Homemade presents

My Christmas memories are full of handmade gifts from my inventive parents. My dad who turned baby food containers into speakers for our Walkmans and my mom who sewed elaborate lined doll clothes and painted a multi storied doll house...you might say...inspired me this Christmas. As well as, I have come to think that scarcity equals appreciation. My kids are more creative, less whiny and play longer when there is an empty box and scissors than a closet full of battery-powered toys. Several years ago after reading Clarence Thomas' autobiography where he said juice containers became toy trains and sticks and stones were his only other toys, it made me realize the excess in my kids lives. And I decided this year to try to SIMPLIFY.


My girls received little doll beds I made from scrap lumber. All the reversible linens were from my fabric pile and the mattresses were from jeans with holes in them.



Alex with some help made his siblings felt toys. The one with the dark hat is a Star Wars character and I don't remember who, but the recipient recognized him right away.


Maybe this will seem sacrilegious to some of you, but graphic beer bottle tops cover this cross Alex made for his dad. These Shiner tops make me think of how Jesus was our sacrifice, our substitute offering, the replacement ram without blemish. 1 John 4:10 is penned on the dowels we cut with a chop saw for further dimension.





The beds assembled and waiting for some paint.


The embossed felt makes a nifty jacket.



Lego-man and grey cat.


Trying the beds out, two dolls found them exceedingly comfortable and took a nap. Never wear your shoes in bed.


Personalized and silly. My girls will know whose is who.




Laying on hand colored wrapping paper.

Now the rest of the truth, we did get a Wii for the boys and we may soon regret it. The boys chipped in half and the condition was Fritz had to work extra hard on reading for the last three months. It was a unknown outcome till Christmas morning when they followed scavenger hunt clues around the house to the present which was in the dryer under a load of white clothes. The last clue suggested they fold laundry, but in their excitement they forgot and left me matching socks.

A belated Merry Christmas to you.