The War on Christmas

Warning: This is just a little rant about something that’s been bothering me lately…. These are just my thoughts and feelings.

I’m a Christian. I believe, acknowledge, and celebrate what I believe to be “the reason for the season” which is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. But I also partake in the secular side of Christmas. I attend the candlelight Christmas Eve church service celebrating Jesus’ birth and then I go home and turn into Santa’s helper placing gifts under the Christmas tree once Noah has gone to bed.

The past couple of years, because of the “war on Christmas” as some call it, some companies tell their employees not to wish customers a Merry Christmas (using Happy Holidays as an alternative) and what was once referred to as Christmas tree or Christmas ornaments are now often times referred to as holiday trees and holiday ornaments. I guess it’s just become the politically correct thing to do.  But I've noticed Christians are making it a point to use “Merry Christmas” more and more. 

I’ll be honest, before the war on Christmas was so predominant, I used to say “Happy Holidays” more than “Merry Christmas.” Not because I’m not proud to be a Christian and celebrate the birth of Jesus but because I feel like Happy Holidays includes multiple holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s and by saying “Happy Holidays” I’m including all of those. Often times when I write about Christmas related things, I’ll use holiday season because again, I’m talking about the entire season; more than just one day (Christmas Day in this case.) I suppose I could start referring to it as the Christmas season but I’m just not used to saying that yet.

I also personally feel it’s odd to wish someone a “Merry Christmas” early on in the season, like on December 2^nd for example. Christmas is still weeks away at that point! 

But because of the War on Christmas, I feel pressured and that I’m almost a bad Christian if I’m wishing people “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” And I’m tired of it. I mean really, if I wish someone “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” am I really taking Christ out of my Christmas? No! I still believe what I believe, I’m still a Christian, and I still celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. But, I want to be able to say what I want to say without being judged or someone forming an opinion of what I believe in based on two words. What I believe, can’t be summed up or explained in a two-word well-meaning pleasantry. 

Besides, I know my heart, I know who I am, and who’s I am.  

Christmas and a Special Needs Child

The other day about I wrote about seeing the magic of Christmas through Noah’s eyes. But I wouldn’t be painting a complete picture of the Christmas season if I didn’t mention the hard parts too.

Even with all of Noah’s excitement about the Christmas season, it can still be very difficult for Noah and children like him. Christmas Day is extremely out of routine, there is no schedule. We usually travel to my parents’ house which he looks forward to but it’s just not the normalcy he is used to. It feels like a weekend (which to Noah means hash browns from McDonalds or Hardees) but it isn’t always on a weekend.

I thought I’d share a few of the things we usually do to try and help Noah have the merriest of Christmases possible and perhaps if you are the parent of a child with special needs who gets overwhelmed during the holidays, some of these ideas will help you.

1. Traditions are important. Just like routine, traditions become a part of the Christmas “routine.” Even though it’s only once a year, Noah remembers the things we do each year. For example, we have a very small Christmas Eve “party” (it’s just our little family but Noah likes to call it a party) after the candlelight church service. Part of Noah’s Christmas routine is the church service and then the Christmas Eve party. He knows those things will happen each year.

2. Quiet time is important. If Noah seems overwhelmed, we’ll take him into the bedroom and lay on the bed with him to help him calm down.
3. We don’t force anything. If Noah’s not in the mood to open presents, then we don’t force him to. We’ll either go ahead and open our own presents, open his presents for him and show him what he received, or just wait and try again in a little bit.
4. Even though we don’t force him to do anything, we also try to include him in everything. If he isn’t up for it, that’s OK but we always want him to feel included no matter what.

5. One more thing about presents – sometimes Noah gets overwhelmed with too many to open and his fine motor skills aren’t the greatest so Santa doesn’t wrap Noah’s gifts. They are unwrapped, out of boxes, etc. and displayed nicely and neatly ready for him to look at and play. What presents are wrapped; my family usually wraps in a way that is easy for Noah to open such as gift bags.

6. The past couple of years, Noah is becoming less picky about what he eats but he used to be super careful so my Mom and I would make sure that we had some of Noah’s staple food items to mix in with the other holiday foods we don’t have too often that way he has familiar things to eat.

7. I’ve let go of the idea of the “perfect” holiday. Our Christmas will never look like a Rockwell painting. I realized a long time ago to celebrate the good and the bad. It’s just a part of life and perfect holidays are unrealistic for any family.

If you’re juggling Christmas and a special needs kiddo, my heart goes out to ya! Merry Christmas! 

Christmas Magic

Our nickname for Noah at this time of year is “Mr. Christmas.” He really seems to embrace the season as much as possible and loves all things Christmas. It wasn’t always like this though. There were so many Christmases that he just didn’t really pay attention or it just overwhelmed him.

