The Christmas Challenge. My progress.

My Christmas Challenge is coming along pretty well! My present cupboard is filling up and that is despite the fact that I think I give away about half of what I make long before Christmas as we are also making birthday presents and other gifts along the way.

Some of the things I have made lately are note books. I am a list maker and endless note maker. I have had a lovely notebook that is slim and light so I can keep it with me in my handbag. It's so handy. I noticed that all that is special about it is a lovely cover. Otherwise it's a basic lined book.
So I thought I cannot be the only one who would find such a note book handy. I bought packs of notebooks (A3 size) for $3. Then I cut up an old Shabby Chic book (op shop $2) and simply covered the ugly covers with pretty images. I then stuck on a sparkly element. That's it!
It is the same as card making in it's easiest form only you get a gift.

I also used a cooking magazine...

I really like them and this was so easy. This is what I started out with...

I haven't packaged them yet but I will use cellophane bags and tie a ribbon around them. I will post how they look when I get it done.

One of the most helpful things is having a few types of projects going. For instance on our trip away we had about 15 hours driving time all up (over five days) and I used that time to crochet. There are not many things I can get done in that time but I can crochet! So I leave behind everything else and take that.  And I made a little boy wool rug which is a gift I will be giving in a few weeks time.
I had left over yarn of each colour and gave that to Mum. She knitted a little hat to put with the blanket that matches! So now it's a collaborative gift.

This is good timing as we are just coming into the cooler weather. So I hope they like this gift. I made a special effort with boy colours as I am always making things in pink!

Most recently (yesterday!) I made fruit cakes. These are the ones that keep for a year. It is Andy's birthday next week so I made a giant sized one for his birthday cake as this is his favourite. While I was at it I doubled the recipe and made a medium one for Dad's birthday in May and a small one as a gift. So this took care of three more presents.

These are not packaged yet either as they were still warm last night.

So they are the gifts I have made in the last fortnight. It adds up. A bit of this and a bit of that as we can manage it. I am happy as I am keeping up and also getting ahead.
In fact the other night I was dreaming away in bed then I had a bolt from the blue and a !!! moment! I thought I had forgotten a birthday. And I almost had! Then in a very satisfying moment I pictured what is in my present cupboard and I had the perfect thing! I felt kind of smug as I solved that one without moving a muscle except for the brief panicked look in my eyes! It was a moment of enjoying being ahead with gifs. Very nice!

Next I am going to make more rugs. It is the weather for it now. I have pale pink chenille yarn and enough blue, red, grey and cream for another little boys blanket.

Also I need to make cards. From the books I cut up I have a lot of smaller images left over as they were not big enough for the note books. But they will make lovely cards. So I must get onto that.

How is your gift making going?

I hope you are having a good week. I have pumpkin soup on and am painting a bit more of the front fence this afternoon. I did the gate yesterday. It looks amazing! However everything not painted now looks worse by comparison! But as I go it is so nice to see the transformation.

xxx