The Far Side of Christmas

I can't believe we're on the other side of Christmas.

I hope you had a wonderful one.
It was quite frantic in the lead up to Christmas. I was still wrapping presents and finishing one of Moonshine's on Christmas morning. I had hope to post some of the things I was working on but time didn't allow for blogging.

Shall I start with the girl's gifts.

Here's Rainbow's letter to Santa. It was actually edited. She wanted it to end with "----(Moonshine) has been naughty today. She has been crying a lot." Over December she considered asking Santa for a cow and horse, a doll and a cat but once she had decided on puddle stompers her mind was set. Now I had looked for rain boots early in spring and could not find any so this was a challenge. So this week I extended the search to op shops and 'designer' children's stores. Some staff even brought out winter stock but we couldn't find any to fit. Eventually I arranged to get a hand me down pair from a friend but at the last minute someone suggested the shop at the zoo and sure enough Ralph (R elf) went out and brought some. The day before Christmas they came up in discussion a lot. Rainbow decided she needed to make a sign with a three on it so that Santa would know that she was now 3 and needed 3 year old puddle stompers. She also became very concerned looking at a picture of the elf's working on toys in a book that none of the elves were making boots. Rainbow was predicting the boots would be red as that was Santa's favourite colour. Here she is with boots! She even wore the boots to the beach on Christmas morning.
To her left is her Christmas sack which I made for her for her second Christmas. (She was only 3 weeks at her first and I was really not up to sewing at that point!) Here's a better look. So this week I have been frantically sewing Moonshine's at every spare moment.

The girls received 7 dolls between them. Moonshine was particularly excited. Her eyes would widen with excitement at the sight of them and she said "Bubba Bubba Bubba". Here she is giving one of Rainbow's a kiss.

Rainbow was also taken with this doll and on I heard her saying to Bilby "There is a new baby at our house. She's very little so I'll have to carry her around a lot."
I also made some nappies and nappy wipes for Rainbow's dolls. Do you like the name?

For Moonshine I made a fabric ball with a shaker inside using the pattern from Grand Revival. (Look in the column on the left hand side. It is a very quick project.








and some stacking boxes. These are a variation of the stacking cups that you can buy. They are great for when kids are at the stage where they like to put things in and take things out and open and close things.
Moonshine's have been decorated on each side with paper and the occasional drawing from Dad such as the bird on the washing line. The little box is a domesticated house. The middle house is about self- sufficiency and the third is a romantic little cottage.
These can be fitted inside each other like matroyka dolls.

Or stacked up as homes for little friends.

Then when she outgrows opening and closing and stacking they will be cute little storage containers for her room.

The girls also got a 'bouncing bean'. 'We set it up one morning while Rainbow had a play at Nanny Janny's house. It was quite a feat keeping Rainbow out of the backyard for two days. Here she is bouncing with her cousin.
and little Moonshine squeezed between the wall and the bbq watching from the verandah. She loves crawling around on it. She finds it really funny when Rainbow jumps on it and the bounce knocks her down.