Archive for the ‘A Homemade Christmas’ Category

This is the last A Homemade Christmas post of the year (though today is the first of 2009) — AHC in review.

I received this darling notebook from my dear sister, Breezy.

It has a lovely composition of cut out scrapbook papers, what a feminine design!

Along the bottom of the front are old portraits of ladies in hats. I thought this quite sweet since hats are one of my favorite little (sometimes not so little) items from the past.

Breezy also decoupaged the inside. In the bottom left corner she added a little surprise. How I enjoy the appearance of a good vintage post card!

Every Thursday I posted about homemade Christmas gifts and decorations, what fun it was to have so many others post along with me! Thank you to all you joined me, what a blessing it has been to do this! Lord willing I might do it again next year! If you would like to post another homemade Christmas post, feel free to sign Mr. Linky below. I thought it would be nice to get to see the gifts that you had to keep secret until after Christmas, and maybe even the ones you received! Have a wonderfully blessed new year!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Crafts, Femininity, Holidays, Inspirations, Seasons, Vintage | 4 Comments »

Welcome to the tenth A Homemade Christmas! This is week Ten of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

It is a tradition in our family to make these cookies every year at Christmas time. Oh, these are so delicious! Every year Momma sought out to find the best sugar cookie recipe, and this is where her search ended.

Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookies

PREHEAT: 350° | BAKE: 10-12 minutes | YIELD: 7 dozen

Cookies:

1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Frosting:

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Food coloring, optional
Colored sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture until completely blended. Chill for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with holiday cutters dipped in flour. Using a floured spatula, transfer cookies to ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

For frosting, combine sugar, butter, vanilla and milk; beat until creamy. Thin with additional milk to desired spreading consistency if necessary. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired. Spread frosting over cookies and decorate with colored sugar.

We have so much fun decorating these as a family around our dinner table! Some turn out pretty, while others are so ugly that we have to eat them right away before anyone else sees them. Ha!

I hope you have a wonderfully happy Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Announcement: There will be one extra week of A Homemade Christmas. On January 1st I will post a wrap-up AHC where you can post about the homemade gifts you received and the ones you were keeping secret until Christmas. I’m looking forward to it and I hope you’ll tune in and post about yours, too!

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Cooking, Foods, Holidays, Homemaking, Inspirations, Recipes, Seasons | 11 Comments »

There are things we do every year, and there are things that we do only once in our lifetimes. I, personally, really like tradition — the things that happen the same way every year — year after year. I thought it would be fun to share about a few of the things we do each year.

A few of the things we do every year:

String popcorn and cranberries — This is kind of like a sewing project for the whole family. Pop popcorn, grab a bowl of cranberries, have lots of thread and a needle, and we’re set! Oh, and sometimes a nice Christmas movie helps. Wrap these garlands around the tree, and instantly the tree has extra beauty!

Listen to Christmas music — To hear the carols adds so much, I’m not sure what this time of year would be like without it.

Decorate the stairway — Simple, yet sweet. We hang garlands on our banister, with white twinkle lights. It is so cozy to walk down a softy lit stairway early in the morning.

Go to grandparents’ — A week or two before Christmas we go to Grandpa and Grandma’s and on Christmas day we go to Granny’s house.

Sugar cookies — Momma found the perfect recipe many years ago, and they are delicious! We cut them out in different shapes (bells, trees, little people, stars, hearts, etc.) and then we sit down at the table with wax paper all around, decorating them with a most delicious homemade frosting.

Christmas Eve — That is when we celebrate Christmas here at home. We eat a lovely dinner. Daddy reads aloud Luke 2. We praise God. Presents are opened. In the past our presents have been numbered, but this year they are labeled with literary names. What is fun about this is that we never know which present is for whom until we are ready to open them.

A few of the new things that we are doing this year:

Getting a real tree — This year we bought a real tree for the first time (at least for Bre and I). It is so sweet to have a real tree, and what a happy one it is! We mainly put homemade ornaments on our tree, since many of the others were too heavy for the real little branches to hold.

Set up a card tree — This is the perfect place to display all of this years incoming Christmas Cards. In the past, we have set the cards up on bookshelves, but they were continually falling over. With the card tree we have been able to hang them by ribbon on branches set up in a vase, and it looks quite artsy.

