ok so I wasn't totally stress free leading up the holidays -- I had other people's Christmas schedules and traditions to consider, broken sewing machines to mend, a hundred meetings to participate in for a new job position, and the need to find a cat sitter while I'm off elsewhere stuffing my face with mashed potatoes -- but compared to other years -- it has been realitively stress free and may I add, peaceful.
and I know why. It's because not once - not even to get one stocking stuffer, not even to get a wedding gift for a recent wedding... did I once step in a mall to get my gifts....
....okok so I went to Zellers, but it wasn't in a mall and while I was there I experienced this bizarre euphoria where everyone around me was rushing here and there; kids were whining and crying; and I walked up and down the aisles in my own little world... it was, dare I say... fun...
Anyway I'm happy to say that although I didn't officially pledge to buy handmade this year, I managed to mostly do just that. I made the majority of my gifts -- mostly napkins, table runners, and tote bags and then I bought a few things off etsy: some earrings from the wonderful Sulu, pottery from the talented Marymee Studio, and desk calendars from Anna Cote and her little design biz Modern Printed Matter. It was so fun getting this stuff in the mail -- who ever gets anything in the mail anymore!?
Update on my Dad's blanket -- I finished it this morning! I'm so happy I stuck with it because I almost threw it out the window.
I hope everyone has a Happy Christmas!
--lealou
c to the rescue
Thursday, December 20, 2007
when it comes to buying/making christmas presents I think the men are the toughest to buy/make for... there are so many cute things out there to get women but the men are another story. Every year I go through the same stress about what to get my dad, does he really need another sweater or pair of socks???
so this year, since i'm on a mission to make most of my gifts, I came up with a idea to make my dad a cozy blanket. I thought it was such a great idea.... until I started actually making it. I got two types of fleece and sewed them together... didn't look right so I tore it apart and decided on just using one type of fleece... so I started sewing it this morning and I heard a *kaplunk* and and then my zigzag stitch wasn't zigzagging anymore -- it was just a wobbly line. anyway I think I broke my sewing machine. the good news is that I've made most of my gifts already but now I don't know what to get my dad!?
WELL C came over for soup today and she brought her sewing machine! what a life saver... so I think I'll try something new for my dad -- not sure I'll attempt the blanket again -- the last thing I want to do wreck her machine!
still no pics -- my sister-in-law borrowed it to take pics of my super sweet little nephew - I can't wait to spend christmas with them all this year!
later--
lealou
so this year, since i'm on a mission to make most of my gifts, I came up with a idea to make my dad a cozy blanket. I thought it was such a great idea.... until I started actually making it. I got two types of fleece and sewed them together... didn't look right so I tore it apart and decided on just using one type of fleece... so I started sewing it this morning and I heard a *kaplunk* and and then my zigzag stitch wasn't zigzagging anymore -- it was just a wobbly line. anyway I think I broke my sewing machine. the good news is that I've made most of my gifts already but now I don't know what to get my dad!?
WELL C came over for soup today and she brought her sewing machine! what a life saver... so I think I'll try something new for my dad -- not sure I'll attempt the blanket again -- the last thing I want to do wreck her machine!
still no pics -- my sister-in-law borrowed it to take pics of my super sweet little nephew - I can't wait to spend christmas with them all this year!
later--
lealou
snowed in...
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
ok so I don't have any pics of the obscene amount of snow we got over the weekend but take my word for it... there's a lot of it. I just want to thank my S2B hubby for shovelling more than 500 lbs of snow, both at my mom's house and our house. I'm very thankful...
This pic was taken at my friends' wedding this past weekend -- I'm very happy to hear that their flight was delayed only 45 mins for their hot trip to Jamaica.
happy holiday crafting y'all! I have A LOT to do this week!
the best of youth
Monday, December 03, 2007
when I was young fridays and sometimes saturdays were always movie nights in my house. I would get my pillow from my bed, fill a bowl full of plain rippled potato chips and a class of crackling raspberry gingerale (do they sell this any more?) and plop down on the floor in front of the television for the duration of many a cheesy movie. I loved this part of my childhood. the thing is... I don't really remember too many of the movies we saw because by the time I was done munching and slurping away, I passed out on my pillow until the end of the movie - missing the plot entirely and leaving me to ask many questions at the end.
