Tuesday
Dec022008
She's Crafty, And She's Just My Type
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at 2:29AM | Mr Lady
Wanna know my most very best kept secret ever? I totally get off on arts and crafts. Once I was asked to make wedding invitations for a friend of mine, and I spent a week straight in the back of Archivers, loosing my mind. It's the closest thing to 'huffing gas fumes on crack with a mouth full of glue' I'll ever get. Don't tell anyone, though, okay? I have something of a reputation to maintain.
Lucky for me, so do my kids. Sorry about the crappy camera phone pictures.
My husband has boxes on boxes of his little, cute, handmade ornaments from when he was a kid. My kids? Not so much. They have an assload of ornaments, but nothing they've made. Because I suck, that's why. This year, I'm trying to go as handmade as possible, if for no other reason, to negate some hefty therapy bills when they grow up.
The Reckneck Mommy was nice enough to walk me through the whole Garland thing last week. We've never had garland on our tree before, so she shared with me how she and her kids make garland with beads and paint. Because she doesn't suck, that's why. (Gratuitous plug aside: She was nominated for a 2008 Weblog Award for a very good reason. Vote for her here, if you're so inclinded. Maybe she'll teach you how to shoot a deer or soemthing.)
I'm hoping to have enough to mail to some family as their gifts. It's not looking good so far, though, but my boys are both sporting brand new beady necklaces and bracelets. Which took them hours to make. Oh, the glorious silence.
But that's just my kids. As for me, well, I've got this going on.
Which, once I line it all up with a ruler, is going to look like this:
Which, once I line that all up with a level, is going to look something like this:
That's a homemade Advent calender, baby. The kids picked their own paper patterns and my neighbor has a fucking scrapbooking mecca in her basement for finishing touches. Funny thing; I had no real idea what an Advent Calendar was, or what Advent was, until 2 days ago. Thank you JESUS for Twitter. Julie Pippert explained to me exactly what the whole thing was about, and then PGoodness showed me how to make my own calendar. I should have all three done by Christmas Eve.
See? I told you people I'm not hot. NOT HOT. But in hot glue heaven, so it balances out. Though, in all honesty, this sort of earns me back some hot points.
That's a Bûche de Noël, and I made that, too. It took me three days and tasted like heaven. It's got homemade caramel and buttercream in it, and more than a little Frangelico. Everything on that tray in the very old, very grainy picture is handmade and edible. I'm going to try really hard to make one this year, and if you're not skimming this post (yeah, right) and will spend Christmas within driving distance of me (oh, let's say Bellingham and up) leave me a comment and I'll try to make two, and I'll randomly give one away. If I get to it. No promises. That bitch is hard.
As for things that I haven't, and am not about to, ruin with the best of intentions, there is Etsy. Etsy is my secret lover. I get lost in it's dreamy green eyes sometimes. I have never once, however, bought anything off Etsy for Christmas. I am an idiot of epic proportions.
In an attempt to play along with the Handmade Pledge, and keeping in mind that handmade does not always equal awesome, I hopped on Etsy to see how hard it would be to round out my list. Cue angels signing and clouds parting. I can't show you the stuff I found, because the recipients of said items all read this blog, but I can say this: the three people I'm buying off of Etsy for are kind of impossible to shop for, and with a basic, general search and 5 spare minutes, I had each one's present in my shopping cart. And spent less than I did at McDonald's on lunch for four of us.
What I can show you is someone else who make very awesome handmade gifts. Lil' Brit Knits is a Denver based hand knit website (the stuff, not the site, that would be hard to navigate through) and they have really really cute things. Things like a backpack for my toddler:
And a knit bride and groom, who crack me the hell up and I want to send them to everyone as a wedding gift. I could have totally used those to explain to my 5 month old why the hell mom and dad were all dressed up at a party that one September afternoon*.
She knits all kinds of stuff, practical to quaint, and since I couldn't knit my way out of a paper bag, I'm all about outsourcing that stuff.