What are some of your traditions? Are you doing anything new this year?

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Crafts, Family, Foods, Holidays, Home, Homemaking, Inspirations, Memories, Music, Seasons | 4 Comments »

This little pouch I created is simple to make and easy to fill. It is the perfect size to hold little treasures found on adventures, such as pebbles, fossils, pine cones, berries, leaves, buried treasure, or any other little thing found while exploring. It is also the perfect place to store goodies (candies, cars, doll clothes, ribbons, toys, sewing supplies, etc.).

Supplies:

• Burlap or Course Muslin - material for pouch (I cut a folded piece of muslin, with the cut dimensions 6.5 inches wide, and 7.5 inches tall)
• Needles - small for sewing, large (very large) for pulling twine through material
• Twine - for draw-string (I used two that where each about 20 inches long)
• Thread - embroidery floss will work well (I used 3-ply)

Directions:

1. Fold about an inch of the top edge inward. Knot and sew (with the straight stitch) across, making a nice hem. This will be seen from the outside when the pouch is finished, so make the stitches the way you would like them to look.
2. Sew the straight stitch about a quarter of an inch from the raw edge. Knot and and cut thread.
3. Hem both ends in this way, making sure to fold them down on the same side of the material - what will be the inside of the pouch.
4. Fold them together, front pieces facing together. Sew about 3/8-inch from the edge all the way down to the bottom.
5. When you come to the bottom where the material is folded, knot securely.
6. This type of finish will make the bottom corners of bag to appear like this when folded right-side-out.

7. For different corners that give more room at the bottom of the pouch, here is a variation. Sew just like before, but add another step. Flatten the inside corner of the pouch to make a triangle, and fold the seam to one side.
8. Sew straight across triangle about 3/4-inch from the tip.
9. When turned right-side-out, the corner should look something like this.
10. The inside of the pouch should look like this.

11. Turn pouch right-side-out. For the draw-string, take a very large needle and thread the twine through it. Poke needle through the first layer of the material at the top of pouch, but not through the second piece. Poke the needle back out through the other side at the edge. Now, this is a little stressful, but if you have strong material it should be alright. Pull the needle through the first hole that was made, dragging the twine through the hole with it. Pull the needle through the second hole on the other side as well.
12. It should look something like this.
13. Do the same on the other side of the hem to where you have something that looks like this on one side,
14. and two pieces of twine on the other.
15. Do this again, just on the other side. When you are finished, each side should have a small line, and a set of twine ends.
16. To keep the twine in good condition and from sliding through the casing, tie knots in the ends of both sets.

If this pouch is for a little lady, you can embroider any type of decoration you would like (e.g. flowers, verses, etc.) for extra beauty.

I keep my sewing supplies - needles, thread, etc - inside of my pouch, and have found it quite handy. I hope you enjoy yours!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Announcements, Crafts, Holidays, Inspirations, Seasons, Sewing, Tips, Vintage | 6 Comments »

Welcome to the ninth A Homemade Christmas! This is week Nine of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

An adventure pouch is the perfect thing to take on a walk or while searching for little treasures. The size is just right to hold special small things that don’t want to get lost.

As a gift you can place some tasty little treats inside, or even another homemade gift.

Early tomorrow morning I will post a step-by-step tutorial on how to make one.

Announcement: There will be one extra week of A Homemade Christmas. On January 1st I will post a wrap-up AHC where you can post about the homemade gifts you received and the ones you were keeping secret until Christmas. I’m looking forward to it and I hope you’ll tune in and post about yours, too!

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Announcements, Crafts, Holidays, Inspirations, Seasons, Sewing, Vintage | 14 Comments »

Welcome to the eighth A Homemade Christmas! This is week Eight of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

Pincushions are practical and the perfect place to store any stray pins.

This pillow pincushion is simple, yet quite lighthearted and cheery. This is the front, with a patchwork of four colorful fabrics.

The back of the cushion with a pink button for extra beauty.

The finished size of the cushion is 4.25″ x 3.75″. A pretty pincushion would be such a nice treat for anyone!

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Buttons, Crafts, Holidays, Homemaking, Inspirations, Sewing | 12 Comments »

Welcome to the seventh A Homemade Christmas! This is week Seven of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

One of our favorite decorations for our home are the popcorn and cranberry garlands. They are simple to make, and add such a festive look! We started them several years ago, and now it is tradition to deck our tree with the strands.

Usually when we make them we sit around watching a Christmas movie or listening to Christmas music. All that is needed is thread, a needle, a bowl of popcorn, and a bowl of cranberries.

These garlands can be wrapped around the tree, lain on a bookshelf for extra beauty, or just hang on a doorknob. I see these lovely decorations as a gift to the home, making it an even cheerier place to be!

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Crafts, Foods, Holidays, Home, Homemaking, Inspirations, Seasons | 13 Comments »

This giveaway was for the green corduroy purse that I made.

This purse is simplistic and a lovely accent to any lady’s wardrobe. The interior is a cotton fabric with light blue, green, and mauve whimsical flowers in straight rows on top of a solid tan background. The handle stays inside these (one on each side at the top). The bow is added for extra beauty. For a little more information about the bag, you can click here.

The rules for entering were as follows.

To enter ONCE:
Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite thing about Christmas is.

or

To enter TWICE:
Email at least three friends, telling them about this giveaway and linking to my blog. Come back and tell me you did so, and tell me what your favorite thing about Christmas is.

This give away began on December 3rd and ended on Friday, December 5 at noon EST.

**What a huge response! Thank you all for entering,
it was fun reading your responses!**

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Announcements, Contests and Giveaways, Crafts, Holidays, Sewing | 485 Comments »

Welcome to the sixth A Homemade Christmas! This is week Six of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

Here is an idea for a vintage locket. I just purchased this little locket, which was on clearance. It is new, but had been given a vintage look by distressing.

The photos I placed in the locket are of my great-great-great grandparents James and Elizabeth who lived in the late 1800’s. Both of the pictures are of them, only many years had elapsed between the taking of the first and the taking of the second.

This is what the outside of the locket looks like. It has a lovely floral design with a small speckled texture.

If you make one, you can add few ribbons or lace for extra beauty. The locket can be worn as a necklace (on a chain) or as a broach (by adding a pin to the ribbons).

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Antiques, Buttons, Crafts, Family, Foods, History, Home, Homemaking, Hopechest, Inspirations, Old Books, Vintage | 7 Comments »

Well, it is about time. I have finally opened my shoppe. :) I have been planning and planning it for a long while now, but it wasn’t until last night that it all happened.

My shoppe is located on Etsy.com, a site to buy and sell all things homemade.

I do not have much in my shoppe yet (it is still in the works) but you can
visit my little shoppe here.

One of the things I am currently selling is a set of the cards I designed below, entitled
“The Whimsical Tree.”

Do you like? It’s in the shoppe right now, just waiting to find a home to be sent from!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Announcements, Crafts, Garden, Inspirations, Portfolio | 11 Comments »

Welcome to the fifth A Homemade Christmas! This is week Five of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future! You can click here for the Introductory post.

A gift for the ladies.

This purse is simple to make, and is a lovely accent to any lady’s wardrobe. I based it off a pattern from the book Bend-the-Rules Sewing (we checked it out at our wonderful local library). I must say that I adore corduroy. Working with it, feeling it, seeing it. It is just cute material! For some reason, I never used to like it, but it is now my favorite.

The interior is a cotton fabric with light blue, green, and mauve whimsical flowers in straight rows on top of a solid tan background.

The handle stays inside these (one on each side at the top).

The bow adds extra beauty. This bag was very enjoyable to make, and easier than I thought it would be. I plan on making more, and playing around with the pattern to come up with a few different sizes.

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Crafts, Holidays, Inspirations, Sewing | 24 Comments »

Welcome to the fourth A Homemade Christmas! This is week Four of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

Four years ago for Christmas I received a gift that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It was a binder filled with my favorite recipes. Momma spent hours putting it together each night after Breezy and I went to bed. I was so happy to receive it.

The book is a white three-ring binder. She made a cover for it that says, “Emily’s Recipes” with a clip art picture of a loaf of bread beneath it. Inside are plastic sheet protectors that are filled with typed out recipes (a few are handwritten as well).

