Handmade Christmas Creations

There are so many creative blogs and bloggers out there I kept coming across projects and thinking, so and so would like this, and this... and that's where many of my Christmas gifts were born!

I took some ideas and changed them a little to suit the person they were going to and these are a few of the things that were wrapped under the Christmas tree this year:

I made this magnetic recipe/photo holder for my mother.

It has her style written all over it.

I got the tutorial from here:

http://shanty2chic.blogspot.com/2009/11/whitneys-magnetic-recipe-holder.html

This was another gift for my mom.

It was a silhouette for her favorite (and only) granddaughter

A very enexpensive frame that I added jute to.

You can google search directions on how to make the silhouette

which was very simple to do as well.

This headband I created for my sister. She loves accessories.

I made an orangza flower with a seed beaded center, attached some tulle behind it.

Added some feathers and glued it all together onto a Goody's headband.
Here's a great tutorial on how to make the oranga flowers:

http://www.reesedixon.com/2009/03/organza-flowers.html

I think she wore it the night I gave it to her she liked it so much!

I made a few other things that I will post a little later.

December 31st

December has been such a joyfull month!

We had lots of great family time

and made lots of great memories.

My husband had never had a real Christmas tree so this year was the year! It was also Alyssa's first real live Christmas tree.

Alyssa got to meet Santa not once....

...but twice! The second time was more of a-

Being in the right place at the right time

Alyssa got to wrap a few gifts all by herself

We handmade ornaments for Alyssa to give to all the family members

We had a full day of cookie baking and made around 15 dozen cookies (or more!)

Alyssa was too cute in her apron and hat

Alyssa, being in pre-school now, got to attend her first class Christmas party!

Christmas Eve was filled with a family party, tracking Santa on the computer, and gifts from her Grandma, Great Grandma, and Great Aunt. She was so excited to put out the cookies for Santa and even though she was ready to go to bed so Santa would come she had a hard time getting to sleep.

Santa came Christmas Day!

Alyssa opening a gift from Santa Claus

During winter break we had a fun day at the Magic House in St. Louis with cousin Samantha

And finally we got enough snow to go outside and play, sled, and do her favorite thing - make snow angels.

2009 has been such a trying and yet rewarding year for our family.

We only hope that the New Year is filled with more family memories of good times.

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Curly Christmas Hair

I wanted to get my daughter all dressed up for her PreK Christmas party today, but couldn't figure out what I was going to do with her hair. I decided to do the curly hair look. After her shower last night I sectioned off her wet hair and wrapped and twisted each section onto itself and secured each "bun" with a pony tail. This morning her hair was transformed into a Curly Sue style and she was just as cute as can be!

Free from Shabby Princess!

I seriously L-O-V-E Shabby Princess. My online store is even designed with graphics from Shabby Princess - http://www.crossinmyheart.com/ - "Wild Love" Digital Kit if you were wondering.

You can download an amazing kit for FREE from Shappy Princess!! It's a recipe collection which includes tags, lettering, cute card designs, covers, and even a "box" you can cut out and store the recipe card in! How cute! What a FABULOUS and FREE Christmas gift you can give to someone this year. What about birthdays, Mother's Day, Thinking of You gifts... gotcha thinking right??

Go here and download it now: http://www.shabbyprincess.com/

After you've download and unzipped the file open your kit in a photo program and you are on your way!

Sewing Away

In the past I haven't gone near a sewing machine but maybe twice since my high school home ec class. I guess I've gotten brave in the week. I've seen so many blogs lately making lots of creative things and offering up some great tutorials. Here's what I've made myself!

These jeans I bought for my daughter in Aug. and by Oct. she had grown about a foot and never got a chance to wear them. They still fit in the waist so I added the ruffle to the bottom of the legs to add the needed length. I've seen these a lot, but couldn't find a good tutorial so I just wung it and I think it worked out pretty well!

This was my first appliqued t-shirt. I liked it a lot and then my mom brought home a pair of Dollar Store Christmas socks and a light bulb when off - make the socks into sleeves! I had another shirt of my daughters that was faux layered and used that shirt as a guide to sew the sleeves on. I cut the feet off the socks and used the excess fabric from the socks to cut out circle and made a layered flower style hair clip too. (Not pictured)

I got extra brave with this shirt. I appliqued the front and sewed on the 3-D bow to the top of the Christmas gift. The sleeves were pretty long on my daughter so I cut off about 4" and added matching green polka dot cuffs. I also used the 4" of red material from the sleeves I cut off from the shirt and sewed straps to the cuffs. I still would like to add Christmas buttons to the straps on the cuffs.

Who knows what I'll get into next! Stay tooned! I'm feeling extra crafty these days!