Handmade Christmas Gifts

I'm a big fan of giving and receiving handmade gifts for many reasons. I like gifts to be about a thought rather than the amount of money spent. I like holidays to be focused on things other than presents, pressure and items. I like to focus on experiences, words and thoughtfulness. The act of making handmade gifts is also a fun creative outlet for me and the boys. That said, here are the gifts we did this year;

Instead of doing our traditional cookie baking this year I decided to simplify and go with chocolate dipped pretzel rods covered in sprinkles. I got all of the stuff set up but the boys were able to do this mostly on their own with some supervision from me. They enjoyed making and eating these goodies and had such pride when they were able to give their teachers items that they themselves had made.

Every year we make a different ornament for our family members and close friends. This year we did these super simple birdseed ornaments that can be hung outside to feed the birds (or inside if you prefer). Eli was able to help me press this mixture down into the cookie cutters and poke in straws for the holes.

For the grandparents I always try to incorporate something that the boys are able to make. This year we did these note cubes. This was so quick and easy. I bought plain note cubes and let the boys color all over the sides with markers.

This Chocolate Peppermint Lip Gloss was super easy to mix up and smells quite festive.

I melted 1/4 c un-petroleum jelly and 1/4 c coconut oil in the microwave at 30 second intervels. Then stirred in 1 stevia packet, 1 tsp cocoa powder and 6 drops of peppermint oil until well mixed. Then I poured the mixture into these little lip gloss pots and let it sit for a few hours until it solidified.

These Curried Lentil and Wild Rice Soup Mixes are super easy to whip up and all the receiver has to do is add 7 cups of water and 25 minutes of cooking and dinner is served.

For these I layered 1/2 cup green lentils, 1/2 cup red lentils and 3/4 cup wild rice in a pint jar.  Then I mixed together 1 Tbsp sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 Tbsp curry powder, 2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp coriander and put in a small bag. I set the bag in the jar on top of the rice and attached a label instructing to rinse the rice and lentils in a strainer, then put them in a large pot with 7 cups of water and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the rice and lentils are tender.

Two of my boys got these stuffed owls because they were obsessed with them when I made them for friends.

And the third boy got one of these monsters.

For more of my handmade gift ideas sort through my older posts by selecting the Gifts/ Holiday label in the sidebar.

Handmade Baby Shower Gifts

Here are some of my favorite handmade gifts to give and make as of late for baby showers and 1 year old birthdays.

These skirts are so simple to make. I mostly followed this tutorial.

This sweet little doll. I mostly followed this pattern but increased the size.

These simple headbands.

This monogram onesie, baby bow tie, paci clip, bandana bib and giraffe rattle.

These stuffed owls. I mostly followed this pattern but eliminated the feet.

These stuffed monsters are a more masculine alternative to the owls for little boys. I mostly followed this pattern but eliminated a few steps and increased the size with my copy machine.

handmade Christmas gifts

Here are some of the Christmas presents I made this year...

I took a free box of old ornaments from the curb, and a little scrap fabric from a friend's stash and turned them into these...

scrap fabric ornaments

I used more scrap fabric to make a few adult and kid sized headbands

and some key chain wristlets

a key chain chapstick holder

some sweetheart and initial necklaces

some photo cubes/ paper weights 

and some interchangeable doll blocks

May your Christmas be merry and Christ centered!

Christmas Gifts

The last couple of years we haven't bought any Christmas gifts, and have given a few small handmade items to our friends and family.  These are the gifts that I came up with this year...

peppermint bark... I did this for our neighbor gifts this year.  It seemed easier than my usual baking of multiple different kinds of cookies.

homemade playdough

a few homemade signs

assorted embroidered ornaments

Hope your Christmas was merry!!!!

Baby Showers and homemade gifts

This weekend was full of baby showers.  I attended one on Saturday for a friend who is due about a month before me.  Then I was a co-hostess for one today for a friend who is due almost two months before me.  This weekend was definitely crammed full of snacky foods, shower games, and baby crafting.

here's a pic from the Saturday shower, of roughly 30 women crammed into a typical New Orleans shotgun home.  see if you can spot my baby bump sticking out.

here's a pic from the Sunday shower of all of the hostesses, plus the honoree Kaitlin (in the black and white dress)

and just for fun....

with all of this baby showering came lots of baby gift making.  i spent most of saturday and sunday sewing, and had the presents all done just in time for each shower... phew!

here's baby shower gift #1... i made a pacifier clip from a suspender clip, ribbon and velcro; a baby headband from stretchy lace and a fabric flower; a crinkle tag toy from stash flannel, ribbons, and a sun chip bag; a ruffle butt onesie onesie from old cut up tshirts (i love using jersey tshirt material since it doesn't fray, and i don't have to hem the edges); and a homemade pink onesie card.  all of these items were made from materials that i already had on hand enabling me to give fun items even when we are on a tight budget

baby shower gift #2... another pacifier clip, another crinkle tag toy, an appliqued guitar onesie, and a homemade card.  again, these gifts were made solely from items that i already had on hand.

shannon

Homemade Christmas gifts

I love giving homemade gifts. I like taking the time to think of something special for friends and family, putting the time and creativity into the project, and being able to give something just a little more special than a store bought item. Homemade gifts can be frugal, thoughtful, and meaningful when done right, and given to a recipient who appreciates handmade items. I can't always seem to come up with a homemade gift that everyone on my list will enjoy, and I'm not into giving handmade gifts just to do it, so when necessary I'll purchase a gift. Since I was short on crafting time this year we bought gifts for most of the people on our list, but I still tried to make a little something special and handmade when possible. Here are some of the gifts that I came up with...