One of the best things about it is the fact that I can continue to add more recipes to it. It is like a continual gift. It is used in our kitchen now, and will be used in the kitchen of my future home.

Last year, I wrote this about one of the recipes:

Happy Tears for Christmas

There once was a little girl, she had a Godly Christian family. A wonderfully caring father, a dear mother, and sweet big sister.

This little girl was a people person.

If her mother was in the kitchen, she’d be right along side her, helping and watching her every move, so that one day she would know how to cook for her own family.

She enjoyed asking “what’s for dinner?” and if she was asked what she wanted for dinner, she would probably reply, “Barbecued Meatballs.”

One year for Christmas her mother decided to give her a cookbook, with all of her daughter’s favorite recipes.

When the young girl opened the present on Christmas morning, she was overjoyed. And when she turned the page, tears came to her eyes. At the top of the page was written, “Barbecued Meatballs.”

Since that recipe has so many memories wrapped around it, I would like to share it with you.

Barbecued Meatballs

PREHEAT: 350°  |  BAKE: 1 hour  |  MAKES: 80 meatballs

Meatballs:

3 lbs. ground beef
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. chili powder

Sauce:

2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped onion

To make meatballs, combine all ingredients and shape into walnut-size balls. Place meatballs in a single layer on wax paper-lined cookie sheets; freeze until solid. Store frozen meatballs in freezer bags until ready to cook.

To make sauce, combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Place frozen meatballs in a 9×13 baking pan; pour on the sauce. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

These can be baked in any amount, just adjust your sauce recipe accordingly.

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Cooking, Crafts, Family, Femininity, Foods, Future Home, Holidays, Home, Homemaking, Hopechest, Inspirations, Memories, Recipes, Stories | 9 Comments »

Would you like an apron? This giveaway is for the apron pictured below. You can enter for your chance to win (scroll down for details)!

This full length apron is feminine and very girlie. The ruffle at the bottom lays nicely and adds extra beauty. The cotton material has a turquoise background with yellow, pink, and orange floral decoration. The apron ends right above the knees.

There is a pocket on the right side, a perfect fit for one’s hand. The inside of the pocket looks the same as the outside, you cannot see the underside of the fabric.

There are straps to tie around both the the neck and waist. The front of the apron wraps around the side nicely, giving extra coverage, and keeps it from sliding easily.

How do I enter?

To enter ONCE:

Leave a comment telling me one random fact about yourself.

or
To enter TWICE:

Email at least three friends, telling them about this giveaway and linking to this post. Come back and leave me a comment saying that you did that. In the comment, tell me one random fact about yourself.

or
To enter THRICE:

Post about this giveaway at your blog linking back to this post (click here for an icon and its code). Come back and leave me a comment with a link to your post about it. In the comment, tell me one random fact about yourself.

When does the give-away end?

It begins today and will end on Saturday, November 15 @ 7pm EST. The winner will be selected randomly that evening, and will be announced shortly after.

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Announcements, Cleaning, Contests and Giveaways, Crafts, Femininity, Home, Homemaking, Inspirations, Sewing | 124 Comments »

Welcome to the third A Homemade Christmas! This is week Three of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

Aprons.

They are a great addition to any homemakers wardrobe. They keep one’s pretty garments from getting soiled. Every time one cooks, cleans, or picks up, an apron comes in quite handy. Not only are aprons a protection against grime and dirt, but they can also add a sweet homey look.

There are all sorts of styles of aprons. Retro, Whimsical, etc. Depending on the pattern, they can be tedious or quite simple.

One of the homemade gifts I am giving away this year is an apron. The apron above, actually. It will go to one of my readers. Yes, a giveaway.

It is very easy to enter the giveaway (it will end November 15th @ 7pm EST), click here to enter!

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Contests and Giveaways, Crafts, Home, Homemaking, Inspirations | 7 Comments »

Welcome to the second A Homemade Christmas! This is week Two of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

Who could resist a nice warm mug of Hot Cocoa? I know I couldn’t. This is an eagerly welcomed gift, and one that just might end up asking for a refill. A Ball jar, with an added label gives this easily made gift extra charm.

