OUR LIVES AS WORKS OF ART

A portrait of the - would be - artist
As a young person, I fancied myself as an artist and spent endless hours working on sketches with pencils, crayons, and water colors. Most of that artwork is long gone - from me and probably from the planet. I even have a formal background in art – at least, that, according to the undergrad degree that I obtained years ago. But I never did much with it after college, just an occasional drawing or two. Of the little I did, I kept a small part and gave away the rest to people who I hoped would value them. I was just too busy guiding my efforts in other directions, that being, caring for a family and my lifelong work in public health. 

And during all those decades that I worked and raised two children - up through their university years, I kept busy with what I saw as my priority commitments.  With the “extra” time I had, I allowed myself to do needlework and some personal journal writing. There just weren’t enough hours in the day for artwork. I always said that, someday, when I could, I’d go back to painting or drawing and perhaps do more than just write in my journal.

Luckily, since retirement, I’ve found time to dedicate a lot of time to creative outlets that I thoroughly enjoy – cooking, blogging, crafts, needlework, and drawing. The products of these activities continue to be personal in scope. My interest in these endeavors just hasn’t found any commercial outlet. I follow the SPIRIT OF LOVE AND BEAUTY– through art. This path has brought me blessings of joy, love and light, which I gladly share with others. To the extent that I can, I freely share my art with family and friends, mostly through Facebook. And, of course, the artwork in this blog serves some small part of the Internet public at large.

Creative energy abounds.
As to my drawing techniques, they are mostly done is computer graphics. Playing with colors & form is a joy for me.  It usually goes something like this. I have a feeling about a subject for a drawing and envision a theme. Occasionally, the drawings appear to me from something I've seen on Facebook or even as part of a meditation or the content of a dream. Whatever the initial motivation, I hone in on the feeling and remembering the “feeling”, I begin to elaborate on it, letting colors and shapes go where they will. The computer drawing software lets me swiftly make and erase many versions as I expand on that feeling. So, I have the freedom to enjoy each stage of the process, adding here, taking away there. The outcomes often surprise me, expressing extraordinary kinds of energy in the form of design and the color.

To date, mine’s a totally a digital project and I haven't even printed out all of my drawings. I share them on the Internet through Facebook and  greeting card apps. When I do get around to printing, I usually do an 8" X 10" or a letter-size page. Often I display them with wood or plastic frames and put them on my walls or give them to friends and family. Perhaps my most successful ventures were two sets of printed note cards of my drawings that I gifted to family members - one was of flowers and another with Christmas themes.

Drawing: WHIMSICAL FLOWERS, 2014.

Our beautiful future.
We can all foster beauty in our world by relearning some age-old, but mostly forgotten, principles about WHAT’S REALLY OUT THERE. And WHAT’S OUT THERE is ABUNDANCE. Our lives aren’t too limited or too flawed. As a matter of fact, we’re not limited or flawed in any real way. We just ARE and life just is - LIMITLESS and MAJESTIC.

When we allow ourselves to sit quietly (especially in nature among trees and gardens) - even so little as 10 or more minutes – at peace and present to our surroundings, we are released from past mental burdens and we see all around us with new eyes  And, from that vantage, we can see ourselves, standing in bright, uplifting clouds of energy. These boosts can also come from many creative endeavors.  And, for all of us, these lifts are the crayons in our very own coloring book of LOVE.

We can make our lives into works of art when we take time to expect, recognize and accentuate the beauty in our lives. What’s more, it’s all part of the immense energy available to us everyday - all the time. So, feel the glow of LOVE’S strength in the world. Meditate on beauty, harmony and peace. In those moments, we stand proudly in the band of loving souls who see astounding beauty and hear harmonious music.

Leave all those habitual worries behind and look up. There is the beauty of the world. And, with that vantage of beauty, get busy and manifest the colorful, unprecedented reality that all of us long for.  This can happen in many creative ways - through dance, drama, fine and communications arts, music, as well as through heartfelt concern and support of people and other living things. There is much joyful work to be done.

LOOMED KNIT BABY STROLLER BLANKET.

Yay! – I’ve just finished this baby stroller blanket. 

There is something exciting about creating a gift to celebrate a baby’s birth. Of course, in this case it is even more special. The baby is being welcomed as a new addition to our own family – for me: grandchild number four, grandson number two. So, it was a joy to knit a gift for him. He was born last weekend - healthy but a couple of weeks early - and that's my excuse for not having sent it off yet. The mailing will be done ASAP.

In my mind, every baby needs a special baby blanket, something that's all their own. I not only believe this now but always have. So, along with my sons and grand kids, that makes six knitted baby blankets that I've made over my lifetime.  Oh! I also have made  blankets as gifts for other babies, but most of those tend to be made of soft material with a crocheted edge. Nice, but not so much work went into them.

Did I follow a specific pattern so I would know how big the blanket will turn out?  Turns out that I didn’t. I winged it. The result was a cover about 40 inches long and 28 inches wide - big enough to classify as a stroller blanket from what I've seen on the Internet.

The style, I hope, is trendy and chic – a colorful striped pattern that can grow with baby instead of seeming “babyish.”

The yarn is an acrylic – the better for frequent washing - of medium weight, doubled. It’s made of white yarn – along with four bright colors (red, green, blue and yellow).  I pulled out the long green loom that I’ve been using for the past five years.

You can might guess from the photo, the cover was knitted as a flat panel.  I e-wrapped the pegs all the way down, around and across the back side of the loom, including all the pegs except one at the end. 

The pattern was unusual.  It was knitted in a single piece,  consisting of a series of colored stripes -  that were all to be three rows wide. The white spaces between each of the stripes were to be 6, along with 8 white rows on each end. The reality was that I lost count – several times - and the stripes turned out to be a bit irregular. But I did manage to keep the order of the colors that I planned and the slight irregularity makes it look nicer - a bit like homespun – or at least I think so.

Easy to make loomed knit baby blanket.

The upside to this kind of knitting? It's really easy. You are basically e-wrapping and knitting over the whole thing. Total time was about 20 hours – done leisurely over four weeks.

Was there any down side on the loom knitting? Not so much. Other than a slight shrinkage that had to do with yarn wrap tension and the cast-on edge rolled a little. Again, I wasn't concerned as I knew beforehand about these limitations and planned to add a border all around to finish it off. It was really no problem to do the half-double crochet edge that gave a more finished look.  Another down side of loom knitting came from an obvious right side and a  less finished looking backside. But, now that it’s completed, the backside seems O.K.

