Wednesday, September 16, 2009

A Handcrafted Christmas

Well, I know it is too early to talk about Christmas! But, it is not too early to start crafting some of my gifts and things ~ so I'll be sharing those beginning in October!

If you have an idea you think I'd love to try or a link to something you've seen - be sure to pass it on! I am always on the hunt for new ideas or things to try!

15 comments:

Elaine said...

Dear Monica,
I am so sorry for your loss and this shock to your family. I know you and the children will be a blessing to both of your parents at this time.
Praying safe travels for all.

Tim and Susan said...

I am going to try to make potpouri (from roses in my yard) and cards (from pictures I've taken and then printed) for Christmas gifts this year. It's always nice to have homemade gifts...and saves lots of money too.

angie said...

I have been trying to come up with ideas for gifts my children can make for family. So far, my daughter is going to make bookmarks for each person, suited to their interests. My son and I haven't decided on anything yet. I'm trying to use materials we already have on hand to emphasize the need to be good stewards.
I can't wait to see some of your ideas as I garnished many from last year's handcrafted Christmas entries.

wyndesnow said...

I am so glad to see that you will be showing some of your handcrafted gifts again this year!

Sarah said...

I'm trying to spend little to no money on Christmas gifts this year. Using mostly supplies that I already have, and others which I've procured cheaply, here's what I'm giving:

Parents and married couples:
Homemade reusable fabric grocery bags, filled with home-canned jams, relish, applesauce, and homemade hot chocolate mix.

Single brother: a dozen jars of home-canned pickled beets (sounds weird, but they're his favorite food).

Single sister: homemade handbag.

Nephew: stuffed sock and glove animals (got a great book w/ instructions from library, and yes, I did buy new socks and gloves for this project :) )

Neice: homemade cloth doll and accessories.

Linda said...

Is it EVER too early for christmas?

greetings from the netherlands ;)

Angela (buttercup) said...

Monica-I love your blog and rarely add a comment. I just wanted to let you know I'm here. :) I can't wait for the ideas! Last year we made felt ornaments. We cut out stars, and I stitched the sides together with floss and stuffed them. These make me smile! I need to make some more.

Cassandra said...

I look forward to see what you're working on! My hubby and I are going to have a very low Christmas budget this year and will be doing some handcrafting for gifts. I'm making pillowcases for my brother and his wife and I'm also putting together a family cookbook that I can give to everyone. We don't have all of our family recipes in one place and so I'm gathering them and creating a family cookbook.

My family has never received homemade gifts that I'm aware of. Hopefully they will appreciate the love in every stitch and not be offended by the lack of "store bought" gifts. :)

Jew4Jesus said...

I make yarn angels as gifts. They make great ornaments for the christmas tree or in place of a bow on another gift box. The directions are as follows:

Yarn Angels
Take your desired yarn and make a 12"X8" piece of cardboard or a piece of plexiglass This is the size you want your angel to be. It would be like what you would use for making a tassel.

Wrap your yarn around the form the long way 80 times.

Take a piece of yarn and at the top place the piece of yarn under the yarn and pull up around the yarn and tie it into a knot. Remove from the form.

About 2 inches from the area that is tied on the long yarn hank tie another piece of yarn to form the
head. (you can also put a ping pong ball to form the head better but I never do it because it is just that much more work).

To make the arms wrap the yarn about 45 times around the short side of the form. Carefully remove the yarn so that it stays together.

Take 2 pieces of yarn and wrap at the end of both sides of yarn bundle 1/2 inch from the end. Pull open the longer yarn bundle and insert the arms below the head and take a piece of yarn and wrap securely around the bottom of the arm on the long bundle and tie.

Take the long bundle of yarn and cut the yarn bundle on the bottom so the bottom is loose.

If you desire to make a girl doll all you have to do is even out the yarn at the bottom so it forms a skirt. To make a little boy take and divide the last bit of yarn
bundle and split into 2 sections and tie 1/2" to 1” from the bottom of the yarn to form the legs.

Trim the bottom so that the legs are even.

~~Deby said...

I love when you do these...
I have a few autumn crafts on my blog right now...
Deby

Allison Reynolds said...

I just found your blog...very sweet. One idea we did last year with my daughter is bookmarks..we picked out pretty ribbon (thicker width) and then hot glued large, matching buttons or appliques at the ends...they were so easy and everyone loved them.

Deeapaulitan said...

Hi Monica,
It's been a long time since I visited - our internet service is unreliable. I've missed you.

We are doing a sort of "old fashioned" Christmas this year. Some of our ideas, so far:
dime store games - http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/handmade-gifts?&lpgStart=1&currentslide=10&currentChapter=2#ms-global-breadcrumbs
& tea cup lights -

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/handmade-gifts?&lpgStart=1&currentslide=13&currentChapter=3#ms-global-breadcrumbs
Both from Martha Stewart.
Aprons from old pillowcases found at thrift stores. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=123434.0%20apron%20from%20pillowcase
Heart and block name banners from Stiched in Time by Alicia Paulson (checked out from the library) and also her Childs drawing felted wool animals.
and some throw rugs using recycled towels and strips of fabric from "Handmade Home" by Amanda Soule (also checked out from the library).
We'll make some reusable fruit and flour bags... like these - http://www.askingfortrouble.org/gallery/bags/DSCF6514.jpg.php
as well as several projects for our home out of "Sew Pretty: Christmas Homestyle" by Tone Finnegar, Country Living's "Merry & Bright, and "Home for the Holidays" by Heidi King.
The gilrs are also doing some mixed media on handsewn notebooks. They're lovely.

Danielle said...

I'm excited to see your ideas again this year! I saw this idea and it looked like something you would enjoy

http://poppiesatplay.blogspot.com/2008/12/seasonal-word-blocks.html

I will be making crochet blankets this year!

Anonymous said...

What a great time to start crafting for Christmas! I've started already... not sure how much I'll get done... but I have good intentions!!

angie said...

I have more ideas, two of which I used in my swap box. First, I used a 20 bulb string of clear lights. Cut strips of homespun fabric into approx. 1/2" x 6". Tie them (no knot necessary) on the wires between each light. Takes a lot of time to fill up the entire length, but makes a very festive swap.
The second craft is very frugal. I cut squares (with a 1.5"x1.5" punch)out of a granola bar box. I also punched squares out of solid cardstock and patterned paper. I glued them together with the cardboard in the middle. on the patterned paper, I used letter stickers and put one letter per square. For example, I made 4 squares that said "Noel" and 3 squares that said "tis". I punched a small hole at the top, threaded embroidery floss through the hole, and tied a knot. I plan to wrap the thread around a pine cone. So each square will be hung on a separate pine cone.