Handmade Christmas

I didn't make anything handmade this Christmas...not even the traditional matching flannel pj bottoms to be opened Christmas Eve that I usually do.  I did buy the flannel.....however, it is still sitting in a bag.  My sister, though, went all-out.  I wouldn't be suprised to hear that she made every gift she gave this year.  She just got a new sewing machine and apparently spent the whole Fall crazily creating amazing gifts...like the nature collecting bags she gave my three kids----complete with pockets inside and out and fabric tailored (get it....tailored?) to their personalities and interests.  We tried them out today:

Bright green for Asher---this is HIS color!

Dragonflies for Ella....and these bags are just perfectly kid-sized!

Kitties for Ethan....who insists on carrying "my bag"

on his shoulder just like "the kids". 

Today was our first day back at "school" and we topped off the morning with a freezing nature walk.  We spent the time noticing colors in our white and icy world.  Leaves are all brown, of course,  but I was suprised at the variety we found near our house:  blue hemlock berries, bright red bird-berries, the shaded hues of green peeking up through and around the snowy-ness.   We just went round the block and then scuttled our freezing noses back inside.  Then sat down with watercolors and our nature notebooks (I handmade these!  out of heavy watercolor paper cut in half and then bound at the copystore---they fit perfectly in Maia's bags, along with brushes, watercolors, and tiny jars of water.....when the weather gets warmer, of course) for a bit of painting before lunch.  Ethan stickered the page and then decorated with paint and Asher spent the time trying to paste his collected brown leaf onto the page with brilliant blue color.  Ella attempted details of lots of treasures:

Thank you, Maia, for the bags!