Holiday Activities with the Shorties

This holiday season has been far from restful for our family. We've been packing up to move and working out all those logistical details, we had a short vacation to see the in-laws and virtually every other second of our time has been spent running around like chickens with our heads cut off to fit the holidays (shopping, wrapping, tree decorating) in there so we don't feel like we totally missed out on the fun.

I got to thinking about a few quick, simple things that we could do to slow down and enjoy the season. And, for us at least, it's really added some fun. I'd love to hear what your family's holiday traditions are, and how you slow it down during the rush-bustling.

1. Drive around and ooh and ahh at lights. It gets dark early, so even the little ones can manage going out. Put some hot cider or some cocoa in the sippy cups and head out for a neighborhood with good lights, or like we did, a set-up display at a park. Also helpful is a radio station tuned to the the classic Christmas songs and a little sing-along action.

2. Make cookies. Kids of all ages (well, okay, those over age 1) love to dump ingredients in a bowl. Those that aren't old enough love to play with mixing cups and spoons or bang them on pots and pans. Our friend bought the wee one his own digger-shaped cookie cutter which really inspired us. Rather than shoo the kids from the kitchen, let go of your inner Martha Stewart and allow the messiness to ensue. Allow time for the process -- kids aren't very rushable.

3. Make some wrapping paper. We used a big roll of paper (actually we started months ago, but you could do this impromptu, too) and spread it over the tot's desk. Then, get the whole family seated around the table (yes, you too dad) and start coloring. Fill up the page with whatever you want. When it's "done" use it to wrap your gifts. My wee one particularly enjoyed being the one to pick out and place the bows.

4. Get a little tree for the kiddo's room. Our wee one really loved the tree we set up in his room -- just a simple fiber optic one. Of course you have to be aware of whether your kid is apt to smash it down or yank it off of a shelf, and always have to turn it off at night etc. But, our kiddo was in love!

Next year, I'm going to tackle making bird seed Christmas ornaments with the kiddo. I think he'd love it (as would the birds!).

So, do share -- how are you keeping your sanity and/or holiday spirit this year?

Wordless Wednesday

My Yearly Ode to My Own Tree

I'm not shy about pledging and re-pledging my love of my own vintage 60's aluminum pom-pom Christmas tree. I worked hard for that tree. I craftily stalked many an Ebay seller trying to get my paws on that tree. Many auctions were bid on and lost before this little beauty came up as a buy-it-now. And each year when I put it up and get it decorating, I ooooh and aaaah over its coolness. I actually wish I had two.

Did I mention it's silver? And vintage? This year we did have to go parting ways with the revolving light that used to shine on it (itself not vintage, you'd think it'd last more than a few years...new piece of crap), but that's okay. It still shimmers in the light and looks beautiful.

Tell me, do you have a tree you love? Do you cut a fresh one and bring that yummy pine-y smell into your house? If I were a crazy rich person, I think I'd have a different tree in each year. But for now, this one is doing the trick for me.

Another Christmas Gift Done!

Spoiler Alert: If you are my sister, stop reading now. Avert your eyes! If you are her kids, why in the world are you on the internet!?

I took a whole bunch of liberties with the One Yard Wonders pattern for a bunting. Okay, essentially I was just inspired by the photo but really made the whole thing up. This bunting is going to be a gift for my nieces for their new camping land -- I thought it could use a little "sprucing up" around the tents!

This is a fairly simple project to make. If you can find some big, bold typefaces that you can print out and cut around, that's the hardest part. Rather than fabric glue these letters on, I just appliqued them. It takes longer, but I like how it looks. And for a short word or phrase, one package of double fold bias tape should work. In retrospect, I think my fabric choice is too busy and the letters aren't bold enough, but I think the kids will like it anyway. The fabric does have a "woodland" theme, so it really was too perfect to pass up. Thank you, Crafty Planet!

On Christmas Eve we're packing up a 26 foot moving truck and chasing our fortune back in our home state of Wisconsin. So...I have been trying to get the house packed up in between my crafting projects, but it's been tough to really feel like I'm accomplishing much of anything. It may be the end of my holiday crafting...unless I get really inspired in the next week or two!!

What surprises have you been making? Do share!

Secret Keeping and Gift Making

My two-year-old is a genius. It's true. Yes, I know, all us mothers say that about our children. But this time I really mean it. My toddler has learned to pin and iron and sew. Carefully, carefully supervised, of course, but nonetheless, he made his daddy's birthday present, then helped me wrap it up. And the best news -- he loved every minute. In fact, now he sometimes puts down the Thomas the Tank Engine and says he wants to do some "ironuning" and pinning. Here's some suggestions for including your toddler in your crafting projects.

