Advent Day 23 :: Christmas Eve Eve

It's down to the wire folks. My family gathering is tomorrow night. Am I ready? Absolutely not.

But before I go into that, let's look at pretty things that I splurged on this year!

I cannot remember where I saw it, but I found a link to Stephanie Levy's blog, A Studio With A View, a few weeks ago. She's doing a great project this month called the Artist Advent Calendar. Each day of the month, Stephanie invited a different blogger to guest post and share their family's Christmas traditions. Lovely right?

On day 11, these posts caused me to happen upon Samantha Hirst's shop Inklore, at which I indulged in a rare moment of insta-purchasing and bought myself the following:

Three gingerbread ornaments



Gingerbread tea towel



In other news, I am still fantastically ill. Projects have had to be modified, or put on hold all together. My dad is getting toasted pumpkin seeds, instead of pumpkin seed brittle. I just now have the meager strength to whip up pizza dough for my brothers. Neighbors will likely not be getting cookies, and I have nothing for my little niece Isabelle. Don't even get me started on Matt's family, their gifts are all up in the air, but I won't be seeing them tomorrow! Honestly though, I'm not all that stressed about all of that. I am really just hoping that I can breath through my nose tomorrow, and have the ability to speak in a normal tone, so that I can socialize with my family!!!

Okay, I have to keep building my mountain of wadded snotty tissues. Important stuff, dontcha know?

Subtext: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SOMEBODY KILL ME AND RIP OUT MY SINUSES AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Advent Day 22 :: Apparently I Do An Awesome Chevy Chase Impersonation

Ah me,

For some reason the limitations of my Christmas cheer are being tested over and over again this year! My sister told me the other day that I was cursed, but we'll get to that in a moment. My Advent posts have been slim, because I have been trying my darndest to perfect my Chevy Chase impersonation...specifically imitating the iconic role of Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Every Christmas project I touch this year seems to turn into or involve some sort of disaster.

Chevy Chase Case Study #1 :: The Christmas Cookies

Friday night, I gleefully decided that I was going to bake a family standard, Nova Scotia Shortbread Cookies. I have done this many, many times. The very first step is to soften the butter, and beat in the various dry ingredients. My butter came right out of the fridge, so I decided that it needed to go into the microwave for a bit...so I chopped up an entire pound of butter and popped it into one of my many Pyrex mixing bowls...specifically one of the brown ones pictured here in the back left of this photo:



Can anyone predict what I'm about to write next?

I'll give you a hint. Note the gold motif on the mixing bowl...which I stuck into the microwave.

Well, one would've thought it was Fourth of July in December with all of the sparks that were generated in the mere three seconds before I pulled the microwaves plug and started hyperventilating.

The irony is this: I buy butter wrapped in foil wrappers. Two seconds before all of this went down, I thought to myself, "Oh, good thing I'm unwrapping these sticks to soften them, that would be hilarious!" as I proceeded to throw butter chunks into the bowl with a metal motif on it. Good job!

Luckily, no cookies were harmed, and my apartment did not burn down. Microwave: 1 Sarah: 2, YEAH take that microwave!





***

On Saturday, I went to my family's Christmas party, which was great fun, so much so I forgot to take photos! Every year we do a Yankee Swap, where horrible gifts abound. I opened a box with a large hour glass in it, and announced to the room "Like sands through the hour glass...so are the days of our lives..." much to the bemusement of every soap fan in the room. Luckily I made a power play for a Barnes and Noble gift certificate which I managed to hold on to until the end of the game. Score!

***

Chevy Chase Case Study #2 :: The Gingerbread House

Sunday I went to my sister Renee's house, where I watched her make a gingerbread house for eight hours.



The house was intended for me, but my only contribution was worried looks over Renee's shoulder, and placing the candy to make stained glass windows.



The windows came out beautifully, but sadly the house was a FAIL! This brings us to the point where my sister told me that I was cursed. No matter though, we had a really great time hanging out together all day, and both Matt and I got in some serious puppy cuddle time.



So disasters aside, it was a great weekend. However Monday morning brought a severe case of the sickies my way. I've been sniffling and hacking and rolled into a blanket burrito on my couch for 48 hours. There are gifts to finish, baking to be done, THINGS TO DO, and I am SPENT. I am really hoping to feel better by Christmas Eve, for my family's dinner and gift exchange, because I would hate to be a damper on the evening!!! Send me some healthy vibes peeps!

