Homemade and Learning

With a chance to sit and write a post tonight, it seems a few projects have flown by that I didn’t get to share. I’m hoping to get to them, especially the ones using my new Silhouette! Just wait…I’ll fill you in later if you don’t know what that is. But first, the last minute/late homemade Christmas presents! {Yes, I am that behind on what I’d hoped to blog!}

My first attempt at decorative dishtowels, using materials I had on hand, including the chair fabric from an old garment I couldn’t throw away!  I learned a lot through this and with the next set I made using vintage fabric {sorry, no pics on those!}.  The next set two attempts of dish towels were DISASTERS as I attempted to use printed fabric as I did with the Thanksgiving pillow hoping a special rinse would keep it in the wash…and it didn’t and then trying transfer paper which is like vinyl on a dishtowel---nope.  Yes, we all hit walls at times in the out workings of our creativity!

My other homemade gift ideas were covering wooden frames with paper. Another learning curve for me! I did not do the best job cutting the paper neatly around the edges, so I sanded the edges more to give it an “intended” shabby look. Getting paper to lay down flat with no bubbles was also challenging for me, so much so that I covered over my first attempt with some sticky chalkboard paper! Since you could see the first paper underneath on the edges, I decided to add an embellishment to pull the unintended colors together. When you’re doing things last minute (as in, all the stores are closed because it’s Christmas Eve!) you have to use what you’ve got, even if it’s a mess-up!

So maybe this post should be called “Make Sure You Know What You’re Doing When You Plan On Giving Homemade Gifts” or “Start Your Homemade Christmas Presents in July”! Thankfully I can grin in retrospect.

Growing Up

I’ve been reading The House at Pooh Corner with the girls. It’s been a new thing for me, reading “classics” in their true form. Books like Ramona are what I remember from my early years and we’ll probably have to find that one to read too! Anyway, we were starting Chapter VI when the first paragraph really made me think:

By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger, but moved more slowly. For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, “There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” But all the little streams higher up in the Forest went this way and that, quickly, eagerly, having so much to find out before it was too late.

Part of me wants to believe I’ve grown up like the river, and I think I have quit living for the next big thing more and more. The other part of me doesn’t want to NOT jump and run and sparkle (who doesn’t want to sparkle or hold on to pieces of youthfulness?). Having purpose, steadfastness, and maturity may hold more value on the balance.

Thank you Father for growing us up.