Reminiscing now: my sons (now fathers, themselves) really loved their handmade knitted blankets.  In the toddler years, they carried around their "blankies" as a comfort when taking a nap or settling down to bed at night. Unfortunately, those blankets are long gone. So many years have passed. 

Each of the three older grand kids also had their own soft, handmade baby blanket.  But the grand kids are all still young and I suppose that their newborn blankets are being kept somewhere - or better yet, have been passed on to other family additions.

For now, I hope that my daughter-in-law will remember this blanket and tuck it around the baby in the stroller on cool/cold mornings.  When he doesn’t need it for outside use, it can be folded in half and placed on the foot of his bed. Of course, I realize that he will have many lovely blankets, but I bet only a very few of them (or, possibly, none of the others) were made specially for him.

CRISPY, NO-BAKE RICE PUFF TREATS

As my readers know very well, I'm part of a line of self-reliant and anti-consumerism people who stubbornly turn to do-it-yourself gifts. So, I’m always looking for some quick and inexpensive gift ideas. These things have to be - potentially - useful for the gift receiver and something that can be made by my own two hands - and also, if you like, by yours. The results of which, I hope, show my dear ones just how much I care. 

This Valentine’s Day, I wanted to take a break from the same-old candies and flowers routine. So, I geared up by putting on my **no-need-to-bake** kitchen mitts.

The answer was an easily put together recipe of a blend of three of my favorite, from childhood flavors: crispy rice puffs, peanut butter and chocolate. Mom made something like this for us, decades ago and it was delicious. But this updated, twenty-first century version is a bit healthier, I imagine, and also absolutely yummy. Thankfully, it’s just as easy to make today as it was years ago.

The peanut butter treats I'm writing about remind me of my Mom’s variation, but they have a cleaner ingredient list. Back then, people used corn syrup, but that was before all the worry about GMO corn. The new version uses brown rice syrup. It gives these cereal bars their chewy texture and natural sweetness and pairs well with organic peanut butter. And you can even use brown rice cereal, if you want. You can also substitute cashew, or almond butter in for the peanut butter. and it will be just as good.

Here’s the recipe. (Makes nine square treats in a 9-inch square pan)

4 cups crispy rice puffs or any puffed grain cereal
1/2 cup brown rice syrup - could also be honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter – organic is best
1/3 teaspoon vanilla – real, not imitation

¼ teaspoon powdered ginger

chocolate chips – maybe, three little chips for each square or just one chocolate drop for each, like I did.

Directions

Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently bring the syrup to a boil and allow it to boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and, then, stir in the peanut butter and other flavors until smooth.

Place the cereal in a large bowl, then pour in the peanut butter and syrup mixture. Stir until all of the cereal is thoroughly coated. Don’t over stir. It takes only a minute or two.

Spoon the mixture into the pan, and press – with the back of a large wooden spoon - to pack the cereal tightly. Stick the chips or large chocolate drops on top, arranging them with care for each square. Put the pan in the fridge for about an hour to cool off before slicing.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge and serve chilled or at room temperature.For gift giving, place the squares in a tissue-lined decorative can or box and put the individual squares in cupcake baking papers. You can also make a gift label with the recipe on top.

I made similar treats for Christmas goodies this past year. And my husband really liked them. So, I had promised him to make more. Valentine’s Day was my opportunity. He’s already eaten some of his treats and says they won’t last more than a few days. And, hey, I made a double batch. I want to eat some, too.

 

Notes: For more fun, treats can be cut into heart shapes using a cookie cutter. Or you could drizzle melted chocolate on top of the treats instead of using the chocolate chips.

UPCYCLE A FLEECE PULLOVER TO MAKE MITTENS & A SCARF

I’d been reading craft blogs about making mittens as a great way to upcycle outdated sweaters. I like the results and had put that on my “wanna-do” list for gift-making ideas.

So, this past month I decided to make mittens from upcycled sweaters as Christmas gifts for all three grandchildren. My search for suitable thrift store sweaters didn’t produce such good results. But I did find several fleece pullovers that had the fuzziness and weight that seemed right for mitten making. Fleece also turned out to be a good choice because the cuts don't fray.

The fleecy children’s clothing I found turned out to be more colorful and cheaper than those for grownups. So, I bought three pullovers in children’s sizes. For the girls, a lavender (shown) and striped print pullovers, and a solid red one for the boy.

A day or two later I took the pullovers and sat down to cut out the mittens. I saw that I had enough material to cut the mittens out of the sleeves and that I would have a lot of material left over. I could turn these left overs into something else. That’s when I decided to make matching scarves – infinity type for the two girls and one long one - sewn together as two rectangular pieces - for the boy. I’ll be describing the design of the mittens and infinity scarf here and won’t elaborate on the boy’s scarf since it was simple one that wouldn’t present any particular problem. Time needed for this project was about two afternoons, one for the mittens and another for the scarf.

Materials for child-sized mittens and scarf

• child’s fleece pullover in good condition
• Marker or pen for tracing
• Scissors
• straight or safety pins
• colored medium weight yarn
• crewel embroidery sewing needle

Steps for mittens

Find a mitten size: The mittens need to fit the hands of the child that you have in mind. The best would be to have a trace of the child’s hand. But, if the child is at a distance and you don’t know how long it might take to get someone else to trace and send out a hard copy, then , you’ll have to look for a pattern – usually you can find one on a craft blog in toddler’s, as well as small and larger children sizes.

Flip over and trace: Turn the pullover inside out and lay it flat on a table. Begin by carefully cutting up the pieces of the pullover. Separate the neckline and sleeves from the torso. You want to save the biggest pieces possible. You will probably be able to use the sleeves for mittens. Trace the mitten shape around it with a marker or pen. Add about a half-inch all the way around your hand to allow for seams. Leave plenty of room for the thumb inside each mitten and an inch or two below the palm to cover the wrist. Make sure to have the bottom of the mitten wide enough so that the hand can easily fit through.

Pin it and cut: Secure the front and back layers with several pins. This will keep the two layers even while you cut and sew. Cut it out, following the shape of the pattern. You will need two pieces for each mitten. (I avoided using two pieces by folding the sleeve material in half and making a mitten that looked somewhat like a miniature kitchen mitt.)

Sew: Thread your needle with the yarn and do a blanket stitch along the edge – with the right sides on the outside. Then, if you like, crochet a slip stick in a second round to emphasize the decoration.

In case the pullover sleeve didn’t have a particular cuff finish or you were forced to use a portion of the sleeve that was above the cuff, you can make one. Do it the same way as you do the seams by sewing around the entire cuff and finishing off with a single or crochet slipstitch. (That’s what I did.)

