This sweet lil’ mushroom house was so easy and so much fun to make! Plus, it’s made using recycled materials — making it a super-frugal project! It would make a great handmade holiday or birthday gift, and there is only a little hand sewing involved. I used an empty oatmeal canister for the base, and […]
Handmade Holidays – Soft (Felt) Pretzels
October 25, 2010 by
I sewed some quick and easy soft pretzels for the girls using just two 9″ x 12″ sheets of craft felt and some stuffing. It’s been a great addition to their fold up kitchen set! The pretzels are just long skinny tubes sewn from the felt (no measuring, just eyeballed it), stuffed (by Mark, thanks, […]
Sunday Snapshot — All Dressed Up (Sort of)
December 27, 2009 by
Almost a year ago, I had found these beautiful holiday dresses for both of the girls at our local thrift store. The girls wore them to my parents’ house for Christmas dinner, until my brother gifted Clara with an adorable monkey bathrobe and sock-monkey slippers. She LOVES them. The minute she saw them, she made […]
Christmas Eve
December 24, 2009 by
It is 11:33 PM on Christmas Eve. There has been much gift wrapping, card writing, decorating, stocking stuffing, tree trimming, and other such activities going on…. and so much more left to do! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.
Handmade Holiday — Meet Butter!
December 22, 2009 by
This sweet kitty cat was a late night sewing project I made using this free pattern found on Wee Wonderfuls, and I wish you could have seen the look on Emily’s face when she first saw him! She immediately named him “Butter”, and they have been enjoying many adventures together this morning. Butter’s made from […]
Handmade Holidays — Scented Bath Salts
December 20, 2009 by
It’s not too late to make some last-minute handmade gifts for that special someone on your list who is in need of a little pampering… (hint, hint). Mark and Emily whipped up a batch of lavender scented bath salts and it only took a few minutes! To make your own scented bath salts, you will […]
Gifts Kids Can Make — Chocolate Nut Bark
December 18, 2009 by
I found this recipe for Chocolate Nut Bark in an issue of Real Simple magazine, and it’s so simple and easy — a five year old can do it (with a bit of supervision). That’s my kind of “baking”! To make your own, you will need: one 12 oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips […]
Gifts Kids Can Make — Chocolate Covered Pretzels
December 15, 2009 by
The girls and I did some holiday “baking” this afternoon. These chocolate covered pretzels were so much fun to make! We made several bags of them for neighbors, friends, and family. To make your own, you will need: One 12oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 Tbsp. shortening Pretzel Rods Melt shortening and some of […]
HELP! Advice Needed — Gift Ideas Kids Can Make
December 12, 2009 by
A few days ago, I received the following email from Sherry at A Little Fun with Me and Lu. I know Sherry is not alone in this dilemma, so I thought I would share her email with all of you, and together maybe we can come up with some options for the rest of us […]
12 Days of Handmade Holidays — Round Up
December 11, 2009 by
Some of our favorite Handmade Holiday posts: :: Fabric Dollhouse :: Dolly & Me Lounge Pants :: Felt Doll :: Snowflake Notecard Mailers :: Knit Hat (Free Pattern) :: Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix :: Easy Felted Ornaments :: Festive Wrapping Paper :: Stamped Gift Bags :: Easy No Mess Snowflake Ornaments :: Felt Fairy House […]
Handmade Holidays — Felt Fairy House Tutorial
December 10, 2009 by
This little fairy house was an impromptu sewing project for two sweet girls (sisters) we were lucky enough to meet for a play date this afternoon. In mind was this fairy house from Imagine Childhood. Ours was made from this felted wool sweater, some other pieces of felt, a tiny bit of yarn, some buttons, […]
Handmade Holidays — Easy No-Mess Snowflake Ornaments
December 9, 2009 by
These beautiful snowflake ornaments (shown above) couldn’t have been easier to make! I love that the process was mess-free, very easy, and frugal. Plus, we have more ornaments to add to our tree that are not fragile!! To make your own snowflake ornaments, you will need: white model magic, snowflake cookie cutters, a rolling pin, […]
Handmade Holidays — Stamped Gift Bags
December 7, 2009 by
After yesterday’s drive through the neighborhood, we were inspired to make these gift bags with printed holiday lights on them. We used brown paper lunch bags, and we found that they are the perfect size for holding small mason jars of homemade peppermint hot cocoa mix! First, cut a potato into the shape of a […]
Cheap Thrills — Holiday Light Show Edition
December 6, 2009 by
We were delighted to see Danita’s girls at From the Land of Pleasant Living and Joyful Mommy and Joyful Child having fun while making their own salty snowman pictures! For a fun (and free!) activity this Winter, wait until it is almost time for bed, then dress the kids in their PJ’s with winter coats […]
Handmade Holidays — Festive Wrapping Paper
December 4, 2009 by
The girls and I made some wrapping paper this afternoon. It was so much fun, and a real team effort! We used ordinary brown grocery bags, and cut them to lay flat on the table. First, Clara got to work making “snowflakes” with her finger dipped in white washable paint. She loved it!Next, the paper […]
Handmade Holidays — Easy Felted Ornaments
December 3, 2009 by
We spent some time with our sleeves rolled up and our hands in very warm soapy water to make these beautiful felted ornaments. I found the process to be calming, and we were both quite pleased with the results! To make your own felted ornaments, you will need some wool roving and a dish of […]
Handmade Holidays — Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix
November 30, 2009 by
Hot cocoa is a real treat in our household, and I’ve found that it is so simple and easy to make your own mix! Plus, Emily thinks this is a super-fun activity! We went the all organic route, but you certainly don’t have to. To make your own peppermint hot cocoa mix, you will need: […]
Back to Knitting — Free Easy Pattern
November 29, 2009 by
I knitted this hat for Clara from 1 skein of Lion Brand Nature’s Choice organic cotton yarn purchased at JoAnn with a 50% off black Friday coupon for just $3.25. Bargain! The hat was a quick and easy knit, and is the perfect weekend knitting project! I even had enough yarn leftover to crochet a […]
