Handmade Christmas

Since we’ve recently made the decision for me to work only one day a week, we’ve had to become uh, “creative”, in our finances. We didn’t have much money for gifts this Christmas, so it was very much a handmade Christmas. The best part of all of this was that I pretty much had everything in my stash! Here are just a few of the gifts (why didn’t I take pictures of all of them?)

1. For my mama:

A knitting needle case. (my very own design!) It has room for straights, double-pointed, and circular needles. I really should make myself one. I also made her a tote bag from her own fabric that my grandfather had brought back from Thailand (?) in the 60’s. So cool! I stuffed it full of yarn and patterns that I had in my garage (I’d recently been gifted a TON of yarn so had some to spare). A pretty cool present if you ask me. I’d like one.

2. For my mama-in-law:
A recipe holder and waist apron. I wish I had taken a picture of the apron! It was so cute! Here’s a picture of someone else’s – though I liked mine better. I found the pattern in Amy Butler’s In Stitches – love this book! I whipped up the recipe holder from a tutorial I found on the net…of course, I can’t seem to find it now. I love the campy pear fabric – I made a dress for Lissy with it too.


3. For Miss Liss:
A rainbow color soft book and some soft teething rings. I’d been making every other baby and kid something, so it was time to buckle down and do something for my own. I think she likes them. :)



4. For the hubs:
A pair of Soldiers Glomitts. I think this may be the first PAIR of anything I’ve ever made! Woo! They’re made of fisherman’s wool and super warm. And, to top it all off, they actually fit him!


5. For the random Aunts/Cousins:
Button Bracelets! These were so easy and turned out really cute! I found a random bag of Christmas buttons in my school stuff and it was enough to do all of them. I whipped up 8 of them in just one evening and I think they all liked them, although next time I will actually go shopping for magnetic clasps instead of just scrounging for random clasps I had in the bottom of the bin. Actually, it would probably be even easier to use elastic cord instead of fishing line and avoid the clasps all together.


6. For the teachers at my school:
Hot Cocoa in a jar and mmmm…peppermint bark. I decorated the jars with some green polka dot paper and some red ribbon. Find a good cocoa recipe here. Sorry, no pictures.

7. For B’s teachers:
A teacher at my school volunteered to make some ear phones like these for me so I had him do 25.  His teachers loved them!


Yes, I know what your thinking…What about the boy? Didn’t he get anything? Well, yes he did. In fact, he was spoiled rotten. But not by mama’s sewing machine. I do have a refashioned lab coat in mind for him to go along with the microscope and dozens of science experiments that he received. 

Here’s my little scientist. Ignore the lovely lady in the background.