2 Turtles & a Pear

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I used the Heather Bailey pear pincushion and turtle pincushion patterns to make a few Christmas gifts. 

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Here's what the pear looked like after I finished the sewing:

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I used a combination of fiber-fill and flax seed for the filling.  I like using the flax seed because it adds some weight to the finished pear.
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The pear after stuffing:

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Finished pear:

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The pear was really quick and easy to make - I think I might make one for myself!  My Mom has a pear collection so I made this for her.

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The turtle was a bit more complicaded than the pear.

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I made one turtle for my sister and one for my 8 year old brother.  My nickname for him is 'turtle' so I thought it would be cute to give to him.  I have a few other sewing projects I need to post soon!

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Cinnamon Honey Butter

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One word:  Yum.

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If you're looking for a quick, easy, and inexpensive gift, this is it!  This recipe was posted by Darby over at Fly Through our Window.  Click here to see her post.

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Here's what you'll need:

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- 2 sticks of butter @ room temperature

- 1 cup powdered sugar

- 1 cup honey

- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

- (6) 4oz jars  with lids.  The ones I used are Ball canning jars found @ the grocery store.

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* I doubled the recipe so that I would end up with 12 jars.

* Store finished butter in refrigerator.

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First, whip the butter:
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Then add the sugar, honey, and cinnamon.  Blend together well.  Scrape sides of bowl and blend again.

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Spoon into jars and enjoy!

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Give away as many as possible.  Trust me, if it's in your house, you are going to want to eat it!  I could eat it by the spoonful, it's that tasty.  So far, I've only tried it on english muffins, but I think it would be delicious on pancakes, french toast, or waffles. 

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I added a gift tag to each jar and brought into work on Monday to give to friends.  Everyone seemed excited to try it!

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Christmas Cards & Gift Tags

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I usually make my Christmas cards each year.  It took me a little while this year to get motivated, but I finally finished them and got them out in the mail last week.  I came up with a super simple design that didn't take too long to put together.

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First I stamped "merry christmas" on the front of the card.
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Next I glued on a decorative piece of paper to the front of the card.
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Then I added a stamp to the inside of the card and a ribbon on the front of the card.

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All finished!

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Today I made some very simple gift tags.
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Next up - wrapping!

How Lovely Are Your Branches. . .

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The tree is up, lit, decorated, and looking good!

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My Mom and I went the first weekend of December to a tree farm to cut our trees.  I wanted to take pictures while we were there but it was 17 degrees out at the time.  And snowing.  And windy.  And did I mention cold?  We pretty much found our trees in record time and cut them down as fast as possible.  Yeah, so no pictures from the tree farm.  We both got Frasier Firs.  They are my favorite kind of tree.  The needles are soft and their shape is perfect for decorating.

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Here's the tree - up and ready for lights!  Notice my old school tree stand.  It's been around a long time!

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The lights are on and it's starting to look like a Christmas Tree!

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Now the ornaments.  I have a thing for Martha.  Can you tell?  All of these ornaments are from the Martha Stewart collection.  They are the only reson I've walked into a Kmart in the last 10 years.

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These don't look like much, but they are my favorite ornaments.  I was in Chicago on New Year's Eve 2000 and bought these at the Banana Republic on Michigan Ave.  They were on clearance for $1.97 each {Don't know how I remember that, or why!}.  I think my favorite part is that they were made in Italy.  I pretty much love anything made in Italy.  'Italy' is stamped on the metal part.  The ornaments are two different colors but pretty much look like silver when they are on the tree.  These are the first thing to go on my tree every year.

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First ornaments are on the tree. . .

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A few pictures of the finished tree:

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I pretty much have a love affair with my trees each year.  I love how cozy & festive their lights make my house and I hate when it's time to take them down!

Holiday Mantle

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My mantle is all decked out for Christmas.  After Thanksgiving I took down all of the Fall decorations shown here.

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Here's my empty mantle before:

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And here's the after:

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Much, much better.

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The glass candlesticks are from CB2 and are really inexpensive - they range in price from $2.95 - $4.95 each.  Can't beat that!  I bought the red balls at Pottery Barn.  They have hooks on them and can also be used as ornaments.  The green balls I've had forever and are usually on my mantle year round.  The mercury glass birds came from Target last winter.

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I made the glittered 'PEACE' banner using cardboard, glitter, and a ribbon to string the letters together.

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