The Best Christmas Gift

I received a lot of nice presents last Christmas. I love gifts and I love the thought that (hopefully) comes with each one.

But the best (early) Christmas gift for me was a something made with lotsa love. Our little boy strung colorful beads into the most wonderful bracelet for me.

Disclaimer: my sister is in the accessories business so we have these stuff lying around at home. He just asked if he can make me one.

hard at work

the look of concentration. stringing beads.

whoa! success!

Gift Wrapping Style 2011

I like receiving nicely-wrapped packages. I like the care and attention to detail. The colorful ribbons, the note tag, the paper. It adds more "value" to the gift.

Last year, I warpped my presents in polka dot wrappers in red and green. Too bad I don't have any pictures, but they look festive alright.

This year, I went on the personalized gift track. More tedious, but I'm happier.

Stampers and a box of chalk for Jared's teacher in a clear plstic box. I included a big plastic letter of the recipient's initial inside

Love, love, love kraft paper. They look organic and different. Best part is, I can use them for all occassions, just change that belt to what is appropriate for the season.

Now, for the stamp part. I searched high and low, for weeks. Good thing I found a set in the size I was looking for. Buy 1 set, take 3 sets free. Whatta deal. Used rubber paint for this foam stamp. Easy to clean and stamping was therapeutic for me.

Yummy cookies in canisters, with the Merry Christmas greeting inside in acetate. Nice, yes?

To those I will be giving gifts to, please take a moment to appreciate the wrap before you tear it open, please? =)

Christmas Kiss

I should put a mistletoe above them. My godchild and Jared saying thank you to each other after giving each other gifts last Saturday. 

Our First Christmas Tree

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. It's really different when you have a kid in the house. Somehow, Christmas brings a whole world of new meaning in the household. Makes it more special.

I promised our little one we'll have Christmas in our house last weekend. By Christmas, he means the tree.

So off we went to SM and hauled a slim tree which his dad preferred. Christmas trees are more affordable now, right? But thr trimmings, oh the trimmings cost almost as much as the tree itself. I would have wanted to make home made ones, but couldn't find enough inspiration on the net.

So the tree was bought and assembled, little by little. It took maybe twice as long to put up because little hands keep getting in the way =)


To make the 'event' more festive, we baked oatmeal cookies. So when we were doing this, it smelled like Christmas in the house, too.

He put up the first trimming!

Amazed at the tree, until he got bored and read and book instead.

We're still making the tree prettier and arranging the gifts (yes, we started shopping early!) underneath so the tree in full bloom pics will have to wait.