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Pipe dreams and deadlines

Day 11

Photo by Neil Gould
gallery.gouldnet.net

Let me take you all down the twisted journey that brought me to day eleven's gift suggestion.  Today, we give eleven pipers piping.  

The pipers made me think of the line in The Night Before Christmas, in which Santa holds a stub of a pipe in his mouth and lets the smoke encircle his head like a wreath.  

From there, it was a short jaunt down memory lane.  When I was my daughter's age, my best friend's father smoked a pipe.  To this day, the only man I know that smokes a pipe (a tobacco pipe - not a . . . um . . . well, any other kind of pipe).  I was always intrigued by the paraphernalia (again - tobacco stuff) that went along with it.  My friend's dad had this wooden box that held everything he needed.  Inside, we'd find bags of loose tobacco, soft cloths for cleaning the outside, a lighter, and fuzzy chenille pipe cleaners for the inside.  

My mind drifted again from the pipe cleaners to the dozens of crappy crafts I've made with my kids that involve pipe cleaners.  As I write, I can see a dozen pipe cleaner candy canes on my tree.  Each one is bent and horribly misshapen because, if you'll remember, my tree fell down in an attempt on my life.  I was a little pissy about the whole thing, so I just shoved the stupid pipe cleaner candy canes back on there in whatever shape they were in.  

I stewed a little longer about my tree's great betrayal.  Eventually, I had to let that go.  When I finally did, I found I was left staring morosely at a pipe cleaner candy cane that was strangely bent into the shape of a leaf.  

Ah ha!

Newsprint Leaf Garland

I found this amazing garland from West Elm a while back in a magazine.  I liked it so much that I found it online and bookmarked it thinking I'd come back and order it in time for the holidays.  

That's funny.  The idea that I'd remember.  

After chuckling to myself for a bit, I realized there is no time to order the overpriced garland made of wire, newspaper, and decoupage glue.  BUT!  There is still time to make some.  Finally, a good use for pipe cleaners!


On day eleven, I suggest you all come to terms with the fact that we are nearly out of time.  Head to your local craft store, get out your pipe cleaners, old newspapers or books, and the Elmer's glue and create a literary treasure.  

A few suggestions (and a hint - all of these might go over better as gifts if you can convince some children in your life to help you.  That way, you can blame them when the crafts come out a little wonky looking):

The garland pictured above.  If you need an easier garland, cut out strips from book pages and glue them into the classic paper chain you made when you were in kindergarten.  The oldies never die, my friend!

Decoupage torn pages from an old book onto a picture frame, simple bookends, a plain keepsake box or anything else that doesn't move.

Use your cookie cutters to trace shapes onto old newsprint or book pages and on card stock.  Cut them out, glue them together, punch a hole at the top, add some string and call it an ornament.  

Extra kudos for finding cool words to use on your gift like joy, hope, love, or shenanigans.

Be creative.  Rebound Designs takes old hardbound books and turns them into the most fablyous (my son's word.  Isn't it spectaclyar?) handbags.  Seriously.  Check it out.

Sense and Sensibility Book Purse by Rebound Design on Etsy

Bottom line is that we've hit the whole it's the thought that counts time crunch.  Thankfully, most readers are just the right kind of sentimental saps that will flip over your heart-made gifts.  
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