mamamade

I realize that it is the 13th of January and that the rest of the internet is done with their Christmas recaps, 2009 summaries and hopes for 2010. Unfortunately, I’M NOT THERE YET! So stay with me while I do a little reflecting, summing up and resoluting over the next week or so (stress the so…).

One of the best parts of 2009 for me was the rediscovery of my creativity. In the years of figuring out how to be married, having kids, making a home and all the rest of it, I lost myself. I put myself so far on the back burner that I couldn’t really remember me any more. Last year was a year of self discovery. A sort of finding myself. Remembering what I like. What I’m good at. What gives me life. Taking time for myself and feeling good about it.

Last year I really started to tap into my creative side again. Once I started making things, I couldn’t stop. With each new thing I sewed or knit or photographed, 10 more ideas were born in my head. I love to make things. To create beauty with my own hands. To pour a part of myself into a gift for someone I love. That is why it was so important to me to make something special for each of our children this Christmas. To think of something they would love, design it, pick out just the right colours and then work late into many nights finishing each gift. I cried when they opened their gifts because I had poured so much love into each of them and was so sure they would LOVE them. I guess it’s a way for me to say “I love you” and for our children to have something tangible they can look back on and know that their Mom knew them well enough to make just the right thing. Know what I mean?

Today I wanted to share with you the gifts I made our children. Nothing I made was rocket science but it was from my heart, especially for each of the precious little people born to me.

My eldest is an artist at heart. For the last few months he has been working on a number of paintings and drawings in the hopes of having his own art show one day (Coincidentally, one of my goals for this year is to help him set up his first art show. I can’t wait!). He spends hours drawing and painting.

I knew that my budding artist needed an art supply holder that he could haul around with him. I crafted this handy little roll up one for him out of heavy wool felt (although next time I would likely make it out of a heavy fabric so it could be washed).

It’s a dark chocolate colour on the outside so it won’t show the dirt it will inevitably pick up (and because dark chocolate is one of our shared loves) and bright blue on the inside to match his eyes. The “ribbon” is made from a scrap of fabric left over from his brother’s gift. The boys LOVE to have things that match so I wanted to co-ordinate their gifts a bit. I filled it with sketching markers (but it could easily hold coloured pencils, brushes, etc.) and wrapped it with a sketch book. To say that he loves it is an understatement! He has slept with it tucked under his pillow most night since Christmas and has dragged it with him nearly every time we’ve left the house.

For our beautiful daughter, I made a sparkly purple tutu. She is a princess (Diva?) at heart. She is also OBSESSED with the colour purple. And sparkles. And ballet. It was a natural fit.

I made this little tutu for her to wear whenever the mood struck: playing dress up, eating breakfast, napping in the afternoon, ballet class (she was a bit sad that she didn’t have a fancy tutu like some of the other girls). She feels beautiful in it and that is JUST how I see her and how I want her to see herself.

For our littlest one, I made a night-night bag (and may I state for the record that the idea originated for him?).

It is made out of a dark denim with a bright, fun “kitty-cat” fabric, with some stripes and zigzags for interest. Here’s a look at it inside out:

I love this bag but more importantly, my little guy ADORES it! He loves to fill it with his “track-ors”, cars mooo-vie cars and random other bits he gathers from around the house. We take it with us wherever we go now. When we are heading out the door, he often stops and asks, “gots mine bag?”. It has been really helpful numerous times already at restaurants, the church nursery and long drives in the car.

Making these things for my children (and the other kids I made gifts for), filled me with so much joy this Christmas. I can’t wait to start on the next 20 projects I’ve got in mind!

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