Homemade Christmas Loot

 I am quite pleased to say that as I have become more confident in my sewing and painting skills I have made all birthday party gifts for friends this year, painted a wedding present, made 4 quilts for baby showers, and made a quite a few Christmas presents this year as well.  The snake on the top was for Max.  He really wanted me to make him a "snakey friend" and was ecstatic to get it.  It's really the simple things isn't it.
For Lilly, I stayed up on Christmas Eve late to make this doll for Lilly, that I thought of making for her around 4pm on Christmas Eve. It's a Coraline Doll and although Lilly really has never, ever liked dolls, I saw her give it a hug and tell it she loved it and she carries it around all the time and takes off and and on her clothes and rain coat.  It's really too cute.

 I made these "sleepover mats"(pictured below) for the kids for Christmas, that I saw on Grosgrain back in September.  They showed them using like 5 pillows and had them sewn up completely.  Now, I could have used some cheap $3 pillows from Walmart but Lilly has one on her bed (for her head) that we bought maybe 2 years ago and it is FLAT!  I knew these things would get a lot of use and I didn't want to spend hours of sewing time to have them be ruined and non-usable in a few months.   Plus what do you do if they get dirty?
So, we have a ton of camping foam pads.  The kind that are like 3 inches thick.  My parents bought them years ago and my sisters and I used to take them to Girls Camp and when we did family camping.  They have been taking up space in my house for the past 6 years (rolled up under our stairs).  I couldn't bear to let my mother get rid of them, I knew I would be able to use them for something someday.  The proof is below!  Plus they wouldn't cost me a thing for them (They are like 80-100$ at Joannes)
I bought some $5 bed sheets and measured for days before deciding on only 3 compartments and velcrow closures on the sides.  (So the foam can be taken out and the sheet washed)

 Each section has 3 Velcro closures. (So 9 in all)

 They can be used as a chair for reading a book....

 Or lain flat to sleep on, or watch a movie.

Watercolor Wednesday Week 42

Holy Cow!  42 weeks!  I can't even believe it!   10 and a half months of painting.  It's actually been more like 46 weeks since I started this "painting weekly" thing, but I've only produced paintings for 42 weeks.
Anyways here's this weeks painting:

View my other paintings HERE.

Christmas twenty eleven

Christmas

 1979

Jenn

1980

Jarrett and his Sister

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Kiddo's Art work

The first two are Lilly's and are pretty self explanatory,  and the second two are Max's (as always) Halloween themed drawings.

A little shack in the mountains

The B.F.G with really, long hair like Rapunzel.

Spooky woods with a graveyard and a Zombie (on the left with blood)

Once again the SCARECROW THEME and apparently a "Dogo"

Watercolor Wednesday Week 41

This was done with Watercolor, rice paper, charcoal, pastels and pen. View my other work HERE.

Gingerbread House

 I've always wanted to make a gingerbread house with the kids.  I've always had access to a recipe (the one my mom used to used when I was little), It's just never happened.  Until this year.  It might be a week before Christmas, but who cares.  At least I finally did it.
The only problem is it's made with Royal Icing.  The kind with egg white beat to a pulp...well, to very stiff peaks.  So the whole raw egg thing is freaking me out.
But all that gingerbread and candy just sitting there is driving me crazy.

EAT ME!!!

 I guess the gingerbread was irresistible to some other people too!