Home made gifts

In general, I felt like I had things better put together this year. I wasn't always playing catch up with a giant to-do list. I realized it's because for the first time, we are in the same house for two Christmases! The longest we had lived anywhere before this was 15.5 months. Moving takes a lot of work, even when you have movers actually packing and moving your things. There's of course a lot of unpacking in the new house as well as changing doctors, utilities, magazine subscriptions, etc. So this year, I enjoyed adding some extra fun in like I mentioned in previous posts, such as the Thanksgiving tree and Halloween themed meals.

Last year, I was still catching up from unpacking three shipments of our stuff and having a new baby, so Christmastime was more stressful for me than enjoyable. Every year I like to make home made gifts for the kids and Chris, but I didn't get around to making the kids gifts until the June after Christmas, and Chris's gift wasn't quite the quality I had wanted. This year, I was determined to work on home made Christmas gifts and be done with them by Thanksgiving. I didn't want them to add to my busy Christmastime, but really wanted them for the kids and Chris. I like to show that I love them enough to spend TIME on making something special for them, not just money.

This year, I decided to make a quiet book for Amelia. I found a pattern on a blog that I loved and was excited to make something I'd never done before. It was all made of felt, which I had never worked with. I had a great time making it though it took me a month and a half to complete! It's a good thing I started early! I save this for church and it's something Amelia (as well as Claire and Maddie) enjoy playing with. Here's the finished product. (I got the pattern and idea from http://jocelynandjason.blogspot.com/2011/12/quiet-book-round-up.html)

Cover

Lion texture page

Farm finger puppets

Apples snap on and can be collected in the pocket and dinosaur has velcro spikes and spots which also have a pocket.

I learned a new sewing stitch by hand sewing this felt car stuffed with cotton balls. 

The lady bug spots snap on and can be stored in the zipper pocket. The flowers are attached with buttons.

Mr./ Mrs. Potato Head with a bucket full of pieces.

Weaving page

I hand stitched her name in the bottom corner. 

For Claire, I wanted to make her a new apron since the last time I made her one she was three. I could have handed the old one down to Maddie, but thought she might like her own too, so I made them each a new apron. I really loved the pattern I found as they could put it on themselves with no help. Plus, it was pretty simple to make. (Original pattern found at http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/01/childs-apron-pattern-and-other-free-tutorials.html)

The print is fairy ballerinas. The neck strap is elastic and the waist strap has velcro so they don't have to tie behind their back. They can do it themselves!

Monkeys for my monkey.

Originally, instead of the apron, I was going to make cloth diapers and wipes for Maddie's babies and pals. Then I thought Claire would be sad if she didn't have them too, so I made a set of three for each of them. I also made wipes by using the whitish print I used for the inside of the diapers. I cut rectangles out, sewed them together, and then used a decorative stitch and bright colors around the edge. I just forgot to take a picture of them. (The original pattern is from http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/09/19/how-to-make-a-diaper-for-a-childs-doll/)

Finally, I made Chris pajama pants. I made them for him a few years ago, but he wore them out. I thought this time I would make them out of fleece for added cozy warmth and comfort. He actually went shopping with me for all the materials I needed for all of my projects. Once he figured out what I was making him, he decided to pick the fabric, and I'm so glad he did. It's so cute! Claire wants me to make her a pair too with my extra material. I need to get on that. 

Amelia LOVES to have her picture taken. When she saw me taking a picture, she photo bombed it before I could get it by themselves. They're cuter this way anyway. :)

I finished these projects just days before Thanksgiving. I reached my goal! Woohoo! It felt great that I had home made gifts made with love all ready for Christmas before Christmas season got in full swing. 

Sometime in November, I learned that my mom wanted an apron for Christmas. While I realized I probably could have purchased an apron for the same price as buying materials to make one, I wanted to show my mom my love too and make her an apron. This happened after Thanksgiving, but it wasn't a part of the original plan and only took me a few days. My mom was excited to use her new apron too. :) Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Here's kind of how it looked before I actually sewed it. It is a reversible apron with a Thomas Kinkade print on one side and a nice green floral print on the other. I know it's kind of hard to see with the pattern of the rug, but you get the idea. 

Lest you think I was the only person in the house creating gifts for the big day, here is a picture of the awesome cradle Chris made. He made two identical cradles for Claire and Maddie with their names stenciled on the bottom. These girls love the cradles and use them a lot, and I LOVE that they have a daddy who spent time creating and building for them. :)

It was a great season of sewing and creating and was very rewarding. There is a great sense of accomplishment when creating something new and giving those things to people I love.