simple projects

I've been spending some time turning this pile of supplies into something special 

(x3 of course) for Christmas.  

With the boys going to bed later and me earlier, it's been a slow process. And the sewing machine's been giving me trouble which is just a terrible turn of events in December... 

But I have managed to turn out a few simple gifts recently, including this little skirt. When I saw the tutorial in the spring, I thought it was cute and picked up the materials. But it sat in the pile for a long time. I'm hoping my niece can rock it with leggings?

And then I enjoyed making some simple baby gifts for my friend and her sisters who are all having their first babies this season. Baby gifts are so simple to make but I get excited to think of those new little ones drooling on these fresh linens.

Isaac tested the swaddling blanket on his OwlBigOwl. It passed.

Then we dove into the Christmas creations. We've been baking, granola making, ornament crafting and present planning every single day. As the boys grow, so do their ideas, which is honestly making the season so much more fun, but so much trickier for me. I only have so many hiding places for half-glued  and drying secret gifts!

After collecting Christmas books for the last five years, we finally have enough to read one each day of Advent. When I saw someone wrap them, I knew that was the perfect touch to build that sweet anticipation in Advent. Twenty seven wrapped books later and we have a new tradition that the older two look forward to every night. 

Finally, a grandma friend of mine recommended that I make pillowcases for the boys for Christmas using the sausage method. Really, that's the name. It was so easy, I'm now thinking of Valentine's, Easter, summer, etc. pillowcases. We went to Joanns where the boys picked out their own fabric and we dressed their pillows in their new outfits the day after Thanksgiving. Now they dream of Christmas goodies while I try to work through that pile of fleece. I have a few weeks left. That's enough, right?