Repeat: Repeat all steps on the other pullover sleeve for the second mitten. These mittens don't have a a particular left and right presentation.

Steps for the infinity scarf (One size fits all.)

Cut: Lay the pullover on a flat surface. You will be working with the body of the sweater. All you have to do is cut a straight line underneath the armpits of the sweater. Cut off the finished edge from the bottom of the sweater or leave it finished as is. You can also fold your piece to make it double weight. It's your call.

Stretch it out: Just stretch out the material a little bit and pull it apart. This helps avoid a stretching out after you’ve put an edge on it.

Sew and/or crochet an edging: Sew a blanket stitch to hem the pieces - both top and bottom. You can stop there or continue another round with a single crochet or slipstitch like that used on the mittens.

And, there, you have it – mittens and fleece scarf, ready to gift wrap.

EASY-KNIT BED SHAWL

A knitted bed shawl offers comfort & warmth.

Spring may be just around the corner but we will still have cool nights for quite some time. And while we like to read, knit or watch television in bed, it can be just too cold in the bedroom to sit up in bed for more than a few minutes. Also, when we are ready to sleep, it's not easy to keep the heavy bed covers pulled up all the way to the head. So, while it may be considered an old-fashioned clothing item, a warm bed shawl is a great thing to have.

Here’s a practical pattern for a bed shawl that can be made up in less than a week working only a couple of hours per day. The wrap is put on over the head and worn just draped over the shoulders with out the need for buttons or ties. It's a kind of a short poncho, worn with the diagonal points in the front and back.

You can make one for yourself. It will also make a great gift for a family member or friend. I’m planning to make several in the next few months to give as gifts. This kind of wrap also offers warmth and comfort to people who are in need of special support as they face illnesses or other serious problems in life.

The bed shawl shown in the photo is a vintage item that I found at a thrift shop. (I haven't finished making one for myself but I'll post a pic of it when it's ready.)

I’ve studied this particular shawl a bit to see how it’s made. It turns out to be a very simple pattern that can go together fast. Here are my instructions for making this kind of wrap.

Bed shawl instructions
As before mentioned, I tend to give only general ideas about how to go about these projects. They are not full instructions, but general guides, given to encourage you to knit or crochet simple garments and other useful things for the home. Besides, once you get motivated, you will find dozens of detailed patterns on the Internet for knitting and crocheting almost anything that you can think of.

Use size 8 straight needles and worsted weight yarn in 4 different colors or, perhaps, for a more updated look you might choose varying tones of the same color. This is good project to help use up yarn in your project leftovers bag. It can probably be done with a total of about 12 ounces of medium weight worsted yarn. You'll work with a single strand. You might also crochet the squares. If you opt for crochet, it might be better to use a light weight worsted yarn and the corresponding hook.

The bed shawl is made of four 11-inch squares crocheted together. That makes for a total of about 24 inches square plus fringe. You can knit your shawl a longer length, if you want, and use any combination of colors for the squares.

To knit one very much like the one shown, you might use a basket stitch. But, lacking patience, the basket stitch is too complicated for me. So, I expect I’ll make the squares in a simpler way. Here I’m thinking about using either the twisted stockinette or the seed stitch. Most any stitch, simple or complex, will work out fine. You’ll find instructions for making different kinds of knit stitches in books and on the Internet. 

Begin the shawl making the first square. Cast on 48 stitches (or the number of stitches that you need to make the length you want). Keep knitting these rows until the piece is square. Then bind off the stitches. Make all four squares. Then crochet the edges of the squares with a simple edging stitch using the same or contrasting yarn. Remember you should always crochet edges on the front side. Weave the shawl together with the same color yarn as the edges, leaving a four-inch opening on all adjacent squares for the neck opening.

Finally, add an outer decorative edge to keep the edges of the squares from rolling up. You can put a simple fringe on the edges or you can crochet a decorative edge. Your shawl will look better if you use a bold color for the fringe.  There are plenty of instructions for making fringes and decorative edges on the Web.

When the edging is finished, weave in any ends of yarn. Wash the bed shawl in warm water, towel dry it, and block it by pinning it to a towel laid out flat. As it dries, check it to make sure that it maintains its overall square shape.

CRAFTY, LAST MINUTE VALENTINES.

Handmade valentines are a great alternative to store-bought cards. And, if you're looking for a last minute craft for Valentines' Day, this is for you. And the simple heart-on-heart valentine card highlighted here carries your special message. And they look so pretty hung up just about anywhere or worn with your words of love to your friends and family.

Best of all, you probably have most, if not all, the materials on hand or can buy what you need in a quick rush to the dollar store. So, you can put these together on the spur of the moment, even the at the last minute - if the spirit moves you to do so. And, if you do any type of scrap booking, this craft will be super easy to do. Kids can do their version of this card, too.



Handmade hearts carry your own special messages.

All you need is some thin colored card to cut up, some bright colored yarn, and some small textured materials. I used tiny preglued felt hearts. Here, the heart on heart is given extra interest with a tiny bit of yarn that is tied in the front. The yarn I used was from my leftover stash.

Creating a small mountain of these valentines was an all day adventure and one that I truly enjoyed. And, as you'll find out, they're not at all hard to make! The possibilities are endless. No way to go wrong here!

Materials

Recycled greeting cards to cut up.
Tiny shapes - can be made from felt or other fabrics. (Preglued materials are easiest to work with.)
Bright colored yarn
Wavy cut scissors or regular ones.
Tiny or regular hole punch
Upholstery needle
Seam ripper (to perforate the cardboard for the small yarn tie).
Two permanent markers - one pink or red (medium) and one black (thin).

Instructions

Make a four-inch (or larger) heart out of heavy cardboard to serve as your stencil. Then use your stencil to cut out hearts using recycled greeting cards.  Once you have the hearts you need, stick one or more small figures on the hearts, centered on the front. Use the seam ripper and the upholstery needle to make holes for the front decorative ties.

Write or draw (black pen) your message of love to each of your friends and family members. Use the pink or red pen to make a decorative edge.

Punch a hole at the top and add the longer yarn tie that allows the valentine to be hung up somewhere.

You can also add a straight or safety pen so that the valentine can be worn.

MAKE A SNUGLY FLEECE QUILT FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL

As you know, by now, Grandma Susan always tries to design and create handmade presents for all kinds of occasions. And Christmas-time is no exception. For this holiday season, among other things, I made fleecy blankets for each of my three small grandchildren.

