Crafting essentials...mini hot glue gun: the best $3 ever spent. New silicone-like hot glue gun mat thingy: best $5 ever spent except that I need it to be about 3 times as big. My hot glue gun now thanks me that it doesn't get stuck to the random sheet of paper I used in an attempt to protect the desk. New sewing machine: deserves a whole post in itself but let's just say I had no idea what I was missing. Justin gets a shout out for spotting the deal online. My old starter machine was awesome for sewing straight lines. Buttonholes and zigzag stitches, not so much. This new lovely not only sews zigzags, but flowers, ducks, trucks, and dolphins. Yes, dolphins. A neatly stitched, tiny row of dolphins. And no, I'm not adding that decorative touch to any of my creations in the near future. I'm just saying that someone who can stitch dolphins with the press of a button might just be my new crafting BFF.

The larger shot of the room in action, including the essential ribbon holder in the closet, scrap fabric bucket, and new bucket 'o ruffle.

I picked up some pre-made ruffle at a warehouse sale when we went to visit cousins and finally got to use it for some cutesy-bootsy (thank you for the new phrase Kiki) skirts. My treasured rotary cutter is also peeking out behind the skirts; another crafting essential. I was apparently living in the dark ages with my scissors until I saw the light and started using the rotary two years or so back.

Grayson wanted to get in on the crafting action, so I gave her some supplies. Like mother like daughter. Ribbon, stickers, and "scrap favric" as she calls it. No hot glue gun for her yet but she sure has a big love for a glue stick. As in she can use a whole glue stick in 30 minutes kind of love. And I promise she's not eating it.