Monday, December 20, 2010

Handmade Holiday - Last Post

It  has been a joy to do this each week since July.  I have been introduced to  many new people through their blogs and have enjoyed all of the creative ideas.  Thank you so much for sharing and I apologize to so many of you that I probably did not include .  We have dial up internet, so the going is slow and I don't alwyas get the chance to visit everyone each week.

Hopefully, this Christmas will be filled with some handmade goodness for you to share with others and also that the process of creating has been a positive one for both yourself and for your children that may have wanted to join you, and just maybe one of your children has learned a new skill or two as well.  Also, maybe by giving a handmade gift to friend or relative for the first time, just maybe, this will light a little spark within the receiver that it is possible to make and give handmade useful, beautiful, and/or thoughtful gifts instead of having to drive down to the mall or big box store and buying something that may have been produced in less than ideal circumstances by people earning very little and have to work in a very unhealthy environment.   

Small things truly do matter and by living a life true to my beliefs is all I can do.   My hope is that the ripples may someday turn into waves.  Anything is possible, right?


Ok - here are some more wonderful ideas from some of you ~

Homemade Laundry Detergent from Earth Mama



Beeswax Lantern from Moment to Moment


A Wet Felted Playscape from The Little Gnomes Home



A Simple Knit Hat from McGreen Experience


Peg People from Peas and Carrots
 
Warm wishes,
Tonya

17 comments:

  1. Hi Tonya,
    Well said! I have enjoyed visiting and gleaning ideas from those that participated:-) I did a mulling spice tutorial today on the blog and we gave them to the Sunday School teachers yesterday and they were very well received!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have enjoyed meeting you through this, and many others too. While I may not have achieved a complete handmade gift list, I have managed some, and they have already been well received, and the inspiration has been wonderful. Blessings to you all
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have also enjoyed being part of this and this is our most 'home made' Christmas so far. I have bookmarked and made a note of so many inspiring ideas too that I am sure next year will be even better.
    Thanks for starting this. It has certainly made a change in our corner of Switzerland!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for inspiring this. It's been fantastic. I can't believe it's that time already!!!
    I'm already running through my list of handmade gift ideas for next year thanks to all the awesome ideas from everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you, Tonya, for being so faithful about leading this! I've gotten so many good ideas from the lists you posts and have been continually inspired :-)

    Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Making this year a Handmade Holiday has been a very rewarding experience for me. I think it's wonderful that you encouraged this idea for all of us, Tonya. Thank you!

    Next year I am going to be wiser, and begin my projects in the summer. It's only a few days until Christmas now, and I'm not done everything yet. :)

    Tonya, it's inspiring to me that you only have dial-up internet and yet you manage to run a family business online and write your blog as well. You and your family have accomplished so much, with less than most people would say is necessary. Good work!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I was inspired by some bags I saw on here to make my Dad some reusable lunch totes. =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those all look wonderful thanks for sharing ~Heather

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you so much for hosting! You did an amazing job!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have so enjoyed participating in the Handmade Holiday this year. I really can't wait until next year. Thanks so much for providing this beautiful space, your time and inspiration. I have a lot more sparks now for creating gifts throughout the year. Now I better get going. I have to finish a playset or two and some handknits! I still managed to get behind. I need to clone your organizational skills! Peace, Angela

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for sharing your family's doings throughout this year and inspiring so many of us to lead by our beliefs. Though I did not complete all my gifts on time, there are some that are in the works for upcoming birthdays and anniversaries -- and I was able to use up some of my stash rather than buy materials for the gifting. Woo hoo!
    CathyT

    ReplyDelete
  12. thanks for making the effort to spread the ideas around...it was a beautiful gift for all of your readers.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tonya, thank you so much for hosting this- it has been so much fun participating, and being inspired by and connected to others!
    Enjoy this week before Christmas!
    Much love to you all~
    Melanie

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tonya, I started my blog just as you were promoting your Handmade Holiday. Signing up and participating has not only spurred me on to FINISH (yea!) a complete handmade holiday, but also introduced me to my very first blog friends. I feel so plugged in to many Mamas and families who have similar beliefs and practices as we do and its wonderful to feel that connection. Thank you for that and for an amazing Handmade Holiday season. I look forward to next year!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wonderful Tonya,

    I think you're doing fine!

    Love the simple gift ideas and will try to do the peg people tomorrow with my family.

    All simple pleasures,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

    Tune in for the Tasha Tudor autographed cookbook giveaway, also my book autographed too!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Tonya, thank you for putting in such good energy for all of us! It has been so inspiring to see many people's creativity and ideas. Thank you so much...the ripples are enlargening!
    xo Jules

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm so glad you did this! I've discovered I'm officially Two Blog Degrees Of Separation from one of my sisters-in-law (finding that connection through your site was a hoot!), and knowing that so many others were working on handmade Christmas this year gave me a lot of confidence to alter an assignment at church. I ended up working with another mom, and together we did an entire display table of interesting handmade gift ideas, plus downloadable instruction sets for each. The buzz at church has been great, and it was exciting to see ladies headed home with happy, stress-free smiles, chatting about all the cool handmade things they could do with supplies they had in the house right that moment.

    I ended up making sleeping caps for my husband, new Sunday dresses for all three girls, homemade candy for all the kids, a kitchen playmat (one of the grandmas is giving our littlest a pot set!), and a fun frog-toss game set with palm-sized bean-bag froggies and a lilypad mat. (We did that one twice: once as a birthday gift for my 5yo's best friend, and once for our 3yo, with extra frogs for the 5yo). My oldest girl is giving her Daddy a gorgeous illuminated letter, too. Handmade is absolutely MUCH more fun!!

    ReplyDelete