These snugly quilts are made from purchased, ready-made fleece blankets. I found the small blankets on sale at a big box store for just $3.00 each. They're available in many colors and patterns. I chose a child-friendly pattern and a coordinating solid for each quilt. I tie-quilted the pieces, decorated the front side with colorful yarn, and crocheted all around the edges. It was a great way to use up some of my yarn stash. So, the only cost was that of the two blankets. The end result was a fast turn-around project that has a lot of homemade, old-fashioned charm.

A handmade, fleecy tie-quilt is a great gift.

The most difficult part was making the very first one because the fleece fabric is somewhat stretchy and can be a bit difficult to handle. But with the practice, the second and third came together much easier. So, here, I'll give you some hints that should help cut your time when making this quilt.

This is a great project to do over the weekend. You need only a few items. And, if all goes well, it takes only about 10 hours of work on each quilt. You could also make this blanket with regular fleece fabric - cutting to the right size and/or piecing together, but that would take a bit more trouble.

Materials
Two fleece blankets, each measuring about 45 X 60 inches.
Sharp scissors
Large safety pins
Crochet hook (I used a size H hook.)
Measuring tape or a ruler
Upholsterer's needle
Thimble (to poke the needle through 2 layers of fleece)
Three balls of worsted-weight yarn in different colors – can be leftovers from other projects.

Instructions
Step 1. Lay out the fabric.
Lay one piece of fabric flat over the other, making sure the wrong sides are touching. Trim away any excess fabric around the edges so that one is exactly the same size as the other.

Step 2. Place safety pins all over the blanket.
One reason that these quilt projects can be challenging is the need to wrangle the large pieces of fabric. That's where safety pins come in.

Fasten the safety pins through the two pieces using as many pins as you want. Be sure to cover the entire surface of the blanket with safety pins - at intervals, of course, so that the blanket will lie flat while you're working on the ties.

Step 3. Make the ties.
Once the two layers are securely pinned together, make your tie pattern.

Take the upholsterer's needle and the yarn and push the needle through the two layers - from front to back to front, again.  This can be a struggle, so be ready to use your thimble and finger strength. You may even have to resort actually poking small holes with a seam ripper.

I stitched 12 ties, making a total of 6 - 11" squares (See the picture.) Tie the ends in a tight double knot and trim the yarn so you have two lengths of about 1.5 inches sticking up from the quilt. You can make more squares if you want. But 12 ties seem to be enough to hold the pieces together.

Step 4. Decorate your quilt.
All the decoration should be done on only the front of the blanket with knots hidden between the two layers. The stitches would be too bulky if they pass through both layers. Use your needle to make a decorative rectangle just three inches along all the edges. If you want to write a name or initials on the blanket, use large letter stencils to draw the letters. Then make simple yarn stitches to go around the outline of the letters.

Step 5. Stitch and crochet the edges.
With double-strand yarn and the large needle, blanket stitch around the four edges of the two layers. When this is done, single crochet all around using the blanket stitching as a guide.

Get to work on your blanket.
You'll enjoy the process of deciding on patterns and colors and working to tie-bind your blanket together. And, whether it's a gift for a child or an adult, this fleecy quilt is going to be used and appreciated at any time of year. And, don't be surprised if you want to make one for yourself. I plan to do that just as soon as I've taken care of the people on my gift list.

ONE-HOUR HOLIDAY TABLE RUNNER PROJECT

Handmade runners are a way to create an attractive holiday table without spending a lot. They can be made in many different color and design options, and you'll be delighted with the easy and gorgeous results. This project is based on purchased place mats sewn together with a bright colored yarn.

While the one I made was a simple, ribbed cotton weave with primarily a red color along and gold and orange threads. Yours can be whatever you like, such as bright, metallic holiday prints or other inventive designs. Obviously, the place mats for this project should be fairly light and flexible in order to drape nicely over the edges of the table.

Total time to make this really simple table runner should be only an hour or less.

You’ll need.

Three 14" X 19" place mats (Mat size can vary some. The runner will look great regardless of size.)

One ball of medium-weight cotton yarn (mine was a gold color with a metallic glitter)

Large metal tapestry needle.

Finished size: 14″ x 57″.

If you need more length for a long table, just add a fourth (or fifth) place mat. Fringe or tassles on the four corners can be added to the runner for an added decorative touch.

What to do.

Set the place mats out in a row to form a long rectangle.

Using the yarn and tapestry needle, unite the edges of three place mats creating a zigzag pattern.

Make a similar zigzag decoration on the ends of the runner.

Get moving on this project.
I enjoyed the creative process and how it turned out. Although I used  bright colors for a Christmas table decoration, you can use any fabric you want to make a runner for another season or occasion.


There it is! And it couldn't be simpler to make. You'll want to make a couple more to give as holiday gifts.

Note
Here is the simple holiday display that I put together for my table. (Every item was $1.50 or less (including each of three place mats. Paper ornaments were handmade from cut-outs of old Christmas cards with tiny bows attached.) Picture includes a glimpse of the runner that I made from ribbed cotton place mats.

ANYONE CAN MAKE THESE TIE-QUILTED, FLEECE COVERLETS

I am always on the look out for thoughtful homemade gifts for special occasions. Tie-fleece blankets seemed to be a good idea that could serve for all age groups. And I remembered that I had seen several  styles for these blankets on the Internet when I made tie-fleece pillows for my grandchildren. A neighbor of mine was in happy anticipation of the birth of her first grandchild, and I decided to make something for the baby. I wanted a quick coverlet design for the baby - one that wouldn't take as much time as a knitted one (up to 30 hours to complete). Confident that the tie-fleece idea would work again for me, I went to the store and bought fleece yardage, one a solid green and the other, a lilac geometric pattern.

You'll get raves on these easily made coverlets.

Finding instructions for making fleece blankets wasn't hard at all. It seemed that every craftsy blog had posted or videoed on how to make this kind of covers. And the results that I saw were very attractive and cuddly.

It seemed that there was nothing complicated about it at all, and that all the makers have been so proud to design and give them as gifts. Even kids, of ages about 10 years and older, apparently have  learned to make them. 

The version I came up with was made entirely by hand without a sewing machine. It was fairly simple to make even on the first try. On the other hand, and now with the experience of my first one, I found that there are some common mistakes left out of most instructions. I'll go over some of these later. The best news is that this kind of blanket is very forgiving to minor mistakes.

Choose your fleece fabric
One blanket uses two pieces of fleece fabric - one for each side. You can use any fleece color/pattern combination you like.  The two pieces should be the same except for the pattern. So, be sure about that when you're selecting the thicknesses and textures.  

