It's a handmade Christmas....

This December was, I think, one of my favorite ever.  Each year (for years) I have made and sold loads of holiday pins at shows or in school and medical staff rooms around town to help with family finances and Christmas cha-ching, but this year I only did a few basketfuls.  My teaching/homeschooling schedule dominated much of my pin making time this year and then the weather kept the schools closed down at what is usually the major pin selling time. It was much more fun to turn my energy elsewhere.  For several months El Professor and I have talked about truly doing 'a handmade Christmas' for our adult family members and the time and energy put into gathering and making was delightful.  At Thanksgiving we delivered our 'harvest of the valley' gifts to the desert relations we wouldn't be seeing at Christmas, loading up bags with apples, squash, onions and delights from the valley farmstands that are so distant from the high desert (and add up at the grocery stores there.)  For the family with whom we spent Christmas we put together gift bags....

Apples that we purchased from the still-open favorite farmstand where we usually pick apples filled the bottom of the bags.  At this time of year the orchard is barren and the wonderful apples are in cold storage ready to purchase by the box.  

I have some girlfriends who gather each year to make lip balm.  We covet the stuff for winter chapped lips, knuckles and rhinovirus red noses.  

These flax seed wraps were inspired by my injured friend.  

We picked loads of strawberries in June.  Those that didn't become freezer jam were juiced and then frozen for a December Jam Session.  Only this Jam Session was all about clear, red jelly. 

Rose hips.............

........and twigs gathered on our Christmas tree outing became...........

winter wreaths for front doors.  

In August I dried some of the wedding flowers from my GORGEOUS neice's wedding.....

...and gave them back to her for Christmas.

Making candle centerpieces for the candlelight service at church was the motivation for gathering all of the rose hips.  

I am finally posting this on New Year's Eve.  My next project....you should see the garage...twigs, rose hips....oh, and it's time to take down the tree.  

Happy New Year!