And half of the people in yesterday's posts? Handmade, too. Handmade is the new black. It tastes great, it's less filling. Even still, tomorrow I'm going all Material Girl on your asses. And I'm going to love it.
*Hey, it's not like I sent him an invitation to the wedding or anything, but he mumbled something about "Food Source" and insisted on being there anyway.
Lucky for me, so do my kids. Sorry about the crappy camera phone pictures.
My husband has boxes on boxes of his little, cute, handmade ornaments from when he was a kid. My kids? Not so much. They have an assload of ornaments, but nothing they've made. Because I suck, that's why. This year, I'm trying to go as handmade as possible, if for no other reason, to negate some hefty therapy bills when they grow up.
The Reckneck Mommy was nice enough to walk me through the whole Garland thing last week. We've never had garland on our tree before, so she shared with me how she and her kids make garland with beads and paint. Because she doesn't suck, that's why. (Gratuitous plug aside: She was nominated for a 2008 Weblog Award for a very good reason. Vote for her here, if you're so inclinded. Maybe she'll teach you how to shoot a deer or soemthing.)
I'm hoping to have enough to mail to some family as their gifts. It's not looking good so far, though, but my boys are both sporting brand new beady necklaces and bracelets. Which took them hours to make. Oh, the glorious silence.
But that's just my kids. As for me, well, I've got this going on.
Which, once I line it all up with a ruler, is going to look like this:
Which, once I line that all up with a level, is going to look something like this:
That's a homemade Advent calender, baby. The kids picked their own paper patterns and my neighbor has a fucking scrapbooking mecca in her basement for finishing touches. Funny thing; I had no real idea what an Advent Calendar was, or what Advent was, until 2 days ago. Thank you JESUS for Twitter. Julie Pippert explained to me exactly what the whole thing was about, and then PGoodness showed me how to make my own calendar. I should have all three done by Christmas Eve.
See? I told you people I'm not hot. NOT HOT. But in hot glue heaven, so it balances out. Though, in all honesty, this sort of earns me back some hot points.
That's a Bûche de Noël, and I made that, too. It took me three days and tasted like heaven. It's got homemade caramel and buttercream in it, and more than a little Frangelico. Everything on that tray in the very old, very grainy picture is handmade and edible. I'm going to try really hard to make one this year, and if you're not skimming this post (yeah, right) and will spend Christmas within driving distance of me (oh, let's say Bellingham and up) leave me a comment and I'll try to make two, and I'll randomly give one away. If I get to it. No promises. That bitch is hard.
As for things that I haven't, and am not about to, ruin with the best of intentions, there is Etsy. Etsy is my secret lover. I get lost in it's dreamy green eyes sometimes. I have never once, however, bought anything off Etsy for Christmas. I am an idiot of epic proportions.
In an attempt to play along with the Handmade Pledge, and keeping in mind that handmade does not always equal awesome, I hopped on Etsy to see how hard it would be to round out my list. Cue angels signing and clouds parting. I can't show you the stuff I found, because the recipients of said items all read this blog, but I can say this: the three people I'm buying off of Etsy for are kind of impossible to shop for, and with a basic, general search and 5 spare minutes, I had each one's present in my shopping cart. And spent less than I did at McDonald's on lunch for four of us.
What I can show you is someone else who make very awesome handmade gifts. Lil' Brit Knits is a Denver based hand knit website (the stuff, not the site, that would be hard to navigate through) and they have really really cute things. Things like a backpack for my toddler:
And a knit bride and groom, who crack me the hell up and I want to send them to everyone as a wedding gift. I could have totally used those to explain to my 5 month old why the hell mom and dad were all dressed up at a party that one September afternoon*.
She knits all kinds of stuff, practical to quaint, and since I couldn't knit my way out of a paper bag, I'm all about outsourcing that stuff.
And half of the people in yesterday's posts? Handmade, too. Handmade is the new black. It tastes great, it's less filling. Even still, tomorrow I'm going all Material Girl on your asses. And I'm going to love it.