Fleece fabric is mostly economical. I've even seen it on sale for $3 or $4 a yard, and that's a real bargain since it tends to be about 45" - 48" wide.The rule of thumb for baby blankets is a width of about 30" and length of around 50". The coverlet I made was to be a crib spread and it was 36" by 45". To be on the safe side buy one and a half yards, each, of the print and the coordinating solid.  So, for $12 to $20 dollars you can make an attractive and useful gift for a baby. 

You can ask the attendant to cut the two pieces of fabric to the size that you want. That way you'll save yourself some time and not have to deal with leftovers.  But remember that the outer ties are going to take about 7 inches from each side of the blanket.

Purchase anti-pill fleece so that the blankets can be washed and dried with the regular laundry without becoming ugly. If the fabric doesn't say it's non-shrinkable,consider it to be so and wash and dry the material before starting.

In my search, I found that there are some environmental concerns with fleece (made of polyethylene terephthalate, polyester plastic, PET). So I decided to use  the polyester fabric I found on sale for a crib coverlet/spread with rather than for a blanket that would have direct contact with the baby. This PET type of fabric would also be great for a car seat coverlet. For those who want an all-purpose baby blanket, it would be best to search about for bamboo or cotton fleece, as those natural materials are better for babies. The cost of natural fabric is likely to be greater.

Materials
pair of good, sharp scissors

2 contrasting color pieces of fleece material

table for working (or be ready to sprawl everything out on the floor)

yardstick

2 shades of worsted-weight yarn (can be, like mine, from your leftover stash)

cardboard template, 7 inches long - with half inch holes

upholstery needle

large safety pins

How to make the coverlet
Step 1- setting up the pieces of fleece

Trim the selvages of the two pieces, if there are any, and straighten out the ends. The selvage is the rough edge along two sides where the weave is a bit different. Selvages aren't usually used. Try for a perfect rectangle. That may not be so easy because the material tends to be wiggly. Don't stretch or pull it. Just smooth it out. Fleece gives a lot and can be seriously stretched out of shape. Don't be over concerned about a few wrinkles. By the time the fringes are tied, it won't be noticeable if the pieces are a little off square. 

Make sure the wrong sides face each other - that's with the more polished sides out and the duller sides inside, just as you'll want it when its tied together. Use 12 or more safety pins to hold the pieces where you want them. Pinning the fleece together helps to keep the two pieces in place while you do the yarn decoration and make the cuts.

Step 2 -  the cuts for fringe

Place the patterned fleece on the bottom, and the solid piece on the top, so you won't be distracted by the pattern. Cut 1” wide slits around the entire edge, 7 “ long with a 7” square cut out of each corner. The fringe strips are cut parallel with each side of the rectangle. Lay the yardstick on the edge of the fleece and put a tiny dot with a washable marker just where you want to make the cuts. Cut both fleece thicknesses at the same time. Sharp scissors are a must. Don't worry about each cut being exactly one inch apart. Slight differences won't be noticeable once it's tied. Lay the template at a 90 degree angle with the side to know how far deep to make each cut. 

Step 3 - yarn decoration & inner ties

Use your template to mark the dots at 1/2" apart and running about 3/4" below the tie fringe cuts.  With the upholstery needle and a double yarn, make the decorative rectangle, passing through top  and bottom. Then, do the inner quilting ties at equal intervals, making sure to go through both layers and having about a 1/4" between the entry from the top side and the exit from the bottom side. Having a repeating geometric pattern will help you determine just where to put these ties without doing a lot of measuring.

Step 4 - the outer ties

Tie the two fabrics together at the edges. The knots should be made between pieces of fringe directly one above the other. Pay attention to how you tie so you won't miss one and then have to go back, untie and tie again. Do two opposing sides first and then the other sides. That way you can keep the rectangle in better shape. Be careful with the ties on the corners because they can be tricky, as you need to keep the right angles. Ties can be done using square knots or with a simple double knot - like the ones shown. Also it's easier if you tie every other fringe, then flip the blanket over to tie the remaining strips. That gives it a cleaner look.  

As you tie, the material may bunch if you are using really tight knots. Just stretch the blanket edge as you go to remove any curling or wrinkles. Try to make the knots loose at first and tighten them up later, as needed.

The results
Luckily for me, I received raves on the results of my first try. Time involved?  It took me about eight concentrated hours of work, given that I made a few mistakes that had to be corrected.  And, now that I've learned from my initial mistakes and hoping not to make additional ones, I'm confident that I can do the next coverlet even faster. So, I may really up the ante and make bed-sized coverlets for each of my three grandchildren.

Simpler versions of the crib coverlet - without the yarn decoration - should take four hours or less, depending on the overall size of the blanket. The results are quite acceptable and the blankets are soft, warm and cuddly. And don't worry about these coverlets being perfect. People appreciate the loving work in handmade items and don’t expect them to look like their commercial counterparts.

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SURVIVAL - AT LEAST TO THE NEXT PAYCHECK - DAIRY-LESS, CREAMED SOUP BASE

Let’s be honest…there are times when, potentially or actually, the cupboard is almost bare. Or, more likely, in my case, there's nothing on the shelves that interests me at the moment or fits in with my need for a super quick lunch. Now, I'm not a person who keeps pre-prepared meals in the freezer. So, anytime, when I'm looking for a quick, light meal, I'll think about soup. And I'm not a fan of those salt-laden, canned or prepackaged varieties of soup. So, I either do a fair amount of work to produce  homemade soups or I learn to make my own shortcuts. I tend to choose the latter option, since fixing healthy meals and making life easier are things that I joyfully follow and highly recommend.

While I just love cooking, and mostly don’t mind making things from scratch, sometimes it just isn't going to happen that way. That's when having stand-in, dried ingredients in a jar makes all the difference. Having this in the cabinet gives me a sense of comfort and abundance. I know I can survive in all kinds of odd circumstances - such as a short food budget,  emergency food shortages, or just plain laziness - and come out smelling like a rose or, at least, like a savory-smelling bowl of my favorite cream of veggie soup.

The recipe that I'm sharing with you uses dried rice flour as a dairy substitute and fine ground polenta as a thickening. While, these products are industrial, at least I choose and highly recommend the organic brands. And by using these products as prime ingredients, I can make my own prepackaged mix and avoid paying bigger bucks for organic, processed soups from the store.

This dried soup mix really is super easy. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk together, and store in an airtight container. So, it can be another of your survival staples sitting on the shelf. And it's a only an arm-length's grab from there - to which, of course, you'll need to add the cooked veggies with their broth, a bit of oil, and put these ingredients to a boil. You'll have a delicious, homemade soup in record time. The same can be done for casseroles when combined with less liquid and popped in the oven to bake. This same recipe, when dressed up with a square of bandana material like that shown in the drawing, makes a quick-to-put-together and easy-on-the-wallet gift for others.