But now, he gets so excited for the Christmas season. The excitement usually starts right after his birthday in October. That’s when we started counting down the days till he could up his little tree in his room, which in our home is either Thanksgiving night (depending on how tired we are from Thanksgiving) or sometime during the weekend directly after Thanksgiving. Noah’s little tree always goes up first and he is always so excited for it. 

Each afternoon when he gets home from school, we turn the lights on his little purple and orange tree. He gets so excited each time I turn them on even though they were just twinkling for him the day before. He goes to bed with the lights twinkling. I’ll peek in on him and see him just lying in his bed staring at the little tree. After a while, he’ll roll over into his little spot close to the bedrail and drift off to sleep with visions of Christmas magic dancing through his head. And before I go to bed, I tiptoe into his room and turn the lights out.

I love his innocence. I love the magic of the season. I love seeing Christmas year after year through my boy’s eyes.

Is Anyone Still Out There?

I don't know what happened specifically but I obviously needed a long hiatus from blogging. We're still alive and doing well. I'm going to try re-launching the blog and over the next week or so I will be catching you up on everything that has been going on in our lives.

I'm still crafting but my crafting has changed directions a little bit. I'm card making, stamping, and any sort of paper crafting. Lately I have also gotten into swapping pocket letters. Never heard of pocket letters? Check out this link for more information.

Noah's doing great too! Updates are coming on him as well.

So stay tuned!

Santa-tizers for Nurses

Noah, my son who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism) gets 15 hours of having a PCA (personal care aide) a week. We have had some not so great PCAs in the past several months and I'm kind of not the nicest client when it comes to the not so great aides being in my home and taking care of my son so I decided to make a little RAK (random act of kindness) for three nurses who work in the office and have to deal with my phone calls. 

Here's what I came up with......

It holds a little bottle of hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works. What nurse (even one who primarily works in an office) doesn't need a little hand sanititzer? I crafted up these hand sanitizers to look like Santa's pants. The perfect combination for any nurse in December! 

Most of my supplies came from Consumer Crafts. They have great prices, arrived quickly, and were packaged well. 

You will need:

Red and yellow cardstock

Black ribbon

Martha Stewart scoring board (I have been wanting one of these for a long time and LOVE it. Review coming soon!) 

Double sided red tape 

Cello Bags

Small Bottles of Hand Sanitizer (mine came from Bath and Bodyworks)

Baker's Twine 

Jingle Bells

What you will do: 

1. Cut your red cardstock to 3 1/2 inches wide by 5 1/2 inches long. 

2. Using the Martha Stewart scoring board, score the paper on the long side at 2 1/4 inches and 3 1/4 inches. Flip it to the short side and score at 1 inch and 2 1/2 inches. 

3. Cut tabs on the long side where the score marks meet. 

4. Use the red tape, to adhere the two sides to one another to make a little box.
5. Add the black ribbon with some of the red tape. Cut a small yellow square for Santa's belt and then cut the middle out using a craft knife, adhere to the black ribbon also using a bit of the red tape.
7. Place the bottles of hand sanitizer in each of the little boxes. 

8. Package in a cello bag. Using the red and green Baker's Twine, tie on a jingle bell or two to embellish and then tie a bow. 

You now have cute little hand sanitizer holders ready to surprise whomever deserves surprising in your life! 

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Blueprint Social and Consumer Crafts for this post but all opinions and views are my own.

Snowflake Pin/Ornament

This is another one of my super easy because life, a kid, a husband, a house, and a bad back get in the way at the holidays - type of projects!

A cute little snowflake face! You can make it as an ornament or turn it to a pin and wear it proudly.

To make your own, you will need: 

White Cardstock

Snowflakes (I used wooden ones purchased at Hobby Lobby but you could cut them with your Silhouette too!) 

Glue (I used E-6000) 

Bakers Twine or Pin Back (depending on whether or not you are making a pin or an ornament)

Mod Podge Dimensional Magic 
Snowy Face File (I created this file myself in the Silhouette Studio Software and I'm sharing it here. While I sized this to fit the snowflakes I was using, you can re-size it to fit yours.)

How to make your own: 

1. Using the print and cut feature in the Silhouette software, cut out as many faces as you need. 

2. Dab a little glue in the middle of the snowflake and glue on the snowy face. 

3. Once it is dry, put on the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (MPDM). Start with the center of the face and work your way out squeezing slowly the MPDM bottle. Have a straight pin handy and pop out any air bubbles that arise. Let this dry for at least several hours. If you move it before it dries, the MPDM will run leaving your snowy face looking blurry.

