Christmas Patchwork Pillow Covers

Every year I like to add something new to my Christmas decor. This year, my goal is to make Christmas pillow covers for my couch throw pillows. (This may be more than I can handle in one month. I have a lot of throw pillows. I also can't seem to work on Christmas projects before December. It's a real problem.)
I have seen some fun ideas on Pinterest using old sweaters, but first I wanted to use up some fabric.
I had some leftovers from a previous project that I really liked. 
It has been a long time since I have done any patchwork and I have recently been inspired to do something myself. So I took those leftovers and made a patchwork pillow cover.

I am really happy with how it turned out. 

I cut 4 1/2" squares, used a 1/4" seam allowance, and covered a 20" pillow. I finished it off with a simple envelope back in a coordinating fabric. I was really surprised it all came out okay, because I didn't follow anyone else's pattern. I made it up on my own. That was a super risky move on my part.

I quilted every other square. Although if you look closely, you'll see I missed one!

I really like the patterns and colors and how it came together. 

I have 2 pillows of the same size on my couch. However, I didn't have enough fabric for another patchwork pillow. I decided to make a contrasting pillow. I sewed strips instead of squares of the remaining fabrics together to make the second pillow cover.

Some straight line quilting pulls it all together in a simple and efficient way.

I am happy with the way they turned out. I actually really like that they aren't matchy - matchy but coordinate instead. 

2 down, only about 10 more to go! 

The Story Tree

I love Christmas. 
Not only is it the celebration of my Saviors' birth, but it is merry and festive. 

The lights, the food, the merriness in hearts, the colors, the smells, 
did I say the food? Mmmmm, it all goes together to create a wonderful atmosphere of anticipation and celebration! 
One of the things I enjoy doing in preparation for the holidays is decorating. 
Decorating the house for the Holiday has it's own set of traditions. One of our traditions centers around the Christmas tree. We typically go out into the woods to hunt for the perfect tree the weekend after Thanksgiving.  We drag it back home and set it up inside where we sip on mulled, hand pressed apple cider while listening to Frank Sinatra croon traditional Christmas Carols.  
It's good times people, good times. 
I have had many ideas about how the tree should be decorated over the years.  I mean with all my Pinteresting and the pictures that pop up in magazines, there is plenty of inspiration for a perfectly trimmed Tanenbaum. You've seen those perfectly decorated trees where the ornaments all color coordinate and the ribbon swirls around the tree just right.  Where it is so covered in ornaments and lights you can barely tell there is an evergreen tree underneath it all.  They are usually placed in the perfect corner of a spotless living room decorated with white furnishings. You just know that if that tree was real, it wouldn't dare drop a needle on the impeccable rug it has been placed on.  They are gorgeous!

Exhibit A:

photo courtesy of thelilypadcottage.com

All I have to say about those drool worthy residences is - they obviously don't have kids.  
Or a budget.
Of which, I have both.  Which is okay, because as pretty as those homes are, they would never survive our lifestyle and they wouldn't carry the meaning that our humble evergreen carries throughout the season for us. 
Besides that, where do they store all those decorations?  I have a lot of storage space but it is already pretty full. Or do they sell it all and start new the next year? Maybe they are the type who couldn't dream of decorating their tree the same way two years in a row?Hmmm, something to ponder.

Every year I buy a new Christmas ornament for each of my boys and one to keep for us.  Ideally these ornaments are chosen because they spark a memory of something significant that took place in each boys life that past year.  Sometimes, they aren't as meaningful but happen to be something the boys picked out themselves, which means it is something their 5, 7 or 9 year old self liked that year. 
Let me show you some examples:

 A couple years ago, around the time when the movie The Legend of GaHoole came out, the boys were really into owls.  So, I made them each a little owl ornament.

This little guy happens to be from a set that Hunky Hubby got for me one of our first Christmas's together. I believe we were living in Neenah, WI at the time.

This motorcycle rider was given to Seth.  He loved watching his daddy race dirt bikes. It reminds me of all the fun we had together attending the races, often with Uncle Ryan or Uncle Dan.

 This beauty was a gift from Ms. June.  She was Annie's original owner and she gave this to us as a thank you for watching Annie over the holidays one year. 

My mom gave this ornament to me when I was in college.  Little did she know I would still enjoy photography years later.

I found this one for Hunky Hubby this year.  It is perfect because the theme for the summer camp at SBR this year was Ship Wrecked.  He built a huge ship in the field to go along with the theme.  It was awesome, the best prop yet.

This pretty ornament was a gift from my mom when I believed that our family was complete with two boys. I am so glad I was wrong.  It reminds me of how small my vision for my life and future is compared to God's plan for me.

When Wyat was a baby, we called him our 'Little Moose'.  He was such a big boy.  I found this ornament for him to remember that time which is good since that nickname didn't stick. 

Tate was obsessed with dinosaurs for a couple of years. At 4 he could pronounce all their names and knew most of the facts about them.  He would correct his grandparents if they made mistakes while reading him Dino books. 

The first year that all the boys played soccer they each received this soccer ball ornament. 

These are just a few examples.   

Our tree, while it may not be perfectly decorated or color coordinated, tells a story. 