Creamed Soup Base Mix
 
2 cups rice flour, organic is better
1 cup polenta, organic is better
1 tablespoon  brown sugar
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (This is not bread yeast.)
1 tablespoon  sea salt
2 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
½ teaspoon powdered garlic (not garlic salt)
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon of chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all dry ingredients together with a whisk. Store in an airtight container.

Combine about 3/4 cup of  mix to 4 cups of boiling water, depending on desired soup thickness, in a saucepan. On medium heat, bring to a boil. Cook and stir repeatedly for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the veggie, until thick. Cool.

For Cream of Red Lentil
Use water, 3/4 cup of dried red lentils, and a teaspoon or two of olive oil, and boil for 20 minutes or until tender.

For Cream-of Mushroom Soup
Use water; 1 cup diced mushrooms, and a teaspoon or two of butter to mixture and boil about 15 minutes or until soup thickens.

For Cream-of Celery or Carrot Soup
Use water, 1 cup thin-diced, celery or carrot and a teaspoon of two of olive oil. Boil for 20 minutes or until tender.

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WHO'S KNITTING CHEMO CAPS? - HOWS & WHYS

In my last post, I wrote about charity knitting circles and why people get involved in them. This post gives more information for those who want to start charity knitting. What I say here comes mainly from my recent experience working with five volunteers at our local meditation group who want to form a charity knitting circle. Our meditation group has already been doing cancer patient support activities for a full year. To date, the activities include light snacks, drinks, and reading materials taken to the chemo area of a local oncology hospital. The five knitting volunteers are more than willing to begin, but most of them feel they lacked sufficient knitting skills. So, I told them - and later announced to the entire meditation group - that I would teach all those who wanted to be part of the circle how to knit. As a first project, I proposed a simple pattern for loom-knitted chemo caps.

Most everyone knows some cancer patients, children or adults, who have lost their hair during chemotherapy and has seen how baldness is a major discomfort for most of them. In response to that problem, many groups, nationwide, are making chemo caps that cancer patients can wear at home for sleep and leisure. And some of these caps are so elegant that they can even be worn on the street. The caps mean warmer heads in cold weather. But they have a greater meaning, too. As cancer patients face the many challenges of their cancer, tenderly handmade caps can give them new hope and help them gather personal forces to combat their illness.

What kind of cap works for cancer patients?
Having decided to knit chemo caps, the next question is what style cap works well for these patients and still is easy to make. I suggested that our small group of volunteers begin with a really simple beanie cap that only involves beginner knitting skills. With these ideas in mind, I recommended loom-knitting and an easy pattern with some special features.

The caps, themselves, will be worn more comfortably if they are made from soft polyester yarns, cotton, bamboo, baby yarn, etc. Pure wool and wool blends are often too hot when worn indoors and some people have allergies to these fibers. Cotton and bamboo yarns are cooler, less allergenic, and much nice for hot weather. Also, the design should include stitches that are knitted fairly close together so that you don't see patches of baldness through the spaces.

Beyond that, solid color or slight variations on a color are better because they draw less attention to the wearer’s head. The more uniform colors also go better with more outfits. And thinner knits, rather than very chunky ones, and caps without seams are preferable because lumps are uncomfortable for sleeping and long hours of wear.

Once the cap is finished, it should be gently washed and dried before before being given to a patient. Washing helps to avoid passing on germs to a sick person who shouldn't be exposed to any kind of infection. It also helps to soften the yarn. No commercial fabric softeners should be used because many of them are allergenic.


Pattern for a seamless, loom- knitted chemo cap for women.
Materials - for an adult woman with an average head circumference.
- round peg loom, 32 to 36-pegs (3/4" apart)
- about 120 yards of chunky yarn or twice as much for thin yarn that must be doubled for this cap. Cotton and bamboo yarns are best.
- loom hook
- crochet hook
- yarn needle

Instructions
Use 2 strands of a medium weight yarn or one strand of a chunky yarn in a light, bright color. Subtle differences in shades of the same color are acceptable.

Take up your loom and wrap a first counter clockwise row. The initial row should be wrapped tight for a better edge. You can crochet a chain for each peg or just turn the loops over, making a half knot for a wrap.

For the second row, e-wrap all pegs. Then lift off bottom loops, in a clockwise direction over top e-wraps (knit row). Make sure that you are knitting without any breaks since this is a seamless cap. E-wrap and lift-off for rows 2 and 4 and all the rest after row five.

Continue wrapping to the right (counter-clockwise) and lifting off to the left (clockwise).  For rows 3 and 5, e-wrap for the entire round. Then, take the loops out, one stitch at a time. Change the direction of the loop - pulled through from behind (knit stitch) to pulled through from the front (purl stitch). The first five rows form a small brim on the hat.

Knit about 28 e-wrap rows (a total of 8 inches) for the main part of the cap.

Next begin the gathered part by taking yarn off peg 1 and placing it on the second peg. Take yarn off peg 3 and place it on peg 4, 5 on 6 and so on all around. Then e-wrap the final row around on looped pegs, skipping the open spaces. Then one final lift-off.

With that row finished and the stitches still on the loom, measure out and cut off a couple yards of yarn on the same ball used to make the cap - without separating it from the knitted work. Put the yarn through the yarn needle and pass it through all loops from behind. Take all loops off the loom. Pull the yarn to make a fairly uniform circle and tighten it to form the gathered part of of the cap. Knot and cut the yarn. Weave the yarn end into the top part of the cap.

What else can be done with chemo caps?
There are some other activities that knitting circles can do along with knitting chemo caps. Again, I'll mention the plans of our meditation group. Organizational leaders will collect all the finished, hand-knitted chemo caps. Once or twice a month, the caps will be taken to the meditation room at regular meeting hours. The whole group will pray for the healing of those patients who receive caps. Each cap will be tagged with a specially decorated card that includes the name and email address of our organization. It will say something like: “Hand knitted for you with love and prayers for your healing.” Tags will also mention that, according to their wishes, people who receive a hat are welcome to contact the organization and the cap maker. 

The chemo caps will be given to staff members of local cancer treatment centers for their distribution. We are beginning our project with just a few volunteers. But, as other group members see how chemo caps make a difference in the lives of cancer patients, we hope to get more participants in our charity knitting circle. Others who want to support the knitting circle but can't find the time to knit can donate yarn and help with decorating the cards to be attached to caps.

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CHARITY KNITTING CIRCLES ARE USEFUL & FUN.

