For we procrastinators

I'm still not done with my shopping and crafting of presents.

This isn't good. This is very bad. Sure, it looks at first like I've got 5 days left, but Solstice is tomorrow. So I am doing the equivilent of shopping on Christmas Eve.

My son wants a "zipper mouth mask." He's almost 9. I have no idea where he saw this idea, but he's been on about it for a month straight, and well... I just haven't gotten around to it. I keep trying to figure it out-- maybe two ovals made from stretchy material with a band inbetween? Maybe hack apart a ski mask? Where the hell are my zippers?

I'm lucky in that the Solstice gifts are few-- just my husband, son, daughter and stepson. I have other things to make, but have another few days to put them off before getting frenzied again.

Here's a very last-minute list of how-tos for gift giving, provided by Sew Mama Sew! It's even organized by type. So handy, it's even in the sidebar over there ----->

Let there be light

We're coming up on the Winter Solstice, which is my cold months celebration of choice. It makes extra sense to me, a pale girl of Scandinavian descent, to be happy about getting more sunlight. Seasonal Affective Disorder isn't fun for anyone. But the Solstice is fun even if you also celebrate Christmas. It's about light returning to our lives, however you want to define that. So in prep for Solstice, here are some creative ways to bring your own light.

















Soda can lanterns. Saw this link on Cut Out and Keep and thought it was rockin'! Except all my cans would be beer cans from my husband. This would be fun with some foreign cans-- the asian food store near my house often has papaya juice or similar. Or how about red, white and green cans for Christmas/Solstice? To state the obvious, don't put these on your tree, okay? Tutorial is at The Star online.





















This one requires that you already have a round paper lantern, and alas, the season for easily finding these has passed along with the patio furniture. (Check the clearance section- maybe you'll get lucky!) You can pick them up online, though. You can pick ANYTHING up online. I could see doing these with stars instead of circles, or using multiple colors of tissue paper. And glitter! Glittery glue! Or not, if you're not into the awesome that is glitter. Tutorial at The Swell Life.

















If you've got more time (and patience) than I do, check out this folded lantern at ah-yi. It requires long paper, because that's all one piece. Possibly this could be altered to be done on a smaller scale?















Table lanterns from Design*Sponge Online. Very modern-y. Maybe use heavyweight Christmas wrapping paper in place of the colored cardstock? They're lovely as-is.

This year our light of choice was simple christmas tree lights strung on our fancy new white artifical tree. Last year we used LEDs on a real tree-- the white lights were so cold feeling! We picked out the fake tree this year and I realized I really quite like the white trees. I think it's because they don't even pretend to be real. I'm half tempted to leave it up year-round, switching the decorations (eggs and birds in the spring, flowers and suns in the summer, wee ghosties and skellingtons in the fall) but I doubt I could pull it off as a decorating feature and not just laziness with bells on.

Happy Holidays, however you chose to celebrate them!

(Spongebob voice:) One Year Later

Ok, so not quite a year, but near enough! WTF!? How did I not update for a year? Had stuff goin' on, I guess.
I have a website now. It's at http://www.unalunastudio.com. Right now it's sparse and I've been doing a lot of fairy stuff-- themed entries with links to nifty stuff to buy and keen projects to try. I'm hoping to continue with that AND this, using this blog as my personal, non-faerie, non-shop blog and the other as my Una Luna persona blog. Do you have a secondary persona? You should try it, it's fun.
Have I mentioned it's 4:40 a.m.? I woke up when my daughter cried in her sleep, got heartburn, and haven't been able to go back to sleep. I've instead been cruising Cut Out and Keep (haven't been there in AGES... had to register and everything...) for Xmess ideas. I do the Solstice, my mom does Xmess. This means two days of presents for my kiddos but less time for me to make stuffs! I'm having that "Agghgaaahhhh only three days til Solstice I have to go buy some Legos" panic. Maybe that's why I'm up so early/late. I'm supposed to go to Walmart in my PJs so I can be on www.peopleofwalmart.com.
Or possibly I'm supposed to yammer mindlessly on my blog that I forgot I had. :/