Here’s a gift for Phoebe from the best gift-giver ever, my Mom.
apple photo books
I think I mentioned pre-holiday that I had a happy customer service story to tell. Won’t come as much of a surprise that it’s Apple. I made my parents an Apple photo book for Christmas and it went missing. FedEx lost it. After months of scanning old family photos, cropping to the right dimensions, sorting by date, laying out a 50+ pg book, the stupid FedEx guy evidentally delivered it to the wrong address or dumped it in a snowbank and marked it as delivered. Apple sent me another copy, free, the day after I called them, express. Amazing. I love them. They saved Christmas. And they saved me from having a complete frickin nervous breakdown.
I ordered a hard cover book and it’s lovely. I want to make a bunch more. Maybe an annual one of the kids. It was super easy. I didn’t bother with captions or anything fussy, just photos laid out on white background with a black cover. I really don’t want to bother with albums anymore. They’re so bulky and the ones I have are all hodge podge and the kids want to rip the photos out of the sleeves and run off with them. And honestly, in this digital camera age I need something to force me to edit. I can fill a 200 photo album with just three months worth of photos. Maybe this way I can pick just one or two from the pumpkin patch instead of all 50 photos. Kids and pumpkins though.. just so cute.
make way for january
Man! There’s nothing on this old blog here but pictures from Christmas. I need to bump some stuff down. Here’s a photo for today. Tim cut these silhouettes of the kids for me for Christmas. I love them so much. Now I just need to find cool old oval frames for them. Then I’m going to get working on one of my projects – hanging photos of my kids around my house. I have none. I know, worst mom ever. Actually it is not my fault. It’s an inherited trait from my mother who never had any photos of us up. The photos she has up are ones Tim and I have printed out and framed for them. So it’s either wait for Phoebe to grow up and do this for me and get on it.
well hello 2009
I’ve been waiting for you for a looong time. Ring-a-ding-ding!! I’ve got plans for you, big ones. I’m going to unplug the wii iv, get these kids back to a normal routine, turn another year older and then I’m digging in. oh nine!
under the tree
I try to justify these ebay purchases saying their for Phoebe, but really she’s much more interested in legos and transformers. Seems if it’s not Oscar’s she not interested. Oh well, more for me to play with on Christmas Day. above: Holly Hobbie and below: Tammy dolls (wait til you see all their outfits!)
my heart grew two sizes
Remarkably, despite the negative degree temps, I’m in a much more holidayish mood this week. My new and improved spirit is due to some amazing customer service (will spill the details after the holidays), a few holiday successes and some super fun holiday parties with good friends. Add to that my handmade gifts being nearly finished and ready to ship out and I’m one cheerful elf today!
These are the last guys to be packed up. They’re bookmarks made from pre-painted wooden heads, pipe cleaners, felt and ribbon. I was stumped for “little something” gifts and then I found this idea in my sketchbook. I think I saw it in one of the many old craft books I’ve checked out from the library. They’ve definitely got a kooky 70s craft vibe.
I glued little craft floss hair-dos on them and then stuck pipe cleaners in their heads, used more glue to make a felt pipe cleaner sandwich and then whipstitched around the edge.
Sending out poorly glued together crafts that will likely fall apart in shipping has become something of a tradition of mine. Like these and before them these. I’ve got my fingers crossed for these gals!
I made a new flickr group of all my Christmas crafts, poorly glued and not. It’s here. I like to look at it when I feel like punking out on a handmade gift. It either motivates me to get going or it makes me feel accomplished enough already to take the pressure off myself and just rest. Either way it’s good!
actually having a grinch day
I’m going to go ahead with the full-of-holiday-spirit post I had going for today instead of going on a crazyperson I hate winter rant about boots and frozen pipes and sheets of ice for roads and parka hoods that get tangled in bag straps and try to put you out of your misery by hanging you on the minivan door. Nope. Instead it’s all cheery. It’s all good. Dream of a white christmas. Snow is your fluffy happy friend. And zero degrees, why just another reason to have hot cocoa!
So decorating this year was much easier than last year. Instead of trying to figure out how to decorate a new house this year I just put everything in the same spots. I was happy to follow the path of least resistance. Guess that’s how traditions are made. I still felt compelled to take pictures though so here’s the same stuff, different angles.