Advent Day 16 :: Crazy? Or crazy awesome?

I have been wanting to take a picture of this house for weeks, and oh, I am so glad that I did...



Best viewed in all of its glory large here.

The walk to this house tonight afforded me a new level of appreciation for house decorating. Not only is this house using enough electricity to power a small country, but IT PLAYS MUSIC TOO. I especially enjoy the lights programmed to blink in rhythm with said music. The Virgin Mary flashing in turn with the Tasmanian Devil dressed as Santa Claus to a plinky plonky rendition of 'Winter Wonderland' was the real kicker.

I took my pictures like a sly paparazzi photographer and giggled all the way home.

What do you think? Crazy? Or crazy awesome? I'm leaning towards the former!

Advent Day 11 :: Flurry of Activity

My the past few days have been a flurry of activity! The holidays always do seem to take a life of their own the closer that we get to Christmas day...

Last night Matt and I had the real pleasure to attend BB's Nutcracker. I had never seen their production before, since I was always busy dancing in other productions elsewhere. I was really blown away. This is a Nutcracker not to be missed! Aside from the world class dancing the sets, costumes and lighting were so beautiful. My favorite moment was during the snow scene: Massive painted pine trees began to glow with twinkling lights as the "snow" began to fall down. I had a lump in my throat!

BB's website premiered a great little video the other day profiling one of this year's Claras. It's just over three minutes. I urge you to take a peek, and be schooled about the fabulous company.

The last few days were also a flurry of embroidery, as I rushed to finish up my Holiday Ornament Swap packages (late, as per usual). I embroidered eleven snowflakes total, ten to swap and one to keep. I love that they all turned out differently, just like real snowflakes! I must admit, these were a little difficult to send away, I love how they turned out!



Hope that all of you are enjoying the holiday season as much as I am! If you have anything special to share, please do in the comments!

Cheers, Sarah

Advent Day 7 :: A Sweet Gift

Yesterday our friends Jess and Alan gave us a sweet gift.



Holiday muffin mix and a huge container of mixed nuts coated in some sort of homemade caramel concoction. So delicious! In fact, a little too delicious...I ate a few too many of the mixed nuts and now I have a little caramel induced belly ache, whoops! That's what I get for being greedy!

I love little packaged up gifts like this. Do any of you have any fun little Christmas packages you like to put together for friends and family?

Advent Day 6 :: Christmas Card Writing Party

Here's the winter wonderland that I was talking about last night...



I took three pictures during my party today. I got the idea to do so from the fabulous book, 52 Projects by Jeffrey Yamaguchi.

Before



During



After



Most of us went to Bazaar Bizarre afterwards, and it was fabulous fun. I managed to buy lots of goodies for Matt, and a great book for my nephew. I'll share that soon, maybe tomorrow. For now, I'm exhausted, phew! Goodnight!

Advent Day 5 :: Christmas Snow and a Memory

I was cleaning up for my party tomorrow morning when lo and behold, just as my speakers were blaring Annie Lennox singing Winter Wonderland, I looked out my window, and there it was:



Christmas snow!

I have always loved snow. Some...okay, many... New Englanders get jaded about the fluffy stuff since it is with us for so much of our year. I guess I haven't reached that point yet. I hope that I never do!



When I was growing up, my bedroom window overlooked our street. When I was having trouble sleeping, I would get out of bed and watch the snow fly around by the light of the street lamp. I would kneel in front of that window, arms folded on the sill, chin resting on top and be hypnotized by the snow. Sometimes I would open the window to feel the icy air on my face and breath in a big whiff of "snow smell." I always used to tell my dad that I knew that it was going to snow because I could smell it. I figured out many years later that what I was smelling was our neighbors' chimneys. I guess our neighbors knew that it was coming too...the cold must have tipped them off!

Tonight I stood in my living room, held my broom, listened to Annie Lennox, stared past the tree, looked out the window and watched the snow fly around by the light of the street lamp. I was hypnotized. Still.