Our story. 

The memories that the ornaments represent are precious.

  

The stories get told over and over each year, cementing them in our sons minds, creating tradition and a sense of  reverence. 

It is the stories that bind us together as a family. 

And because of that, our tree is the most beautiful of all.  

Christmas Goodies

Here's a question I'd like to hear a few more people's opinions on:
What's your take on all the sweets and treats made throughout the holidays?
Are you crazy for them or do they make you crazy?

They make me crazy.  The holidays already feel so full and rushed.  I like to bake, but everywhere you go, there are cookies!
How are you supposed to keep from gaining 10 pounds in the month of December when there is chocolate and sugar everywhere! 

I'm fairly certain that if I didn't have children, I wouldn't make any treats for the holidays. Why go through all that work when you know you'll end up with a pile of goodies you didn't have to make by the end of the season?
I do it for the boys you know, all the nostalgic memories they will have when they are grown and think on Christmas' past?
I know the holidays are about traditions and stuff.  Making cookies is a part of that.  I even made it so our Advent calendar instructed us that we had to do it.  That way I wouldn't be allowed to skip out on the treat baking.

  So we did our cookie baking.
And this year, I even let the boys help.
(I know, Awesome Mom points for me)
Then I even let them eat some!
(That helps me score major Awesome Mom points)

This is how the pretzels look when I dip them . . .

We only made 2 kinds this year.
We have some other favorites, but I only wanted to invest the time, energy and resources into two.
So we chose dipped pretzels (one of my favorites, and more addicting than crack-cocaine. At least I think so. I wouldn't know from experience)

These are a sticky, gooey, mess with kids, but very simple with little to no instruction needed. I like the white almond bark the best, but the boys like the milk chocolate.
All you have to do is melt the chocolate in the microwave and let the kids dip away.  I did cover my cookie sheets in wax paper to make my life easier though. Incredibly, I'm getting a little smarter, the older I get. :)

This is what happens when the boys get to put on the sprinkles!

Oh, don't forget the sprinkles. They add festivity.  Plus it's the boys favorite part. This part does have to be strictly monitored however.  Otherwise you get a pretzel that is so completely coated in sprinkles, you aren't even convinced there is a pretzel underneath.

Our second treat was ginger bread cutout cookies.  The boys love to do cut outs, and Hunky Hubby loves ginger bread.  I however, do not.  Consequently I am not tempted to eat these cookies, thereby saving me from ingesting extra calories. 
Or it just saves some room for more pretzels. 
If only I wasn't so weak.
I do like to decorate the cookies and the boys do too.  This year they all managed to hang in long enough to decorate at least 3.7 cookies each.  Leaving the other 49 cookies for H.H. and I to do.
Surprisingly to you, because you don't know him as well as I do, H.H. is a pretty darn good cookie decorator.  He displays creativity and 'outside the box' ideas. As fun as it is, I'm really happy when they are all done.
We used a new recipe for the cookies that I found on the internet. H.H. said they tasted really good and weren't as hard as last years.  (he just doesn't realize how hard it is to perfectly bake an already brown cookie!) I'm not a fan of the frosting we used though and we won't be making that kind again.  I like to pipe on the frosting because it's neater and prettier. The frosting kept getting runnier and runnier as we used it! Our warm hands were melting the butter it was made out of I guess.
Fortunately it still tasted good. 
Or so I've been told.

As I suspected, two kinds of cookies were more than enough.  Somehow, there is a phenomenon with Christmas goodies.  They seem to multiply magically overnight.  For some reason, you just never run out.  I thought we only had  a large plate and a large ziploc full of treats, but I looked at my counter top the other day and there were 3 plates of cookies, one huge tupperware full of Cap'n Crunch candy, one bag of cookies and a box of chocolates. 
Plus, I bought peanut M & M's on clearance the other day.  
I just couldn't help myself.
We'll be eating gingerbread men well into the new year.
But, the pretzels are all gone.
Hey don't look at me!
I didn't eat them all!

Free & Festive Decorations

Want to add a little Christmas cheer to your home? I've got an idea to share that didn't cost me a dime.  I was able to use all materials I had around the house and in the yard.

Now of course this isn't an origional idea.  I saw similar arrangements in some pictures I saw on the internet while researching Christmas decorations. I'm sure I've got something pinned on my Holiday Happiness Pinterest board if you are interested.

Okay, let's get started. They were really simple to put together.

First of all, I braved the frozen tundra of our back yard to harvest a few pine boughs off of some of the trees in our back yard.  They needed a little pruning anyway.

 

Then I gathered up a few of the vases that I had decorating the top of my kitchen cabinets.

I also grabbed some holiday colored ribbon and some twine.

Snip the boughs to appropriate lengths. With a little careful placement and the addition of some fake red berries, you have a nice holiday styled arrangement.

I made three different arrangements to place around the kitchen and dining area. 
They pack a big holiday punch for a tiny bit of cost and effort.
It's not to late to make one for your home.
They would also make a nice hostess gift for some of these holiday parties you'll be attending.  

Add a little jolly to your holiday with these natural arrangements.

Happy decorating!