4. Glue on a pin back or add some bakers twine and you're done!

Isn't she adorable?!? These make great ornaments, adorable pins, and would even look so cute embellishing a Christmas gift under the tree and best part - minus drying time, it takes less than 10 minutes!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration! 

1. 2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
2. Christmas Hoop Art by Lil' Mrs. Tori
3. Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
4. Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
5. Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
6. Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
7. Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley's Corner
8. State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
9. Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
10. Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
11. Deer Head Holiday Banner...featuring Santa's Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
12. Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
13. Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
14. Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
15. Elf Chalk Sign: "The Best Way to Spread Christmas" by Weekend Craft
16. Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
17. Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
18. Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
19. DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
20. Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
21. Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
22. Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
23. Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
24. Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
25. Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
26. Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
27. DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
28. Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
29. DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
30. Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
31. No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
32. Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
33. Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
34. "Believe" Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
35. DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink
    
    
    Do you have a Silhouette machine?
Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then, we'd love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

Candy Cane Mice

My Mom has made a TON of these adorable candy cane mice. She'll be selling them at the church craft show this weekend. I think she really enjoyed making them and they are just adorable. They'll make a great gift for a classroom full of kiddos and terrific stocking stuffers. And you could even hang them by the tail on a tree! 

Cute, traditional Christmas colors candy cane mice

Sweet little grey mouse

Of course, I loved the teal one.

A tiger version is a must in our family.

She's selling them all packaged up in a cello bag with a cute little tag. 

Close up of the tag

Aren't they sweet! 

Here's a tutorial and template if you want to make your own! 

DIY Stenciled Mugs

Have you seen all the mugs that people post on Pinterest that are made with Sharpies? I always thought those were neat and have been wanting to give it a try. I'm not the best a freehanding an image, doodling, or writing on something like a mug so I used my Silhouette machine to create stencils! 

I read many different tutorials on how to do these. Some of them are pretty similar, but this is one that I liked best and referenced the most.

First you'll need two inexpensive mugs, permanent markers such as Sharpies or Bic Mark Its, and vinyl stencils of the images you want to put on your mug cut out with your Silhoutte machine. For this project, I chose to make use this mustache image and this lip image that were already in my library. I cut them out of black vinyl because that was what I had in my stash. The color really isn't important.

Wash your mugs really well with soap and water removing any price stickers. Let them dry then just before you go to start writing on the mug, wipe the area you will be writing on with alcohol. Place your stencil on the mug and press it down smoothly. If there is any area of your image that needs to remain white (like the middle part of the lips I used) be sure and place that down too.

Now you simply color in the image using your markers. I used a Red Sharpie and a Black Bic Mark It. I found the Black Bic Mark It worked much better and when I make mugs again, I will use all Bic Mark Its next time. Anyways, I found it easiest to out line the entire image being careful not to go outside the stencil and then fill it all in. I let them both sit for about 10 minutes before I removed my stencil. If you notice that the marker bled outside the stencil any, you can easily clean it up by dipping a Q-tip in alcohol.

I then put my mugs in a cool oven, turned the oven to 450 degrees and put the timer on 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes were up, I turned off the oven and left the mugs in until they cooled. The mustache mug looked amazing straight out of the oven but the color of the lips was more orange than red. So I added more red Sharpie to the mug and baked it all over again.

They turned out pretty cute! I washed them a couple of times just to be sure nothing scrubbed off and all was good.

With the holidays right around the corner, you could easily turn these into gifts for teachers, co-workers, friends, etc. by adding a couple of packages of hot cocoa and candy canes inside the mug, tie them with some pretty ribbon and add a jingle bell embellishment and you have a cute gift!

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenges hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. 

Check out other posts by Silhouette Challenge participants below: 

DIY Ironing Board Hanger by The Turquoise Home
Silhouette Challenge: Time Zone Bathroom Art by Nearly Handmade
Santa's Christmas Countdown by Tried & True
Nautical Anchor Pillow Tutorial by The Thinking Closet
Christmas Card Ornament with Free Cut File by unOriginalMom
Thanksgiving and Christmas Dual Sign by Architecture of a Mom
Itching to Etch by Get Silvered
Snowman Tag ~ Silhouette Challenge by Whats Next Ma
Thanksgiving Sign by Chicken Scratch NY
DIY Horse Silhouette Pillow by Rain on a Tin Roof
Sketching on Fabric by The Sensory Emporium
Paper Leaf Garland by Lil' Mrs. Tori
DIY Blessing Board - Silhouette Challenge by One Tough Mother
Christmas Pillow by Create & Babble
Glass Painting with Reverse Stencils by Givemeapaintbrush
Chalkboard Thankful Tree by Cutesy Crafts
Bottoms Up! MYO Wine Tag by From Wine to Whine
'Happy Holly-days' Tags for the Swap by An Elegant Touch...
Thank You for Dinner (Card) by Everyday Paper
Advent Star Christmas Countdown by My Favorite Finds
Geometric Fabric Bowls by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
Paper Carnival by Home At Eight
Silhouette Cameo Tutorial: Dual Sided Business Cards by Black and White Obsession
In Case of Emergency Baby Bag Tags by Tossed Salad Life
Christmas On My Mind by Creative Turn
Jingle all the Way! by My Paper Craze
Christmas Lights Garland by Making Home Base
We Are Thankful by 4 You With Love
Seattle Skyline Silhouette by Sowdering About in Seattle
DIY Stenciled Mugs by Coley's Corner

