Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Inspiration Wednesday: Meaningful gifts, week 4

As homemade as I got this year - paper snowflakes for the tree.

Ho ho ho! This week snuck up on me. Aided by a stomach bug that hit our whole family, I've been off the computer more than I'd like. But I wanted to share my last week of holiday gift inspirations.

Making homemade gifts can help save money & simplify your list. Who wouldn't like yummy truffles or relaxing bath balls? Here are some of my favorite ideas (that you'll still have time to make before Christmas) on the web.

Martha Stewart's Snow Globes

I've seen instructions for making these on several sites but leave it to Martha to have the easiest to follow directions. So break out some old jelly jars and kitschy figurines. Also beautiful with costume jewelry or orphaned kids' toys.

Instructables Bath Bombs

Instructables breaks down even the most complex project into steps with helpful photos and comments. I like the variations on the bath bomb - you can customize different essential oils and colors to your giftee.

Flower Stationery

I am not a fan of cutesy or country, but this stationery takes both and makes a kinda mod finished product. The method Home Made Simple lays out would work with leaves, small pine boughs and even your child's hand-print.

Need more ideas? I love 100 Homemade Gift Ideas and hope to make more of her ideas next year.

Inspiration Wednesday: Meaningful gifts, week 3

 At our co-op lobby tree surrounded by fake gifts

This year we are simplifying our gift giving. Our families aren't over-the-top in general so the holidays aren't completely gluttonous anyway. But add a couple of grandchildren into the mix and the sheer number of gifts tends to grow.

So when I read about the tradition of giving your children only 4 gifts at Christmas, I was intrigued. Want. Need. Wear. Read.

I'm not going to divulged the gifts now,  but it's been a fun way to think about what to give Juliet this year. You would think the "want" gift would have to be the best (and oh baby, it is GOOD), but we've got a budding bookworm on our hands. I'm really looking forward to picking just the right book and adding a personal message for her to look back on each year.

At our co-op lobby tree surrounded by fake gifts

What do you think about giving want, need, wear and read gifts this year?

Keep calm

Oh, I knew I loved that stiff upper lip Britishness

This week has been B-A-N-A-N-A-S (are the kids still using that?) with an art fair, day of photo shoots, tree buying, job interview & general holiday mayhem.

I haven't been posting a lot of the photos I have been shooting lately because my clients are giving some as gifts and the receivers read my blog. Man, there will be a glut of "kids in front of Christmas tree" posts come Boxing Day.

Speaking of Boxing Day, it's a British holiday celebrated the day after Christmas. It was traditionally a day to give gifts to those with less. Hasn't really caught on in America - unless you count returning-crap-you-hate. Since it falls on a Saturday this year, I've been invited to a few Boxing Day parties. Which sounds nice, but after the glut of food, family & frivolity in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I'd much prefer a spa day or at least a couple of hours reading in bed.

Another British tradition that seems to caught on this year (at least in the design world) is the slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On." I've seen it emblazoned on tee-shirts, holiday ornaments, posters. My favorite so far is the baby onesie.

Buy this from ThisBlueBird via Zazzle

I know this slogan was popularized during the London blitz in WWII but the message seems to resonate today. In my own life, both family and friends have had a rough year. So whether it's money troubles, marital woes, general holiday mayhem or poor health, here's hoping a little British resolve will help ease the burden. Until then, there's another British import I can recommend.