Our main Christmas tree (we have five!) is very tall and very skinny. Each year, we take down the art work that usually hangs on the wall behind where the tree is now situated. Every year, the wall looks empty except for the little area taken up by our thin tree. Art to the rescue!
I bought two 16”x20” canvases, and began with a layer of blue base paint. I varied the color a little and used some bubble wrap to add some texture to the blue (see close-up photo below).
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I always get Christmas gifts for my granddogs, but this year I have avoided unnecessary shopping due to Covid-19. So, poor dogs, this year they get my cooking. This recipe was given to me by Dan the Man, who has made these before, complete with rolling out the dough and cutting them into bone shapes. My dough was too wet to roll out, so I settled for scooping them onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. They don’t have the same uniformity or iconic shape as Dan’s, but by naming them Bowwow Bonbons, I think they’re just right! Here’s the recipe.
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Last September, I saw these cute gnomes for a good price on Amazon (https://amzn.to/39JhSLb), and I knew I could make a quick addition to each one to customize these ornaments for 2020.
I got some T-shirt yarn from my knitting stash (excuse Dan the Man’s feet in the pic!), and cut out pieces about an inch and a half each.
I used white thread to gather the ends, and then I tacked a “mask” to the face of each gnome.
I was asked if I was going to write “2020” somewhere on the ornament, but I don’t think any recipient will misunderstand the mask reference or forget about the COVID-19 pandemic. So, here’s to friends and family! (You know what you’re getting for Christmas!)
For the last several years, I’ve created this little Christmas village in a jar using a delicious gingerbread recipe. I made this year’s village yesterday (see photo above). It’s a fun project from Better Homes and Gardens, and if you’d like to give it a go yourself, directions are included at this link: Gingerbread in a Jar | crapsmanship
For years now, Dan the Man has complained griped commented on our Christmas mantel decor. The fullness of the garland blocked our remote’s access to the TV, and a man can’t be happy without immediate access to his favorite show. So last year, I promised I would re-do the mantel since my sole goal in life is to make him happy. (Eye-roll.)
I got a new garland from Etsy and repurposed the candlesticks and lantern. I covered some books with white butcher paper and stamped Christmas-themed titles on to the spines.
CRAP ALERT: I did a crappy job with the stamps, doing so poorly as to get a couple letters turned sideways. The titles are:
-Santa: A Memoir
-Maps of the Top of the World (I meant it to say “Maps of the North Pole” but I stamped a T instead of an N — Crapsters are nothing if not flexible!)
-Santibodies — Fighting Covid
I may re-cover the books and re-stamp the titles, but my garland hides much of the crapsmanship. Plus, who’s gonna see it this season? Nobody but Dan, and he’ll be looking at the TV!
About a year ago, I bought a Speedball linoleum cutter and accessories, and I finally started playing with it as I’m prepping cards for Christmas sales. I decided to start easy since I am a newbie, and this straight-lined Christmas tree seemed to be a good pattern to try. Read the rest of this entry
I have a new sweet great-grandson, and this silhouette is one of my crafting projects for his parents for Christmas. The hardest part of it all was getting a good side-view photo of a three-month old baby! Read the rest of this entry
Those who know me well know that I don’t do anything at the last minute. I was always the first one to have a paper turned in to my professor, the first one to have their shopping list made for Christmas dinner, and the first one to have all my purchased gifts wrapped and under the fully-decorated tree. So I must confess, I didn’t do these cards at the very last minute. But you could! Read the rest of this entry
Over the past several years of publishing this blog, I have done a number of holiday projects. Some were successfully completed at the outset, some needed a touch of crapsmanship to be presentable, and a few were only appropriate for the trash. Below are links to a few of my favorite Christmas projects. Merry Christmas! Read the rest of this entry
Several months ago, I received a free package of pompoms at JoAnn’s. I knew they would be perfect for a garland for my Christmas tree, so I quickly set to work. Read the rest of this entry
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