the season for crafting

the holidays are a great time creatively for me. every year around thanksgiving i get this unending desire to craft, bake, decorate, try to create a Christmas feeling as i go outside in short sleeve shirt and flip flops. however, the last few year, i just haven't found the time or energy to do any of these things. working a full time job (usually 50-60 hours a week), having griffin, and squeezing time in for sleep made it hard to just get all the gifts that I needed by Christmas day.

this season however, with staying home now, i have decided to jump feet first into a sea of creative projects to keep us occupied, inspired and counting down til Santa arrives. in years past it was requirement to make a gingerbread house in the recreation program i worked in. so for 4 years i have filled the house with the scents of gingerbread just to cart it off to assist children in the construction of their creations, a couple of castles, a farm and sponge bob square pants house...yes pineapple shaped gingerbread house. So this year I wanted to fill my house with that same aroma, but let my little guy be the creator... let him pick out the candy...let him decorate...even though there was more decoration between his teeth, on his tongue and in his tummy, he did manage to get some amazing work accomplished.

We also made a Santa construction paper advent calendar, he reminds me all day that he gets to take a ring off after he brushes his teeth, when it is dark outside...

I also have carried on this tradition of making Christmas stockings from my mom, she made all of ours... mine has two reindeer and Santa, and my sisters is even grander and then my youngest sister's has tons of details and bead work,they got more detailed and extravagant with each child so I seemed to carry that on as well. I made Griff's, but did a little here and there over the course of a few months, so this year as I am making McKenna's with a snow woman and lots of packages and beads and sequins and "girly stuff", I am trying to put a rush on this one, but finding time with two babes...that will be the magic...

my upcoming project is cookies with all these assortment of 100 cookie cutters i found for a great bargain, but the trick here is that they have seemed to have turned into teething rings and toys...we'll see how it goes