WFMW - Oh yes I did.

It's that time of the week again and you'll be sooo pleased you stopped by.

Oh yes, its also that time of year again.

Yep, I'm planning for Christmas.

Wait, wait, don't be running away just yet. There's a perfectly good reason for planning so far ahead.

Seriously, I don't know about anybody else, but Christmas here just wasn't the same this year. I'm sure its been very difficult for everyone this year and I personally know a lot of people (myself included) starting 2009 unemployed or facing the real prospect of redundancy.

So with that in mind (and in part to take my mind off it) I'm planning really far ahead for the holidays this year. All holidays and birthdays in general but mainly Christmas.

I'm determined this year will be completely a "make your own" year. No presents will be bought ready to give, no ready made bread, biccies or buns. If I can't make it, you won't get it here.

So, the first step is to organise the knitted and hand sewn projects.

I grab the hold of my handy little A5 binder (I've carried this around with me for about 2 years now, couldn't be without it) and add another section.



Next I need to have a look through my ever expanding pattern books. I have three like this with around 80 patterns in each and four lever arch files which I need to get around to sorting into books like these. So much more space efficient. You'll notice straight away they aren't sorted into sections. That's because I like to just ramble through them to pass time.


My mum will love this bag. A new bag is her first request for every birthday and Christmas, although she wouldn't be too keen on the colour. She prefers bright colours, even in the dead of winter. So...


My mum is #1. I'll pop a little sticker on each pattern for her with a #1 written on it and pop in a list to remind me which yarn I will use.

Then back to the book and make a list detailing each gift for each person along with supplies needed to complete the project. If I have highlighted the item, I already have the supplies in my (huge) stash. Bonus.


And lastly I need an easy shopping list to carry around with me.

I never leave home without my phone and even though its quite old now I can still open a new reminder in my calender and pop in an abbreviated list and set it to recur weekly. This way I can keep a quick track of anything I've still to pick up if I spot a good sale.



So there you go. Is anyone else mad enough to prepare for Christmas in January?

For some, perhaps more sensible, tips, tricks and ideas, head over to WFMW at Rocks in my Dryer.

6 comments:

  1. Very impressed with your organizational skills. I would love to be able to knit a bag like that!

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  2. Its one of the easier ones I have a pattern for. Its just a rectangle folded in half and sewn up the sides. I'll probably change the strap to a flat one. I'm useless at I-cords.

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  3. My goodness, I'm so impressed! I like to pick up gifts for the next Christmas at the January clearance sales, but this year I'm trying to make all the gifts. I've been trying to figure out how to get organized with this, and here was your post! Perfect. Thank you. :)

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  4. WOW - I applaud you on thinking this far ahead - and probably VERY wise too. One thing I do throughout the year is to check clearance sales immediately after occasions like Valentines, St Patricks, Easter etc, Mothers and Fathers days... etc for most merchandise can go as low as 75% off. Not all is specific to the occasion and much able to be used for this purpose!

    I think the penguin sweater is cute, myself!

    How clever to make a list of items you need to purchase - I could take a page out of your book - in a manner of speaking.

    THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge and wisdom, some valuable info!

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  5. Great ideas! I definitely need to put a list in my phone - I'm forever forgetting my god daughters' sizes. I also like to buy ahead, so getting a running list going would help. Thanks! :)

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Your comments make me smile. I love that you stopped by.