My first word of advice is to choose a project that's small and has lots of short steps -- sitting around pinning for 10 minutes is really just going to end up with someone getting a pin stuck in their foot, or nose, or whatever. Then, get some sort of kid-proof container for the pins. I liked the fact that the pins were not being opened and closed (and landing on the carpet, only to be found again by bare feet) without me controlling it. Again, who wants a pin in their eye? I also recommend not involving the toddler in the cutting at all. Unless you have some child's safety scissors, I just don't think you, your project, or your child's clothes/appendages will survive it.

With the ironing, I suppose it depends on how well your toddler understands hot and don't touch. As I mentioned previously, my son is a genius, so he understands them perfectly. Ahem. Almost. What I did was set the iron on the lowest heat I could to make it work. Then, I explained in as graphic a detail I could that, if he touched the hot part, he would get a really, really bad owie. Here is where you can call on your long-suppressed desire to be an actress and mock-touch the hot part of the iron and recoil in horror. I also adjusted the ironing board so it was at the perfect toddler hight. Then, I showed him how to take the handle and run it up and down the ironing board. He did manage to touch the hot part of the iron for a split second, and more so for dramatic effect than anything else, I then rushed him downstairs to put ice on it. He then definitely got the message that the hot part is hot, and not to touch it!

For sewing, I set the little guy on my lap while I sewed. I also explained that he must not put his fingers by the needle or move any buttons (which, of course, was not a direction that was completely followed). I did give him two "jobs," which seemed to be enough to keep his interest. As a side note, if you have not yet started giving your tot jobs, try it. Our kid thinks it's the coolest thing ever if it's called a job. His jobs were to remove the pins as I sewed and put them back in the box and, upon command, push the reverse button to double back on the stiches.

When the project was done, I let him wrap it and choose a bow. He's been carrying the present around from room to room since yesterday when we finished it. Obviously he's extremely proud of his work, and cannot possibly wait two weeks until daddy's birthday.

Next up: toddlers learn needle felting. AHhhhhhhh...maybe I'll hold off on that.

Know any other great projects for kids?

Wordless Wednesday

Get Your Shopping Done in a Day

It's true. You can totally get all your holiday shopping done in one day. If you'd like, you could also spend every last penny of money you have, and happily so. Where and when is such a opportunity presenting itself? Why, the No Coast Craft-o-rama, of course!

Let me tell you the story of the No Coast Craft-o-rama. Oh, the year was 2005, I think. Right around the same time Crafty Planet opened it's doors. I had started crafting things to sell and was having very little success at the local craft sales. Around the same time my mom was retiring, and bugging me about what she was going to do with all this newfound time. So, I set about to recruit forces to help me plan a wee little sale in our fair city. And that is what I did.

To get things started, I dropped in on Trish at Crafty Planet. "Trish," I said, "...how can I get some hip crafty peeps together to help me plan this thing?" To which Trish said, "I'll help you!" And so it was. I created some flyers and hung them about town. Trish passed the word through the store and her wide network of crafty hipsters. The night of the first planning meeting arrived...and some people showed up! Real, live people! Who also liked the idea of a cool, indie craft sale! It was a thrill. To this day only one or two of the people who were at that meeting are still involved with the planning, but believe me, every one of them made a difference in how things came to be!

Fast forward past all of the agonizing hard work of putting together that first sale, trying to find vendors, a location, determine advertising needs, establish an identity and get organized to the morning of the sale. We all arrived at Columbia Manor in northeast Minneapolis with butterflies. Would anyone come? Would the tables all fit? Would everything run smoothly? As people trickled in, then crowds amassed, then hoards of made shoppers practically stormed the place, it became clear that we would far exceed our expected attendance of 500. In fact, I think I recall we had around 2,500 attendees! It was amazing, and one of the most exciting and rewarding feelings I've ever had to see all that hard work pay off. Our vendors said that shoppers were crazed, throwing money and snatching up crafts like it was their last ever opportunity to get a piece of the craft action. My husband dressed as Santa and dj'ed all day, and my mom had a banner day of sales. All of my friends came, and I made new friends and discovered some unbelievably talented local crafters and generally just had an awesome day. It whet my appetite for more.

As I said, the whole story is a long one, but I've helped plan this sale for the last four years -- everything from writing press releases to setting up and tearing down tables to helping design shirts and web sites and choose vendors and appear on media interviews. It's been a labor of love but also extremely consuming. This year I stepped away from it all to focus on (selfishly) me, my family, and lots of other things. But I can rest easy knowing that it's now in Trish and the Crafty Planet gang's capable hands. I feel like I set out to accomplish something really great, and I did -- and now it's got momentum of it's own! I can finally just show up and shop...with no responsibilities! It's a great feeling, and I plan to completely blow every penny I have there. So if you're expecting a gift from me this year, you can't come shopping with me. Or you've got to get lost...which won't be hard to do at this event!

Come check it out and support local handmakers. They deserve your business!