belated handmade holiday post

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Eagerly awaiting present opening time. I still had to get the cinnamon rolls into the oven. It seems that what we have here is a lot of christmas "action shots"...

The girls started with their stockings. And of course Santa's gift was right on top. Each year they receive a "Santa Claus gift". Always something wooden and handmade, cause we know the elves don't make that plastic stuff from the stores. (I originally had a word other than "stuff" there, but it sounded pretty harsh, even if it is true...) For a few years now Tonya (Plain and Joyful Living) and her family have been the ones to make the Santa Claus gift. Simple wooden pieces, from wood that does not grow around here, so obviously these were not made by us..

These legwarmers took a lot longer to knit then I thought they would, I barely got them done in time! I was so afraid they wouldn't fit, all I thought about when I cast on was my girls super skinny legs, I forgot they would still need to be able to pull them over their feet to get them on! So I was really happy that they fit, and the girls really like them. Right now though I know that at least one of Chessa's is being used folded up as a little doll bed in her doll's house.

And here is a little doll that Chloe made for Chessa, which Chessa loves very much. There were lots of sweet handmade gifts from the girls, mostly pretty little pictures on little squares of paper from Chessa, beautiful needle felted pictures for both Jason and I from Chloe (which I am only just now realizing I don't have pictures of yet).

New skirts for the girls. I have always made the girls new dresses for winter solstice, this is the first year that for some reason I felt like I wanted to include them at Christmas. And skirts, not dresses. Only because I was so incredibly indecisive as to what I wanted to make for them, and having not too many fabric options. (So much fabric, not so many big enough pieces to make dresses for my getting so big girls..) It may look like Chessa got the fancier skirt, but Chloe got the super special vintage fabric. (More pictures of the skirts in a moment, and you will see that they soon have them on, and they have also worn them just about every day since then.)

Their other handmade gift from me was little wool babies, to go along with the dolls that I made them last year for Christmas. And oh I just love the look on Chessa's face in this picture!

There were lots of big smiles as they opened their handmade gifts from daddy too.

Jason is not always able to spend as much time on handmade gifts. Though a few years ago he did make them their beautiful playstands. This year he made them all kinds of neat pieces to add to their tree block sets.

The girls loved it all, but most exciting for them and Jason are the fence pieces he made for them. Cause the horses, and chickens and sheep and cows, need good fenced pasture of course.


The only gifts the girls received from Jason and I that weren't handmade were books, as usual. Some special ones that had been slowly collected over the past year, mostly second hand, a couple really wonderful vintage ones! I could not resist this beautiful copy of Snow White and Rose Red, a favorite story of ours.

And for Chloe to open (though the books are to be shared with the family) a beautiful old copy of The Five Little Peppers Midway, which is of course the second book to one of our most favorites ever, The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. It was especially exciting because until last year I never even knew that there was a second book, and actually there are 5 altogether! So this one has been hiding secretly in the closet for about 6 months now, waiting to delight Chloe with the continuing story of their dear little family.

The girls also got wool socks and wool coats, gifts from grandparents. Playsilks and books from my sister. It felt like a lot but also simple at the same time.


Really, the girls have worn these every day! I'm sure I will be making a lot more of these skirts, I think I have the pattern just right now, and of course I so love love all the pleats! Chloe's also has horizontal tucks near the bottom.

Chessa's has pretty pink vintage bias tape at the bottom above her stripes, with this orange fabric I have been treasuring, saving, for a long time!

The girls wasted no time at all getting those fences and farm people to work.



This has been their play for many, many days already.

We took our tree down on Thursday. Actually, Jason took our tree out just this morning.. but we undecorated the tree on Thursday, along with the rest of the holiday decorations in the house. Handmade ornaments from my childhood, tucked away into a box.

We have always celebrated our holidays in a handmade way, the girls so look forward to their handmade gifts each year. It was so nice this year to be joined by so many others creating for their families also!

Now, has your making list suddenly become much longer? There is everything from early December's list that never even got started. I love how the creating just goes on and on and on...


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