The Great Reveal

As promised, I dedicate this post to the handful of Christmas presents I made this year. Like I said, I had high hopes of making much more than I did, but I think that which did get accomplished turned out pretty well.... in my humble opinion. : )

First on my list, 2012 calendars... Kinda feels like cheating when I say I made these because technically it was Shutterfly that made them. But I did take all the photos that were used and spent several hours painstakingly uploading and then arranging them over and over again until I was satisfied with the overall look. Not as easy as one would think, especially considering I can be a bit of a perfectionist. But in the end, they turned out great and I'm hoping those who received one will enjoy the remembrances of Juneau and it's beauty all year round.

My second project all started because I had simply been looking at holiday decorations online and came across a photo of a wreath I fell in love with but couldn't afford. Soooo, instead I decided to try to make it! Most of it was pretty simple to put together but slightly time consuming. Lots of cutting and gluing. And although I have had lots of experience knitting, it took me a couple tries to create a hat I was happy with. I also ended up needing a lot of help with the snowman's head. I would like to believe I would have figured it out eventually but, after several failed attempts and a fast approaching deadline, I had to call in reinforcements. It definitely pays to have a crafty mom living nearby! She swooped in and saved the day by making it on her first try! Without her help I may have been giving this as a Valentine's Day present rather than finishing it with a day to spare! In the end, I think the final product turned out pretty darn cute and is now hanging lovingly at my friend's house and will hopefully grace the walls of her place for many holidays to come!

The final handmade goods I have to share are actually a test run of a new item I am thinking about adding to my Etsy shop. I used to have a tradition of making my sister a new knitted scarf each Christmas and decided to spice it up a bit this year. After a couple tries, I came up with this design for a cowl and loved how it looked. It didn't take long after the first one was made for me to decide to make a few more for a handful of friends. Depending on the feedback I get from everyone, I will then decided whether it's worth listing them online for sale or not. It will involve finding a brand of yarn I like, lots of knitting, then taking decent photos of each color cowl I decide to list. It's a lengthy process and might actually end up as a future blog so, once again, check back later to see how/if it all turns out!

 Random Fact About Me #205: I'm one of those people who work best under pressure.