Christmas lights and burlap

Merry Christmas!!!

I love this season.  Everything about it...it is so joyful.
I have one last project to share with you...burlap covered Christmas lights.

I had seen this project on Pinterest, but with no help or tutorial.  Burlap wrapped Christmas lights...so pretty!  So I thought...how hard can this be?  I bought some burlap and cut long strips, and sewed a burlap "sock" for my white Christmas lights.  Well, to find out, there is a hard way and an easy way.  My first try at this took hours of frustration.  So here are some tips that I learned along the way.

1.  Don't make your burlap "sock" too long.  Burlap is not easy to turn inside out.  I ended up making two "socks" and pinning them together.  And when I was trying to turn my sock right side out after sewing it, I used a hanger and a large safety pin to pull the burlap through.  That definitely helped the process.

2.  Use high-end Christmas lights that remain lit even if one bulb gets broken.  This was the moment I almost threw everything in the trash.  After finishing the entire sewing part of the project, and yanking the Christmas lights through the "sock", I plugged the lights in and discovered that a bulb had broken.  And I had used cheap lights.  The lights wouldn't work, even when I replaced a bulb.  Don't be like me...I had to take out all of the lights and buy a new string to place in my burlap sock.  Very frustrating.







3.  Use an empty tube of wrapping paper to feed your string of lights into your burlap sock.  Once I discovered that the rough burlap would break my light bulbs, I wanted to find a better way to get the sock around the string of lights.

I used an empty tube of wrapping paper, and placed my lights in the tube.  Then I scrunched my burlap sock around the cardboard tube, and fed it along.  Granted, it didn't fit the entire length of lights.  But this was a MUCH smoother process than my first try...

4.  A string of lights is longer than you think.  I was shocked at how long my burlap sock needed to be. I guess I rarely have my Christmas lights strung out in a straight line.  I didn't realize how long one string would be.  Lets just say that I cut many strips of burlap....over and over and over again.

5.  Last but not least, double sew your edges on the burlap.  This might be a forgone conclusion, but it is a lesson I am learning.  Burlap frays easily.  I did a straight stitch first and then I went back with a wide stitch to make sure there was very little fraying.  I really don't want to have to do this project again.

Thats it!!  I only finished one of my burlap socks.  I am hoping to get one more done before I put everything in the attic for next year.  But since my first 2 tries took 5 hours...well, let's just say I am not as motivated as I should be.

Reflection: Christmas and Elf on the Shelf

I need to be upfront - I am not a big fan of Elf on the Shelf.  So if your holiday season begins when your family Elf arrives, you might want to stop reading.  I have a strong opinion and I understand that many families love and cherish their Elf.  But it has been on my mind lately, and I wanted to share my reflection on the Elf subject.

First of all, I have a slightly biased background.  I did not grow up believing in Santa.  My parents decided not to play the Santa game, despite my grandmother's rebellion against my parents, signing all her gifts "love Santa."  When Mark and I got married, the Santa discussion was the most drawn out and difficult issue we had to deal with.  Would we teach our kids about Santa?  I know that sounds crazy, but we had long drawn out *discussions* deciding our unborn children's Christmas fate.  In the end, I decided to play the Santa game as long as I could maintain the primary importance of Christmas, Christ's birth.

For our family, Santa represents unconditional love...through gifts.  He comes on Christmas Eve and leaves behind gifts galore with no expectation of reciprocation.  We tell the kids that he is showing God's love by giving them something with no strings attached...just because he loves them.

My kids hear stories about Santa at school, the TV...everywhere.  When my kids hear stories about Santa and how they need to be "good", I quickly speak up.

There is no naughty or nice list.  This is a fictitious story that desperate parents and commercialism have jumped upon.  Frankly, it ruins the beauty of Santa's gifts.  His gifts are unconditional.  My children don't have be good or nice to receive anything from me at Christmas.  And quite honestly, they would never receive anything if it was based on their behavior.  And neither would I.

And thus my dislike of the Elf.  He watches you.  He makes sure you are being 'good.'  He appears in different places around the house...which I imagine is the fun part for parents.  He tells Santa how you are doing...and helps determine whether you have been naughty or nice.

But the Elf misses the point of Christmas.  Jesus Christ is an unconditional gift.  You don't have to be good.  God does see us and his gift of love does not change based on what he sees.  Ever.  (Phew!)  Santa should be a chance for us to proclaim the gospel to our children...the best love story ever.  Unending love and grace - with no strings attached.  The greatest gift of all.  And it doesn't matter how badly I mess up, I still get the amazing gift of grace.

That is what I want my children to grasp and relish during the Christmas season.  Elf on the Shelf might be fun, but it negates the beautiful message that Santa can show my kids.  He brings gifts that have no rhyme or reason or need to be reciprocated...gifts that are there to show them the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.  

