Fast, Easy, Inexpensive Christmas Advent

 Happy First of December! If you're looking for an inexpensive (and fast!) last minute advent, all you need to do is take a trip to your local public library.  Our library has all the holiday books marked on the spine, so they're easy to spot.  Some libraries make it even easier and have all the different holiday books gathered in one area--thank you public librarians across the world.  I just went through and grabbed books that look appealing.  Some are about the nativity, some are more secular, and I even got some Hanukkah books to teach our kids about another religion's celebrations.  When I was little, I lived across the street from my friend who was Jewish.  I was always fascinated by the dreidel and the menorah and am excited to teach my kids about them. Simply wrap them up with wrapping paper and voilá!  Happy advent!  I "accidentally" got too many books, so we started two nights ago.  We read the first book at the dinner table.  Last night, we had just returned from getting our Christmas tree, and we read the second book in the back of the car.  It was kind of magical. I'm already dreaming of all the locations we can come with for our reading. :)

Meanwhile, back in the sewing studio, I'm giving this little sparkly number a make-over.  Well, not so much of a make-over as a needed alteration.  It was an inexpensive dress I bought a few years ago that is just a bit too short--both in the waist and the hem.  I thought of adding a layer of fabric below the hem, but decided it would look more cohesive to remove the skirt and add a shimmery black elastic in the middle, which is a whole lot more work, but I brought it with me on our Thanksgiving trip and had several hours leftover after I finished the unpicking. ;)  We will see if it turns out.  

One more thing, my post from yesterday still has active links until the 18th.  The sale isn't on any longer, but $99 for peace of mind is a pretty small price tag.  My very own Circle™ is on the way and I'll do a full review once I get it in my hands and have a chance to play around with it. Make that two more things. ;)  Don't forget about the $100 giveaway here. You can click through all the posts online and enter them all!!