*Hey, it's not like I sent him an invitation to the wedding or anything, but he mumbled something about "Food Source" and insisted on being there anyway.
Reader Comments (43)
Hey Lady! You rock! And.......you are sooooooo hot! I can feel you all the way down here...........er...........close to the Mexican border. Peace, Mike.
P.S. Fumes and crack?
Dude... I love the goggles. They are a must when crafting. You guys did an awesome job. What are you going to fill it with?
OHmommy wrote..http://www.classychaos.com/2008/12/perhaps-we-can-call-it-christmas-add.html" rel="nofollow">Perhaps we can call it Christmas spirit?
I still don't know what an Advent Calendar is.. I just admitted that yesterday somewhere too.. I got the "oh, you live a sheltered kind of life look".. The project came out GREAT..
But now I have Beastie Boys stuck in my head..and I am not sure whether to be mad at ya, or to kiss ya.. :)
Kim wrote..http://www.joggingincircles.com/journal/2008/11/30/weekly-winners.html" rel="nofollow">Weekly Winners
Thanks goodness you're doing enough crafty stuff to cover my quota too. Since I'll never do it...
Jim wrote..http://h31n0us.blogspot.com/2008/12/season.html" rel="nofollow">'Tis the Season
I wish I was crafty...My poor child, I'm such a BORING mom...
Darla wrote..http://dmmos.blogspot.com/2008/11/halloween-trick-and-treats.html" rel="nofollow">Halloween Trick and Treats
I have never heard of a Bûche de Noël, but it sounds delicious.
I really like your Advent calendar - super idea! I always buy the paper advent calendars from Trader Joe's/Whole Foods with chocolate in each window for my kids. I'm lazy like that. Yesterday was opening day! My kids have 3 each - well, my daughter's also have another one . . . at Target there are My Little Pony & Pet Shop advent calendars - so cute!
*and that's why all of my wedding photographs are from the boobs up.
Ree wrote..http://hotfessional.com/2008/12/01/mute-monday-q/" rel="nofollow">Mute Monday - Q
Yes... an Advent calendar BEFORE Christmas may be a good choice. Perhaps you could make it for next year?
tracey wrote..http://tracey-justanothermommyblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/trying-to-be-positive.html" rel="nofollow">Trying to be positive
Gah! I need to do cute little handmade ornaments too. I'm a scrapbooking nerd, and have actually spent MONEY to go to workshops at our local scrapbook mecca. My good friend also might as well start a store out of her home, she has so much stuff!
When I was a kid, I used to get those hoops for embroidery and make little crafts out of those. They were fugly, but my mom would take them to work and people would buy them out of pity.
The advent calendar is really cute, good luck!
Dude! That advent calendar? Its actually pretty damn cool! Nice job!
Also, I am totally within driving distance for the second Steve Buscemi log, or whatever you called it. Please drop my name in the hat.
matt wrote..http://redsparks.com/playpen/2008/11/24/get-out-your-seat-and-snoop-around/" rel="nofollow">Get Out ‘Your Seat and Snoop Around
That advent calendar is so stinkin' cute. Where did you get the little tins? Can you email me with it? Thanks!
Perfektly Mary wrote..http://perfektlymary.com/archives/thanksgiving-sirloin" rel="nofollow">Thanksgiving sirloin
Now I've got that damn Beastie Boys song stuck in my head! And now I'm beginning to wonder if my wife is the only mom on earth without a single creative/crafty bone - you did a sweet job on those!
Tyler @ Building Camelot wrote..http://www.buildingcamelot.com/2008/12/01/10-more-things-i-love-about-my-wife-the-final-part/" rel="nofollow">10 More Things I Love About My Wife - The Final Part!
I *heart* Etsy. Total Awesome-Ness.
kd@abitsquirrelly wrote..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ABitSquirrelly/~3/470796204/inside-my-mind-driving-down-i-5.html" rel="nofollow">Inside my mind driving down I-5
The little bridge and groom are the most adorable things ever!
tutugirl1345 wrote..http://tutugirl1345.blogspot.com/2008/11/would-you-speak-up.html" rel="nofollow">Would you speak up?
