Archive | Handmade Christmas Challenge RSS feed for this section

Feast of Saint Nicholas

By on January 16, 2010 in Feast Days, Handmade Christmas Challenge, Holidays

December 6, 2009
Today is, for many Catholics, the day for gift-giving (some do this on Christmas, some do this on the Feast of the Epiphany in memory of the gifts the 3 Kings gave to Baby Jesus, and some spread the gift-giving out on all these days).  In our home the kids put out their shoes to be filled before they wake the next morning.


We also have gift giving on Christmas morning and Epiphany in order to celebrate the true meaning of these days and take the emphasis off of just receiving gifts.


Here are some of the handmade gifts they received:

Olivia received this angora wool softie with cute face hand embroidered onto 100% wool felt and stuffed with wool batting and lavendar and hops scented millet to help her sleep.


Christopher loves his little pony made from fleece with little feeding bucket full of hay.  

JP wished for a puppy and his Momma delivered.
Veronica loves kitties and I have been making this one since I was 12.  She loved it!!
Erica asked me for a mouse named Corn Flower from one of her favorite books.  After combing the internet for a pattern and not finding what I needed, I came up with this one.  I love it so much, I am perfecting the pattern to make more.
Eddie and Nicholas are always asking me to paint them my little people but there is seldom time when there are orders waiting from customers.  They were surprised to find Knights and Ninjas in their shoes.
and last but certainly least, Alexandra received this little dish for her earrings and trinkets which fall from her nightstand and are lost to the Dyson : (

These and all the gifts that we made were so much fun to make and they were very well received.
Happy Feast of Saint Nicholas

Comments { 0 }

Day eight of Handmade Christmas Challenge- Gift wrap and tags

By on November 24, 2009 in Handmade Christmas Challenge

If you are making your own gifts then you don’t have to go out and buy gift wrap and tags for those gifts.  Here are lots of ideas and printable gift tags for you.

This one is dear to me since I do this exact thing when I give gifts.  I also sew some drawstring gift bags to put my gifts in.  Here is a nice tutorial from Zakka Life.

Of course we have all heard of (or used) newspaper, I especially love the funnies for gift wrapping and brown grocery paper bags for gifts (can you say paper or plastic?) but what about using an old map.  With the world map changing lately you may have one that is not current anymore.
Here is a recycled paper bow to go with your recycled gift wrap.  This is a great use for those old flyers or magazines laying around.  Hey you could even use chip bags or sales flyers.
If you are giving a CD or DVD here is a great paper flower case to put it in.
Need a box for your gift, here is a tutorial from instructables on using a cereal box.

To go with all the homemade gift wrap and bows here is a tutorial on gift envelopes which you could make out of what ever you like.
I have found lots of printable gift tags for your gifts:
Vintage looking tags and lots more, here, here, and here.
The point to this challenge is to shop at home and see what you have that you can use, now get to work!
Comments { 8 }