Sunday, December 30, 2012

Homemade Gifts

As Jeff so aptly put it, "We rocked the homemade gifts this year!"  Indeed, there were some fine and lovely gifts, lovingly crafted for one another - always my favorite kind of gifts.  As in past years, it's hard to decide which I enjoyed more - the making of the crafts, or the giving of the gift.  I loved the time I got to spend, too, with the kids and with Jeff as we made these gifts. 
Leo made "no sew" fleece blankets for his brothers - this one was for Aidan; Pax's had monsters on once side and orange fleece on the other.  

The 5 of us each designed a plate with Sharpie markers, then made it foodsafe by baking it in the oven.

Initial "C" covered in bottle caps for beer-lovin' Jeff
Initial "R" out of corks - for friends
Bunch of Grapes made out of corks for my wine enthusiast father
All things Harry Potter for Aidan:  Golden Snitch; Quill pen; hollowed out secret hideaway book; faux glasses
I used iron transfer paper to make Leo's favorite drawings into pillows for his bed.  On left:  his amazing robot; on right: his beloved Flat Cat portrait.
This is my mother's favorite Christmas quote that I turned into a decorative canvas

Ornaments for teachers

A slew of sweet ornaments for each brother's tree (in each of their rooms)

The completed Pax gift to brothers


For Chef Pax - a personalized apron and cookbook of favorite recipes, plus photos

Aidan made these AMAZING coffee mugs for each brother, with my mom's guidance and instruction.  Leo's mug has a snail inside; Pax's has a turtle.  And they are BIG, because, as Aidan said, "They drink a LOT of coffee."

The kids made these hand-some bowls out of clay (again, with my mom's amazing guidance!)

Jeff's gift to me:  an new kind of family portrait for our walls.  He painted them, freehand. 
"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."  -Mother Teresa

(If you haven't read this blog in awhile, you may want to start here to catch up on the 
previous-yet-related posts...)

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