Homemade Christmas 2010

(this is last year's tree. This year's tree is almost bare, because I have a 19-month-old who just *can't.leave.the.decorations.alone*!)

I haven't had time to write this month, because for some reason I got the harebrained idea to have a "Homemade Christmas" this year... I finished making my last homemade gift yesterday morning! So now you all get to see the results of my craziness!



For my niece G (age 18 months): Black Apple Doll. Saw some of these in my current Rosie Hippo (natural/organic toys and children's products) catalog for $39! Used all natural materials (cotton for arms/legs/head/dress, wool felt for the hair, and wool noils for the stuffing) that I already had on hand and only spent $14 or so to order 2 pounds of wool noils off etsy (which I have used to make three other items and still have almost the full two pounds leftover). Go me! My daughter Pixie is also getting one of these, but I forgot to take a picture of hers before I wrapped it. Pixie's did not turn out quite as well as G's. G's is definitely cuter.

For my nephew J (age 6 1/2): Superhero cape, reverses to wizard cape. Bought 2 yards of satin for a grand total of $6 I think. Used webbing and velcro that I already had to make the collar. I also used leftover black satin to make a wizard hat. He will be getting a nice thick stick of a wizard wand to go with it, and if I get ambitious in the next day or two I may use the leftover satin to make a superhero eye mask. But probably not.

For my niece C (age 8): Homemade star long-sleeved T (and a craft kit, store bought for $4). I bought two shirts at the thrift store and refashioned them into this little cutie. Spent *maybe* $5 on both shirts, but probably less (I can't remember). Can I just add that 8 year old girls are hard to shop for? Getting too old and cool for the toys they loved just last year, but not really into all that teenage stuff yet...

For my nephew W (age 6 1/2): I had the hardest time with this one. Because my quiet and smart little W doesn't like the things I would typically have thought of to make for him. He got a refashioned t-shirt just like his sister, and a store-bought model aircraft kit, because the kid loves Star Wars and putting things together. Again, bought shirts at the thrift store (3 for W's shirt) and refashioned them. Spent about $5 or less on all three shirts. Don't look too closely at this one. I had some major problems sewing on the Star Wars picture. It was really stretchy and I should have used some kind of paper to secure it from slipping, but I didn't. Oh well.

For my son Squeak (age 4): a Yoda hat and a (store-bought) green "light-saber" that I got at the grocery store for $5 (it even makes realistic light saber sounds!). I had to do a Star Wars movie project with the youth from my church this summer, and to film we borrowed someone's Yoda costume. Squeak really loved the Yoda hat and I know he will LOVE this gift! I bought a toddler girl's hoodie at the thrift store for about $2 and used the hood and sleeves to make the hat and ears. I stuffed the ears with wool noils leftover from my stuffed doll and animal projects so that the ears stick out. Used black satin ribbon scraps that I had on hand to make the drawstring to secure it. Turned out much better than I thought it would! Squeak is also getting a stuffed puppy dog, but I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. It is very similar to the stuffed bunny that Pixie is getting (pictured below). I used a pair of gloves ($1 at the dollar store), wool noils, and embroidery floss. So cute! Here's the Yoda hat. And below that, my poor sweet dog being my model!

For my daughter Pixie (age 19 months): A Black Apple Doll, as pictured above for niece G. I used velvet for her hair instead of felted wool, because I messed up the head and then ran out of felted wool to try again. I also used different cotton for the dress/body: green with little yellow flowers instead of the pink and white polka dots. And a purple scarf instead of a black one. Turned out a little less cute, but Pixie will still adore it. Forgot to take a picture before it got wrapped. :(  Pixie is also getting a stuffed bunny rabbit toy. I love this one. I used a pair of microfleecey gloves from the dollar store to make this.

For my sisters: Monogrammed tote bags. Bought 4 canvas tote bags for $9.50 and 4 fabric remnants at half-price (ranging in price from $0.44 to $1.25) and two spools of ribbon at half-price (total $2.50). Printed off a large stencil of each of their initials from my computer and used that as a pattern. I love the way these turned out (and it really bugs me that I have two separate pictures, one of three and one of one, but I had to finish one earlier than the other three to send off to my sister in CA.)!

For my step-mom: Teacup candle. My step-mom is into antiques and kitschy little knick-knacks, so I think she will like this. I bought a cute teacup from the thrift store for about $0.50 and then bought a candle at the dollar store. Melted down the wax in my double boiler, and then poured it into the teacup to harden. Turned out a little sunken in the middle, but still cute. I had planned to make 2 or 3 of these, but could only find one suitable teacup at the time.

For my Mom: Forgot to take a picture, but I made her a microwave heat pack. I made some of these for my sisters and brothers-in-law a couple years ago, and my mom really liked them. She has a lot of knee pains so I know she will like this. I used some thick, soft material I had leftover from a different project and filled it with oats and lavender oil. Free! Yay!

For my Dad: I cheated on my dad's present, because I have his name for our family gift exchange so he is already getting stuff from me. In addition to his gift exchange gift, he's getting a photo cube filled with pictures of his grandkids and daughters.

For the parents, parent-in-laws, and my sisters: Handprint ornaments, made with Squeak's handprint on one side and Pixie's handprint on the other. I love, love, love these. I think they turned out so cute! We of course made one for ourselves as well. Parents/In-Laws/Grandma are also getting framed 8x10 pictures of my family/the kids, and my parents and sisters are getting a framed 4x6 of all the grandkids together.

So there it is. Homemade Christmas 2010. I am excited about giving these gifts, and I'm glad I did it this year (now that I'm done), but I don't know if I will have it in me to do this again, ever!

What about you, readers? Have you done something crazy like this? What are some of your favorite homemade gifts to give? Are you all ready for Christmas?