On a cold winter’s night a mug of hot chocolate is the perfect touch for a cozy evening. Here is a delicious recipe for a nice jar of homemade cocoa mix.

.

Hot Cocoa Mix

YIELD: almost 4 quarts

8 qt. box powdered milk
8 oz. coffee creamer
2 cups powdered sugar
1 lb. box Nestles Quick

Mix and store. Use 1/3 cup mix to 1 cup hot water.

As an extra treat for my darling readers, I have created labels for you to use on your jars of hot cocoa! You can click here for information on downloading the file.

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Family, Foods, Holidays, Homemaking, Inspirations, Recipes, Seasons | 6 Comments »

Welcome to the first A Homemade Christmas! This is week One of Ten (you don’t have to enter in each one). I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts that you have received or made — past, present, and future!
You can click here for the Introductory post.

This calendar will last a very long time, which makes it a great gift. Since it is perpetual, it just keeps going. There are lots of things you can do with the idea, and it’s pretty easy to make.

It has a bit of a vintage look to it. Each date is the tin lid of a fruit concentrate can. I used scrapbooking paper for the background of each date. The numbers I printed out on card stock and then cut out with an exacto knife. The background is a wood board that was primed, spray painted, then distressed (sanded and stained).

Each date is put together with decoupage glue (we use Mod Podge) with the scrapbook paper in the background, and the numbers stuck down on top of that.

To make the holes, I took a piece of vellum and cut it out the same size and the background paper. I used vellum so that I could see where to put the hole. Near the edge (about 1/4 inch from the edge), I punched a hole in the vellum. This was used as the hole template.

I laid the vellum template on top of each finished date, and marked (with a permanent) the spot where the hole was to be. In this way all of the holes were located in the same place on each one.

My wonderful daddy put holes in the tin lids, and cut out the months.

The months are actually cut-outs from the sides of large tin cans (you can slightly see the ripples in the middle). After Daddy cut the tin out, I decoupaged them with scrapbook paper. Four large nails were added to the top to hold the months.

An addition for the calendar (which I haven’t made yet) would be making dates for holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.

It does take quite a while to make, so if you’re thinking about making one, you better get to work saving all those juice can lids!

Have you made or received any homemade gifts? If you’d like to make a post about your homemade gifts, you can sign Mr. Linky below. You can add one of my Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. Each Thursday (until the end of December) there will be A Homemade Christmas post! Hope you’ll join in the fun as we learn, inspire, and encourage one another!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Crafts, Designing, Holidays, Home, Homemaking, Inspirations, Vintage | 19 Comments »

We’ve received homemade gifts, and we have given homemade gifts - and this year is going to be especially homemade!

What is a Homemade Christmas?

A Homemade Christmas is where you give gifts that have been made with your own hands. It is sweet to receive a gift that you know the giver spent time making, so why not pass that sweetness around?

There are all sorts of things you can make for others! Aprons, scrapbooks, paintings, quilts, bags, wall decorations, foods, etc. The list could go on and on.

Not all the gifts you give away need to be homemade (there are some things you just can’t make!) to have a homemade Christmas. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or made from expensive supplies. One of the nice things of making something yourself, is that it will save you money.

I encourage you to make something (or a bunch of different somethings!) to give away this Christmas.

So . . .

. . . are you going to have a homemade Christmas?

This is a great place to share your ideas! I’d love to see what you’re creating this year!

A Homemade Christmas begins this Thursday. Each Thursday until January 1st, I will post about a homemade Christmas gift. There will be a Mister Linky there for you to sign, linking to your post. Not only can you post about the present gifts you are making, but also the past ones and ideas for future ones! Or even homemade gifts that you’ve received! Make sure you don’t post them all at once - there will be 10 opportunities all together!

If you want an icon to put in your post or on your sidebar, just click here (there are a couple to choose from).

You are welcome to spread the word about this, and I hope you participate!

BTW, There will be a couple giveaways coming up soon!

Lord willing, this will be an annual event. Next year’s will begin near
the beginning of October and last until the end of December!
I’d love to have you come back!

Posted in: A Homemade Christmas, Announcements, Inspirations, Seasons | 9 Comments »