Decorating for Christmas

I dropped my computer.

There, I said it.  That is my excuse for my lack of writing.  I just wanted to get my excuses out of the way.

Once I dropped my computer, it died.  Or should I say, it went into a coma and all of it's memory had to be erased in order for it to wake up.  The good news is that  I had backed up my computer in October.  The bad news is that I hadn't backed up my computer after downloading pictures from Nate's 1st birthday.  Sigh.  I guess that is the curse of the 3rd kid...no pictures.

In the meantime, I have worked on a few projects.  Of course, most of the pictures that detail the process have been lost.  I have been busy on the sewing machine here at home and at my friend's house.

The first project I worked on is a surprise gift from Santa for Abby...so please don't spoil the surprise.  She innocently still believes in Santa despite her big brother urgent need for her to "know the truth."  Numerous times this month I have heard Caleb informing Abby, "I know the truth about Santa.  I want you to know who he REALLY is."  Abby's reply..."Caleb...stop telling me stuff.  I don't want to know."  Love her.

Her main Santa gift is doll sleeping bags for Kit and Ruthie.  Abby has declared her new favorite color to be green and her favorite animal to be owls (with spiders as second!!!).

This was really fun.  I even put batting in the middle to make it feel like a real sleeping bag.  The biggest help was this tutorial on zippers.  It was my best zipper work yet.  Well, until I made a big mistake.

My really big mistake?  Ironing on the patches at the end and forgetting that I had a PLASTIC zipper.  Yep...I am really smart.

So Kit's bag has some....character.  On Christmas morning I will have Kit and Ruthie waiting in the sleeping bags.  I hope she likes it!

My next project was decorating some tomato cages with Christmas lights.  I had seen this project on pinterest and thought it looked cute and easy.

I took 2 tomato cages and tied the tops.  Then strung white lights all the way down.




















It was super easy.  And I found this great star to put on top.

I love having some sort of outdoor lights.  And Mark likes that he didn't have to hang anything.

The last project was an act of love from my friend Rachel.  She is an excellent seamstress and I asked her to help me make a tree skirt to match some stockings I had ordered off of Etsy.  And she didn't just help...she sewed a beautiful tree skirt.

This picture does not do it justice.  My camera's flash died as I was taking these pictures.  And by the time I had new batteries, the tree skirt was covered in presents.  I will give an update after Christmas because it is the cutest tree skirt I have ever seen.  I think Rachel should start taking orders.

These are the matching stockings...using It's a Hoot fabric by MoMo.  I don't know why I love this fabric so much.  I used it on Abby's chair cushion and I am about to embark on another project for my Christmas set up.

This is only the 2nd time we have been home for Christmas...in our entire marriage.  That is almost 10 years!  I love decorating our home for Christmas and being here to enjoy it.  I think it is my favorite holiday.

Quick and easy glass etching

I have had the supplies for this project for months...and finally got to it this week.  Glass etching is so easy and fun.  And I love using letters around the house...I don't know why.  Ask any of my friends...grammar is not my speciality.  You would think I would have a "thing" for numbers.  Nope.  Letters.  And the "&" symbol.  I find myself drooling over interior design with the "&" symbol used somewhere in the design.  I need to get me one of those.

This particular project is going to be part of my Christmas decorations.  I can't believe that Christmas is around the corner.  Wow.

Joy...real joy...is at the heart of Christmas.  Christ's birth brings joy to earth.  I love Christmas.

Imagine these vases with white lights, pine cones...or maybe some burlap.  I didn't have the energy to dig through my Christmas decorations *quite* yet.  I have an "after Thanksgiving" rule.

My project took very few supplies...these 3 vases, stencils, a paintbrush, and Armour Etch.

Armour Etch is easy to find at Michaels or Joann Fabrics.  It is a small bottle but it goes a really long way.  I hardly made a dent with this project.  **side note...I just read the warning label as I uploaded this picture.  Yikes...use with caution!**

I placed my stencils, or should I say stickers, on my vases.  Because I was using the outside edge of letter stickers, I didn't have much of a margin.  I used tape on the edges to make sure my etching 'goo' didn't get anywhere else on the glass.  You can also use contact paper and pre-cut any design that you want.

I put the 'goo' in my letter area and tried to keep it even.  Remember that this etches the glass very quickly...you only have to leave it on for 5 or 10 minutes.  So don't let it get outside of your stencil area.

After 5 or 10 minutes, just wash it off.  That is it!  I did do a second coat on a few spots; I think my first coat wasn't as even as I would have liked.

That's it!  So easy...and endless possibilities.  I might have to try this again sometime soon.

