The House of Crafting Insanity...

The Boudreau family gets together each year on the Sunday preceding Christmas to enjoy each other's company and sing carols in Grandma's basement around the up-and-decorated-all-year-long tree. Around the same time that I was ushered into this tradition, my two fellow admin assistants and I decided to homebake Christmas goodies for the executives in our department. I figured that because there were so many Boudreaus to celebrate the holidays with, I would bake treats for them as well... and crafty Christmases began.

After a few years of baking, my nephew Jamie asked for a superhero cape for Christmas, and I told the rest of the family, "Do not buy him one - I'm going to make a cape!" It wasn't easy (or pretty!), but I managed to turn out a doable (and very homemade-looking) cape with Tee Jay's help. (Each of his siblings have since asked for capes, and this year, it's finally Violet and Casey's turn to receive them - I cannot wait!)

Two years ago, when finances began getting a lot tighter in our household (where they unfortunately remain, especially anticipating having two kids in daycare!), Tee Jay threatened to give everyone just hugs for Christmas, but we managed to be thrifty in our shopping and present gifts as well.

Last year, the craftiness took over and many less-than-perfect items were given...

Like my first (and only, thus far) attempt at a purse, made from a hodge-podge of gorgeous fabrics, including an adorable pocket on the inside, and adorned with the most awesome button EVER (lifted from my Granny's button collection - with her permission, of course).


Like pillows for newly-renovated bedrooms.



Like funky scarves (which are soft but maybe not practical?).


Like nifty fabric coasters.


The men in our family didn't receive handmade presents, nor did Tee Jay's brothers, who will continue to be at tough-to-sew-for ages (14 and 10) this Christmas. But nearly everyone else received at least one little token of Boudreau craftiness.

Over the past several months, my head has been spinning with ideas of gifts for this Christmas, some which seem like they will be easy, others which will require my attempting techniques (and using special tools and materials) for the first time ever. My excitement grows each time I come up with yet another project to undertake, and yet...

...well-ell...

none of them are even started yet!! (Not even the aforementioned capes, which I've known for three years would be due to the girls Christmas 2011.) What's worse, none of these crafts are going to be as "simple" as the scarves and coasters from last year.

But I'm still determined, especially since Tee Jay's grandmother turned towards the homemade route last year and graced everyone in her family with a hand-knitted scarf, and I now cherish these, along with one done by his stepmom the Christmas before. It was like supporting evidence for the homespun-is-best (though not always easiest or cheapest) argument.

Thus far, Finlay is still a MAJOR cuddlebug, and he doesn't like to "play independently" for any period of time longer than 4 minutes. But I'm hoping and praying that before my maternity leave ends, I've got him taking at least one all-by-himself nap each afternoon - so that I can get cracking on these many ideas!

Tee Jay will read this and groan, I'm sure, as today I'm busy making tutus (more on that soon), we've still got work to complete for our entryway coat rack and shoe bins, Casey's bedroom (which has been a work-in-progress since her birthday in February), and of course, the kids' Halloween costumes! (You know what? I'm going to groan at the Halloween realization, too - it's coming so soon, and I've done ZILCH for it so far.)

At least I've got good intentions... even though I feel we're almost always living in the house of crafting insanity (and projects-never-quite-finished).

I leave you with this, a picture I stumbled upon when looking through the Christmas set. It's of me, Teresa and Erin - three sisters each holding a sketch of ourselves (in childhood) done by my Aunt Sara Garska. These are homemade treasures at their best, and I'm appreciative that my parents bestowed us girls each with the original last year, making professional-type copies for their own homes. (And of course, I'm forever grateful to Aunt Sara for loving us and wanting to draw us in the first place!)



... and OH, help me God, it just dawned on me that I still haven't finished Casey's Christmas stocking (made from her newborn coming-home-from-the-hospital outfit), and she's finally at the age where I should have her stocking made, as she'll remember it year to year. And, at nearly three, I'm pretty sure she'll want to know where Finlay's is, too. Prayers, people! Crafting prayers are needed!