Cute Little Puppy

December 15, 2011 at 6:10 pm | Posted in crafts, Handmade Christmas | Leave a comment

 

I love to make cute little girly things for my nieces for Christmas each year, and today realized that I need to get to work since I have yet to make anything and Christmas is only a little over a week away.  This {free} adorable little scotty dog pattern from 2allsorts is very simple, and turned out absolutely adorable!  I honestly spent more time choosing fabric and trims than I did sewing.  I decided to do a little lacey scarf instead of just a collar to make the puppy seem more girly, since she has blue eyes.  I also stitched my niece’s name on a heart – big sister doesn’t like to share, so now there will be no question as to whose toy this is.  The pattern didn’t have a nose or mouth, but I thought she looked friendlier with them.  Have you ever searched for free softie patterns?  I lost an hour this morning trying to choose between all the cuteness.

Handmade Christmas Gifts

December 6, 2011 at 9:27 pm | Posted in Handmade Christmas | Leave a comment
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I am very excited to have fully moved out of our little apartment and into a house this weekend!  As you can see I am still in the midst of unpacking.  Because of that, and because I have new readers this year, I decided to share a roundup of some of my handmade gift tutorials.  They only take an hour or two to make, so you have plenty of time to whip up a few handmade gifts since we still have over two weeks until Christmas: Continue Reading Handmade Christmas Gifts…

Free Pattern: Simple Dolly and Dress

January 26, 2011 at 6:00 am | Posted in crafts, Handmade Christmas | 1 Comment
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Last year I made my niece a dolly for Christmas.  I couldn’t find a free pattern that I liked, so I drew my own, and set the pattern aside to scan later.  I found it last week, so [here] it is, in a 3 page pdf. Continue Reading Free Pattern: Simple Dolly and Dress…

DIY: Alcohol ink applicator

December 19, 2010 at 6:02 am | Posted in crafts, Handmade Christmas | Leave a comment
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My sister wants alcohol inks for Christmas.  I picked her up a set from the craft store, but just couldn’t pay $10 for the applicator.  It is essentially a stamp blank with velcro on the base and a few squares of felt.  I know that she would be fine with a homemade version, and this is what I came up with (please excuse the pile of half-made gifts in the background:)

Continue Reading DIY: Alcohol ink applicator…

Handmade Christmas: Cookies a dozen ways…

December 17, 2010 at 6:00 am | Posted in Food, Handmade Christmas | Leave a comment
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One of my favorite holiday traditions is cooking with my family.  This cookie recipe is great for baking with kids because it is easy to work with, and has no raw eggs.  It is also very versatile – I made everything in the tin in the photo above with one batch of cookie dough.  The cookies taste fine without any topping or decoration, but that isn’t nearly as much fun. Continue Reading Handmade Christmas: Cookies a dozen ways……

Handmade Christmas: Hot Chocolate sticks with homemade marshmallows

December 13, 2010 at 6:00 am | Posted in Food, Handmade Christmas | 2 Comments
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Hot chocolate sticks are a fun Christmas gift that is both shelf stable and consumable.  This means that the recipient can put it in the cupboard for a month or two, and then enjoy it after all the cookies are gone.  And once its consumed, it is gone without adding clutter that the recipient might feel obligated to keep.  They are simple, and it is easy to make a large batch to be divided into several small gifts.  You could use store bought marshmallows in place of homemade – I had a lot of fun making them from scratch. Continue Reading Handmade Christmas: Hot Chocolate sticks with homemade marshmallows…

Handmade Christmas: Matryoshka, baboushka, or kokeshi ornaments or necklace

December 7, 2010 at 6:00 am | Posted in crafts, Handmade Christmas | 6 Comments
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I love these little ladies-  they are fairly simple to make, and look so cute!   Russian nesting dolls are called matryoshka, or baboushka.  Japanese round or tall dolls are called kokeshi.   Whatever you decide to call them, they are characterized by their distinct body shape and lack of appendages.  I love how they look, and thought they would make cute ornaments or jewelry.  I also found some really cute free printables, (and linked to them in the bottom of this post) so you can have a matching card and tag too. Continue Reading Handmade Christmas: Matryoshka, baboushka, or kokeshi ornaments or necklace…

Handmade Christmas: simple kids hat and scarf tutorial

December 1, 2010 at 8:51 am | Posted in crafts, Handmade Christmas | 2 Comments
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I like to make my Christmas gifts each year.  To me it seems more personal than a purchased gift, and you usually end up with a higher quality item at a lesser cost.  This hat and scarf couldn’t be easier.  Continue Reading Handmade Christmas: simple kids hat and scarf tutorial…

Handmade Christmas: Glittered Christmas Bauble Ornament Tutorial

November 29, 2010 at 10:11 am | Posted in crafts, Handmade Christmas | 10 Comments
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This year, I have been making the cutest little ornaments, if I do say so myself.  I love the look of glitter, but absolutely hate having it all over my house.  And with a 5 year old, the glitter WILL end up all over the house.  My Mom showed me how to make these ornaments last year, and the glitter is all inside.  That means that it won’t fall off, can’t be rubbed off, and that you can apply vinyl or other decorative accents to the outside of the ornament. Continue Reading Handmade Christmas: Glittered Christmas Bauble Ornament Tutorial…

Handmade Christmas: Free Printable Measurement and Temperature Guide

November 19, 2010 at 10:47 am | Posted in crafts, Handmade Christmas | Leave a comment
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I was looking at my calendar yesterday, and suddenly realized that Christmas is around a month away.  Where did this year go?  I need to get busy making my gifts for this year!

My family trades names, so that each sibling or spouse buys one gift for one person.  It is much simpler than buying gifts for everyone, and we can focus more on enjoying each others company during the holidays than opening gifts.  We also have the option of making something small, like cookies or an ornament, as a stocking stuffer for each family. Continue Reading Handmade Christmas: Free Printable Measurement and Temperature Guide…

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