Handmade Holidays : Part 1

This year for the holidays I have chosen to keep it simple and heartfelt. I love to crochet and will make some fun items for family and friends. I started with a scarf and a few hats, then moved on to more exciting projects like stuffed animals. I have just picked up the art of crochet again after a very long hiatus and am having so much fun with it! Here are a few pics of some things I've done so far.

Beanie Hat

Mama Bird with 3 babies and nest

Penguin Stuffy


My 5 year old loves the stuffed animals. I ended up giving him both the penguin and the birds because he thought I made them for him :) They are actually pretty easy and fast to make, so I will just make more. I'm also planning on making some wood board decorations and blankets for Christmas as well. I am sending small baskets with homemade preserves and crocheted washrags to the neighbors. I just hope everyone enjoys them as much as I've enjoyed making them. They don't cost me much of anything except my time, and I think that's a pretty good trade. Especially since it's freezing outside and I may as well spend my time on something other than staring at a TV. The patterns for the penguin and birds were found at www.lionbrand.com and the hat pattern was found at walmart for free with the yarn. As the title of this post suggests, I do plan on posting more about my handmade holiday gifts. So keep an eye out for the next installment!

Quiet Fall

I've had a little writers block as far as simple living goes lately. With growing and canning season wrapping up, there hasn't been much going on. So I thought I'd do a little post about Autumn.



Our cute little wishing well

 

I love how quiet everything seems to be in the Fall. The birds migrate south, the lawn mowers and weed eaters get stored in the shed for the season. The kids are inside wrapped in blankets and playing board games. Even the amount of vehicles driving up the road seems to diminish. It feels like everything is settling into hibernation before the snow starts to fall. There is nothing more peaceful than taking an Autumn stroll when everything is quiet and all you hear is the crunching of leaves beneath your feet.

Missy enjoying a warm afternoon in the backyard