quick post on christmas gifts....

so, Christmas is done and over with but I still have a few pics of the gifts i got my peeps this year. i totally have to share because i "committed" this year. i committed to doing things for the people i love. like with my hands. using my god-given talents. like, it took a long time. but let me just say, it was very rewarding. 

but first, i wanna share our little december wall art we (jonah and i) did in the boys room: let it be known (jonah, i know you will read this some day) that J's attitude was horrendous. he was very upset that his snowman didn't look as good as mine. soon he will have to realize he can't give up, to keep trying and to pay close attention at details that will help him succeed at drawing such a great snowman. i know he'll pass on that knowledge to his kids one cold, december day. 

keeping with tradition, i did my yearly christmas cards like a boss! i love doing them so much, kinda wish i would get some work that was just addressing envelopes. ha! 

a really good friend of mine is going through the process of adoption-through-foster and i thought some wall art would be appropriate for the room she recently made over for a sweet little babe. i didn't take a photo of it framed, which is a pity because it looked so pretty. 

and starting in november, i think, i began to embroider a kitchen towel for my beloved aunt. she once mentioned that she would like a towel with the saying and i finally made her one. she made a comment that it looked like it was machine-made. how dare she...

but you wanna know what? embroidery is not my thing yall. i'm sure with practice, i would be decent. but paintbrush? oh yes. 

and when you have the cutest daredevil watching you from the other end of the table, well, it just makes it much sweeter to work on christmas gifts.

next up, i hand stamped wrapping paper.  you know, everyone does it at christmas--especially the diy community. i swear it only took me 10 mins, tops, to do this. it was actually very therapeutic, as long as that little daredevil wouldn't get into the stamp pads! 

i used this wrapping paper to do one of the most coolest gifts to a dear little nephew of mine....

that's right. now, leo has TWO favorite Freckles. One for real that he can torture, and the other well, stuffed that he can torture. i painted the portrait of his dog onto cotton canvas with acrylics, sewed a back onto it and stuffed it. it's a pretty sweet pillow :) hope he enjoys it. if not, i know a sister who might (....dawna). 

here's the picture i used:

so there ya go. it was pretty freaky having the pillow in my studio because i swear it was the real thing until i did a double take. i miss you freckles. you were a great studio companion.

this is just half of my gifts to people. mostly, i gave out framed photos. i've gotten so bad about printing out the good photos that it was time i spent doing that and share the joy. 

hope you all had a great time with family and loved ones and that you were blessed in 2014. i know i was and i am forever grateful!

now it's time to take down all that christmas stuff and begin the new year---i'm excited about that part!