Advent Day 4 :: New Holiday Mix and Recipe

I recently completed the Holiday Mix CD and Recipe Swap over on Swap-bot. I was super pleased with what my partner Alyson sent to me. The mix is a perfect combination of classics, and new to me songs that I now love. I thought I would share the playlist and recipe that I received here:

Alyson's Holiday Mix

1. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Preacher Lee
2. Cha-Cha All the Way - Capitol Studio
3. Deck the Halls - Cuba L.A.
4. Feliz Navidad - Bobby Rodriguez
5. All I Want For... - Spike Jones
6. Indian Giver - Squirrel Nut Zippers
7. Winter Weather - Squirrel Nut Zippers (This is one of my new favorite songs!)
8. Baby It's Cold Outside - Brian Setzer
9. Sleigh Ride - Harry Connick
10. Merry Christmas Family - Dixie Chicks
11. Winter Wonderland - Eurythmics
12. Make Me a Present - Dinah Washington (Another new favorite)
13. Marshmellow World - Brenda Lee
14. Lasso Santa Claus - Brenda Lee
15. Santa's Messin' with the Kid - Eddie Campbell
16. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
17. Blues for Christmas - John Lee Hooker
18. Swing Them Jingle Bells - Fats Waller
19. White Christmas - Louis Armstrong
20. Jingle Bells - Bing Crosby
21. Sleigh Ride - Glenn Miller Orchestra
22. Hands - Jewel
23. Silent Night - Stevie Nicks

Alyson's Nutmeg Cookies

Cookies:

1 cup soft butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp rum (or rum flavoring)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:

1/3 cup butter
2 tsp cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp rum
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

For cookies: Mix wet ingredients in a large bowl. Mix dry ingredients in a smaller bowl. Add/mix dry into wet a bit at a time until well combined. Roll dough into cylinders about 1" in diameter and chop into cookies. Bake at 350 F approximately 12-15 minutes. Dough also works well with cookie cutters. Frost and sprinkle with nutmeg while fresh!

***

Sounds tasty, huh? I can't wait to try this recipe out!

Cheers, Sarah

P.S. I have to add a note: Today I am SUPER THANKFUL that my friend Gemma has found a job! I'm over the moon thankful for this! Hurray!

Advent Day 1 :: Santaland Diaries

Last year I attempted to blog every day during Advent, except I was interrupted for a few days by a nasty ice storm. This year I am going to try to keep up the blogging and make it a tradition. Some days I will share recipes, traditions, and links, other days might just be photos. We will see if I can keep up!

The other night Matt and I drove up to Portland, Maine to see the stage adaptation of The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris. If you are local, the show is playing in the studio theater at Portland Stage, where Matt used to work. He made a guest appearance on this production as the lighting designer, and it was nice to return to such a familiar space and see old friends.

If you are familiar with the Santaland Diaries, then you will know that it is the ridiculous account of Sedaris' experiences as an elf in Macy's New York City flagship store. Since it is a rather ridiculous story, Matt took the opportunity to dress up in his latest thrift store purchase, a most ridiculous, tight, green suit.





In turn, I felt I had to dress a little ridiculously to match...





Me, terrified of Matt's lascivious Wild and Crazy Guys Suit alter ego...



We are silly.



The show was great. If you have not heard the radio broadcast, you must listen. It is Episode #47 Christmas and Commerce under December. The first time I ever heard this, I was home from college, visiting my friend Mark, when he pulled a cassette tape from underneath his bed and said, "You have to listen to this. Right now." And we did listen. And we laughed hysterically. And now I listen to it every Christmas. Thanks, Mark.



P.S. Today's post is my 500th post since I moved to Blogger a few years ago. WOW!

Advent :: Day 22 / Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Something to inspire: Need a last minute gift idea? Check out SewMamaSew's Handmade Holiday's Round-Ups from 2007 and 2008 for plenty of inspiration. I'm also loving the cute, easy Handmade Printed Scarves via Curbly.

Something to Make: Many snow inspired projects to share with you today! I've been swooning over:

Newspaper Snowflake Garland Tutorial via Mayamade


Lace and Ice via Resurrection Fern


Felt Snowflakes via Purl Bee


Hoopie Snowman via Betz White

Something to Listen To: Let It Snow! sung by Bing Crosby

:::

We've finally had some respite from three days of relentless snowfall. I admit, I love snow, but this much arriving at once has been a little overwhelming! It is absolutely beautiful outside. Barring some freak 90 degree weather, it should be a white Christmas this year!



