Sister's Choice Quilts

Advent of Kindness

In the words of a new favorite person of mine:  "Take care of yourself, take care of others, be kind.  Kindness is free, give it to everyone". 

This new favorite is Christopher Allen, a fellow you can get to know on YouTube.

He is a super sweet guy who has a YouTube channel devoted to style, decorating, diy crafts, health, planning, and yes, kindness.  He lives somewhere back East with his partner Steven, and as well as working full time, he creates interesting content on his YouTube channel.  Evidently, as a kid he was bullied and spent some miserable years in public school.  As a result, instead of becoming bitter or angry, he has channelled his efforts into being the kindest person he can be.  You will not hear a negative word out of this man's mouth.  He is relentlessly cheerful, up beat and positive.

He is quite a nut for celebrating Christmas, and his decorating tips are wonderful.  I learned everything there is to know from him about how to use ribbon to decorate your Christmas tree.  Instead of having a tree that resembles a sad and rather berserk May Pole, my tree now is decorator worthy.  He is very enthusiastic about Advent calendars and must have six of them that he and Steven enjoy opening every day.  It is very fun to see what is out there, even if you don't spend the money on them yourself.

Anyway, back to kindness.  Christopher has created a list he calls The Advent of Kindness.  Every day in December up to Christmas, he has an act of kindness he suggests we do for ourselves or others.  Click here for the link to his calendar.  If you are interested, you can print it out and give it a go.  Some of the actions are very simple, such as "Hold a door open for someone"  or "Let someone go ahead of you in line".  Others involve a bit more effort, such as today's prompt "Donate some books to the library".  At the very least, his list has ideas of small things we can do to make the day a bit more of a joy for others.

All of us need and deserve kindness.  You never know what is going on in the life of someone else.  Sometimes the smallest gesture can make the biggest difference.

Christmas Stockings for Your Dog

Do you hang a Christmas stocking for your dog?  Yeah, we do too.  The cute ones shown above can be ordered from PetCo, but you better hurry for delivery by Christmas.

You could also make your own, which I did about a hundred years ago.  I still have the stocking:

It is pretty sad looking, and hasn't been in rotation for many years, but making the bone shaped pattern was easy, and done up in more current fabric, it would be adorable.  And my gosh, if you had one of those embroidery features on your machine you could even personalize it.

What kind of stocking stuffers would one give to a dog?  Here are my favorites for this year.

This is Marvin the Moose, a Kong chew toy.  Only $6.07 on Amazon.

This is the Benebone bacon flavored wish bone shaped chew toy.  Wow, that was a mouthful.  It is designed so that dogs can get a good grip on it and have a "satisfying chew".  It comes in several sizes and is under $10.

This is the OurPets IQ treat ball.  It dispenses treats or kibble if your dog manipulates the ball properly.  I am hoping it will keep Ozzie occupied for awhile so he doesn't bug me.

The dogs in our family love these Nutrish Savory Dog Treats by Rachael Ray.  You can pick these up at the grocery store, and you can be sure there will be a flavor your dog will enjoy.

Ok, I have to admit, I did not purchase this item, because I thought it was gross.  Ozzie would be over the moon to have it though.  It is the Perfect Curve Lick Lick pad.  You stick it to the wall, slap some peanut butter on it, and it is guaranteed to distract your dog while you give him a bath or do other grooming.  Innovative, right?  Still not buying it.  Although I wonder how long it would keep him out of my hair....

So, do you give your pets Christmas stockings?  What sorts of treats do you put in them?

Quick Home Made Gift Idea- Microwave Bowl Cozies

This, for those of you who might not know, is a Bowl Cozy.  Specifically, a padded bowl surround that can be used in the microwave while heating up leftovers in a bowl.  You know how when you heat up your soup in a bowl in the microwave, it is too hot to handle when you take it out?  Well, this little item solves that problem.  Everyone loves them.

To make them, all you need is two 10 inch layer cake squares and two 10 inch squares of batting.  Be sure to use only 100% cotton fabric, batting and thread.  I have done a tutorial on how I make mine, and therein have linked to another tutorial I think is really good.  

I have been in full production mode, and made eight of them in a couple of hours earlier this week.  They make great teacher gifts, gifts for work buddies, and are quite perfect for your grown nieces and nephews who are setting up first apartments or dorm rooms.  You know they eat something from the microwave every day, so these are just what they need.  For couples, I like to give two in matching or coordinating fabrics.

They are a great way to use up those layer cake squares you have sitting around.  These cost me nothing, as I made them with materials I had on hand. I bet you have the makings for a slew of them too.  I like to choose fabric combinations that suit the individual.  The guys on my list are getting grey and black ones and the girls are getting girlier prints.  They are completely washable, so when you slop your soup over the side, it's no problem to wash it off.

So what are you waiting for?  You know someone who needs these.

 

 

Get in the Christmas Mood

During the Christmas season, I think it is fun to pick up a book that is set during the holidays.  One new one that I purchased this year is "A Lot Like Christmas" by Connie Willis, only $10 on Amazon.  It is a collection of short stories that will be sure to get you in the mood for Christmas.

The reviews describe the short stories as "reimagined" classic Christmas stories that are in a contemporary setting.  You can easily read a short story in one sitting, so these are perfect for this busy time of year.  The book is described as taking a humorous look at many of our holiday traditions such as the Christmas newsletter (lots to poke fun at there), gift giving, holiday music, decorating, and even the ghosts of Christmas past, future and present.

