Christmas - in July?!?!?

I'm nose down in a couple of projects at the moment, and none of them are completed yet, but it's been a while since I shared anything with you all, and SOMEONE -(who shall not be named...but, if you figure it out, it's ok) is bugging me to blog again about something new....so, I went back in time, to Christmas of 2008 and came up with this!




I made this for Amy and Ed for Christmas this past year. They had moved into their home, and it was their first Christmas on their own. Since they had done MAJOR renovations to their home over the previous months, they were not really ready to invest in too many Christmas decorations. Amy is a huge fan of "homemade" anything anyway..and this cute little craft seemed to fit them. She loves snowmen, and Ed is an "outdoor" kinda guy...so the woodland critters seemed to fit right in.

Let me tell you...when I bought this "kit" it looked simple enough, and everything was included, so I figured, why not? I have been sewing and doing crafts for most of my life, and this just didn't seem like a big deal. WELL, while it was fairly easy, and the instructions were pretty good, I did not anticipate the time intensive nature of the project. Not to mention, every time Amy and/or Ed stopped by the house, I had to run and quickly hide everything, (this was one of their gifts, after all)... Every stitch is done by hand. Every bead and sequin is attached, by hand, one bead and/or sequin at a time.

The end result is awesome though. When it's hanging on a wall or door, with twinkling lights catching each bead and sequin, it makes the thing sparkle and it seems to almost come to life.

I think it came out pretty good, but I do have a much better appreciation of anyone who does these types of crafts regularly. Amy and Ed were pleased, and it was immediately hung on the inside of their front door for all to see and enjoy. I swore I would never make another one...........

however....8-)