Santa's Workshop

Christmas (and all of December) has gone by in a whirl. For weeks before I was busy making, enhancing and buying other handmade things.

Ava and her cousin brothers each got a personalized tote bag filled with books and art supplies.

Connor, who is practicing his handwriting, also got some personalized stationery.

And Grady, who is too young for art supplies, got a handsome new outfit and some special blocks.

For my best friend, I made a desktop pin board and ordered a 2010 planner from Kate Spade.

I also made some ornaments, then stained a wooden box and used some evergreen boughs for padding (for some reason, I could not take a good photo of these...)

This one had a tiny mistletoe sprig. Some of the others had tiny pine cones or cuttings of pine boughs.

Santa filled this adorable bag (from Shim and Sons) with a matching tissue holder, lip smackers, and what Ava deemed "the most beautiful polish in the world" and left it in Ava's stocking.

She also got this adorable little set in her stocking (from Goose Grease Undone). I think I may have to paint a few of these little guys, you know, for instructional purposes.