Handmade Wooden Jewelery

Well...that was a bit of a break I had no idea I would be taking.  ;-)  Funny how time gets away on you and before you realize it, it is almost the end of the first month of the new year. Yikes.  We've been busy with decluttering and doing some packing and also with fun stuff like the boys learning to downhill ski and S and I re-learning to ski (after many, many years not skiing - almost 30 year for me!).  I'm thrilled we have another activity to enjoy as a family.

I did mean to show you all the wooden delights my talented boys (the big one too!) gifted me with this Christmas - and since it's a month past I guess I better get on with it.

W made this beautiful spoon out of walnut wood for me.  It feels just right in my hand and I am determined to use it even though it feels too "good" to use in many ways.  I know he wants me to put it to proper use instead of saving it so I will - just not with tomato-y things (or blueberries, grapes, elderberries or anything else that might stain it).

E made these gorgeous wooden holders for our cloth napkins (also out of walnut).  They're beautiful and...I just happened to find some lovely linen napkins at the thrift store that look just right with them (although they also make even our everyday cloth napkins look good - shown below) .

He also made me this handy pen holder for my desktop - he knows I LOVE things made from wood.  It holds 3 pens (or pencils) and helps to keep me organized (a habit I am working to develop even more this year).

And S made me all sorts of good things - another beautiful board (that I can't bear to cut on so I call it a cheese board instead of a bread board) and a knife to go with it.

And...five wooden (not golden) rings.  I had been looking through a book on handmade things earlier in the month and had shown him some wooden rings that I thought were beautiful so you can imagine my delight when I found that my talented husband had made some for me!  This is one of my favourites.

And then I think he got on a roll with jewelery making and decided I needed some bangles to go with my rings

and also some necklaces.  He also made my mom some beautiful earrings that I don't have a picture of but I can tell you that all the females in our family were delighted with him.  I do so love handmade gifts!

Felted Sweater Hat and Needle Felted Sweater

Well, apparently I was having such a relaxing holiday that I managed to forget all about posting these two gifts - my favourite handmade things from this Christmas.  E had told me that he would like to get a hat with earflaps (what I consider an Elmer Fudd hat) and so I was delighted to find a pattern for one in this fun book (Warm Fuzzies by Betz White).   This made up quickly and easily on the 23rd from thrifted sweaters, already felted, I had on hand.  I was quite happy with how it turned out and I am thrilled with how much he loves it.  He has worn it constantly (even inside the house) since.

I also really like this gift - as a mama to two boys I am thrilled when I can make something for the little girls I know.  I was very pleased with how this one turned out too.  I started it quite awhile ago but somehow got sidetracked with other gifts so it was a good feeling to get it finished.

The bumble bee is a 3 D needle felted bee that I stitched on (the same kind I make for wreaths and hair barrettes). 

The ladybug is needle-felted right onto the little pocket.

And...I couldn't very well leave the back of the sweater plain, could I?  No, I didn't think so either, so I did a little dragon fly.  Fun.