Christmas Quilts Finished!

To use up some of my fabric stash several years ago, I started two Christmas quilts and even managed to get them both quilted, but neither was bound and they've been languishing all this time on my quilt rack - two more UFOs (unfinished objects).

1st Christmas quilt sans binding

2nd Christmas quilt sans binding

As my second official finish for 2016, I created a decorative binding from other stash that is sewn on completely by machine - no hand stitching required! How cool is that?

Binding detail (1st quilt)

Fully bound! (2nd quilt)

So do these quilts count as only one finish? Or is it two?

Merry Christmas 2015!

And wishing peace and prosperity for all

in the coming new year.

 

Time to Get Ready for Christmas!

I know it's only September but Christmas is fast approaching. Are you getting ready yet? I try to prepare throughout the year (with some success) but would like to be done before Halloween.

Did you realize that in less than week, there will only be 99 days until Christmas? So... I wanted to share an ebook by the same title - 99 Days Until Christmas - which is part of a 99 Tips for 99 Cents series. Another book in the series is 99 Affordable Gifts for Everyone on YOUR List .

So what are you waiting for? Let's get ready for Christmas!




(BTW - all links are affiliate.)

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

The following editorial first appeared in the New York Sun in 1897 and was written by the late Mr. Frank P. Church:

We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says "If you see it in The Sun it's so." Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. 
 
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Merry Christmas!

99 Days Until Christmas Tip-a-Day Action Plan

What? Only 99 days until Christmas? Geez, it didn't take much to get me back to blogging, did it?

Well, anyway, come September 18th, there will only be 99 days until Christmas. Want to join me in getting ready this year?

99 Days Until Christmas is FREE on Amazon right now so go grab a copy. But if you miss the free period, it's part of a 99 Tips for 99 Cents series so will cost less than a dollar when it's full price.

Let's get ready for Christmas!

(BTW - this is an affiliate link beings that's the easiest way I know to get an image to an Amazon item.)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

I keep hearing Frank Sinatra in my head.
So...

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yule-tide gay
From now on, our troubles will be miles away

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Almost Ready for Christmas!

Well, it's September - nearly the end of September, to be exact. So...am I prepared for Christmas yet? My goal was to have everything Christmas-related done by the end of Oct. With just one month left, am I on schedule? Hmm...

I have been ahead of the game on birthdays all year and do have several Christmas gifts in reserve - my buying frenzy last winter has really paid off! Plus, not only have I decreased my stress level this fall, I also saved a ton of money. Buying things online that were super on sale is definitely the way to go! But with some items, I still have to figure out exactly who gets what. I've got lots of kids on my list and bought a dozen or so games and just need to allocate them by age/interest, but that won't be too hard.

I also need to decide whether I'm making fudge for Christmas gifts this year, and if so, I need to do it soon. I discovered years ago that I can make it ahead of time and then freeze it with great results, which saves all the last-minute stress of giving a homemade treat. I just cut it to size, double wrap it in plastic food wrap and pop it in the freezer where it won't get buried or dinged up. When it comes time to wrap it, I pull out what I need and pop it in the appropriate box and voila! Instant gift!


So...are YOU almost ready for Christmas?

Homemade Christmas Cards & June Christmas Prep Report

Homemade Christmas cards & matching envelopes.

Unless you get them on sale after Christmas, buying Christmas cards can be unnecessarily costly. You can save money by making your own at home. Either opt for a simple letter-style greeting on colored paper or get more elaborate with stickers or iron-on fabric motifs.

More homemade Christmas cards.

I used heat-n-bond, a widely-available fusible web, to adhere fabric motifs to folded card stock that I had cut to fit envelopes I bought in bulk at a thrift store. Then I used a permanent marker to create a dashed outline around the shapes. Add a personal greeting inside and you're done - inexpensive, custom Christmas cards! And I decorated the envelopes, as well. How cute and clever (and simple!) is that?

