My favorite Christmas gift. . .ever!

Just before Christmas 2010 we were still searching for "home." We had been searching and dreaming of this place called, "Home," for such a long time. I never could quite imagine what it looked like, but I kept saying to myself. . ."you'll know it when you see it."

Kinda like love. . .you'll know it when you find it.

Kinda like going into labor. . .you'll know when it's the real thing.

Sitting side by side with my husband on the couch, we were both on laptops
still searching for this place. . .Home.

Farmboy saw it first. . .

(If you have never read his version of the story you really need to check it out here.)

This was both of ours first view of Home.

We both knew it when we saw it. . . it was the real thing.

On January 7, 2011 we stepped out of the car and onto the ground that would be Home.

In about one month we will move into this place called Home. 

We have been waiting and dreaming and sighing. . .Home.

Finally.

This brings me to the part of my favorite Christmas gift. . .ever! In our family we draw names each year. My brother and his wife decreed that they needed to draw us this year. . .they decreed it with a smug smirk. . .like they were up to something.

On Christmas day, standing in the kitchen of my mom's house, I was handed a wrapped gift. 

I took off the paper. I took off the cover. I cried a little.

They had had a friend of theirs paint this picture for us. . .our first glimpse of. . .

Home.

Christmas Card Ideas

I would like to announce that the Williams family will not be sending out Christmas cards this year.

Please, don't judge me. . .

It's not nice to judge.

The Crafty Lady of the house made an executive decision and decided that the stamp money would better spent on "we have finally moved" cards to be sent out sometime in February.

In the meantime I couldn't resist busting out some Christmas stamps from my stash and whipping up a few cards to use some other time. . .



For the first card I used a corner rounder with the guard removed to make the ruffles
and colored in the snowman with watercolor pencils.



For the second card I broke out the embossing powder and my heat gun.

I love embossing!!! To quote my daughter, "It's like magic!!!"

It makes this simple card really special. . .

PS. I mooched this idea from a co-worker who brought in a stack of her cards for me to look at. Thanks, Lynna!

Here is a closer look at the clear embossing.

Hope you enjoy! Have wonderful Christmas!!!

Secret Santa. . .

We drew names at work for a gift exchange and (lucky me) I drew a name that 

I could actually come up with a creative idea for!!!

You see, she has just started remodeling her ENTIRE house. 

The sign up sheet for her prayer list (i.e. sanity) will be circulating soon.

The other thing you should know about her is that she is OBSESSED with the 80's. . .I personally think it is because she didn't have to truly experience that time period. . .

I am pretty sure she was  still in diapers.

Anyway, since I have a hunch that her husband will not let her decorate her house 80's style I decided to inspire her to embrace her wild side and go all out for the one room that is truly and completely is hers alone. . .

Merry Christmas, from Santa!

Christmas Edition of Crafty Wednesday. . .

Today is the day that the Old School Christmas Tree shall be deemed completed!

I armed myself with some supplies and set out to make an angel tree topper.




First, I impaled a foam ball on a pencil and painted  the front of it. 

Next, I folded a square of felt in half and cut out a dress shape.

See?

Then, I attempted to glue it together with Elmer's (it was the only glue I had with me). . .it didn't work. I resorted to sewing it up the back with good ol' needle and thread.

I bent pipe cleaners into wing shapes.

Glued on some feathers.

Covered the tips with additional feathers.

And repeated. . .

Putting the wings on didn't go as I had hoped. . . it involved sticky fingers, a few sneezes, more needle and thread. . .trying not to use bad words in front of the kids and then remaking one of the wings. . .it wasn't pretty. . .or very "Martha-ish". . .I opted to not take pictures of the event. . .you are on your own earning your own wings. . .

I then finished up the head by gluing on yarn hair, drawing on the face and then I shoved on a halo. . .

It was strangely therapeutic after the "wing incident". . .

On with her head!!!



I used the toilet paper roll to give the inside some stability on the tree. I just kinda stuck it in there.

Ta-Da!!!

Complete!

PS. My amazingly creative 7yo took my leftover supplies and made a bunch of birdies. . .cute!

The End.

Old School Christmas: Part 3

So, with a needle and thread, a bowl of popcorn and some cranberries, and one hour of our time,
we made a beautiful garland for our special tree. . .it actually brought back fond memories from my childhood when I made garlands for the little tree I kept in my room. . .

Now we have to figure our what we are going to do for the top. . .

Does anyone have any suggestions?