Jingle, Jingle..
Can you hear the bells, the bells, that far off jingling coming ever closer?
Don't worry, this won't be a Grinch-ey Christmas post. I love Christmas, I really do. I loved it more when I was a child of course, when I wasn't responsible for buying presents or catering. I have wonderful memories of nativity plays and church choirs, making Christmas decorations with my mum, and all the dreadful school Christmas craft involving cotton wool (yes, snow-themed Christmas decorations in the tropics!) that I thought was just wonderful. We always had odd Christmas trees - a frangipani, hibiscus or eucalyptus branch, decorated with aformentioned cotton wool-based craft. Best of all was the last day of school, which meant Christmas had really come, and the whole summer holidays stretched out ahead. School holidays lasted FOREVER when I was a child..
I really want those simple thrills to be part of our children's Christmas experience as well. As usual, I'm already behind schedule - last week was our traditional Christmas cake baking week. Oops. Although looking at the date there in 2008, we were late that year too. See, another Christmas tradition!
This year, I have decided that I want to actually make some Christmas presents. Now this is an ambition fraught with difficulty, mainly because craft and me aren't exactly best buddies. My sole craft project this year has been putting home grown dried lavender into a number of those little organza party bags that seem to proliferate in a house where lots of girls go to parties. So yes, craft projects with a difficulty level of zero are my absolute limit.
However, needs must, and I will now reveal my grand Christmas plans - for Christmas I am going to redecorate all three girls' bedrooms. Yes, completely mad. But they will love it and I need to reorganise all their 'things' (and get rid of a few) in order to remain sane. AND, this is the challenge - I want to do it using as many home sourced, second-hand, or locally produced items as possible.
And I have two months. Feel free to laugh now... or at any time over the next two months :)
So far I have perused Pinterest for ideas, and craft projects involving zero talent.
Here is my inspiration for rooms for the two youngest.
Here are the rooms that my whimsical older daughter would love.
I also want to involve the girls in each other's presents, because they are much more artistic and clever than I am, and we have already started. Posy and I created a dream catcher the other night when The Girl was out.
We used some evil ivy from the garden, and lots of beads and ribbons from the craft cupboard (I never throw anything away!). So now Posy has a present for her oldest sister. One down, lots to go!
Tell me about your Christmas plans. Do you do homemade?
Don't worry, this won't be a Grinch-ey Christmas post. I love Christmas, I really do. I loved it more when I was a child of course, when I wasn't responsible for buying presents or catering. I have wonderful memories of nativity plays and church choirs, making Christmas decorations with my mum, and all the dreadful school Christmas craft involving cotton wool (yes, snow-themed Christmas decorations in the tropics!) that I thought was just wonderful. We always had odd Christmas trees - a frangipani, hibiscus or eucalyptus branch, decorated with aformentioned cotton wool-based craft. Best of all was the last day of school, which meant Christmas had really come, and the whole summer holidays stretched out ahead. School holidays lasted FOREVER when I was a child..
I really want those simple thrills to be part of our children's Christmas experience as well. As usual, I'm already behind schedule - last week was our traditional Christmas cake baking week. Oops. Although looking at the date there in 2008, we were late that year too. See, another Christmas tradition!
This year, I have decided that I want to actually make some Christmas presents. Now this is an ambition fraught with difficulty, mainly because craft and me aren't exactly best buddies. My sole craft project this year has been putting home grown dried lavender into a number of those little organza party bags that seem to proliferate in a house where lots of girls go to parties. So yes, craft projects with a difficulty level of zero are my absolute limit.
However, needs must, and I will now reveal my grand Christmas plans - for Christmas I am going to redecorate all three girls' bedrooms. Yes, completely mad. But they will love it and I need to reorganise all their 'things' (and get rid of a few) in order to remain sane. AND, this is the challenge - I want to do it using as many home sourced, second-hand, or locally produced items as possible.
And I have two months. Feel free to laugh now... or at any time over the next two months :)
So far I have perused Pinterest for ideas, and craft projects involving zero talent.
Here is my inspiration for rooms for the two youngest.
Here are the rooms that my whimsical older daughter would love.
I also want to involve the girls in each other's presents, because they are much more artistic and clever than I am, and we have already started. Posy and I created a dream catcher the other night when The Girl was out.
We used some evil ivy from the garden, and lots of beads and ribbons from the craft cupboard (I never throw anything away!). So now Posy has a present for her oldest sister. One down, lots to go!
Tell me about your Christmas plans. Do you do homemade?
Comments
Due to some bad planning on our part, we have both children's birthdays in the five weeks before Christmas. This is fun. And while some aspects of my day job slow down over the festive season, there's a major project that I manage that runs through December and January - involves writing a 10K word paper (and is done in Dec/Jan as it's relatively quiet). Brain is full, stuff falls out oooh Candy Crush is good.
So, no home made anythings for anybody this year - but *I* would like a compost bin. Does that count?
Miss Maudy, there is so much brandy in my cake I am sure it would last for months, though we have never given one the opportunity..
Compost bins are a very creative present that 'make' their own black gold. I will definitely give that craft points!
Jessie, I love your 'experience' gifts, they are wonderful, and will give you all lots of great memories. I am hoping to paint and rearrange a lot of 'stuff' we already own, so ideally, no net 'stuff' gain. We will see!
Lynda, so sorry, called you Lucinda! All you lovely ladies starting with 'L' and my dyslexic moment!
I had a ton of old tshirts and some sheets made of that same material that were past their prime. So I researched making a rag rug. I dutifully followed all the prepping steps, which weren't that much fun, to be honest, but now that I am assembling it, I'm having a blast! It is quite possible I will give one or two of these away ... if I miraculously find the time in the next couple months.