Getting crafty for Christmas

I've had a great time being crafty lately.

My hubby taught me how to distress and antique wood and one weekend I made a bunch of these sweet little nativity scenes for my friends: 

Then I fell in love with 3D star ornaments that I saw on Pinterest and decided the world could never have enough stars and made bunches and bunches...

Because I thought they had to be authentic or maybe because I'm a Type A, I had to have the sheet music for Handel's Messiah copied on the card stock! Yay! Then I also made some with Silent Night. (of course no one would ever be able to tell, but I know) : )
I tied them to gift bags and they doubled as gift tags for presents. (unless you are related to me and then they were just put into a Tupperware box with your other gifts in hopes they wouldn't get crushed) : )

I also found directions on how to make a large one out of a cereal box and spray paint and I hung it here:

Speaking of ornaments, we have some coffee related ones now, because we have a Starbucks employee in the family. : )

Because I started working on this last year

with the help of my sweet parents who went looking for a map of California with me while I was visiting, 

I had the map handy for making this project.
So, now I have a banner in my living room reminding me that because of Jesus,
 'The Weary World Rejoices!" But technically, only California is rejoicing. ; )

Unfortunately, I need another map to finish it, because I wasn't able to squeeze out an 'S' and so it really says 'The weary world rejoice' at the moment. Ugh!

 And if you can't read this:

 it says "We Met" and "We Married" and "We Live" with heart shaped maps of each location. And I love, love, love it but I haven't even finished it a year later. I guess Christmastime is the only time I get crafty. -Even though we live in Florida, I still haven't bought a map of it but I'll have to soon, at least to make sure that 'the weary world rejoiceS.'

As we do every winter, Joy and I and some friends from our home school group are knitting hats for those in need. I love this project. I SOOO wish I had unlimited supplies of yarn at my disposal. We are sending hats to a children's home in NC. (where the director mentioned that the children are always loosing their hats and gloves...doesn't that pull on your motherly heart strings?) 

We are also sending hats to a safe house in NY for women and girls who have been RESCUED from the horrors of  life in the human trafficking industry. How awesome is that?!   

Hence my great love for SALES on yarn!!!!  And when you live in Florida and you have to turn your air conditioning on the week before Christmas, you are thrilled to knit for others who could really use some warmth
in Jesus' name! : ) 

Merry Christmas, Friends!

~Becky