My copy just arrived yesterday, so I will keep you posted as to how I am enjoying it.  

Beauty Related Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Women

I thought I might share some of my favorite beauty related stocking stuffer ideas for women.  These items work for teenagers up through the elderly I think.  For me, beauty products are always pretty easy to come up with, as there are so many small items that we gals love to receive.  Boys and men are much more challenging, and I will be tackling them in another post.

The items below come in all price ranges, from drug store budget to high end splurge.  You would be surprised at how thrilled the women (young and old) in my life are to find these in their stockings.

Every girl needs a new mascara.  This one by L'Oreal can be found in any drugstore, and at less than $9, is one of the better budget priced ones I have found.  Of course, if you have a Chanel or Dior budget, go for the high end choice!

A Beauty Blender.  This is the pricier option at $20, but a budget friendly choice made by Real Techniques can be found at Ulta for around $5.

Bath Bombs.  I got these for about $3 at Whole Foods Market.  They aren't as pretty as the pricier ones from companies such as Lush, but at least they aren't covered with glitter and are affordable.  

A  pretty new nail polish is always fun to receive.  Pick something festive like red, or go wild with a blue or green.  Essie and OPI are great nail polish brands and can be found at most drug or beauty supply stores for under $10.

A Turbie Twist towel for after the shower/shampoo.  I got mine at my local drug store and it is made of super absorbent microfiber fabric that soaks up all the moisture in your wet hair in record time. Around $5.

A good hand cream.  This hand cream was given to me as a gift and I love it.  If you can't find this exact one, there are plenty of others available at your drug store or beauty supply store.  They are usually well under $10.

Hand sanitizer.  This is a great choice for anyone, and is available at a super inexpensive price. Bath and Body Works have a great selection, but you can find them at any drug store as well.

Makeup remover wipes.  You can find these at the grocery store, and they are so useful.  They are around $5 and take up a lot of room in the stocking, which can be a good thing!

An eyeshadow palette.  This one by Tarte is only $19.  And right now Macy's is offering 15% off on it.  There are cheaper alternatives at the drugstore, but this is a great price for a good quality product.

One of my all time favorite gifts to receive is a gift certificate for a manicure, pedicure, facial or massage.  Whatever your budget is, I bet you could find something at a local business that would delight someone you love.

Face masks from Sephora are around $6 and are a real treat for your skin.  They are also pretty fun to use at a sleepover party.

Hope these ideas will be helpful to those of you looking for stocking stuffer ideas for the beauty loving girls in your life!

 

Shop From Home

The photo doesn't really do it justice, but this little kitchen vignette is one of my favorites this year.  I bought a tiny fake tree at my local hardware store of all places, and it is just the right size for my little quilt from last year.  I strung some of those battery powered mini lights around the tree, and it is just darling, I think.

I did something completely insane on Saturday.  I knew that Bath and Body Works was having their annual sale on their candles, which I love.  The regularly priced $24.99 candles were reduced to $8.99 for one day only.  I live an hour and a quarter from the nearest Bath and Body works and it was pouring rain, but that did not stop me.  What nearly did me in was the huge crowd of people I had not anticipated.  It was so crowded you could not stand in the store without touching another person next to you.  But I got my eight candles and then stood in line for 45 minutes to pay.  Seriously.  It was so crazy.  Then I drove home for another hour in the rain.  And then found out the sale was online also.  I could have ordered on line.  Let's pause for a moment and reflect on that.  

Well, I certainly will not be doing that again.  But here are two of my favorite holiday candles.  Crushed Candy Cane and Spiced Ginger Bread.  I also got a couple of more wintery scents for January (Winter and Fresh Sparkling Snow).

I try to make it a policy to shop from home.  I do try to shop locally when I can, but living miles from everything foils that plan for the most part.  Particularly during the holidays when the crowds and traffic are so bad I find it much nicer to order from home and have things delivered.  So many places are offering free shipping right now that it just doesn't make sense to pay for gas and go through the frustration of doing holiday shopping. 

Hope you all had a splendid weekend.  I am going to try to post every week day in December, so we will see how that goes!

 

Holiday Preparations

You haven't heard much from me this week, because I am up to my eyeballs in holiday preparations.  The house is all decorated, the Christmas collections (snowmen, Santas, fairies) all displayed.  The decorating is just about complete.

My week has been spent on Shutterfly projects.  Have you heard of Shutterfly?  They are a company you can use to make holiday calendars or photo memoir travel books.  You can also use your photos to be printed on mugs or other gifts.  I highly recommend them for holiday gifts that are super personal.  Since Eva was about two years old, each Christmas I have made a Shutterfly wall calendar featuring photos of her from the previous year.  They are totally adorable and both sets of grandparents, her mom and dad and uncle all look forward to receiving them.  They do take time to put together, but relatively easy, and the results are so worth it.

See how cute the calendars are?  If you are at a loss for what to get those hard to shop for people, something like this might fit the bill.  The projects are fun to do, and everyone always seems to love them.

This year I did a 2019 Eva calendar and an entire photo book from our trip to Ireland this summer.  My husband will love the photo book, and it will be a forever momento of the trip we can access any time.