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

17 Years

Seventeen years ago today at 2:12 AM this precious little peanut impatiently made an early entrance into the world. I was overwhelmed by the love I immediately felt for him just seconds after his birth. 

And over the years that has not changed. He has taught me some of the most important lessons of my life about love and motherhood. He has pushed me out of my comfort zone and stretched me beyond my limits. I've done things I didn't even know I had the strength to do because of this boy.

Sometimes, I look at him and am just overwhelmed. He is so amazing. I am simply in awe of the amazing young man he is becoming. Life isn't always easy for him but he has an innocence, love for people, and sweet spirit that inspires me. 

Happy birthday my sweet boy! I am so lucky and blessed that I was made for this and God gave me you! 

Oval Pumpkin Card

This week's CASology Cue Card Challenge is Autumn. 

I created a very simple card. 

To create the pumpkin, I punched three ovals from orange cardstock. I inked the edges with brown ink and a sponge. Using regular adhesive I placed two of the ovals next to each other on a Kraft colored card based that was stamped with my Hero Arts polka dot background stamp. I then placed the third oval in between the two ovals using a pop dot to give it some dimension. I made a "stem" from green cardstock, tied some green baker's twine around it, and tucked in between the popped up oval. 

Simple and cute! 

Fall Decor with the Silhouette

I am so ready for fall! While it's still pretty warm outside, I recently took down the summer decor and am slowing putting out the fall. Maybe if I get ready for fall, Mother Nature will follow! 

I was a little bored with my fall decor so I decided to make a couple of new things and am sharing these cute fall luminaries with you today. 

These luminaries were super easy to make thanks to Silvia, my Silhouette machine and took less than 20 minutes. I started off with this file for autumn luminaries from the Silhouette store. I then cut it out of a rust and olive colored card stock. I put some vellum on the inside of the luminary where the leaves are cut out. Then I assembled my luminaries securing them with a strong adhesive, popped a battery operated candle inside, and was done! 

Super easy and cute on the mantle! 

This post is part of the monthly Silhouette Challenge hosted by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. To see more posts, check out the posts by some of my Challenge buddies below.

Organizing for Preschool by Life After Laundry

Strawberry Shortcake Party Favors with Silhouette Seed Packets by It Happens in a Blink

Look At Me! Vinyl Decal with Free File by Get Silvered Craft

Stamped Wrapping Paper Tutorial by The Thinking Closet

Titi's Freezer Paper Stenciled Butterflies Onesie! by TitiCrafty

Gender Reveal Fabric Banner by Create & Babble

Monster Crossing Test Tube Holder by My Happy Place

Preschool Lovey Book by A Tossed Salad Life

Front Door Sign by Cutesy Crafts

Paper Pumpkin Banner by Chicken Scratch NY

A Stache Bash Shower by Home At Eight

Fall Decor with the Silhouette by Coley's Corner

Happy Fall Y'all by Tanya's Creative Space

Crafting for Disney: Stroller Signs & Kid Shirts by From Wine to Whine

Halloween Lights by Lil' Mrs. Tori

Customized Disney T-Shirts by DailyDwelling

Craft Room Labels by Super Sweet Life

Tried & True Coloring Print In 3D! by Tried & True

Clean Eating Menu Planning and Magnet Board by The House on Hillbrook

Toddler Growth Chart by Joy and Gladness of Heart

DIY Anthropologie Inspired Chalk Board Storage Jars by 4 You With Love

"Let's Hear it For the Boys!" by An Elegant Touch

How Many Fingers are You Card

This week's CAS(E) this sketch was a simple but fun design. 

 I started thumbing through a 6 x 6 paper pad and found a paper that was blue and green and very masculine. I don't make many masculine cards at all so I thought I'd challenge myself and create a masculine card. 

And here's my finished card: 

I once again broke out my favorite stamp set, Friendly Advice Kids' Quotes by Inkadinkadoo . This is seriously my most used sentiment stamp set. I love it.

I stamped the sentiment. Added the banner using the same patterned paper I backed the card with and then added three green stars just to give it a little something extra. 

To see more cards using this sketch, head over to the CAS(E) this Sketch blog.