Thanks for the great idea and directions. I will definitely give it a try. Thinking about using them for note cards, invitations, and gift tags so they can be sent out year round.

There are different kinds of stoneware. The high fired kind never ever scratches. The kind common in less expensive dishes does. There's less variation in porcelain, but in less expensive dishes you can still get scratches. I don't care. :) I bought service for two dozen of cheap dreck but pretty porcelain (under $100 on closeout) for company. I think there's probably a scratch or two. People don't see them when there's food on the plate! They just see the beautiful table and ooh and ahh. I filled in with a couple of sets for eight of a complementary pattern that do seem to have a harder glaze...and cost almost twice as much :) With place settings for forty, I've never had to resort to kitchen dishes. :) I love lovely things, but I don't worry about my company dishes. If someone gets the table cloth caught in his belt and crashes the whole thing, it's making sure people aren't cut, and then seeing if the food was spared that are the issues, not the tableware. :) Not that it's happened. Not that the toddlers haven't had their chances at it. No chips or breaks so far (and ward off the evil eye!). Lots of peace of mind. Who needs more stress? If it's only enough company to fit the dining room table, I set finer dishes. They're not better looking, though, just better quality. :)

As a non-Christian, I am accustomed to having Christmas in my face *and* I find it annoying. I deal with it by avoiding shopping for a 3 month period of time or by doing necessary shopping and tuning out the decor as much as possible. I actually dislike this time of year and it is isolating for me to have everyone else I know focused on a holiday that I don't celebrate. We've decided to build, but if we were still looking at existing houses, I would find excessive Christmas decorations, like excessive *any other* decorations to be distracting--it's hard to visualize my own things in a crowded space. As for highly religious items (of any religion), I find them somewhat unsettling. I could never expect someone to change their religious observations to suit me, though :-) and so I *expect* to see them in people's homes. If they are emphasized (in every room, very religious sayings on the wall), I really have to concentrate to focus on the house itself, since I am uncomfortable with a strong display of religion. Note: this issue is similar to the poster who is afraid of animals--what one person is comfortable with makes another anxious. That doesn't mean we should all get rid of our pets or that we should pretend we don't have religious beliefs. It is a good idea, though, to recognize that we are all different and that others may be made uncomfortable by what we value most. --Beth

Making Christmas pillows. But, not for gifts. Just to make my first Christmas in my first apartment festive. And it's cheap too! I'm using some of last years fabric, because I did make gifts then. Always have stuffing on hand! The first pillow I did had a green side with a print of red Christmas bows and balls. The other side is a solid red with a green tree silhouette that I applicayed on. I'm going to do a white one with red strips to simulate a candy cane. Maybe I'll even make it in the shape of a candy cane... this is fun! There is something about the hum and interaction of and with a sewing machine that is so peaceful and relaxing and rewarding!