As for the June Christmas Prep Report - besides getting a jump-start on cards, it's basically the same old, same old. I did have a few gift-giving occasions over the past month and it was so nice to be prepared!

January Christmas Prep Report

It's been a month since Christmas - have I done anything to get ready for the next one? I'm happy to say that I have. Exactly what I've done is a little harder to pinpoint. I'm still snowed in so haven't seen anything I ordered online. I could go back through my email and look at the order confirmations but that seems a waste of time beings I really need the stuff here so that I can sort and store it. You see, when I say Christmas prep, I'm also talking birthdays and any other gift-giving occasion during the year, as well.

So, from memory, here's my January report:

• made personalized throw pillow covers for 4 early-year birthdays
• ordered super cute crocheted hats for the 2 newest DGDs
• ordered a bunch of stocking stuffer type games (like probably a dozen)
• ordered several sets of kitchen towels

Personalized throw pillow covers

I tested a quilt pattern a while back and didn't realize I wasn't going to be happy with the color combo until I had all 16 blocks done - oops. I've been trying to figure out what to do with them and finally settled on personalized throw pillow covers for kidlet birthdays during the year. Won't need all 16 but it's nice to have extras. So I finished four and they're ready to go in the mail, plus I have another two quilted and ready to sew together. I plan to quilt them all now and then do the embroidery and finish them up as each birthday approaches.

Crocheted hats

Yes, I crochet...and I have lots of yarn...and I've even made a lot of hats. So why did I order some? Because they were just too darn cute AND on sale, of course! I'm talking less than $7 each and that included the shipping.

Stocking stuffer type games

The Best of Charades, LIFE Adventures card game, Disney Princess dominoes, etc, etc, etc - at under $3 each, how could I resist? With 11 grands, these will be great filler gifts to round out the holidays!

Kitchen towels

Seems everywhere I go, the kitchen towels are pretty ratty. So I decided that women on my list would receive new ones for their birthday. At $2-$5 for a set of two or three, how could I go wrong? And they'll be easy and relatively cheap to ship for the ones that need to be mailed.

Well, that's it for now!

What have you already done to prepare for Christmas 2013?

2 Critical Components for Christmas Prep 2013

If you'd like to join me in prepping for Christmas throughout the coming year, the two most important things that you need right now are:

1. a way to track the 4 Ws (who, what, where and when)
2. a dedicated storage spot for your gifts

Let's take these one at at time, shall we?

Gift Tracking

Simple gift-tracking list.

To keep track of the 4 Ws and avoid duplicating your great ideas (how embarrassing), you need a way to track gifts that actually works for you. Over the years, I've tried many ways to track gifts but have settled on paper and pen. Yes, I tried a spreadsheet on my computer, one of those glitzy online gift-tracking sites, a cutesy little notebook, etc. But what actually works for me is a printout of a simple table with appropriate columns across the top and my gift recipients clustered by family down the left side. Now in my seventh year, I can say conclusively that this is the method for me!

If you'd like to try this basic way to track your gifts and you'd also like to track birthdays and Mother's/Father's Day like I do, I'd be happy to share my table with you if I could figure out how to upload it here. Beings I can't, I included an example. But you can easily create your own in your word processing program or by hand on a blank sheet of paper. I write in the year at the top and I like to start with Christmas beings it's the biggie, so my current list is actually 2012-13. If it works better for you to just stick with the calendar year, that's fine, too. Since not all of the columns apply to all recipients, I simply draw an X in the boxes that don't apply. Now, how simple is that?

Gift Storage

The other thing you need is a dedicated place to store your gifts. If you don't have enough space in one location, figure out a couple of spots but try to limit yourself or you may lose some gifts (experience talking here!). And if you buy gifts ahead for specific people, make a note where you stashed them right on your gift list. If you're in the habit of buying gifts and deciding on the recipient later, make doubly sure that you know where all your gifts are hidden! It is so easy to forget...


So, what are you doing to prepare ahead of time for Christmas?