I'm kind of a closet crafter too. In the sense that all my half-finished crafts are in the closet. Waiting for me. Mocking me.
BUT - in my defense, I've been busy. Leave me alone. I'll get to it.
And dude, I TOTALLY want your Log of Wonder. And better yet, don't just MAKE it for me, SHOW me how!
Kate wrote..http://katescrazylife.blogspot.com/2008/12/creeping-closer.html" rel="nofollow">Creeping Closer
I'm a self-proclaimed craft whore. I scare myself. But: I need new garland this year and totally want to make it with my kids! How do you do it? Seriously, the green bean recipe was THE hit of the Thanksgiving table, and after that enormous success, I trust you forever. (Thanks for the recipe.)
Goldfish wrote..http://onthreekids.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-cant-wait-to-get-old.html" rel="nofollow">I can't wait to get old
Advent? Isn't that a company that makes bottles?
Aw, Beastie Boys...
I am loving your Christmas posts. And your advent calendar ROCKS! Who knew Mr. Lady was so crafty? I might have to do that one...next year. I'm already way too stressed this one!
amy wrote..http://amysbratpack.blogspot.com/2008/12/well-you-got-some-to-spare.html" rel="nofollow">Well, I've got some to spare
LOL @Matt's Steve Buscemi
Can you adopt my son? Me and crafty do not agree. I will be spending hours on Etsy and tell my husband I'm saving us money and stimulating the economy. Can't wait to see your materialness.
Melanie @ MelADramatic Mommy wrote..http://www.meladramaticmommy.com/2008/12/fa-la-la-la-long-my-christmas-cd.html" rel="nofollow">Fa La La La LONG- My Christmas CD Collection
sigh. i wish i wish i wish i were close enough to get one of those buche things.
and you still rock.
the planet of janet wrote..http://www.fromtheplanetofjanet.com/2008/12/all-dressed-up-and-somewhere-to-go.html" rel="nofollow">All dressed up and somewhere to go
I'm in awe of your calendar! What are the silver disky things? And what will you put in them? I wanted to make one...I've read so many clever advent posts recently...but time has gotten away from me and...well...you just CAN'T start an advent calendar when it's already the 2nd of Dec.
Tammy wrote..http://thopgood-mylife.blogspot.com/2008/11/smurfland-lowdown.html" rel="nofollow">Smurfland Lowdown
Holy shit.
I haven't even opened the first two doors on the store bought advent calendars my grandma sent my kids.
Miss Britt wrote..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MissBritt/~3/463502790/" rel="nofollow">How Twilight Changed My Life
Awesome!! Glad I could help! (and Archiver's? SIGH. Total crack for the scrapbooker/crafter. Need...to...go....)
pgoodness wrote..http://pgoodness.com/2008/12/01/buh-bye-nablopomo/" rel="nofollow">Buh-bye NaBloPoMo!
ohhh, I love crafts. Sometimes when I am lonely, I curl up in my bed with my giant craft box.
Amanda of Shamelessly Sassy wrote..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/shamelesslysassy/oRdr/~3/470691667/" rel="nofollow">My Daughter the Thief
We're SO making our own advent calendar this year. Its *THE* thing to do! (or I could be the slacker mommy I truly am and just use the craptastic one I bought at the grocery store. now...how to make two kids share one piece of nasty chocolate???)
Colleen - Mommy Always Wins wrote..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyAlwaysWins/~3/471233378/making-christmas-meaningful-day-1.html" rel="nofollow">Making Christmas meaningful, day 1: The Christmas Special
That is the coolest Advent calendar ever!
Kristabella wrote..http://fullofsnark.com/2008/12/02/at-least-i-was-wearing-clean-underwear/" rel="nofollow">At Least I Was Wearing Clean Underwear
You're practically Martha f%&king Stewart.
