Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Home Grown Designs: It was a Homemade Christmas

I try to handmake as many gifts as I can all the time, but this year it was a mission to make every single gift and not step foot into any mall.  The only gifts I purchasd were a remote control helicopter for James which I admit was probably the most popular, and lots of beer.  I'm sure my handmade theme was appreciated too!  It'll be different when we have kids, but for now I'll resist the Christmas machine as much as I can...

I gifted a bunch of earrings that I've already posted, and I made a rosarie for my mom that I forgot to take a picture of, but my brothers gifts are below:

Firstly we have a pin for my brother-in-law Will.  I made this out of a scrap of leather, an old boy scout pin, a couple wing charms and a WS charm that Will had discarded over the summer and I saved...

A sort of diorama for Dane,
 to commemorate our recent trip to the east coast.  It's illuminated from the bottom with an LED light I got at the dollar store... The crab claw is from P.E.I. and I think the rest is self explanatory.  Mason jars are so versatile...my next mason jar project is going to be of the lantern variety...



Harley was on this trip as well, so I made him a little token to remember it by in the form of a lapel pin... His guitar travelled with him from Toronto to P.E.I. and back again...


Dane also got a pin for his 'Tilly Hat'  He's really into nautical stuff...


For Asa... this pin looks very similar to the tattoo he just got...which was my inspiration.  How could he not like the design?  He has it permanently drawn across his chest!


...and for Colton, he also has this design in the form of a tattoo, except for the guitar, I added that just because it looked really cool and he's a great guitar player...


I was lucky to receive a lot of handmade gifts as well...which I'll post soon...
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Back Home On The Farm: Christmas

The holidays started with an 8:30am train December 24th from Union Station with my husband, my brother, and my brother in law.  I  insisted we arrive an hour early to avoid any hassle, but I'm sure they would tell you it was not necessary...and that I'm insane. 

We arrived at the St. Catharines train station by 10am and headed for the farm.  As we drove through the countryside on the way to my parents house, the Christmas spirit really kicked in for me.  We took our annual Christmas Eve walk through the woods and then headed back to the homestead to warm up in front of the fire. 


The house looked the same as it always does at Christmas which is comforting to me.  The angel on top of my tree is the same angel we've had my entire life.  My mom and I made it when I was 6 months old.  I wouldn't call it pretty, but the memories make it the most beautiful angel I've ever seen.  The warmth of the fire puts me asleep in a matter of minutes, so I have to keep moving. 



I head to the upstairs of the house that used to house four brothers, but now only two are left at home, so they've turned one of the rooms into their 'Lounge'.  The twins are 18, so they really love beer, i mean REALLY love beer.  As you can see, the theme of the room is BEER among a lot of really cool stuff, so following suit, we indulged in some drinks.  The bottle opener has a great deal of detail that I was quite impressed with. 









My mom has a very unique style that impresses me every time I come home. Here's her table of weird things in jars...we've got a dead spider and emu claws to name a couple...



My mom loves gargoyles so there are A LOT around the house.  This one, my brother Asa made in art class...


My father-in-law made this for my mom when she got her sheep...


After eating a lot of cheese and drinking a lot of wine I was ready for bed....and I didn't even mind the futon... 

Christmas morning was chaotic as usual.  With a family of 7 plus one girlfriend and one husband, there's a lot of gifts to open!  There were so many thoughtful gifts under that tree but one thing that we all received was home made socks from my dad.  He made them on his antique sock machine...  He calls these ones 'Big Socks'...perfect for cold winter nights...

He makes a lot of different varieties of socks.  They range from $20-$35 and well worth it.  Contact me if you're interested.





After Christmas morning we head over to The Sandham's home for our first turkey dinner.  They truly are the best in-laws a girl could ask for and they're creativity is inspiring.  Their house is stunning, and come spring I will unveil their most beautiful gardens...

Our families are very close, so my brood of brothers all come along...partly for dinner and partly to drive their tipsy sister home to bed at the end of the night.


Christmas dinner at the Sandham's is never without crackers and we always wear our crowns.


A little game of domino's...and then off to bed...




BOXING DAY!  Epic dinner # Two. 
This year we decided to merge my dad's side of the family with my mom's.  End result was 35 people, and an amazing meal that contained the best dishes from both sides of the family! 




Entertainment was covered with an acoustic set in 'The Lounge' by my family's very own Harley Proveau.  I don't have a recording, but if you'd like to hear what he's all about, click here


And my mom showed off her Cher scrapbook to the new generation of Cher lovers...She's been obsessed since 1974...


My darling brothers took a moment to smile for a picture...


And then there's me and my wonderful husband.  Couldn't be happier to be spending another Christmas together as husband and wife. 


My in-laws...they've been my second family for a very long time, and I love them dearly.  So well dressed too!



And then there's my beautiful mother.  I miss her.  It's always hard to leave them at the end of every visit.  We don't live that far or anything, and we talk everyday...I just sometimes wish they lived right down the street.


I always try and finish every trip to the farm with a visit with the old crew.  We've got some serious history, and coming down to see the Hale Christmas tree is a tradition I look forward to every year.  We missed a few of them this year, but we have a life time of Christmas' ahead of us to make up for it...


And that's all folks...now time for the Christmas crash...I have gained a pound each day since the 24th...
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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Home Grown Designs: Earrings

 Here are some of the earrings I've been grooving on lately. 
















All made by me, custom orders available
thefarmersonlydaughter@gmail.com

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