Family Crafts

I am from a large family; 2 brothers, and 3 sisters. In 1985 my Mother decided that the commercialism of Christmas was drowning out the joy of the holiday. We were all stressing, shopping, and generally missing the Christmas spirit. In lieu of purchased gifts Mom asked us to make something for each other. This seemed a daunting task to all of us. How could something we made stand up to purchased gifts? We agreed to try it, and 35 years later the tradition continues. We have all dabbled in different areas-I’ve made wine (and the bags and labels), I’ve made pajama pants for everyone, I created gingerbread houses, and so many more. Each year the creativity of each person’s gift awes us all. The best part of the process is that while our friends are out shopping and wrapping, we are all home creating for each other. As I make each gift, I am thinking of each family’s home, likes and dislikes, and the love I feel for them. The idea that our Mother had 35 years ago has kept all of us grounded in the spirit of caring this season should bring. This year, we had the added challenge of shipping, presenting them via Zoom, combined with the sadness of not being together. We all managed the obstacles so well, and it was another year of sharing our love through our handmade treasures.

I want to share what I created this year….

I decided to make trees out of paint and buttons. I have no idea where this idea came from, except that my new found love of walking outside every day definitely had me thinking about nature. I have collected buttons for years (and I found more on eBay!), and as I sorted through them the buttons told me to whom they belonged.

Rainbow tree for one of my nieces.

Earthly beauty for one of my sisters and her husband.

A black & white beauty for my cousin.

Butterfly ‘leaves’ for my Mother.

White and cream vintage buttons for my sister and her husband.