Advent - Day 2

We had a wonderful Sunday afternoon at the FS Austin Children's Christmas party. We got all cleaned up and popped in a taxi and off we went. The hotel is especially beautiful and grand during the holidays and we were reminded of when we first arrived here almost a year to the day now... We admired the gingerbread village and choo choo trains in the lobby along with all of the Christmas trees, decorations, and roaring fire (who says you can't bask in a warm glow when it is 80 degrees outside!). The children had a fabulous time bouncing in castles, decorating cookies and ornaments, and visiting with Santa.

There are more Advent pinecone ornaments to come, but I wanted to share a few little ones I made for our kids as I prepared orders for shipment today. The first few of the Christmas orders are going into the post - phew! Everything is processed in the order in which it was received, and I am felting and sewing my little fingers off in a mad dash for the finish!

XO, 

N&N

'Tis the Advent Season...

Happy December 1st! Holidays and merriment have already begun, and today we mark the first day of Advent - the period leading up to Christmas. This year, I thought it would be lovely to handmake ornaments for each day of Advent using natural materials. As luck would have it, we had precisely 25 pinecones of various sizes in our nature table basket - perfect! For the first 24 days, the children will receive one ornament (which I will hide inside our carriage clock). There will be little elves, angels and the like. On the very last day, Christmas, they will receive the largest of the pinecones, which I will adorn as a Christmas tree.

While I am sure they are going to be asking for chocolate as well each day (it's inevitable when 99 cent chocolate calendars abound at all the store check-outs), I hope that this collection I am creating will last through the years.  I have been up late - there was much nursing of baby Reed, working on orders, and of course, an ornament to be completed - 3.30 am is as good a time as any, as long as I get it all done!

Here is the first ornament they will receive: a little blond angel with an acorn cap, flying alongside of our icy Snow Queen. I made the Snow Queen using various hues of cobalt, pale aqua and silvery blue along with pillowy soft ivory-coloured wings.  Their faces are neutral, as in the Waldorf tradition, so children are free to explore their limitless imaginations. (*Not the best photo - but the best I could do on my iPhone at this very late hour!) I have tucked the angel away until morning (our cat was also quite fond of these two and I'll have some re-felting to do) and cannot wait til she makes her appearance tomorrow.

My goal is to post each of the new ornaments daily - let's see if I can keep to it!

XO,
N&N