Gifts for Christmas
The time just comes and goes so quickly. I tell myself each year that I will start earlier getting things ready for Christmas. Each year, seems to be the same though.. If I had an extra 2 weeks, I would still be doing things up until the last minute. This year was no different. I am sure there were things left undone that I would have loved to have wrapped for the tree, but there comes a time, when you have to take a breath, and evaluate the reason for this time of year. It is fun to have the perfect gift for our friends and family, but whose party is this anyway? Whose birthday are we celebrating? when did it become the most important thing to have the perfect gifts to give, if we are forgetting the birthday boy?I read a poem someone had posted from Mary to Joseph that really brought things into life as I was thinking about it.what if it weren`t a dream?I had a dream Joseph. And I don’t understand it not really. But think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. Well I think that’s what it was about. People had been preparing for about six weeks. They had decorated their house, bought new clothes, gone shopping many times, and bought elaborate gifts. But it was peculiar though because you see, the gifts weren’t for our Son. They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree. Yes! A tree, Joseph, right in their house. They decorated a tree.The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. And there was a figure on top of the tree that looked something like what an angel might look like. Oh, it was so beautiful. Everyone was laughing and happy and all excited about the gifts. They gave gifts to each other, Joseph, not to our Son. I don’t even think they knew Him. They never mentioned His name. Doesn’t it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate somebody’s birthday when they don’t even know Him. I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration, He would have been intruding.
I sketched them on a muslin lining fabric and used fabric crayons to color. Then added some acrylic paints on top to get a brighter color. Then ironed the color and paint into the fabric on the wrong side of fabric. 
Stitched up around the design, and turned them right side out and stuffed them, ready to stitch up the rest after the stuffing was added
I did one for my grandson, Leif, who adores any kind of trucks, so he got a red truck.Then... one more project... My son had taken a picture of this one in a store that his wife, Lacy liked and mentioned she would love to have it . I got a huge piece of canvas and started working on this one for her. Kind of not my style, but was fun to do, using his picture he sent me, as inspiration.
As always, I am glad these projects are finished and behind me, now to move on to others that are in my mind.!!It was a great time to celebrate Jesus` birthday. Happy New year 2016!!Linked with Sunday Sketches hereLove,Jane
