Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Roses in December

God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.
- James M. Barrie

The roses are blooming here at Hedge House. In December. Such a strange year. Yesterday, I snipped several frothy flowers from the spring-like bushes and brought them in to admire. Roses in December. I'll take them.

I think all but three of the gifts wrapped under my tree this year are handmade. I'll show them to you later this week. I made milk and honey soaps- several scents- with the fall honey from my hive. They're gorgeous! I'm pairing those with handsewn dish towels and... presto gift-o! Whew. And since the roses were so prolific this year, I'm making Rose and Lavender Potpourri and little muslin bags of Rose Bath Tea. Pair those with handknit cloths and we have a simple but sweet gift. And of course, I'm baking: breads with side jars of homemade honey butter (again, from the hive), along with cookies and cakes. Yum! Last, but not least, are the knitted offerings: hats, blankets, and pillows. Oooof. Bring on the last minute Christmas crafting!

Speaking of handknit cloths, there are several Christmas cloths left in the shop that are perfect for last minute giving and stocking stuffers. Order by Thursday and both of us will rest easy that your gift will arrive in time for Christmas. Here's the link. (The Sugarplum Fairy cloths are my favorite this year!) 

Are you making any gifts for Christmas this year? What does your holiday present list look like? Feel free to share. 

Have a cozy Tuesday. -Brin

5 comments:

Sherry said...

i. love. roses.
and such a special surprise in december. :)

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

I give a lot of various baked goods for gifts. This year I have been experimenting with flash freezing the formed cookie dough and baking them frozen. I had read that chocolate chip cookies actually taste better this way. They were right!

So glad you are "back" blogging regularly. One of my son's best friends is a chemical engineer who has been working since graduation with a large oil company. He told my son about the massive layoffs. He is single and had a good savings account so he is using this opportunity to travel, hoping things turn around next year.

April@MySacredSojourn said...

I just caught up on your blog...somehow I had missed reading several posts. But I'm oh so excited for homemaker school with Brin! I think I've been waiting years for that and didn't know it.

This year is a handmade Christmas for us, as well. I wanted to not only save money for an upcoming move, but also have a "responsible" Christmas, one that wasn't centered around buying new and flashy, but one that embraced the beauty of handmade, thoughtfully chosen gifts from our hearts. I'm working on a dollhouse for our daughters (made from a bookshelf), a dress up chest filled with handmade costumes. There have been lots of other little crafty endeavors this season as well, and I'm sure I'll add a few more handmade gifts to the mix before Christmas fully arrives. But for now, my hands (and heart) are full.

Gail said...

At first glance I thought you were holding a peony, so pretty. Our homemade gifts our cross stitched pillowcases. Nothing earth shattering, but I am so over present buying I do not care anymore.

Betty said...

I love your homemade gifts, Brin. I'm crocheting dishcloths, have jam jars ready and cookies and breads. Baskets of homemade goodies are the best!
Thank you for the tip Brenda..always looking for ways to perfect my chocolate chip cookies:)