This movie-watching challenge would not end as an adult. In fact, I manage to passout in the first 1/2 of a movie almost every time. This does not bode well with M - he doesn't like the fact that I fall asleep only to watch the flick alone. Ahhh what can I do - I get comfy.
This weekend however I think I had a break through.
M and I have been renting italian movies through zip.ca to help us with our Italian lessons for the wedding and although the first three movies that we've received haven't been the greatest, the one we started to watch on Friday was amazing. I say started to watch because it's a 6-hr movie. Yes 6-hrs. We weren't even going to watch it because it was so long but we only received the first disc which was only 3-hrs so we thought we'd start watching it and if we didn't like it we'd turn it off. Man was it great... so far. It's called The Best of Youth or La Meglio Gioventù and it's a story about 2 brothers over 3 decades of their lives and the various obstacles they encounter. One brother volunteers at a psychiatric hospital and meets a girl named Georgia. He doesn't like the way she's being treated so he takes her from the hospital and, with his brother, travels to her home town to bring her back to her family. The trip changes the lives of both brothers and the movie takes you through their chosen paths. The scenery is great and the music is fun and I can't wait to watch the second half. Three hours definitely flew by and I know that if we had the second dvd we'd have watched it.
SO all that to say that I stayed awake for the WHOLE 3 hrs! I think the trick is that I didn't have a pillow or a blanket and I was reading the sub-titles the whole time.
so enough of that.
Ok so I decided that I really need to get sewing if I want to make most of my gifts this year. I managed to finish one gift. Ta-da!
It matches the napkins I made awhile back. It's basically a place mat but I only made one so it'll be more of a table mat/runner type thing. I really like the way it turned out even if it was a pain the butt to make.
I also took a stab at making some stockings. I tried a new stitch on my machine and put the stars on the front.
and I have to mention my little sheep! I got them in a little antique/gift type store just south of Sutton, ON. So cute!
Ok have fun out there! I'm off to play soccer or should I say "gioco il calcio" forfifth place... last place... update: we lost! oh well - there's always next season!
This movie-watching challenge would not end as an adult. In fact, I manage to passout in the first 1/2 of a movie almost every time. This does not bode well with M - he doesn't like the fact that I fall asleep only to watch the flick alone. Ahhh what can I do - I get comfy.
This weekend however I think I had a break through.
M and I have been renting italian movies through zip.ca to help us with our Italian lessons for the wedding and although the first three movies that we've received haven't been the greatest, the one we started to watch on Friday was amazing. I say started to watch because it's a 6-hr movie. Yes 6-hrs. We weren't even going to watch it because it was so long but we only received the first disc which was only 3-hrs so we thought we'd start watching it and if we didn't like it we'd turn it off. Man was it great... so far. It's called The Best of Youth or La Meglio Gioventù and it's a story about 2 brothers over 3 decades of their lives and the various obstacles they encounter. One brother volunteers at a psychiatric hospital and meets a girl named Georgia. He doesn't like the way she's being treated so he takes her from the hospital and, with his brother, travels to her home town to bring her back to her family. The trip changes the lives of both brothers and the movie takes you through their chosen paths. The scenery is great and the music is fun and I can't wait to watch the second half. Three hours definitely flew by and I know that if we had the second dvd we'd have watched it.
SO all that to say that I stayed awake for the WHOLE 3 hrs! I think the trick is that I didn't have a pillow or a blanket and I was reading the sub-titles the whole time.
so enough of that.
Ok so I decided that I really need to get sewing if I want to make most of my gifts this year. I managed to finish one gift. Ta-da!
It matches the napkins I made awhile back. It's basically a place mat but I only made one so it'll be more of a table mat/runner type thing. I really like the way it turned out even if it was a pain the butt to make.
I also took a stab at making some stockings. I tried a new stitch on my machine and put the stars on the front.
and I have to mention my little sheep! I got them in a little antique/gift type store just south of Sutton, ON. So cute!
Ok have fun out there! I'm off to play soccer or should I say "gioco il calcio" for
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