Is there an Elves' Union?

I decided back in October that I would make as many of my Christmas presents as possible this year. You'd think that starting in October would have given me plenty o'time to get them all done, but not so. I still have several projects that are in various stages of construction. I've basically given up any other daytime activity during the week, so you can imagine the state of my house. The pressure is really on to finish all these up before the big day. According to my scheduling calendar, (yes, I had to plan it out with a calendar) I should be done in time. My wonderful family reads this blog so I can't divulge what's on my craft table (yes, we had to install a craft table in our office so I'd have somewhere to work) but as soon as the gifts are given, I'll post photos of all the work. Hint: most of the items are embroidered and crocheted.

So, if this is so much work, why am I doing it? Because even though it is time-consuming, it is great knowing that these things from my tired, carpal-tunnel prone hands are going to those that I love. The fact that these are all unique and individual makes me happy and I really like that I didn't run to a box store and grab something labeled "stocking stuffer". That's not to say that folks who buy their gifts are taking short cuts (backpedals slowly), quite the contrary. Finding a good special gift out at the mall takes time and patience to handle the insane crowds. But for me, this year, I wanted to give my lumpy, bumpy, slightly off-center gifts, made with lots o' love (Ah....ain't that special....)

If you want to give some homemade lovin' but don't have the time or skill to make gifts, check out Etsy.com. Tons o'crafters have amazing items up for sale - jewelry, leather items, T-shirts, you name it. Plus the money goes to artisans not chain stores. (Steps down from soap box).

Ok, back to work. Santa gets really nasty if we elves take too long on our smoke/pee breaks.