Under the Tree

We've had a few mysterious presents turn up under the Christmas tree this year. I think we'll need to leave a little plate of cookies outside the door to feed all of our generous wandering guests.

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Start Now and Knit Your Own Wrapping Paper

As you might have noticed, I've recently fallen back in love with knitting. It's the combination of cold weather and a little tiny person for whom things knit up wonderfully quickly -- there's nothing like feeling you can finish a whole piece of clothing in a week or so!

And with my needles out and itching for new challenges, I've considered trying out this lovely way of wrapping a present:

(source 1) 

Surely, it is just a large rectangle of stocking stitch that has been seamed at the back and the end? What a great way to make friends and family feel all woolly inside.

And for those that can't knit (or those us who can, but inevitably run out of time), there's a cheat: faux-knitted wrapping paper!

And, to write your message, faux-knitted cards!

(source 2 & 3)

Just, please, don't compare the knitting inside the present to the wrapping paper... you'll be sorely disappointed!

Adventures with a Can of Chalkboard Paint, Part II

We all know about the circle of gift bags -- you have a birthday or a baby, and suddenly have a stash of six million bags to repackage with gifts for other people's birthdays or babies. And on it goes. Magic. But what about gift tags? Wouldn't it be lovely if you could just erase that "Happy Birthday, Astrid" message, and reuse the gift tag, too?

Well, ladies and gents, here it is, the reusable gift tag:

Chalkboard paint + those cheap paint-it-yourself wooden Christmas ornaments at craft stores = a gift tag that works again and again.

(Just be careful of tricksters with their own sticks of chalk -- a few minutes alone under the Christmas tree, and suddenly all the presents are for Uncle Jesper...)

Comfy, cozy, rusty?

This week, I'm mostly:

• Trying to find excuses to leave the house, so I can wear the wonderfully warm and fluffy UGGs my Mum sent me for Christmas. I LOVE them!

(Well, okay, to be honest, I'm wearing them inside too, and completely abandoning my Anti-Shoes-in-House policy, much to Justin's relief!)

• Eating the Terry's chocolate orange that Bella got me for Christmas, and wishing I was in England.

(Well, okay, I bought it for myself, but Bella showed

no signs of going to the shops on her own!)

• Loving rustiness. All the barns we saw on the drive back from San Antonio really inspired me, and though I haven't decided what form my 'Tribute to Rust' will be in, I'm working on it!

• Writing and illustrating a few pages on how the pregnancy is going so far. I tried using a regular 'baby book' type thing, but four lines a week isn't enough room! I want a page a day, and room to draw!

What a lot of fun!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas,

full of family, fun and chocolate ('tis the English way...)!

xo

Christmas fun!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this already, but this year, Justin and I had parts in the Christmas nativity scene! Here's a little group photo:

(I'm Mary, on the far left, with Justin/Joseph hiding behind me!)

It was such a laugh, as all of the wise men, shepherds and angels are our good friends, and so we filled the long hours backstage with chatting and playing my new favourite game:

If you've never played this, go grab it for Christmas! It costs five bucks, and is totally addicting. And unlike real Monopoly, it's normally over in fifteen minutes. Seriously!

Justin and I actually realized we'd bought it for each other for Christmas when there were two suspiciously similar-shaped presents under the tree... so we ripped the wrapping off one and started playing right away! I love game time!