Off to (hopefully) finish up some Christmas sewing. Cheers!

Advent :: Day 21 / Nuts for Christmas!

Walnuts for your Stocking, originally uploaded by Ouissi.

Thanks to Flickr user Ouissi for allowing me to share her photo!

Something for you to read: Click on the photo above to read a little fun historical background on the role of walnuts in European Christmas traditions, courtesy of Ouissi.

Something for you to watch: Please set aside ten minutes to do this! Watch a ten-minute look back on Mark Morris' production of The Hard Nut. Morris collaborated with famed comic book illustrator Charles Burns in 1991 for an update on the classic tale of The Nutcracker. The production is set in the 1970's instead of the late 18th century. I admit, it is not my favorite Nutcracker ever, but it is truer than most to the E.T.A. Hoffman story, and offers up some wonderful, creative moments. The video shows excerpts of Morris' version of the joyous Snowflake dance - watch to see why it's one of my favorite pieces of choreography ever!

Something for you to make:

Walnut Shell Place Card Holders via Zakka Life

Walnut Shell Votives via Ella Pedersen

:: EDIT ::

I had to add this adorable Walnut Boat Ornament via Disdressed

Something for you to listen to: Speaking of Nutcracker updates check out Duke Ellington's arrangement of The Nutcracker Suite.

:::

I'll tell you what is nuts - all of the snow we've been getting! I'm staying toasty warm watching Family Guy with Matt. Goodnight all!

Advent :: Day 20 / Crazy Lady Baking - WATCH OUT!

I love stollen almost as much as life itself.



God bless my sister-in-law's awesome boyfriend for sending me a loaf!

Something for you to check out: Pam has the most amazing tip for maximizing the productivity of your holiday baking time. Read about it at her incredible blog, Gingerbread+Snowflakes.

Something for you to make: Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cardamom Whipped Cream, via Design Sponge

Something for you to listen to: Nat King Cole "Mrs. Santa Claus"

:::

I missed yesterday's Advent post because it was a decidedly cruddy day yesterday, and I was feeling a bit Scrooge-ish! I messed up my right shoulder by slapping a co-worker. Yes, I wrote that. Slapping a co-worker. A 17-year old co-worker. Oh dear, I get embarrassed just thinking of it. Here's what happened:

I was minding my own business in the bakery when said 17-year old boy creeps up behind me and screams directly into my ear for the sole purpose of scaring the shit out of me.

Now a little background on me, before I described what happened next. I a) absolutely hate being pranked/scared. b) have serious ninja like reflexes.

I let out a huge scream, proceeded to turn and run after the kid, hauled my right arm back and smacked him square in the middle of his back with every ounce of my strength while screaming at top volume Don't you ever fucking do that to me ever again!!!. What a lady I am, huh? I have never hit anyone like that in my entire life! I was so scared and mad I saw red! Even worse this happened in front of actual people. Like, my manager.

I immediately thought to myself. Excellent, I'm going to get fired. But all my manager said was, "Well...he has to learn what peoples' limits are somehow. Guess he just found out yours!"

Oh how completely embarrassing. I hugged the poor kid, after I calmed down,- he thankfully has a good sense of humor. I felt so bad. My palm print was visible on his back. I felt my shoulder socket just crunch when I hit him, and now I'm nursing an incredible sore shoulder. Serves me right for being a bully. I'm not excited about going to work tomorrow, because it's my dominant arm and I'm quite sure how I'm going to get through the day to be honest! Oh well.

:::

I baked a nutmeg maple cream pie this morning to bring to my Uncle Bob's annual Christmas party this afternoon. The party was really a hoot, and my family seems to have quadrupled in the past few years since I've last attended. I was laughing watching the little ones all run in and out of the basement for the duration of the whole thing. My cousins and I did the same thing when we were small. Grownups were so boring! As the kids trampled up and down the stairs, I was filled with nostalgia for Christmases gone by. In those days we played epic games of hide and go seek, karaoke singing contests, etc. Later in our teens, when we were too cool for all of that, we had fierce ping pong competitions. That basement was our universe and now it belongs to a second generation of cousins. Amazing how life is cyclical like that!

I'm so tuckered right now - I'll post more about the party, with pictures, tomorrow :)

Advent :: Day 18 / Christmas Movies

Today's topic;

MOVIES!