I can remember a time a few decades ago when women formed circles for all kinds of activities. It was a way of strengthening relationships among women, most of whom were unrelated by blood or marriage. And it gave them an excuse to meet regularly as friends and neighbors and work for special purposes. My own mother was part of a circle for decades. They called themselves the "Safety Pin Club" because they all had babies and small children at around the same time. When they got started, their main purpose was to offer each other emotional support and useful hints on how to care for the young ones. The group was diverse and included Catholics, Protestants, and Greek Orthodox from several different national backgrounds. They forged long-term friendships and were still meeting as a group when they had grown children and grandchildren. Most of the time their activities were social but they also got involved in a few charitable activities over the years.

In the last part of the 20th century, what with more freedom for women and their incorporation in the workplace, fewer women seemed to have the need or time for social or charitable circles. Nowadays, many young women don't even consider the need for such a thing. But, for others, both young and old, there are still good reasons to organize themselves and meet - just as women.

Knitters often form circles to reach out other knitters. Whether wanting to learn new stitches or pass on needlework skills, the warm companionship of a knitting group enriches their love of knitting and comes to be an important part of social life. Members of the group also do more than sit around knitting. They share details of their lives, talk about their husbands, children, pets, favorite recipes and so on. Many circles are neighborhood clubs, while others are linked with churches, or workplaces. Some groups meet to knit while watching movies. Others are for mothers with small children. Men who knit sometimes join these circles. Whatever brings them together, everyone contributes to the conversation and shares knitting magazines, patterns and stitchery know-how. 

Recently, a number of women's circles have formed related to charity. And one of the most popular charities involves knitting and crocheting clothing or blankets and donating them to the homeless or the sick. These groups answer a desire to help those in need, but in a way that means more to them than just giving or collecting money for needy causes. And, for some, it's probably the best way to be charitable because they are using their time and  talents when they don't have much extra money to donate to needy causes.

Charity circles tend to be more open than those belonging to particular churches or formal clubs.They are more egalitarian because their primary focus is on helping others in need in the community and secondly, on making new friends who love to do some of the same things. They tend to be informal and free clubs - some meet weekly, others bi-monthly or monthly and welcome members of all ages.

Obviously, these circles respond to a real need to help. At the same time, they give women a sense of satisfaction by being part of a group involved in a common effort. While no group, small or large, can ever begin to do enough, it's the spiritual principle that counts here. Each knitted cap or scarf or blanket can mean the difference of a homeless person surviving a cold winter night, just as meals served to the hungry are really gifts from God. Those who get involved in these kinds of charities consider themselves blessed by being able to help in delivering those gifts. When they do things with other people's welfare in mind, from knitting a prayer shawl for a friend to making a blanket for a homeless person, they see themselves as using their loving concern to contribute to  social justice and peace.

Interested in doing something like this? Well, don't wait. Get involved right away. If you don't find a knitting group in your area, start out by seeking information at a local knitting shop, signing up for charity knitting newsletters and reading columns in knitting magazines. They are also a number of websites that give information on knitting groups nationwide. Some are done as online communities where people never meet face-to-face, but, instead, send in their contributions to a central place which takes care of the distribution to places and people in need. They keep in touch through photos and comments on these websites.

If you want to learn more about charity knitting, you can read a book or books on the subject. One good book, written by Betty Christiansen, is titled: Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time.

The overall goal of charity knitting groups is to bring comfort and a smiles to recipients and let them know that someone is thinking of them - oftentimes someone they'll never meet. But the people invoved in these activites see their work as more than just a way of supporting those who need cheering up because of illness or social vulnerability. They also consider it to be a spiritual activity just as much as prayer and meditation are. It's a particular way of showing love for others and commitment to a better world - one that is pledged to making and sharing beautiful and useful things. It's all part of a new spirit of living the abundant life and making the world a kinder place.

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SOON YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF IN A “PAY-IT-FORWARD” CHAIN.

Most of us, happily or begrudgingly, according to our mood and the specific message, have forwarded an email or Facebook (FB) post as part of a chain. That's one kind of chain. But there’s a new chain happening - from heart-to-heart -that's growing right now. It's the Pay-it-forward (PIFO) chain. And the links binding this chain give surprising results. When someone starts up a PIFO, they don’t know – exactly – who the recipients will be. That means that you do something or another person does something nice for you without expecting anything at all in return. A PIFO doesn’t have to be same thing that was done before, either. It can be a little or a big gesture but it's one that comes from the heart. And it’s part of the new spirit of loving gifts that express how people feel to be living in 2013. We're now in the Year of the Snake – a time for change. And that change is seen as highly positive for the Earth and for all the people on this planet.

And this idea isn't something dreamed up just recently. It was Ben Franklin who mentioned it in 1784 in a letter he wrote to a friend when he lent him some money. Ben Franklin didn't want to be repaid directly. He asked his friend to pass some money along when he could to someone else who was in need. The same  concept was popularized in a book from the 1950’s, ”Between Planets” by Robert A. Heinlein. Later (2000) there was a Hollywood movie titled “Pay It Forward”. In the movie, a young boy has a school assignment that asks him to come up with an idea that could change the world for the better. He decides to promote the PIFO concept by his own example. In so doing, he creates a long chain of good deeds.

I had only heard about this idea a week ago at my meditation group. It was introduced at our regular  meeting with a short video. (Actually, I’m not 100% sure that’s the very same video but it’s clearly the same idea.) The PIFO in the video involved paying for another person’s tab before leaving a coffee shop. After showing the video, a young woman from our group told us that the PIFO idea would work at a movie show, a toll both, a parking garage, or a restaurant. Summing it up, she described paying forward in the following way. A PIFO relates to doing something kind for someone else in response to having received something good or to a loving feeling that you happen to have. When you pay forward, you’re not “repaying” the person who did something nice for you. Instead, you do something nice for a third person. For example, if someone helps you pick up the groceries that you dropped as you got out of the car, you might “repay” this kind act by taking a homemade casserole to an elderly neighbor who has a hard time getting around.

Accepting Pay -Forward means that you'll do a kindness, too.

Then the young woman held up the PIFO-SMILE card. The business-size card had a big smile face on the front and words saying something like: “SMILE - you just received a Pay-it-forward gift. Be sure to do a nice favor for someone else just as soon as you can.” On the back of the card, there was mention of a website for more information on the pay forward concept. It also said that the very same card should be passed on from beneficiary to beneficiary, thereby forming a loving chain of kindnesses.