baby headbands for my niece (who is due February 18!)... I used stretchy lace for these, cut it to about 14-15 inches, sewed it together, then sewed a fabric flower on one, and an easy grosgrain bow on the other... this was quite an easy craft and turned out so cute!

pumpkin butter... for as long as I can remember I've given my mom a jar of pumpkin butter every year for Christmas, a couple of years ago I started making and canning it myself, rather than purchasing it at specialty shops. I made a few jars this year to send to friends and family. It's great on toast, pancakes, or waffles.

a tie tshirt for my nephew... I've been eyeballing this tutorial for a while and was itching for a chance to do it. This would be great on a onesie for a baby shower gift.



family cookbook... this has been an ongoing project, two years ago I gave these to my mom, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. each page has a recipe, variation ideas and notes, and a picture of a family member taken within the last year. each year I continue to add to these, type up new recipes that we've tried that year and add new pictures. it contains all of our favorites, all of the classic family recipes, and some other fun creations. I gave them in a large binder, divided into sections (appetizers, soups, meat, etc.) and placed each page in a sheet protector so that it's spill proof. then each year new recipes can be added to the back of each section. I did this in Microsoft power point and used an existing presentation template to make this cheap and easy, and I print the pages myself. However any cookbook software (like Master Cook) could be used, or an entire book could be designed and ordered from any photo website comparable to snapfish.

personalized return address labels and bookplates designed in Microsoft Word then printed on labels

Shannon

2 T shirts, turned into 3 projects

I was given these fun t shirts by Jeremy's mom who received them free. As much as I liked the shirts, they were both size XL and way too big for me, so I decided to use them for crafting rather than wearing. I sewed a tote bag from the main panels of the T shirts, and then made some headbands, and fabric flowers with the scraps.

T shirts before

Front of tote bag

Back of tote bag (the straps were supposed to be cut from the white T shirt, and contrast here, but I made a mistake in cutting)

One of the fabric flowers, sewed to a pin, so it can be put on a bag, worn as a broach, pinned to a headband etc.

the flower on the bag

a headband

Shannon

weekend card making

today i got to go to a friend's house and do some crafting while we watched a movie and had girl time. these are just a handful of the cards that i made this weekend, apparently i was quite productive!

i like to make lots of cards to keep on hand, because if i wait to make a card when the occasion arises, i will never find the time to sit down and do it. but when i spend a couple hours here and there i can crank out all kinds of cards to keep on hand. i can usually make at least 4-8 per hour. i usually keep generic looking designs that could be used for thinking of you, thank you, congratulations, get well etc, and i try to stay supplied with specialized themed cards for birthdays, weddings, engagements and baby showers.

i'm not exactly sure how much it costs me to make each card, but definitely less than $0.50 as i usually use about 1/3 a page of scrapbook paper per card and scraps for the design. this is a huge savings over purchasing individual cards, and i also enjoy the creative outlet and personal touch with each card.

shannon

more card making

i ended up being able to squeeze in some creative card making time last sunday. here are some misc. birthday, thank you, and congratulations cards that i'll now have ready to go for when an occasion arises. the best part is that these cards were all made either from cut up cards i've received (kristal and aimee, you may recognize the funky prints), or scraps of paper left from the last time i made journals.

shannon

baby shower card

since we've been so busy moving, unpacking, and getting our home settled i haven't gotten to do much creating since we've been here. however i did sneak away 15 minutes yesterday to throw together a quick and easy card for a baby shower that i'm attending this afternoon. it was fun to be creative and create again, i'm looking forward to getting back at my sewing machine again soon, and also making up lots of birthday cards to keep on hand.



shannon

My first sewing project

This Thursday Me, Meggan, Kim and Randy's mom, Joan (who is a seamstress), all gathered for sewing lessons. We used a pattern from one of the fabulous books that my mother-in-law got me for Christmas and we had an evening filled with chatting, laughter, girl time, and crafting. I learned so much. It was great to finally learn how to use the sewing machine that I bought months ago, and to create an entire project start to finish in one evening. Talk about instant gratification. I usually bite off more than I can chew when it comes to crafting and discourage myself, but this project was just right, especially under Joan's guidance and with her assistance. What a wonderful time of teaching and investment made from an older, wiser woman to us. I'd wager to say that not all that we learned that evening was sewing. Anytime you spend quality time in the presence of a spiritually mature believer discipleship just seems to happen naturally along the way. As we sewed, giggled, and chatted, we also learned life lessons about being a Godly woman and mother. What a wonderful example of Titus 2! And below you can see my first project, a baby bib and burp cloth made of orange flannel and white terry cloth.

(please forgive that this is on top of a moving box as a back drop, that's about the only surface we have available in our home right now... boxes, boxes everywhere!)


Shannon

What I did with my weekend...

Some card making...

Arranged a fall decoration using fresh cranberries, a pie plate and some fall scented candles (including apple cider and gingerbread... yum!!!)

Watched the irresistible Roxanne while Caleb and Carmen got to enjoy the Bahamas

Of course I had my weekly girl time over coffee on Saturday morning.

Jeremy and I also got to enjoy some delicious Thai food that our friend Crystal prepared, and a night of Phase 10 between us, Dan, Crystal, Jarred and Tara.

Sunday will merit a post of it's own one day, complete with pictures, but Jeremy and I picked up some goofy 80's outfits and accessories... more details on this to come.

Once today is over I have a whole new 5 day weekend thanks to some stored up vacation time. I'm looking forward to time with family and friends, good food, decorating for the holidays, baking Christmas cookies and more.

What did you do last weekend? What are your plans for this one?

Shannon