I just thought of another thing I want to make for the Christmas in July stretch- the countdown calendar! I can muck about and try things in July that I simply wouldn’t have time for in November. Genius. Now to start ovetthinking it while finishing the June goals… 
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Yikes. I grew up in California, and it has gotten so incredibly crowded. Every hill covered with houses, every street lined on both sides with parked cars. I can’t stand going back any more.
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All I can say is, if you think CA is crowded, don’t visit Amsterdam (where my sib learned to drive) 
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It’s a deal!
and if you think California is empty, try Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico…
Wiiiiiiiiiiide open spaces!
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That’s one of the reasons why I’d like to do a journey from north to south. I really just cannot picture how empty your country must be. The US is twice as big as Europe with only half of the population, and there are a lot of barely populated areas here already. I literally can’t comprehend how a country can be even more empty than that.
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lol When we have to drive through the mountains of Virginia on our way to Pennsylvania, those wide open miles seem to go on forever…most of the spaces we have that are like that are basically uninhabitable (swamps, deserts, mountains, etc.). Beautiful to drive through, but not to live…I do not recommend driving through west Texas…lol…my journal records brown desert, rocky desert, red desert, sandy desert, lots of desert! The saving grace was that you can drive 80 mph and no one seems to be around!
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We did a two month road trip and just drove the perimeter of the US. San Francisco to LA, Gulf Coast, up the Atlantic side, then across the top to Seattle. Went to a wedding in New York and a conference in Seattle. We planned to camp in Yellowstone Park, but it was sleeting. Every hotel was booked, but a park employee told me to keep asking, and we got to stay at the Old Faithful Lodge.
I finished up with a 17 hour, 1day solo drive Seattle to San Francisco. Couldn’t do it today!
. I was super homesick by the time I got home.
Husband took the train home from Portland; it was nearly 24 hours late in arriving
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Those sound like amazing trips!!
lol Australia 
I still haven’t got used to the scale of this place.
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About one week until Christmas in July crafting will begin. Gonna have to push myself to finish this sock and get all the stuff together that I need for whatever it is going to be officially on my July list. 
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Can’t wait to see your list! I have a few projects in mind but I haven’t decided yet. I’m torn between starting new projects that could be gifts (it would be great to have those done early) and finishing up some WIPs / UFO’s - would be great to have those done, too, but they’re decorative items, for me. Which is why they never seem to get finished.
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Yay for Christmas in July! I also must commit to some UFO’s before I begin, but some of those might end up being gifts.
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Christmas in July challenge
Are you panic-crafting for Christmas every November and December, and never get everything done in time?? Then it’s time to join our Christmas in July challenge! The purpose of this challenge is to get a head start on Christmas, to avoid last-minute stress during the busy holiday season.
The rules:
- For every Christmas-related craft you finish in the month of July, you receive one ticket.
- The craft can be a new item or a WIP
- You get one bonus ticket for every finished item that was meant to be done for Christmas 2022 (or earlier).
- The finished item can be Christmas-themed, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be, as long as it’s destined for Christmas. So a non-Christmas-themed scarf that you’ve knitted as a Christmas gift for your neighbour still counts.
- You get one bonus ticket if you post a picture of your July Christmas crafting! Limited to one bonus ticket per person. Show us that you’re stitching on the beach, painting in the back yard, crocheting on the porch … or crafting in the break room at work, if you’re not off for summer!
- Common sense rules apply to what counts as a finished item. For example, if you carve one stamp then make 10 cards that are exactly the same, this counts as one finish. If you carve ten different stamps and make ten different cards, that’s ten finished items.
On August 1st, I’ll throw all the tickets in my Santa hat. The winner will receive a surprise gift!
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Man. I really, really should do this. I am definitely a last minute scrambler every. single. year. 
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Sounds like this is the challenge for you!!!
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Love this challenge! I still need to decide what people are getting for christmas this year, but I have a few ideas I can work on.
Also, I love this rule:
You get one bonus ticket for every finished item that was meant to be done for Christmas 2022 (or earlier).
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My Christmas in July aims:
- A count down calendar that definitely was intended for prior to 2022
- Christmas socks for me to match the others in the house
- Figure out if the Kidlet needs new socks in a larger size. Start them.
I’m sure there are others, but the socks will take a hundred years each and there may be 4 of them so… I’ll stop there.
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Same. I have fingerless mitts as an option but I honestly do not feel like knitting in July…
Maybe some embroidered tea towels? 
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Probably not the best idea if you’re in a place where it can get really hot! A tea towel has the advantage of being fairly portable, and they’re washable if you accidentally get a stain on it.
I don’t know if anyone needs to keep crafty kids occupied during summer, but during summer you could take messy crafts outside and reduce the hassle. If they’re young they might spoil the surprise before Christmas, but I imagine a lot of grandparents would love to receive something like painted picture frames / tote bags / flower pots / mugs / t-shirts. On a rainy day, you could have them make Christmas cards.
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Ideas I have so far:
- plastic bag holder (to protect bags from plastic chewing kitties!)
- knit hats for a couple people
- quilt from flannel shirts (if I can find enough old shirts)
- freezer paper stenciled t-shirt
- some sort of wall art - wall quilt, cross-stitch, stumpwork?
- ornament from model kit
- sewn bowl holders
- cross-stitch bookmark
- fridge magnets
I’m sure I can finish at least one in July. 
I do have a Sophie’s Universe blanket that was supposed to be a gift for a friend a few years ago, but I ended up gifting them something else. I’ll finish it for them eventually! It might be too warm to work on it in July though.
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Nice list! That Sophie’s blanket would probably take me the rest of my life! ha
I have a pretty long list, but of course, I will also be moving into a new house and have a list as long as my arm already for house-related projects! But, I do have a few things on my list:
- Winter placemats for my sister that I started in 2023–I have the fabric and the pattern that I am going to use
- Fingerless mitts for all 14 of my goddaughters…
- Crossbody bag for my nephew using his favorite anime fabric
- Pouches for my nieces and great nieces
- Quilt for my new great niece
- Painting for my niece and her husband for their new home
- Family history album for my nephew and his children
- Finish any Christmas cross stitch that I have laying around (probably at least 4!)
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