The First Day of Homemade Christmas

     I am certainly not frugal by nature, but I do love a challenge, and enjoy all things crafty. Since I became a stay-at-home mom in 2007 we have had to re-prioritize things a bit, and now that we have 3 kids, we have had to get even more creative with our budget. You would think that this would be the down-side to being a one income family, but I actually quite enjoy the challenge. I have always made time to craft, especially at Christmas time, but now I HAVE to, and I LOVE it!!! Since Mr. J has coerced me into contributing to our blog, I have decided to share some of the homemade gifts that I have made this year. 

     I am also a bit of a "Christmas Nut!" I have at least 2 dozen pair of Christmas pajamas (my Mom gets me a pair every year,) 1 dozen pair of Christmas earrings, a handful of Christmas pins, many Christmas hats, and 25 pair of Christmas socks and underwear!!! Starting on December 1st I wear one pair each day to count down until Christmas. In light of my Christmas obsession, it is only fitting that we have a Christmas countdown on our blog, don't you think? Well, I'm not so sure that Mr. J is crazy about me "high-jacking" his blog for the next 12 days, but since he loves me, and it's Christmas, I don't think he's going to say anything. After all, it is Christmas.

So, without further adieu, I present to you the first of 12 posts counting down to Christmas Eve...

Recycled Crayon Stocking Stuffers

I simply cleaned out the crayon stash, took out all of the broken ones and unwrapped them, sorted them into mini muffin tins by color, and baked them for approx. 10 minutes at 325 degrees F. 

   Once they were cooled, I unwrapped them and packed them in bags that I had saved from note cards that I had bought, With a little white contact paper and a scrapbooking marker, I made a somewhat official looking label. And there you have it, one stocking stuffer that was essentially free since it was made with items I already had on hand. And the bonus is that our current crayon stash is all cleaned up; no broken, or dull bits and pieces getting in the way anymore.                                           

 Merrily Yours, Mrs. J :)