Christmas Creativity

In keeping with my New Life, I've begun focusing on being more creative.

For years, my family (parents and siblings) have eschewed spending money on Christmas gifts. But this created a problem, because we all enjoyed gathering as a family and giving items that we'd lovingly selected.

So one year we decided that we would set some rules. Gifts could only be 1) made, 2) bought used, or 3) recycled. In other words, no gifts purchased new. This was a great boon to our wallets, but it soon became apparent that we were trading money for ingenuity.

I love to sew, so most years I ended up sewing gifts. Over the past twenty years, however, I've run out of ideas for making gifts that anyone would actually want to receive. No one really wants a tea cozy, ya know?

A few years ago I came across this book, It's a Wrap, and I thought it would be great fun to make tortilla warmers. It took me a while to make the time, but I finally decided to do it.

This was for my oldest sister, a musician, whose favorite color is purple.

Made for my middle sister, an artist who loves bright jewel tones.

For my nephew (another artist), who just started college this year

and who probably eats a lot of tortillas.

My parents' ... my mom loves blue and green

and is an artist as well and so likes funky stuff.

For my parents' helper, who lives about four miles away.

A real country girl, hence the leather.

Any suggestions for gift I can make next year? Bring 'em on!