A Week of Elving, Day 5

Oh my goodness, it's getting hard to share what we busy elves are making over here without spoiling the surprises! However, since my kiddos don't visit this space, I can share what they're making for each other!

I just adore the things they come up with when they get their one-on-one with Mama to brainstorm for their sib. It's one of my favorite things about the holidays. They've painted each other pictures, they've made beaded necklaces and paper mache dinosaurs, and they each did a custom hoodie for the other last year.

This year, they've been very thoughtful about what they're making for each other; Audrey observed that Henry doesn't have a cap that fits him anymore (more or less), so she's been designing a new baseball cap for him:

Hen has observed that Sissy's taped-up art needs a better means of being displayed in her room, so he's designing some cork tiles for her walls:

They are both bursting with their secrets, and can't wait until it's gift-giving time. Quite frankly, it's contagious. I can't wait, either!

A Week of Elving, Day 4

Last year, I made my first attempt at homemade body care products (we did lip balm, beard balm, and a leather polish/conditioner while we were at it... not really body care but many similar ingredients!).

This year, after finally finally resupplying my stash of 'chapstick'-style containers (they are surprisingly hard to find in bulk at an affordable price and with reasonable shipping times), I was able to make a second round of lip balm. Even though my bees weren't able to share any honey with us this year, we were able to save up a nice little stash of wax, so this years' balm features our beeswax with peppermint and citrus...

...and learning from my first attempt, this years' batch is also smoother and super glossy! This was a fun little project, and I can't wait to share 'em!

A Week of Elving, Day 3

Another important part of our regular Elving activities is making sure we have something to share with all the teachers that do so much. It's hard to know what the right choice for a gift from a kiddo is, though: something edible (but something they'll actually eat)? Something sentimental (but something that could actually be used and not something that just adds to clutter)? Something trendy or fashionable (but something that doesn't break our budget)?

This year we doubled down- something edible and something useful (hopefully). First, the kiddos designed little heart-shaped wooden charms for their main teachers...

...and once the paint was dry, we drilled holes and added the hardware...

...and voila! We had ourselves some key chains that will hopefully be meaningful and useful to those lovely teachers that have won the hearts of my Littles.

To accompany them, we also made a batch of our favorite orange and pretzel bark (though we used fresh orange zest this time instead of candied orange peel)...

...and Audrey did all the zesting herself (and a most impressive job she did, too). Once everything was set, we broke up the bark, filled up the bags, and attached the key chains. The best part of this project? Seeing how excited my little students are to give these gifts to their teachers.

Truly, the best part.

A Week of Elving, Day 2

Another activity that always claims a big ol' slice of our holiday time is deckin' the halls, and my personal favorite kind of decor is the homemade kind (especially the kind homemade by little hands).

My thoughtful, creative decorator elves never fail to rise to the occasion when it's finally time to decorate. Sister pulled out all the stops for the first day of fall, and now that her trees and signs have come down she's back at it, faithful assistant by her side, making our dining room windows (and every other window she can reach) look like a winter wonderland.

We've even spent some elving effort on little Christmas kangaroos to share (a nod to our family dinner theme this year- Australian Christmas)!

Who knew tissue paper, cotton balls, felt scraps and a little embroidery floss could be so much fun? Decorations are one of our most favorite elving activities!

A Week of Elving, Day 1

I think it just wouldn't feel like the holidays were drawing near if there wasn't something being made around these parts. Happily, this seems to be a mutual feeling for more than one person in my family, and that usually means I can easily find willing little elves to lend a hand when the project calls for it. This week I'll be sharing a few of the things we're currently making, which when in progress we call 'Elving.'

A few of the things you can regularly find us making this time of year could probably be called 'family classics' at this point. One of my favs has got to be the pjs I make/assemble for gifting in the kids' Solstice bag (remember it's first appearance?). Kinda a surprise, kinda not, it's really just about taking full advantage of the few years I have left wherein my kiddos don't mind matching! (My go-to pj pant how-to is from The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule)

Another classic has become at least one batch of over-frosted, over-sprinkled, brightly colored sugar cookies we always make together to share with our neighbors...

...and of course we'll have to make time for hot chocolate to go with 'em! The perfect way to kick off a week of festive- and sometimes frantic- Elving!

So... what are your go-to, must-have, classic homemades this time of year?

What We Made

Beeswax-based leather/shoe conditioner and polish

Lots of lip balm from the base recipe found here

White-dough ornaments and garlands

Fabric dye-stick sweatshirts

Sweet/salty peanut butter treats and lots and lots of cookies!

 For us this year, the balance between finding time for handmades and finding time for work and chores parred down our usual list, but what did make the cut was so much fun and (I think) so appreciated! A few didn't get photo-documented (we did a little wood burning, some sewing, and there were several gifts of honey which don't really count, right?), but now that everything is distributed throughout our families and working to remind them of how much they're loved, we're feeling pretty good about our little projects. After all, that is what makes something handmade special, right? All that love!

Ssssshhh... Holiday Makin'

True to our usual, we've been sneaking in crafty making goodness for a while now, mainly because I'm a planner and planning ahead is what I do, but also because I'm a sssslooooow maker and starting way ahead of time is the only way I could ever gift anything homemade for the holidays.

There's not a lot of how-to I can share in this space at this point, but there are a few teaser peaks I can post without giving away too much...

After all the surprises have done their surprising and the wrappings have settled, I'll come back to these projects and share a few links for inspiration, in case anyone wants to know! But until then, sssssssshhhhhhhhh!