Today I’m celebrating the LOVE and I invite you to join me. A challenge of sorts! I’m taking out an hour of my day (give or take)---- time my friends, time--- and I’m calling three people I have loved and lost. For me it is lost touch with. A friend that I went to college with and have not spoken to in years and years, my Mom’s best friend in Florida (I haven’t talked to her since my Mom’s funeral), and lastly my Pastor when I lived in New Jersey, moons ago. Time is what we value so dearly during this busy season, and people that have meant much to us will value our time, our thoughts and our love. It is going to be really great!!!! I hope you will make some calls too and celebrate the love. If everyone took the challenge and reached out to three people, we'd make a big impact today. And you know what? It warms our heart too!
I finished my last big project at the studio today, right down to the last detail. (WOO HOO!) Not that there won’t be something from the work column every day (as there always is) but I have to say that my leopard jammies are much, much closer! When I shoveled my desk off, the grocery store called my name and what a blessing the cashier was just a doll and a half! $350.00 later, I came home to unload. We will not discuss how much of that was alcohol. (thanks!)
Another batch of those pretzel/kiss/M&M delights was made (we call them Belly Buttons) and another tray of the easy Ritz snowflake cookies. And, so there will be cocktailin’ tonight when my son arrives, there is a batch of Crabmeat Canapes in the freezer. Delightful indeed.
Knitting? Mmmmmmmm, well, I’ve thought about it but that is pretty much where it lies. I finished wrapping after dinner dishes were done instead. A very few rows happened on the scarf, and even a few were bliss -- I know you understand completely! I went to finish the buttons on the Pocketbook Slippers and completely struck out! I used those “Create a Button” mesh blanks. With a tapestry needle you go in and out of the plastic mesh button top and before you know it, poof, it’s a button. Well, all of my needles that would carry the yarn had eyes that were too fat to go all the way through the mesh---- ack! How frustrating! So you know what? The slippers will not get buttons, so there. During my time of irritation I test drove (someone has to!) a Candy Cane Cocktail. It was really, really good. I only had one, in case you’re counting!
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Can we talk gift tags???? I love gift tags almost as much as I love the gift itself! There are some great tags available but the handmade kind is always the best. This year I’m printing my own using the commercially available muslin backed with stiff paper for the printer. (You can pick it up in a package with about 4 sheets in it, I even saw it at my local Kinko's.) Or make your own to run through the printer by cutting out sheets of muslin and ironing them to waxed paper but it is a trickier process that has the potential to muss up your printer, I take the safe route and purchase my sheets. My collection of antique holiday images, postcards and cards over the years has served me well. I have them all stored on the computer as .jpg's. The image is chosen, sized, and a bit of PhotoShop magic is applied, and they can be grouped to save paper and then run through the printer. Once they are printed and dry for a bit, I give mine a good ironing to set the ink. Layer the muslin with a plain sheet of white paper on the front and back to protect the iron and ironing board cover. Then, I can add a backing with a layer of fusible web and a layer of felt. You can also print to cardstock and cut out with those foofy scissors. Then again, if you are a crafty sort you can take the printed tags and just embellish them to your hearts content. Just punch a hole and hang with pretty coordinating yarn.
My tag fetish started about 10 years ago when my best friend and I would exchange a Christmas gift each year. There were rules y’know. Gifts must be handmade, they need not be expensive, and they don’t have to be practical--- fanciful is fun too! Most importantly is that they have to be wrapped really pretty and there has to be a cool gift tag, also handmade. Over the years the tags grew more elaborate, sometimes artistic, sometimes funky, always wonderful! My collection of beloved gift tags disappeared in the divorce, we won't go there it makes me cranky and that is just not fitting to the season! I love to give (and receive-- dare I say it) at least one gift each year that is wrapped in a way you wouldn’t for ‘ordinary’ giving. You know what I mean….. kids don’t appreciate it, much of your family wouldn’t really get into a package that is wrapped over the top.
It is the 20th day of Knitting Contrisstmas and I am gifting a few of my gift tag designs. Use them as you like----- be creative and promise me that you use at least one of them for a very special and wonderfully creative gift! Or step out and create something uniquely yours!
If you would like to use them as the starting point for your own lovely gift tags, right click on the images and use the 'save as' option to save to your computer.
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My son arrives in a few hours………… I’m smiling very big! I'll be smiling bigger when the house is clean, there are dustbunnies the size of cats I fear. I've been less than diligent with all of the other things going on around here and I do so love a nice clean house. When Mr. Manhattan comes home he always stops en route to the airport for real live New York bagels. (That sounded like one of those salsa commercials didn't it.... New York City!!!! Ha!) I bought extra cream cheese yesterday in preparation, yum. He's a great kid, and so tall and skinny you wonder how he came from this body! The only problem is that he is a dead ringer for his dad............ I try not to hold that against him! :)
Thanks to those of you who have added me as a friend on Ravelry! How fun is that???? I love it!
Tomorrow on Day 21 is an interview you won’t want to miss!
1 comment:
OMG! You hit it right on the head!
Lets celebrate LOVE!!!
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