A little ol' snowman

I love snowmen as decor because you can use them all winter long.  This snowman was a cute one that took me a year and a half.  Isn't that pathetic?  My problem wasn't just the fact that I had to start over half way through the embroidery because I cut the muslin too little for a frame, but it was also the actual framing.  But once I finally got it in there, it has been one of my favorite things to put up.  Makes having a long winter a little easier when you have cute decorations you can look at.  Ha, I wish.

This little guy I found online before I got the above pattern from my mom.  He is so cute.  I love the mouth and rosy cheeks.  I have another snowman embroidery I am drawing up but I can't get it right or figure out what size I'd want it.  It's a snowman looking at the star of David.  It's been sitting around longer than I can remember.  Who knows, maybe someday.

Christmas gifts: Sugar Scrub

This past Christmas I wanted to make something fun for our neighbor gifts.  So I found a few recipes here and here for sugar scrub and thought it would be so fun and easy to make.  The recipe I used didn't require me to buy anything which is the main reason I used it but I'd love to try some other ones.

Then I realized that we also needed to give a treat to all the kids and husbands so we made pink popcorn for them.

Sweet N’ Spicy Brown Sugar Scrub

1 cup – C&H® Dark or Light Brown Sugar
1 cup – C&H® Pure Cane Sugar
¾ cup – light olive oil
2 tsp. – cinnamon, powdered
2 tsp. – ginger, powdered
2 tsp. – nutmeg, powdered
1 16 oz. – glass container with lid
Cinnamon sticks, optional

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Be sure to break up any lumps from the brown sugar or from the spices. Spoon into the glass container and secure with lid. Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten.

Nativity

My mom made this nativity for all the married kids one Christmas before I was married.  I thought it was so cute that when I got married, I asked her to make me one to put in my home.  She started it but handed it off to me 2 years ago saying that I'd probably work faster than her since she was having some problems with her hand going numb.  After her hand ailment was long gone the embroidery still sat there partially finished.  I'd work on it furiously for a while and then run out of thread and never get to the store.  Then it'd be forgotten for a couple more months.  Anyway, this took me forever to do but I finally finished it!  My mom framed it and sent it just in time to display for the season.

Tis the season

After 4 years of having the pattern and 3 years of working on it, I have finally finished our family's Christmas stockings.  My goodness, that took forever.  I am so happy they are done.  Well, they are presentable at least.  I do still want to do something to label them with names.  But have decided to put that off until another year.  I'm thinking little wooden letter hanging like pendents.