winter fun

handmade for us!

Our dear next-door neighbors (who really are more like family) paid us a visit on Christmas.

And, oh my, had they been busy knitting up some surprises!

These little lion mittens took my breath away.

And this elf hat with pink pointy ears for little Sarah...simply darling!

Oh my, this lovely purple hat is perfect.  Look at the fine little stitches!

(Taylor's favorite colors are orange and purple because of the Phoenix Suns.  And he wears them every chance he gets.  He loves this new hat and has hardly taken it off...he even sleeps in it!)

I've really never seen such excellent craftsmanship.  And all of this was knit by a 12-year old named Elizabeth.  And yes, she's amazing.  In so many ways.

And Elizabeth's mom made me this exquisite silvery cowl.  I love it!

And I love that somehow, between my numerous bothersome visits, begging for knitting mistake rescue from them both, they found time to knit us a Merry Christmas.  Thank you both so very much!

Here's a little purse knit by Elizabeth, and one sewn and shipped by our cousin Baylee and her mom.  Both for Hannah, who happens to love purses.  Aren't they precious?

Our cousin Jayden made this warm fleece hat and scarf for Romney.  I have a feeling he'll need these this winter.  (still snowing outside...)  Thanks, Jayden!

Our cute cousins Kennedy and Macy (and their mom) hand-dyed and appliqued this pretty bag for Eliza:

and this awesome BYU t-shirt for Sam.  Isn't that creative?  We thought so!

Sam has worn it every day this week. (um, maybe it's time to wash it!)

There were more handmade gifts that came in packages from far and near.  Among them were duct tape wallets (completely cool), handmade crayons and erasers, and decorated paper greeting cards.  And we so appreciated all the yummy goodies and packages left at our doorstep by neighbors.  Honestly, we were blown away by the talent and generosity of so many good people this Christmas.

We feel so blessed to know all of you!

And

thank you

thank you

thank you.

handmade Christmas gifting

I know, I know.  Christmas is said and done.  But we just can't quite let it go...yet.  We're still lazing around here in the afterglow of what the kids declared their "best Christmas ever" (they say that every year, don't they?), staying in our pajamas 'til noon (or later), drinking hot cocoa for breakfast (with the help of the completely awesome cocoa-maker my mom gave us) and eating candy canes and other goodies from the stockings for snack while watching the snow fall outside.  Oh, and there's lots of gaming this week (yes, we finally broke down and gave the kids the wii they'd asked for since it's invention...and there were tears upon it's opening...real tears of joy from one unnamed eldest child.  Unbelievable.  And silent tears from Mom...I resisted for so long, it was hard to finally give in...Heaven help us!  So play away, I say.  Until we begin real life again next week and I lock the thing up during the week.  Good winter indoor entertainment for a Saturday afternoon, right?  Right.)

**So, if you'll humor me with a few more posts about our "best" Christmas, here goes...

I was so proud of my little elves for all the work they put into handmade gifts this year.

(and I could hardly wait until they were all opened so I could share them with you all!)

They made dozens of little personalized notebooks (like the ones we made here and here) and other paper crafts.  We sewed up some girly little purses, and made a headband and some cute earrings.

Hannah knit her first hat (all by herself) for her cousin Baylee.  Great job, Hannah!

(Seriously, this girl amazes me with her creativity.  She's so much better than I am at everything she tries.  Look at her working those double-pointed needles like a pro!)

Taylor made two woolen hats (because little Eliza couldn't quite make one on her own yet) for our girl cousins on a circular knitting loom,

and Sam made one too.

(flowers added by Mom)

Good work, you crafty Cope boys!  (um...and sorry to make you blush again.  my bad...)

Romney and I made Jayden a personalized string backpack.

To go inside, we made a linen checkerboard with a pouch of wooden checkers, and a tic-tac-toe game with little wooden x's and o's.

(I came across the fabric-stamped game idea from none other than Martha here.)

