my heart grew two sizes

Remarkably, despite the negative degree temps, I'm in a much more holidayish mood this week. My new and improved spirit is due to some amazing customer service (will spill the details after the holidays), a few holiday successes and some super fun holiday parties with good friends. Add to that my handmade gifts being nearly finished and ready to ship out and I'm one cheerful elf today!

These are the last guys to be packed up. They're bookmarks made from pre-painted wooden heads, pipe cleaners, felt and ribbon. I was stumped for "little something" gifts and then I found this idea in my sketchbook. I think I saw it in one of the many old craft books I've checked out from the library. They've definitely got a kooky 70s craft vibe.

I glued little craft floss hair-dos on them and then stuck pipe cleaners in their heads, used more glue to make a felt pipe cleaner sandwich and then whipstitched around the edge.

Sending out poorly glued together crafts that will likely fall apart in shipping has become something of a tradition of mine. Like these and before them these. I've got my fingers crossed for these gals!

I made a new flickr group of all my Christmas crafts, poorly glued and not. It's here. I like to look at it when I feel like punking out on a handmade gift. It either motivates me to get going or it makes me feel accomplished enough already to take the pressure off myself and just rest. Either way it's good!