Dr. Pepper and baby mittens

I promise...I am still alive.  I have been meaning to sit and write a blog post, but life has gotten ahead of me.

I have started a new medicine for migraines...and I don't know which is worse, the migraine or the side effects of the medicine.  Well, actually...I know which is worse.  I wouldn't wish a migraine on my worst enemy.  But my current medicine has some funny side effects...like loosing the taste of carbonation.  Seriously.  I didn't even know that was possible until I tried my favorite beverage, Dr. Pepper, and found myself searching the can for an expiration date.

Despite the lack of luster in the beverage department, I have been a busy bee preparing for my first student art show.  I must admit...I am a little nervous.  I did not major in art or anything close.  I was a theology major who is now a stay at home mom who likes to be handy!  Being handy and artistic has become my "therapy", so I agreed to have a table at the art show.

We are encouraged to sell any art or craft, not just our pottery from class.  I made some clay birds for stemware and a few wine stoppers.

I am also going to sell some of my bowls and vases...

I also decided to frame a few of my charcoal drawings.  Here are my 2 favorite -

In all honesty, I got a little nervous that I would just sit at the table all day with my pottery and drawings without a single sale.  This is the first time I am opening up to the public (on the blog and at the art show) some of my drawings, and it makes me nervous to be at a show surrounded by "real" artists.  Soooo, I decided to sew a few things as a fail safe.  I wanted at least one sale.

When Nate was born, a good friend gave me a burp cloth with this adorable robot fabric. I had been searching for some newborn hand mittens to protect him from scratching himself, and decided to try to make them to match the cute burp cloth.  Here is the end result from last year -

Aren't they cute???  Every nurse at the hospital asked where I had gotten them.  And I must say, Nate looked awfully cute.  So I decided to make a few mitten and burp cloth sets to sell at the show, just in case my real art started to collect dust.






I cut the form big enough for little hands...keeping the bottom wide enough that new moms won't feel stressed about squeezing their babies hands into the mittens.  I cut 4 matching pieces.

I folded over the bottom edge to form a hem.

Then I cut a small length of ribbon, and sewed the ribbon on 2 of my mitten "forms", about 1/2 inch from the bottom edge.

Then I put 2 forms together with the fabric pattern side in, and stitched myself a little mitten.  2 important things to note - first, I chose to do a wider stitch to give the mitten a little strength and to guard the fabric from fraying.  They won't be wearing these when they are 2 years old, but you want them to last.  Second, be careful where the end of your ribbon is when you are sewing the two pieces together.  Make sure it is tucked "in and down."  And then turn it right side out.









That's it!  I paired the mittens with 2 burp cloths...and I must admit, it is pretty cute.  Here is a baby girl's set...

Wow, I guess I have been busy.  I just haven't had a chance to write about it.  And if you are family member, or a friend that is pregnant...you might see a few of these items again around Christmas.  Just act surprised.

It is fully operational...

September and October are celebration months in our household.  In the span of 4 weeks, we have Caleb, Nate and my birthdays, and our anniversary.  I love the fall.

Caleb recieved birthday money this year that put him at his savings goal for the Lego Death Star.  He had been saving for a long time for this very expensive lego set.  Mark and I had promised him that if he saved up half (tax included!) we would match him.  And he did it.  I took him to the Lego Store and he proudly counted out his coins.  The clerk was very patient.

As soon as we got home, he started to build the Death Star.  It has 3803 pieces and there are 261 pages to the instrucion manual.  Even though it says it is for age 16+, my seven year old son built the entire thing by himself.

Here is the end result.  Very impressive...especially to Lego fans.

It has 3 main levels with an elevator shaft down the middle, surrounding by rooms.  Each room displays a famous scene that takes place in the original trilogy on the Death Star.  It even shoots a missle from the death star.

Here are some of my favorites rooms:

The trash room, complete with moving walls and a very cool lego trash creature.  It also has an entrance to the trash room from the prisoner level...

Speaking of prisoner level, here is detention block AA-23, as well as Princess Leia's cell...

There is a command room...

The famous scene of the dual between Darth Vader, Luke, and the Emperor...

Obi-Wan dismantling the tractor beam...


































Luke and Leia, swinging their way back to the Millenium Falcon...

























Can you tell I like Caleb' new toy?  It took him 10 days to build...he spent every extra minute working on it.  He also spent his money on a lazy susan that fits perfectly under the Death Star.  The funny thing is that he thought the lazy susan was electric.  That it could be turned on and just spin the Death Star with no human involvement.  Needless to say, he was very disappointed in the lazy susan reality.  He told me to return the lazy susan and asked me to get an electric one.  Do they make such a thing?  I will have to research that one!