More holiday gifts and crafts!

I'm really starting to get burnt out on (homemade) holiday gifts, baking, and crafts. I know that sounds awful, but I started early and I've just been cramming things in where I can. So far I've made:

• Lots of ornaments
• Two topiaries
• A peppermint wreath (the same one, twice)
• Chai tea mix
• Kahlua
• Bath salts and scrubs
• An initial wreath
• Yet another wreath
• A santa pot
• Coasters

I've got pics of everything, so if you haven't seen it yet, you will in the future. I've still got plans to make two more topiaries, magnets, beaded ornaments, painted coffee mugs, decoupaged clipboard and notebook, and a mail organizer. Add to that the holiday baking, decorating, wrapping gifts, and all the other miscellaneous holiday activities, and it is enough to make me want to go get in bed and not get out. Oh, and did I mention I work full-time? :)

**A job for which I am very grateful, mind you. I hope to keep it, but things are a bit stressful with budget cuts and the stress of this economy. I'm just trying to keep the faith.**

I'm going to apologize in advance for the poor quality of these pictures. The first ornament would be a great holiday craft for children. I got the idea for the snowmen at Target, where I saw something similar, and I thought it was something I could do at home. (I'll just go ahead and say Target's version looks much better.). I popped off the top of a clear glass ornament and filled it with some faux snow. I used pipe cleaners and pom poms to make the earmuffs, and I painted on the eyes, nose, and mouth. I am not a painter by any stretch of the imagination. I do well with paint pens, but I am hopeless with a paint brush. Can you tell which I used here?

The ornament below is another clear glass ornament, filled with faux snow. I used a paint pen to write words and initials on the front of the ornament, and then I created a ornament hanger with a bright, silky bow.

On some of the ornaments, I used rub on decals (reindeer) that I got from Michael's ($1.00 for 10 decals) on the front, and then wrote a name or monogram on the back.

Here's the notorious peppermint wreath, mounted on my office door. Don't look to closely at the wrapping paper on the door - my office mates tell me it can give you a headache. I say that if you look at it long enough, you'll see Waldo. ;) The wreath is part of my submission for our company's door decorating contest, and I'll show you the door in its entirety in another post.

Speaking of the dreaded peppermint wreath, do you remember me telling you that I burned my leg while I was working on it? I dropped a glob of hot glue the size of a quarter on my leg just above my ankle. Well, it is no longer just a hot glue burn - it is a 3rd degree burn, and I've been told to expect a very bad scar. So let this be a lesson in hot glue safety for all you crafters out there. I wish I had been more careful.

Did I mention I'm obsessed with topiaries? Here are the two I've finished so far. I love, love, love how the gold topiary turned out. Bling bling, baby!

P.S. I promise, cross my heart, that the eyes & lips portion of my makeup post is coming this week. Promise!