Handmade Christmas Gifts.....

I'm working on some Christmas gifts for my family.

I came up with an idea that I'm really excited about.

I think that everyone will like it, in fact I'm thinking it might bring a tear to the eye for some of them.

My eldest niece always makes her own gifts and if someone starts to cry when they have opened it she fist-bumps the air and says "Yes!"

Not because she really wants anyone to cry but because she knows she's created a gift that is very special.

Two years ago, she had me sobbing as I opened her pencil drawing of Blue.

 

I mean, what could be better than that?

All three of my nieces put a lot of thought into their gifts. They really want to make a perfect fit for their loved ones.

 

My sister has brought them up making their home magically and artful.

Her gifts are always beautiful wrapped. Carefully picked out wrapping paper and clippings from her garden or little things that she has "found".

She makes them so pretty that it's hard to open them.

That's how she decorates her home for each holiday too.

She has saved all the drawings the girls made while growing up, then she  switches out their "artwork" in frames around the house with their creations from years gone by.

In small frames scattered throughout, she has photos of my nieces or her husband or her and I when we were small and celebrating that particular holiday.

yeah, that's me and her on the right.

 

She goes into the woods and drags home vines and weaves them with twinkle lights and hangs them in the foyer.

 

It's not uncommon to find a odd shape piece of wood, from a tree or found along a walk that she has placed about their home just because of it's uniqueness.

I love her total disregard of any rules on decorating.

She couldn't care less. She only has things that she loves in her home.

The result is people coming to visit and not wanting to leave.

One of the girls friends said that their home is "Magic".

So, I have tried to remember this when I sometimes start to get caught up in some "trend".

I strive to only have what I love and what makes me happy when I walk in the door.

Yes, I am drawn to Mid-Century but I'm not confining myself to just a particular "look".

OK, I've gotta off track again.

So my Christmas gift idea?

I can't post it yet in case one of the girls checks my blogs.

Sigh...

Then I remembered I could show you what I created for them LAST year.

 

BOOKS.

Old books from the library. $1.00 a piece chosen for their thickness and their sturdy covers.

Then I painted the covers and transferred photos onto them.

After that I cut out a "secret" box shape inside the books.

Inside each book I had a special wrapped gift.

 

Grace's book had a bat on the front. She loves bats and owls.

Inside, her gift was an old copper owl necklace that I found at a little shop.

 

Maggie's book had a rabbit on the front. She loves bunnies and pigs.

Inside was a little piggy necklace ordered off of Etsy.

 

And Lily, the youngest, the one that works part-time at the boarding kennel with me...

Had a book with a photo of Griffin on the front, because she loves him best.

Inside her book was a whistle, an dog whistle.

 

So that's what I did last year....and after Christmas, I'll post what I did this year.