Handmade Christmas 2012

I love pretty wrapping.

(I even have an entire Pinterest board dedicated

to pretty and clever gift wrap.)

I like to think of the wrapping as an extension of the gift I'm giving.

Of course, I do my share of shoving a present into a gift bag

and topping it with a wad of tissue paper,

but it sure would be nice to make every gift I give a work of art!

This year I was delighted to have a little extra time

to put a little extra care into my gifts.

(I should have realized ahead of time, though,

that sitting on the floor wrapping presents for a couple of hours 

is not so smart when you're 36 weeks pregnant.

I was hearing from my back for days afterward.)

For the kids' gifts

I chose a mix of  bright paper I bought on clearance a few years ago

and kraft paper I bought this year

after realizing just how much I'm loving

the brown-paper-package thing.

I labeled them with initials cut from scrapbook paper,

and finished the packages with curly ribbon.

(I don't think I will ever outgrow curly ribbon!)

Mum's package was the most labor-intensive,

and is also probably my favorite.

I actually used hot glue for the flowers

which is a minor miracle.

(I still hate hot glue, but nothing else was working, so I caved.)

The guys' (Benjamin and my dad) packages 

were a little simpler.

I seriously considered

re-cutting the B to fit inside of the green oval,

but decided it wasn't worth it.

Hey, some artsy battles are not worth fighting with yourself.

Benjamin teases me

"This is keeping it simple?"

What can I say?

The prettiness makes me so happy!