Handmade Christmas Update

Well, I am happy to report that we will wind up having a handmade/store bought Christmas. I did  make a few things. And my husband decided to divert a little of our budget towards some gifts from Amazon. Also, a wonderful relative sent several gifts for the children as well.

Anyway, here are the gifts I made by hand for my children this year.

Handmade Pillow Pet Pal Friends

I made these adorable little animals using this pillow pet tutorial from Twelve Crafts Till Christmas.


A Dress for My Daughter

I used  Simplicity pattern 5226.

Denim Fox (First Name "Denim", last name "Fox")

I made this handsome fella using a couple of cut off portions of my son's jeans. When the children's pants get too short, I turn them into shorts. I now have a ridiculous number of "denim cut offs" in my stash. So, when I saw the fox and raccoon tutorial from Ruffles and Stuff, I knew immediately that I had the perfect material on hand.

Juggling Balls 


[pic  coming soon]

It was very challenging to find items to make for my 13 year old. So, I was glad that when I came across this crocheted  hacky sack ball tutorial. I filled each one with garbanzo beans (they're what I had on hand) inside of taped up sandwich baggies. That way the beans won't start to sprout if the balls ever wind up in water.

House Shoes for Everyone

Believe it or not, these were NOT HARD at all to make! The pattern I used is Foot Prints #702. The pattern includes slippers for sizes 18 months - adults for boys, girls, women, and men. I rarely buy patterns; but, this one was an excellent investment.

Fashion Doll Clothing

My daughter's Barbie-ish doll recently lost her head during a very intense hair styling. She is the model in the above pic, which explains why this is a headless shot. Hey, I try to reuse as much as I can. So this doll is now my Barbie dress form.

Anyway, so I got my daughter a new doll for Christmas. But the doll was dressed like "We Be Clubbin" Barbie. So, I quickly whipped up a more modest outfit for her.

I could definitely get used to making items to supplement Barbie's wardrobe. I used the Barbie skirt tutorial and the Barbie shirt tutorial found at Craftiness is Not Optional. (What a fabulous name for a blog.)

How Much I Spent
The only material that I purchased was about $15 worth of poly-fil. I used the 40% off coupons at Hobby Lobby to save a little. And everything else was materials that I already had on hand. Of course, I also used several free patterns I found on the internet. But, you know what? I still barely made a dent in my various craft stashes.

So really, the biggest investment was time. Which wasn't much of an issue because I did the majority of my sewing after the children went to bed.

I am very grateful to God for helping me accomplish what I did.