Just a couple of days ago, I saw that a FB friend of mine was offering a PIFO. It was sent out as a post to what must be a very large group of friends. The first 5 to comment on her PIFO offer would receive a small gift in 2013. As I remember, it read something like this (my own variation): "Participating in a 2013 Pay-forward chain: 1st five people to comment on this post will receive from me in 2013, a special surprise giftie. The exact date of gift giving is up to me. To be eligible for a gift, then you must be willing to make the same offer to five other people in a FB post and promise to deliver all gifties during 2013."

I liked the idea a lot and quickly commented on her post. When I found out that I was one of the lucky first five, I immediately sent out a PIFO offer to all my FB friends. Five quickly accepted. Now, a couple of days later, I see that the same chain has been continued by others. So, that’s just great. Optimally, we will have gone from one originator to five to 25 to 625, and so on, and all happening in just 48 hours.

OK. You might still be skeptical about the value of the PIFO idea. But, there's reason to believe that acts of love – even little ones – brighten the hearts of givers and receivers. When hearts are bright, they shine on many people around them. Beyond that, there’s reason to believe smiling faces and warm heart feelings extend beyond us to our surroundings. These loving chains benefit our communities. And crazy optimists, like Grandma Susan and many of her friends, believe that the entire natural world and Earth, herself, respond with SMILES when many people are busy doing kind deeds.

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DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN HOLIDAY CONSUMERISM.

While, in a national survey, 70% of Americans said they would welcome less emphasis on Christmas gift giving and spending. (Center for a New American Dream), the average American family is still spending $800 on gifts over the holiday season. Does that sound like a wise quantity of money for a nation that’s still struggling with a recession? Well, it doesn’t to me. What I get from this is that people are reluctant to face up to their reality. The majority is not doing well at all, financially, has no savings, and is getting mixed up in all kinds of new debt – to add to their old debt, much of which was never paid off.

If you’re like most of the 98%, extra holiday spending is going to do a number on your credit card debt and bank balance, so be smarter. Don't let December overspending be the reason for a New Year’s hangover. Consider stopping right now and starting over with a thoughtful gift-giving list that won’t bring on New Year stress. You don’t have to spend so much to have a nice Christmas. Here is some information about how the spirit of Christmas has gone wrong, along with some tips on how to make this December season less of a spending holiday. Remember consumerism is bad both for working families and for the Earth.

We’re still getting this wrong.

The statistics given here were reported in Facebook by This group only posts once per day (Dec. 10).

 

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, household waste increases by more than 25%. Added  food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons - it all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills. (Use Less Stuff) In the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons. (Use Less Stuff) The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. Half of the paper America consumes is used to wrap and decorate consumer products. Each year, 50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. (Cygnus Group). Of those, about 30 million go to the landfill. (Environmental News Network) About 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. (EPA) packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons - it all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills. (Use Less Stuff).

So, what can you do?
First, set a limit on total holiday splurges, including gifts and meals. Decide how much money you can afford to spend and stick with it. Make a promise to yourself that what you buy must come safely out of your December salary or bank account. That means you use cash not credit cards (and certainly not cash advances) and still have the right amount left over for your regular monthly payments – for rent, food, gas, etc.

Second, make some hard decisions. If your shopping list includes several people outside of your immediate family, cut that number down to just a few or none at all. You can bake some cookies or make small gift items (cakes, candies, tree ornaments) for all the people you eliminated after some consideration from your original gift list. Remember spreading holiday cheer doesn’t mean spending beyond what’s comfortable. If others don’t understand this, it’s their problem.

Try giving the gift of sentiment and time. Plan for a nice visit or invite people over to your house or go visit them. Then you can share small gifts and many hugs. Call those who are far away to let them know that you’re thinking of them.

Personalized gifts are an economical substitute for more expensive gifts. A small, thoughtful gift, thinking about the person’s interest is worth more than an expensive gift that someone may never use.

Group volunteering for a charitable cause is another good way to celebrate. And that way you can bring season joy to many more people. This kind of activity can even take the place of holiday parties and gift giving. Tell your friends and family that instead of spending on gifts for you and yours, you want them to join you in a group volunteer day. That way all of you will finish by feeling proud of your efforts. And that's a lot better than choking back a sense of doom, thinking about the bills that, all too soon, are going to roll in.

Homemade gifts that I made this year.

I always try to give my family members gifts that I make by hand.  For the grandchildren, I made little fleece pillows for their beds. The children’s gift pillows were in bright colored prints and personalized by embroidered initials. This was not a fast-to-do project and I spent about a month, off-and-on, completing 6 pillows. The total cost was about $40 for the 6 pillows. (That was more expensive than I planned because I bought the wrong type of fleece the first time around and had to buy material twice. The fabric I didn't use is put away awaiting another project.)

For the adults I made one-of-a kind, Christmas tree ornaments. The ornaments featured messages for holiday cheer and the names of the family members. It only took me one afternoon to buy all I needed for the gifts and one 4-hour morning to make four ornaments.

Here’s how I did it. I started with a 4 inch diameter glass iridescent ball (4 to a package) found at a 50% sale in the week before Christmas at a local hobby store. The globes only have a small opening at the top, so care is needed when handling these items.

Now, I had seen a bunch of different kinds of glass globes filled with a variety of materials – everything from natural moss and little sticks to colorful cotton balls, and clay snowman figures in snow made out of salt and others filled to the top with tiny colored candies.

I chose my gift ornament to be personalized with the names of the family members who would gather around their Christmas tree. I also wanted to celebrate this particular season with mention of Merry Christmas 2012 and Happy New Year 2013.

 

I wanted something printed to express my sentiment.  So, I took out a bunch of old, slightly yellowed printed pages from a couple of books. For color, I bought three of the heavier sets of gift tags, still held together as a page (not separated). The gift tag pages came from the dollar store.

For each ornament, I ink-jet printed a page of text onto a book page - 4 lines of the names of the family members,  4 lines with Merry Christmas 2012 and 4 lines with Happy New Year 2013. I used spray adhesive to glue the gift tags to the printed pages. Then I cut out the printed lines of names and seasonal greetings in thin strips.  I had on hand some light card material in bright green and sky blue and I made more strips to fill up the globe.

I doubled each strip in half without a distinct fold and stuffed them, one by one – fold side down, in the top of the ornament. As I worked, I fluffed up the mix of paper strips with a chopstick. That way I got a nice-looking mix of messages and colors inside each globe.

When I had all the strips in, I returned the metal top of the ornament, added a gift card, and a bow. I put each ornament in a small, pre-decorated cardboard box that I also bought at the dollar store. My total cost for 4 ornaments was about $14, including gift boxes. (I already had red ribbon and the spray glue - those two items together would have been more expensive than the cost of the glass globes.)