New Year's Resolution - Be Better Prepared for Christmas Next Year

I really did it this year. Despite the best of intentions (I even read a great book on how to have a stress free Christmas), my finely tuned procrastination skills still got the better of me! There I was - 10 days away from Christmas and still so much left undone.

My Outback - see? I was right!



Now 10 days might sound like a lot to some folks. If you live in a town, for instance, 10 more days to shop seems like plenty. I live in the wilderness, however, and was racing home (after a 2-week out-of-state trip, I might add) to beat a snowstorm so that I didn't get snowed out. Once I got home, I figured I'd be snowed in. So you see why 10 days weren't going to be that helpful?

I do have to cut myself a little slack. Although I am totally responsible for the mess in which I found myself, the crisis was actually the result of a series of unrelated, unforeseen, unavoidable events that all conspired in perfect harmony against me. Well, actually, in perfect chaos is more accurate.


Even the truck and plow won't be going anywhere soon.

But Christmas came and went like it always does and it turned out fine (other than being completely snowed in and not being able to celebrate with any of the kids or grands, that is). But the stress of being unprepared has motivated me! So I've already begun prepping for Christmas next year. And when I say Christmas, I'm also talking about birthdays throughout 2013, as well.



And there's about five miles of this...

Anyway, I'm going to blog regularly about my ongoing prep and I plan to have nothing that is left undone by the end of October. That's right - I'm leaving myself nearly two full months to enjoy the upcoming holidays! No more frantic last-minute shopping online or making my DD spend her lunch hours in the week before Christmas shopping and mailing gifts for me. Nosireebobcattails - this coming year I WILL be ready!

How about you? Will you prepare for Christmas throughout the year?

A White Christmas - WAY Overrated!

So... What are you doing this Christmas?

Were you dreaming of a white Christmas? Did you get it? Well, we did! In fact, we’re mostly snowed in for Christmas 2012. But this also means that the kids and grands that were planning to come are snowed out.

Our current depth of snow is not unusual. We usually get enough snow after Christmas to be snowed in - but this year it came early. After a full week of more days with fresh snow than without, we’ve got a couple of feet here at the house and my Outback is just a hump in the deeper snow up where we park. Looks like it may be a long winter...

Have a Merry Christmas!

Yes, my Outback is under there - really!
And winter has just begun...
So, how long do you think I'll be snowed in?

3 Last Minute Christmas Gift Suggestions

If you're not quite done with your Christmas shopping, I have a few last minute gift suggestions.

1. iTunes Gift Cards - I needed last minute gifts for several pre-teens and a friend suggested iTunes gift cards. Available to purchase in many stores or online, you can choose from denominations to fit any budget.

2. Homemade Drink Mixes - If you're on a tight budget, consider homemade drink mixes. Mary over at Penny Thots gives a couple of recipes and packaging ideas in Homemade Christmas Gift Mixes.

3. Car Stuff - And if you've got a little money to spend, and especially if you're shopping for a guy, check out my post on Penny Thots, Last Minute Christmas Gifts from Your Local Auto Parts Store.

Merry Christmas!

Give Your Children Gifts that Matter

What’s on your Christmas shopping list this year? Have your kids been asking for the latest, greatest toy or gadget? Have you searched the stores or online and found it on sale yet? If not, stop and reconsider. And if so, consider taking it back.

The problem
You’ve probably noticed that many youngsters don’t even know what Christmas is about. And I’m not talking just about the birth of Christ. I’m talking about Christmas, a spectacular holiday that should bring joy to all, having turned into a commercial nightmare that breeds greediness and discontent, especially in children.

The solution

Think about what you want your children to learn and talk it over with your spouse and/or your child’s other parent. Then choose to give gifts that matter instead of perpetuating the commercial glut that is so prevalent each year on Christmas morning.

Three suggestions for gifts that matter

Anything that expands your child’s mind or enhances your child’s life experience can be considered a gift that matters.

