Christmas Anyone???

Christmas is going to be a very quiet affair here this year.  At least I hope I don't get influenza on Christmas Eve like last year so I'm going to knock on some wood.  We decided to not put up a tree this year.  Just can't seem to get into the mood.  Maybe because I can't eat anything delicious & Chris' funky after getting the steroid injection into his back.  My family is doing things separate which seems to be more and more frequent as we all get older.  This will be the first year that Grandma isn't coming up to stay with Mom for the holiday either.  Only thing really planned is that we'll be going to China Dynasty for Christmas dinner with my sister, her new friends, & at least one of my nieces.

Tomorrow though, I am going up to Akron for a Christmas party. We did have a challenge for this year's party.  We all are suppose to make a Christmas themed dolls.  At first I had this ideas of making a Santa from this primative Santa pattern, but it was huge!  I got to thinking where would I put this thing after I made it?  So I got out all the other patterns I had bought at AFIC last May & came upon Jinty the Sewing Elf from Leslie Molen.  He came with a premolded face so all I had to do was put cloth over clay (her pattern used felt, but I think the cloth looks much better).  Then I used my gel pins to color his face (she recommended paints). I hand stitched all his clothes and even hand stitched the bunny using quilt batter to make it look more rustic.  He's sitting on a quilted ornament I also made.  I think he's adorable.  So tomorrow he's heading up with me for show & tell.  I've seen one other doll for the challenge that Pam made & it is amazing.  I've got to remember to take my camera with me.

I've been watching a whole lot of True Blood on HBOgo.  I'm such a vampire girl.  Love most of the stories except the Twilight stuff.  Just can't get into that one.  Maybe I'm just too old for the teenager romance angle.  While watching the episodes of True Blood on my lap top, I've been working on a purse top.  Oh I got one side all done & went to put it on the purse that I got at the thrift store, and it just looked so funky that I got my scissors out & cut it up.  I guess the "redo" button was pushed.  So now to take all that work & try to figure out what to do with it.  Guess it might come in handy for some future jewelry/box project.