Advent (again)

I tend to take one craft project, beat it to death with ideas, then get overwhelmed by the dreams I have for it. Then I give up and say it wouldn't have looked very good anyway.

So, to get over these sour grapes I've decided to K-I-S-S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) my crafty troubles and turn those sour grapes into wine... which I don't drink, but you get the idea.

Anyway, so the current idea for advent is to make a fabric banner to which I will append 25 little bags or things for the advent days. So far I've got 2.5" wide ribbon cut into appropriate lengths to make little bags (simple and very easy) and I'm thinking of sewing ribbons to the cloth to keep the bags tied up. But I need to get three more kinds of ribbon so I can have 2 each of every design.

I've been looking around for other ideas just to vary it up a bit, like crocheting a few since a homespun yarn bag would work up in no time.

Then I thought of mini Chinese take out boxes which can be found at Michael's, that can be decorated with stamps or paints, and the little handles could be tied on with matching ribbon.

Then I thought of using scrapbook paper to make puffy envelopes, but I might have to make pockets on the fabric banner for those.

Then I thought, if I put buttons on it then I could either attach ribbon for the bags or a custom pocket for the puffy envelopes.

Then I thought that I could just make a mini envelop for each little bag anyway with a scripture, and then I'd need a button and a ribbon for each one anyway.

Then I wondered if small match boxes would just take care of the whole shebang but then I'd still have to cover them with paper or mod podge some tissue paper on in several layers, maybe gluing on some ribbons and buttons and line them if I was planning on putting unwrapped candy in them.

I've thought about doing fabric stockings, but the thought of cutting all of them (25 x 3 kids x 2 sides per stocking = 150 stockings to cut out) made me ill but then Mom rescued that idea by saying I could just go to a trift shop and find a bunch of decent looking socks.

Then I wondered if they have the Christmas version of Easter Eggs that I could just hang on the tree, then I remembered that we won't be having a large tree since we have a toddler this year and for the next two years as well.

Then I remembered that my mom is making an advent thingy for me anyway, so why am I worried about it?

Then I remembered that I'm pregnant and my nesting instinct wants to make, clean, and put right my whole house NOW and perfectly.

I started a crochet stocking for Princess last night. I looked at my starting loop and wondered aloud if it was large enough. Princess looked at it with a critical eye for a second then asked "well, is it large enough for an orange to go in the toe?" Bless that child! She knows our traditions.