1. Lessons of some sort, a season or annual pass to a museum or planetarium, or some other hands-on experience. If the gift involves you or a grandparent or two, so much the better!
2. Books and interesting but educational DVDs also fall into the gifts that matter category. Age-appropriate fiction or picture books foster a love of reading, which matters greatly.
3. Art/craft supplies may seem like all fun and games but also expand the mind and foster creativity. And now that I think of it, I suppose some games (the real kind – you know, where you play with other people? NOT video/electronic gadgets) could even be considered as gifts that matter.

So what do YOU think?

What are your ideas about gifts that matter? Is this even important to you?

How to Save Money on Christmas Card Postage

It’s that time of year again and Christmas cards will soon be traveling across the country and around the globe! With ever-increasing postal rates, sending Christmas cards can be expensive. Follow these tips to save money on postage.

Modify Your List

The first step toward saving money on Christmas card postage is to reduce the number you send through the mail. Look over your Christmas card list and remove the names of people with whom you are no longer close. Of those remaining, which recipients MUST receive a card by mail and who can receive greetings in person or by email instead?

Send Postcards

Recycle old Christmas cards into postcards.

The cost of mailing a postcard is significantly less than that of mailing a regular greeting card. To qualify for the postcard rate, the postcard must be rectangular and at least 3½”x5” by 0.007 inch thick but no more than 4¼”x6” by 0.016 inch thick. Postcards outside these dimensions will require extra postage.

For added savings, recycle old Christmas cards into postcards. Just cut the fronts to the required dimensions and add your message, the address and required postage to the reverse side.

Consider E-cards

Although there are lots of online e-card sites available, many people (me included!) are wary of commercial e-cards. So opt for a more personal touch and make your own card or Christmas letter on your computer, convert it to PDF and send by email to friends and family. Remember to include photos!

Final Thoughts

Keep in mind that you can edit your computer-generated card or letter to postcard size/format and print on cardstock to send to those who will not be receiving it by email. And be sure to check with the post office for information on size restrictions and postage requirements for international mail.

Warning! Even if the grandparents on your list have email, they still want a real card with a handwritten message!

How to Save Money on Christmas Gifts

The gift of time.

With Christmas just around the corner, are you worried that you can’t afford to buy presents this year? Don’t despair! Nice gifts for family and friends don’t have to be expensive. Be creative! You can make presents yourself, find nice but inexpensive gifts, or give the gift of time. The following tips will help you keep Christmas affordable.

First, Get Some Perspective

Most everyone is in the same boat and need to limit expenditures. Your family and friends will appreciate your thoughtfulness much more than they would an expensive gift. So often gifts are chosen in haste and then quickly discarded by the recipient. While lavish Christmas celebrations may be fun, a simple Christmas is more in keeping with the true spirit of the holiday.

Then Make a Plan

Realistically assess your Christmas list. Decide what level of spending is feasible this year and allocate your resources accordingly. Consider giving gifts to children only – their parents will understand and be appreciative of your generosity. Couple or family gifts are often a more affordable option. For adults, consider a card with a personal, heartfelt message. Be sure to remove from your list anyone to whom you’re no longer close.

A Few Ideas

Delicious homemade fudge!

• Homemade Goodies - Baked goods and homemade candy are popular during the holidays and provide an inexpensive way to affordably share the holiday spirit. A plate of special holiday cookies complete with the recipe, festively wrapped miniature loaves of pumpkin and zucchini bread, a small box of delicious homemade fudge or gift-in-a-jar mixes are just a few simple and inexpensive gifts that are appreciated year after year.

• Homemade Gifts - Simple homemade gifts can be more meaningful than the most expensive item. A photo memory jar, for instance, filled with photos on which memories have been recorded is a personalized gift that will be treasured. Think of other homemade options based on your interests and hobbies. Are you a woodworker who can make picture frames or wooden toys? Can you knit or crochet winter hats or scarves? Do you sew or craft? By putting existing skills and materials to use, you can make a variety of unique and inexpensive gifts.