Something for you to read: Alicia's *hilarious* post titled My Christmas Movie Screenplay Plans.

Something for you to listen to: Blair's great Holiday Mix. I'm especially loving Fiona Apple singing "Frosty the Snow Man". I know, I know, that's just plain weird right? But give it a listen - it's super cool!

Something for you to watch:

My top 5 movies to watch during the Christmas season:

(((in no particular order)))

1. Holiday Inn (1945): This classic is probably often passed over in favor of the ubiquitous, ever popular White Christmas. This Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire extravaganza covers ALL of the major holidays of the year, bookended by Christmas. Astaire delivers an amazing fire cracker throwing (literally) tap dance for the Fourth of July segment. Bing sings White Christmas and gets the girl. Best ever.

2. Scrooged (1988): I live for the scene when Carol Kane appears as the ass-kicking -tutu wearing Ghost of Christmas Present.

3. Home Alone (1990): Okay, I totally had a crush on Macauley Culkin when I was in elementary school. Something about him lip-synching "White Christmas" just stole my little heart. The end of Home Alone induces waterworks to this day!

4. George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (1993): Also featuring Macauley Culkin as the Nutcracker Prince! We have a theme here! Seriously though, as a dancer for life I own about every version of the Nutcracker out there on VHS and DVD. This is a really well produced classical interpretation. The narration, by Kevin Kline, makes it pretty friendly to non-ballet goers and bunheads alike.

5. 200 Cigarettes (1999): Less Christmas, more New Year's, this needs to be watched during the post Christmas wind-down. And it has Paul Rudd in it, AKA Nat's secret boyfriend. One of the choice quotes? "Music makes the booty spin round". Indeed it does!

Advent :: Day 17 / Santa's Little Workshop

Something for you to eat, or give: Baked Oatmeal. This recipe has been a winter favorite of mine for awhile now. Pack up the dry ingredients in a pretty container and a copy of the recipe for a sweet, quick gift!

Something for you to drink, or give: Limoncello, a lemon flavored after dinner drink, makes a nice gift that takes minimal effort over the course of a few days. Be sure to include a copy of the recipe so that recipients can try their hand at making a batch of their own.

Something for you to listen to: Lady December by the Sweptaways

:::

Last night and today my apartment was Santa's freaking workshop!

The first thing I finished up was a little Waldorf-inspired play crown for my nephew, Thi.



The trim on the front was from a swap with Shael, and it is available in her Etsy shop.



I *love* that wood grain fabric.

If you don't have time or the gumption to sew a crown for yourself - you can buy a gorgeous one from my talented friend Ella at Little Red Caboose, not to mention numerous other lovelies that I wish I had the money for!

:::

Tonight some friends from work came over and together we packaged up baked oatmeal mix, and made the beginnings of some fine limoncello. I have to say, having made limoncello twice now, I definitely prefer making it with friends, because the task of peeling lemons goes so much quicker!

Advent :: Day 16 / Wreaths

Something for you to read: Where did Christmas wreaths come from? Via Yahoo Answers.

Something for you to listen to: To reflect yesterday's crazy, warm weather let's listen to Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.

Something for you to make: Eco-Friendly Plastic Bag Wreath via Two Peas in a Bucket or a Halloween Ribbon Wreath via The Long Thread. The second wreath is meant for Halloween, but the idea can be easily adapted to fit any holiday or occasion. I think it would look great with some red and white striped ribbon for Christmas. Or if you've got a creepy, goth, Victorian thang goin' on for your holiday decor, you could leave it black! Either way!

Something for you to look at: Inspiring, beautiful wreaths from my Flickr favorites!



1. Wreath 2005, 2. da feira, 3. button wreath, 4. #3, 5. thanksgiving wreath, 6. then came a christmas wreath, 7. the glitterfest has begun, 8. my favorite time of the year, 9. vintage paper wreath, 10. um bocadinho de Natal, 11. decking the studio, 12. studio wreath, 13. wool wreaths, 14. wool wreaths, 15. fabric wreath, 16. Birds and YArn Wreath, 17. wreath, 18. wreath, 19. Gnome's Garden, 20. glitterific wreath, 21. Happy Birthday mom!

