The Stockings Were Hung...

Yes, it is most definitely too early to be hanging one's stocking! That being said, I hung a whopping twenty four of them this morning. I've been eagerly awaiting December 1st which marks the beginning of Advent. For the past month and a half I've been chipping away at an Advent calendar for our family. This is not something we had in my home growing up, but I am anticipating it will be a fun and warm tradition in the years to come.

Anyone who knows Chi-Chi and Muffy personally might be chuckling a little. Hubby actually laughed out loud when he saw I had hung it within reach of the wee ones. My own dear mother also had a good laugh at the thought of my two little co-conspirators patiently waiting to discover each treasure day by day. I'm hoping they will be able to restrain themselves and demonstrate respect for our special calendar. I'm also fully aware that the temptation might just be too much for my 3 and 4 year old monkeys to bear. As a result, I will stuff the pockets one day at a time. We are getting things rolling with a set of new toothbrushes, a rather appropriate item for the treats this month will bring!

The idea for this project came from various sources including Martha Stewart and Uncommon Grace. It didn't take me long to gather the supplies as most of them were on hand. The stockings were cut from recycled wool cloth compliments of my rug hooking stash and a great old thrifted wool blanket. Embellishments included everything from vintage buttons to ribbon scraps to wool felt. The most intimidating aspect of the project was the embroidery work it entailed. A quick demo from my mom and a book loaned from a friend got me started. Since this was my first attempt at embroidery, it is far from perfect. Even Chi-Chi got in on the creative action. His sweet little hands sewed together two of the stockings in a lovely whip stitch. Those two stockings are by far my favorite and the most meaningful. I think it is wonderful that he left his personal mark on this special family tradition.

I've been both gathering and creating little treasures to include in the pockets each day. I've made an effort to include some "non material" items such as coupons for "Family Cookie Baking Day" and "Nighttime Ride to See Christmas Lights". I don't want it to focus too heavily on "getting something". There will definitely be the odd chocolate or candy cane in there as well as some handmade trinkets and ornaments. I'm a little short of twenty four so any good ideas would be welcome!

The little monkeys will be home in less than an hour. Any bets on how long it stays hung? (: