ROBIEWANKENOBIE: all christmas all the time...

lo, but after a long break, my brain is regaining its ability to craft. nobody says that i'm crafting well, mind you, but it's a start.

on saturday the gals and i got together to sew dolls. sure there were mistakes, sure we were barely able to sew through the slap-happy laughing, but the almost finished product has possibilities. if only i can manage to keep from screwing it up from here... oh, and ne gifted me some darling fabrics. including some camping fabric for the doll's sleeping bags.

i found (who are we kidding, here...Leon found) the missing part to my sewing machine, so it is theoretically possible that i can whip those up tonight. if i can only remember how to thread the daggone thing. and to think that i once won a blue ribbon in 4-H for my sewing. i also got one for wood working and a few for my demonstration speeches. you can see how far i've fallen, can't you? it is a travesty.

last night dizwan and i whipped out some gifties for the gals in our families. we took mason jars and filled them with some great smelling bath salts that we made. no, really...we didn't use the "canned" scents in the craft store....we got some rockin' (meaning not patchouli based -- it gives me hives) essential oils. yum. we topped the salts with some matching (in color and scent) glitter soaps. then we took some of the nifty fabrics that we got from ne and covered the tops. they are really pretty.

i'll make some jewelry for my sil's and nieces, as well. the brothers get framed pics of them at the grand canyon. the nephews are still a puzzle, but i'll figure that out sometime this week. maybe cookies? or is that a cop out.

i am 90% done with the boring black sock from hell. i plan on finishing that sucker this afternoon or evening, at which point i will get cracking on the second black sock from hell. hopefully, i can get them done in time to whip out some self striping socks, as well. i am very amused by the self striping. it's the little things, ya know...

next, i need to assemble four jewelry organizers. i'm taking frames, backing them with screening, and hanging a dowel or metal rod a short distance below. i'm hanging the rod, on chains, from eyehooks placed in the bottom of the frame. there will be holes in the rods, and hooks at the bottom of the chains. that way the rod can be easily unhooked and the chains will slide right on. i'm going to use small black ponytail holders to keep the chains from sliding together.

only two of these things need to ship. the other stuff? i can work on until the very last minute. which is a good thing, because i'll need each and every one of those little minutes...

i leave you with some christmas tree joy...the unbreakable kind...