VegasDad wrote..http://ivegasfamily.blogspot.com/2008/11/to-cut-or-not-to-cut.html" rel="nofollow">to cut, or not to cut?
My aunt lives in Bellingham...can I win for her?
MIss Grace wrote..http://www.missdisgrace.com/2008/12/version-of-saturday-that-features-words.html" rel="nofollow">The version of Saturday that features words
*gasp* You like crafts? I had no idea...
I like the Advent Calendar you guys are doing, I had one similar (but not) in mind. Of course, it MIGHT get finished in time for Christmas day. Sigh. Whatever
Ashley wrote..http://www.bosssanders.com/2008/12/02/homemade-christmas-gifts/" rel="nofollow">Homemade Christmas Gifts
I hate you for making me want kids so much. *Le sigh. (Just Kidding. LOL)
On a totally unrelated stream of thought: I passed on an award to you. All the sordid details are in my blog. :)
Hugs!
Burn
Holy shit, that's impressive!!
Dude. You're crafty? Of course you are. You're hot in a certain pair of boots and nothing else, you cook like a maniac, and you've got kids that are going to kick your smart and funny ass much sooner than even you can imagine. Oh, wait. They've already done it, haven't they?.
You are perfection in a wicked package.
Ms. Maxwell wrote..http://www.schaererville.com/2008/11/graduation.html" rel="nofollow">Graduation
OK, all better now. :)
andy wrote..http://www.worldwiderant.com/2008/11/04/it-is-finished/" rel="nofollow">It Is Finished
You're speaking to my heart, kiddo. I love crafts. I spend the year looking for cool ideas since I'm the A&C director for a pediatric cancer camp in the summer. When my kids were little we made homemade paper and they made watercolor wrapping paper for gifts. It was a blast! Crafts are meditative and the perfect combination of form and function. Have you ever tried paper beads?
apathy lounge wrote..http://wordgirl5.typepad.com/apathy_lounge/2008/12/singin-and-swingin-and-gettin-merry-likewellyou-know.html" rel="nofollow">Singin' and swingin' and gettin' merry like...well...you know.
Wow, I'm going to slink away now.
frogmama wrote..http://frogsinmyformula.blogspot.com/2008/12/junior-junior-let-down-your-hair-your.html" rel="nofollow">Junior, Junior, let down your hair. Your frog prince is here to refill your Windex.
I just confessed that I'm a crafthead this week, too - I guess tis the season: time to bring out the macaroni noodles and gold paint!
Tanya wrote..http://www.ishouldbenapping.com/im-crafty-like-ice-is-cold/" rel="nofollow">Team Craft - An Introduction
You have a turn of phrase that makes me laugh out loud and scare my family. Thanks! I will get my butt on etsy for some made-with-love gifts.
Micki wrote..http://mickiwendt.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-money-saving-tip-for-frugal.html" rel="nofollow">Holiday Money Saving Tip for Frugal Upstate
God you rock.
I'll shoot you a deer any damn day.
I'll even skin it for you.
Heh.
Redneck Mommy wrote..http://theredneckmommy.com/2008/12/02/the-journeypart-two/" rel="nofollow">The Journey…Part Two
Ahhhh, so to get you to declare your love for me (or admit it, whatever) I have to be crafty as well as awesome?
Meh.
Make me one of those mouldy looking things. I am hungry.
Those are neat advent calendars.
Jaina wrote..http://girl-with-the-camera.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-cards.html" rel="nofollow">Christmas Cards
That advent calendar is the coolest thing! I would love to make one with daughter!
Dude, I'm like 45 minutes south of Bellingham.
It just isn't fair.
Carrie wrote..http://www.stopscreamingimdriving.com/2008/12/saving-all-my-love-for-you.html" rel="nofollow">Saving all my Love for You
First, love the advent calendar. So much. I think I need to make one. Second, I'm in Surrey and would totally take a hand-made bouche-de-noel. I made one in high school for French class, but that was, erm, a long time ago.