I wish I could own a reindeer (or a caribou – same thing – but caribous have their own coffee place :)). If I lived on a farm, I would have to think of purchasing one of these cute buddies. Or a unicorn or llama. Tilly would love that – she could be in charge of the little guy. Well, he wouldn’t be that little but it still would be fun.

Here are some reindeer photos to put a smile on your face:

(source of all photos)

Reindeer cards by Studio Flower Power at etsy.com – one word: adorable.

(source)

Almost have all my gifts finished!
Hope you’re having a lovely week – enjoy this special time with friends and family.
And don’t forget the very special gift we received in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Winter break begins for the high school where I teach on Friday and all I have to say is: thank you, Jesus. My freshmen are so squirrely and ready for a break – and so am I. I’m looking forward to a few weeks of visiting friends and family, wedding projects, catching up on grading, website/blog designing,  running, reading, lots of crocheting and even more photo-snapping. It may sound extremely ambitious to get all of this accomplished but to a slightly-burned out teacher this sounds like one glorious to-do list.

ALSO, I’m ridiculously excited about giving my family members their Christmas presents this year. I made a vow to myself that everything would be homemade. EVERYTHING. Boy, did I have to get the thinker working on this one. Do you know how difficult it is to think of something homemade for a picky, computer nerd of a dad? Geesh. The rest of my family can completely empathize but I DID figure something out. Laurie, my sister, was a breeze – she has such a cool style that it’s easy to think of something to make her. Look for pictures of the results after Christmas. :)

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In the meantime, if you’re feeling enthusiastically artful and resourceful and you would like to make some of your gifts, here are some ideas that keep the costs of presents low and the meaningfulness of the gift high:

I commend the people behind the Martha Stewart website – some creative folks on board there! I raided some of their ideas and listed them below. Most of the projects are affordable and easy to make. Click on the title of the project if you would like some more how-to directions:

Knitted Neck Scarf

and if you CAN’T knit, then have Kelly Smith knit you a scarf. The cost of one her pretty scarves goes completely to their adoption process. Contact her here and PLEASE view their story and more information about the scarves here.

Feathered Headband:
(also search for “feathered headband” at Etsy.com and you’ll see some lovelies already made up!)

Painted China:
(raid thrift stores and dollar stores for cheap china!)

Button Necklace:

Car Travel Kit:

Photo Bookmarks:

Cookie Puzzle:

Monogram corkboard:

Personalized Coffee Blend:

Super-Chunky Christmas Cookie Mix via the Food Network:

Another one of my favorites is “Hot Chocolate on a Stick” featured by Emma with the Red Velvet Girls:

(You simply heat milk and stir these hot chocolate/coffee chunks on a stick until completely melted. BRILLIANT.)

Of course, I’m not revealing some of my favorite projects because I don’t want my family to creep on my blog and find out what I’m whipping up for them. :)

Happy crafting!