My Grown-Up Christmas Wish List - *not stuff

I thought it might be fun to document what my Christmas list looks like at this point in my life. Sure, there are some things that I want, but I find these days that most things on my list aren't really those that can be purchased in a store. Besides peace on earth and an end to want and all that good stuff, there are some specific things I wish for the people in my life and myself. Take a look at my list and consider making one of your own.

My Grown-Up Christmas Wish List (the first two are pretty personal, but the others more broadly apply to my friends and family and my wishes for them)

1. I wish that Kelsey will be able to snag a job that uses her skills/degrees, sparks her passion, and compensates her fairly.

2. I wish that Jake will finish his degree this spring as planned and find a position with a company that treats him well.

3. I wish that my friends who are battling illnesses are healed and that their pain is diminished.

4. I wish that my friends who are suffering loss and grief find peace and comfort in the memories of their loved ones.

5. I wish that my friends who are lonely reach out to someone upon whom they can depend for emotional support and company.

6. I wish that my friends who are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives find something that fulfills them.

7. I wish that the people in my life treat each other fairly and with kindness, even when they disagree.

8. I wish that a spirit of giving and helpfulness permeated every season in our hearts and not just Christmas.

9. I wish that those of us who are too busy take some time to rest and recharge and breathe.

10. I wish that those of us who tend to be negative would opt for the positive slant instead, to allow ourselves the gift of hope, to jump to the kind conclusion, and to give others the benefit of the doubt.

11. I wish that we all spend our time as carefully as we spend our money. And if we need to do better, then I hope that we will.

12. I wish that we all work on being more present in the moment and appreciating our lives at this moment.

What are the things on  your Christmas list that aren't really things at all?

Holiday Stitching Fun - Vintage Santa

If you've followed my blog for very long, you know that I absolutely love hand stitching. While most of my experience has been with cross stitch, I've begun to branch out into different kinds of hand embroidery as well. To that end, I had planned to work on several different kinds of stitching projects for the holidays. I still have some stitched pendants in the works as gifts and maybe as items to sell, and I'm also working on some ornaments right now as well. This embellished stitch vintage Santa is a little bit too big to be an ornament, but I think he would be adorable as decoration on my mantel or on a shelf/table.

Here's the finished piece. I haven't decided if I'll attach a thin ribbon to the screw at the top of the piece to hang it or if I'll add a loop to the back of the piece. I think either option would work just fine.

 I wanted to photograph a couple of detail shots for you too. I used French knots on the holly berries and on Santa's eyes.

 The rest of the stitched are mostly just backstitch or a couching stitch. There's a small wrinkle on the bottom left of the hoop where I didn't pull it tightly enough through the hoop or where the fabric puckered a bit as I worked the stitches around the ball of fur on the hat. I think that's something I'll get better at managing as I continue to work with this weight of fabric and these stitches.

 That metallic thread was a bear to work with, but I think the effect of it is really cool. I've read a few tips/tutorials about working with it, so I'm hopeful that the next project won't be fraught with such difficulty. That metallic thread is definitely challenging.

 And here's a shot of the piece propped up against a frame on my mantel. I think this one is in a 6" or 7" hoop, to give you an idea of the finished size.

If you're interested in making your own version of a hoop like this, here's where I bought my supplies --
     Michael's craft store: silver tassel ribbon roll, wood embroidery hoop, metallic silver dmc floss, hot glue sticks
     Hobby Lobby craft store: printed Santa fabric, regular DMC floss (black, red, green), white felt for the backing
     Supplies on hand: glue gun, scissors
     Total materials investment - approximately $5 (This is an estimate because I have extras of all the supplies left over and could make other projects out of the initial items I purchased.)
     Total time investment - approximately three hours

If you decide to make one of your own, I hope you'll share it with me, so I can see your work. I'm considering doing something similar with ornament sizes of hoops that are about 3" or 4" to hang on a Christmas tree. Would anyone be interested in purchasing that kind of thing? I'm not sure if I'll have time to make these to sell, but I'm open to the idea. I'd love to hear what you think about that.

Don't mind me, I'll just be over in the corner stitching. I have to say, this whole stitching thing makes me happy, and this little vintage Santa makes me giddy.

Holiday Jewelry for Sale

You might recall that I offered some holiday necklaces for sale last year on my blog. I like to dabble in jewelry making, and my friends have been really complimentary of what I've made the last couple of years. Well, I'm offering handmade jewelry for sale again this year for anyone who might be interested. Right  now, I have three different kinds of chains/lengths to offer in a couple of different pendant sizes. All of the pendants feature a deer of some sort; I liked this because I think they fit with the season but are not overtly holiday in nature. That means that you would probably be able to wear them through the holidays and into January and even February if you wished. Please read and view below for more information

This first necklace style that I'm sporting is on an approximately 16" metal chain and features the smaller size pendant that I'm offering. I think it's a great choice for tweens and teens or for anyone who is smaller framed. As you can see in my photo, it's not a great length for me.

Here are a few pics of my daughter modeling the shorter necklaces. I think it's apparent in this photograph that these fit more nicely on someone who is petite or of a small frame. I also think it'd be a great size for the tweens or teens in your life.

And here are some closeups of the shorter necklaces with a quarter next to them for size reference.

#1 Old gold metal chain with turquoise deer pair and tassel - $12 shipped in USA

#2 Old gold metal chain with sunburst deer and white tassel - $12 shipped in USA

#3 Silver metal chain with turquoise deer pair and feather - $12 shipped in USA

#4 Silver metal chain with turquoise deer pair and arrow - $12 shipped in USA SOLD

Here I am sporting a slightly longer necklace style featuring a faux leather cording. I think these necklaces measure about 18" in length and are much more comfortable to me than the shorter style. The pendant on this one is the same size as the smaller necklaces on chains.

#5 Peach woodland deer on gray faux leather cording with peach feather -$12 shipped in USA SOLD

#6 Black moonlit deer on gray faux leather cording with rhinestone arrow - $12 shipped in USA SOLD

#7 Turquoise girl with antlers on light brown faux leather cording with turquoise tassel - $12 shipped in USA

#8 Deer on psychedelic background on dark gray/black faux leather cording with turquoise feather - $12 shipped in USA SOLD

The last style is my personal favorite and features a long chain, approximately 24" in length, that I think hangs nicely with most styles of blouse. These pendants are a step up in size from the ones that are on the shorter necklaces; I think you can see the difference with the close-up photos.

#9 Old gold ball metal chain with deer wearing glasses and taupe tassel - $14 shipped in USA  SOLD

#10 Old gold ball metal chain with moonlit deer and black tassel - $14 shipped in USA SOLD

#11 Old gold ball metal chain with peach serious deer and a peach feather - $14 shipped in USA

#12 Old gold ball metal chain with moonlit deer and white tassel - $14 shipped in USA SOLD

I have listed the necklace prices next to each one, and those prices include shipping costs within the USA. If you are international and would like one, then I'd need to add actual shipping charges to your purchase. (Message me for info, so we can work on that.)

Please leave a comment here or message me at alowderlife@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a necklace. I'll update the listings here as different pieces are spoken for by readers. Please let me know if you have any questions. :)

**I'm working on a few other holiday goodies that include necklaces and ornaments that feature my hand-stitching, but I wanted to go ahead and put these out as available for anyone who is interested. If you're like me, you like to wear your seasonal stuff as much as possible.

***The finishes on these items are not real gold or silver.

December Daily 2016 Share - the still photos

For those of you who prefer to see still photos or who like to read every bit of journaling, this post is for you. :)