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

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Poppa’s polo shirt pajama refashion

By on January 16, 2010 in Sewing and Crafts

November 16, 2009
Poppa handed me these two polo shirts which he has never worn to donate.  As soon as I saw them I felt a refashion project coming on.

The first pajama set was very simple, for Christopher, I decided on a one piece because he is small enough to fit in through the neck hole so I can use the ready made collar and button holes in the front. I cut off enough on each side to make it the perfect width for his frame and then I cut off the sleeves and reattached them to the new smaller body.  Lastly,  I cut a slit up the bottom through both layers of the shirt to make legs, sewed it all up and voila.  Refashioned pajamas for my little guy for free and the project took less than one hour.

When I sent him down to show his Poppa what I made, John Paul came to inquire as to why Christopher had this neat-o new pj and he didn’t…so I went to work with the next one.

I gave it two minutes of thought and decided that a two piece pajama with elbow and knee pads would be perfect.  The elbow and knee pads are made of a red corduroy fabric from my stash. I promise once my life gets back to normal I will find more shirts (at a thrift store and not my husbands closet) and post a step by step tutorial.  For now my sewing projects will be sparse as I pack up my life.

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