:::

It should be pretty clear from my favorites above that I am a fan of wreaths made out of non-traditional materials. I do love evergreen wreaths, but their cost can certainly be a little off-putting! Last year I made my sister, Ren, a fabric wrapped wreath inspired by Jen from Swallowfield, (pictured in the first photo above). At the time, I bought myself an extra wreath form intending to make one similar for myself, but I never got around to it.

This year I made it a priority to finish up a wreath for our little house.



*Squeel!* I love it!

It hangs over Matt's extensive cassette collection, (also where our Christmas cards sit, for lack of a mantel).



Do you have a wreath in your home? I'd love to see it. Post links to photos of your wreaths in the comments below :)

Advent :: Day 11 / Putting up the tree!

Something for you to watch: Meg's Holiday Decor Special on Threadbanger. I love that girl!

Something for you to listen to: Merry Christmas, Baby performed by Bonnie Raitt and Charles Brown.

Something for you to make: Paper Stained Glass Trees via AlphaMom

:::

We decorated tonight.



Oh, dear!



Who needs step-stools, really?

Hobbes played an integral role in the tree decorating process...



:: Lights off ::



:: Lights on ::



:: Happy dancing ::



:: Kissy-kissy (Who could resist that face?!) ::



:: Lurve ::



Tonight was so nice. Dinner and decorating with my love. Loooooong overdue :)

Advent :: Day 10 / Where I've Spent My Money This Christmas

pig money box, originally uploaded by cupcakes for clara.

Something for you to check out: If you're looking for unique online shopping ideas, check out the Design*Sponge 2008 Gift Guide : Bloggers' Wish List. I'm smitten with The Illustrated Wild Foods Recipe Calendar, I promptly added it to my wish list!

Something for you to eat: Check out this easy peasy recipe for Spicy, Sweet and Salty Rosemary Nuts from Pink of Perfection.

Something for you to listen to: "Elf's Lament" by Barenaked Ladies and Michael Buble.

:::

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time then you probably know that I love making gifts for people. It has been my goal, in the past, to make all of my gifts for the holiday season. While I still think this is a valiant pursuit, I acknowledge that I am human and there is only so much time in the day! This has definitely become an important realization this year, with all of these babies appearing right and left, my Christmas list has become very long indeed!

I thought it would be fun to share with you a few of the purchases that I've made this year.

Kodak 5x7" Mini-Photo Books :: This is my only "corporate" purchase of the year. I bought a few of these, with special family photos inside, as gifts. The format is pretty, and the picture quality is very nice!

A piece of clothing for one of my wee, cute relatives from 1Girl 1Boy

A necktie for a special someone from In Hope

A rockin', one of a kind, piece of guy clothing from Tymbal via Magpie.

Two amazing dinosaur puppets from Owly Shadow Puppets. You MUST go watch this great four minute video about Owly Shadow Puppets. I think they're so neat, and it's crazy awesome that they have moving parts!

AND

I just ordered Punk Rock Etiquette, by Travis Nichols, after reading an interview with the author over at Naughty Secretary Club. Since I am such the slave to Barnes and Noble for most of the year, I did a little investigating on my local bookstore. Not only can you order most anything online from River Run Book Store, but you get free shipping to the continental United States. Done and done.

And that's it! Fairly low-key for Christmas shopping - and easy on my wallet!

What kind of fun purchases have you all been making this year?

Advent Day 9 / Tutorial :: How to Recycle a Gift Bag into a Mailer

How to Recycle a Gift Bag into a Mailer



I found myself short of mailers to pack up my ornament swap packages yesterday. Being thrifty, I noticed that I had an abundance of saved gift bags from previous Christmases. With a little scissor action and packing tape, these are easily recycled into functional and festive mailers! I had fun doing it, and so can you!

Materials

Gift Bag
Scissors
Packing Tape

step one :: choose a bag



step two :: remove the handles



step three :: cut away one of the larger sides of the bag



leaving you with something like this



step four :: cut away the bottom of the bag



step five :: If the bag is rectangular, you should be able to overlap the two short sides. Tape with packing tape.



If your bag is not rectangular, your shorter sides may not meet. Take the large side that you cut away in step three, and place this underneath the two short sides. Use packing tape to secure.

step six :: tape one of the shorter ends with packing tape



seven :: fill with goodies, secure the remaining open end with packing tape and send! you're done!



That's it for today! Big job interview tomorrow - send good thoughts out into the universe for me!