• Gift of Time - Giving of your time can be the best gift of all. Taking an elderly person shopping, babysitting so that parents can go out for an evening, inviting a child to the park – these gifts cost you nothing but are invaluable to the recipient. For added fun, make a coupon book so the recipient knows how many times and for which activities you are available.

• Family Gifts - Consider giving a single gift that the entire family can enjoy. Board games are inexpensive and will be used repeatedly. To get the most bang for your buck, stick to the classics like Clue, Monopoly or Life. Yahtzee and Rummikub are also a lot of fun and, with a little help, can even be played by preschoolers.

• Start an Inexpensive Tradition - Many families choose to draw names to reduce the expense of Christmas gift giving. If your family hasn’t done this already, consider it as an option, at least for the adults. Another inexpensive tradition that can take the place of regular gift giving is an ornament exchange. Ornaments can be purchased or homemade, either in bulk or specifically for each individual recipient.

Parting Thought

When planning your holiday this year, keep in mind that it is not the specific gifts but rather the time spent together and the Christmas traditions that will be remembered.

How to Create a Stress Free Holiday

If you'd like to create a stress free holiday this year, check out Beyond Eggnog and Mistletoe by Sandy Fowler. I proofed this book and it's GREAT! Not only does Sandy give you permission to scale back to what is comfortable and meaningful to you, she also provides a lot of practical tips on how to do so.

So if you're tired of the stress, frustration and overwhelm that is prevalent this time of year, grab yourself a copy of Beyond Eggnog and Mistletoe and create the holiday of your dreams!

Give Consumable Gifts for a Stress-free Holiday Season

For a truly stress-free holiday, give consumable gifts to everyone on your list. Think about it – consumable gifts are always in style and you have no worries about getting the right size or color, consumable gifts are affordable even on a tight budget, and consumable gifts are appreciated and used (and used up!) – what more could you want?

So, what are my favorite consumable gifts?

For small to middle sized children, you can’t go wrong with crayons and a coloring book. If you want to encourage a budding artist, choose watercolor paints or modeling clay.

For older kids and teens, it gets a little trickier. My favorites for this age group are food gifts. Think a batch of their favorite homemade cookies. Or better yet, a cookie-of-the-month club subscription with a small plate of homemade treats delivered fresh from your very own kitchen at the beginning of each month throughout the year.

And what about adults? Well, it’s usually food gifts again! For women, I prefer chocolate. Delicious homemade fudge is always a big hit. For men, I tend toward salty snacks, such as Chex Mix.

What are your favorite consumable Christmas gifts?

Christmas Blessings to All





May you have a blessed Christmas filled with love and laughter.

(BTW, who let the elves out?)

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Got any last minute gift ideas?

Yikes! Christmas Eve is only 10 days away! Are you ready? Well, I should be but I'm not. Although my daughter got me started in August, do you think I could finish up my gift shopping without a last minute crisis? NO! I've still got two neices left on my list.

So what to do? Well, I'm taking a really easy way out - it's called delegation. After brainstorming all the possible options to get me out of my pickle, I called my daughter and cried the blues. Well, it worked. She's going to do my shopping for me. And better yet, our shopping trip to Kohl's last weekend netted us $40 in Kohl's cash, which has to be spent by the 18th, so I may not even be out much money.

Wait a minute - how does this encourage me to get it together better next year? Hmm. I guess it doesn't. But anyway . . .

Last-Minute and Consumable Gifts

For those of you who are in a panic and don't have a willing love-to-shop daughter (and who don't know my daughter's phone number), there are several other last minute gift options. For a few ideas I've used each year, check out the following articles I wrote at Suite 101 two years ago.

• Last-Minute Christmas Gifts: Perfect Present Ideas for the Eleventh Hour
• Consumable Christmas Presents: The Best Gift for Everyone on Your Holiday Gift List

What are your favorite last minute gift suggestions?