And since Sarah was too young to make baby Delaney a gift, I took it upon myself (which made me giddy, I confess) to whip up this little linen set, inspired by the styles in Carefree Clothes for Girls (a book I happen to be madly in love with at the moment.):

For some of our neighbors, we gave little polka-dot fabric pouches filled with homemade peppermint cocoa mix and snowflake marshmallows (a la Martha again), along with the (sometimes-off-key) gift of Cope Christmas carols, an annual tradition...yes, out in the snow.  Brrrr.  And these kind neighborhood folks gave us the gracious gift of listening, with a smile and with a door open to an arctic blast and a tune.  The hearts of the carolers were warmed much more than those of the listeners.  Thank you, dear neighbors, for the gift of friendship, handmade indeed!

Well, what fun we had making gifts.  Such a special way to celebrate the season of giving.  Handmade is definitely becoming our favorite Cope Christmas tradition.

Stay tuned...

tomorrow I'll post photos of some of the seriously amazing handmade gifts we received for Christmas.  So meaningful and already cherished by the Cope crew.

my holiday girls

aren't they sweet?

merry making

Hope your day is magical too!

oh, the weather outside is frightful...

but the fire is so delightful.

(seriously delightful...this stove heated our entire home today as the snow began to pour down outside.)  ahhhh...toasty bliss.

While Mama Santa's basement workshop is bustling with production, there's a whole lot of making happening all over the house.  Lots of lego creations in the works, Christmas card making, sewing, coloring book masterpieces, and of course, lots of knitting...it's contagious, I tell you.  Try it!

(just don't tell these handsome, athletic boys you were inspired by their knitting...ooooh I'm in big trouble for posting this photo!)

The holiday dresses

(inspired by the lovely "robe alma marceau" from this darling french shop)...almost finished.  Really, they hardly resemble the dress that inspired their creation, but I do love the french lines, long pleats, and cropped sleeves.  And I think the rounded collar adds a touch of charm and sweetness.

Won't these look lovely on three little rosy-cheeked girls, eyes alit with Christmas cheer?

Oh my, I can hardly wait.

(Does anyone else blindfold their kids for fitting when you're sewing up a surprise?...maybe it's just me.  My poor daughters.)

These gnome slippers (still in need of polka-dots) are made of felted wool, to keep girly toesies warm all winter long.  The second pair (bright blue) is almost put together, and then on to pair number three, pink ballet slippers with a mary jane strap and flower button for Hannah.  (see Maya Made's tutorial for the gnome slippers here, and one of the patterns I looked at to design the ballet flats here. )

Tonight, I'll work on the pajamas to be opened on Christmas Eve.  The girls' pj's will be made of a print from Anna Maria Horner's (my absolute favorite designer, by the way) new folksy flannels collection.  Can't wait to sew them up!  Boys get a nice traditional flannel with a raglan tee (not as exciting, I know, but hopefully they'll love them anyway, simply because their totally awesome mom made them).

Six hats finished, and one more in the works!  (My favorite hat patterns are in this book by Susan Anderson, sized for babies and toddlers, but they also turn out great with an adjusted gauge for big kids.)

I feel like our Christmas week is shaping up nicely.  Calling off school for a couple of weeks helped us get ready.  Doing lots of handmade gifting has helped us stay home and spend lots of time working and playing together.  The majority of our few store-bought gifts were found mid-November at a new local boutique (spotlighted here ) which had a fantastic sale going, and free gift-wrapping (b-o-n-u-s).  The rest of the shopping and the package-mailing was finished last Saturday.

I survived the annual Christmas Ward Choir Program at Church, as the choir's director, even though two of the kids came down with a stomach virus early, early (yawn) that morning.  Whew!  The choir sounded beautiful, and I feel grateful for the wonderful support of it's members.  There's nothing like great Christmas music.  It's one of the highlights of my holiday, for sure.

Oh, and Christmas cards are in the mail as of yesterday.  Hooray!

Do I have your address??

Now, back to my workshop!

With a little Pandora, lots of hot cocoa and toffee, Christmas movies playing for my busy little elves, big strapping boys out shoveling neighbors' walks and driveways and then going to a dad & son BYU bowl game party, it should be a great afternoon...
for gift-making.

Hope your afternoon is wonderful as well!