I can’t help myself sometimes. I just have to see how things go together.

I buy makeup when there’s some free swag in the deal, and one day I got samples in a little zipper case. I wanted to see how hard these are to make, so I ripped apart one and recreated it into this version. I have to say, though, it wasn’t all that easy working vinyl in this way. I used clear thread and tried to get the fabric to run smoothly under the foot on my sewing machine. It didn’t go all that well. This is my first and last make up bag in using this type of pattern. Regardless, I am happy with the result and carry my on-the-go makup in this bag instead of the one I got at the counter.

I ran a team building exercise at work where we all threw our names in a bowl and picked out someone else’s name. Then, we reincarnated each other in the form of a finger puppet. Being the creative group we are, we came up with some charming and hilarious interpretations. It was fun to take a break from the day now and again. In all, the project spanned several days when we had time to craft. It broke up the stress of end-of-year deadlines and unified our otherwise project-oriented (and separated) group.

The basics for this craft:

1. buy inexpensive knit gloves (these are from Target) in various colors.
2. cut off the fingers and discard the hand
3. wrap, glue and sew on cloth, buttons, beads and ribbon. Anything really.
4. Have fun!

I bought these bottle and mercury glass ornaments at Create and Barrel the day after Christmas. I have been waiting for these hearty ornaments to go on sale because they are prefect for decorating an outdoor tree and you need a lot of them to make a statement. I tied a red ribbon to the acacia tree in front and poked the hangers through the ribbon. The morning sun catches them and makes me happy.

This is the time of year I get ready for next Christmas. With everything on sale, I stock up and keep decorating for the next two weeks. Then, when December comes next year I know exactly what to do and decorating takes a fraction of the time. I even take a picture of my favorite ideas and store a print-out in the boxes of holiday decorations.

I hope you have been enjoying this special time of year. My family had a wonderful Christmas and we are looking forward to a great 2012. I hope you are too!

oxoSarah

Dried leaves piled into a bowl have that holiday spirit. I picked leaves off my fruit tree and dried them under a heavy sheet (that allowed the edges of the leaves to curl a bit, giving the leaves a holly feel). They are too delicate to string into the garland, so the alternative is this arrangement that reminds me of a wreath. Love!