december rewind no. 6 {handmade holiday}

january is coming to a close and so is the december rewind. i have one more project after this one to share, which is probably my favorite. i hope to get it posted before february comes.

this little project is one of have seen on other blogs....or at least something similar. i took what i had been seeing around and also tutorial in a favorite book that i often get from the library called Warm Fuzzies by the fab Betz White. perhaps some of you follow her blog. she's awesome. totally inspirational if you are into the crafty world.

this is a great fall project. mine started that way, by felting up the acorns. i collected the caps on a hike with friends in the fall (thanks eve and tim!) and then wet felted the nut to accompany it.

i wish i had process pictures, but i was lucky to remember to even take these. i used an actual oak leaf found outside my son's school. we have no oaks in our yard! i traced the leaf onto the felt and stitched right on the line. easy peasy. that stripey back is just some fabric from my stash that was ironed on with fusible webbing.

nice thing about this project is it's for the tree at the holidays or just about anywhere else you want to put them in the fall.

it's funny how things go...acorns have been a bit of a symbol around here this fall and winter. our kitten we named acorn. and then we embarked on many acorny projects. we had acorns on the brain, i guess!

december rewind no. 5 {handmade holiday}

this little project was one of the easiest while also being really successful. which is such a bonus! there is just nothing better than putting time, thought and love into a gift and have it really work out how you hoped.

both my kids love these little bracelets. they were hidden way in their stockings. a sweet little surprise from the mama. i had to be sure to tell them that santa was not the one who left these as they have seen this wool around the house for days. bb spotted it right away.

all these bracelets consist of is felted balls which became beads. and other little, special beads from a fabulous bead store near by. for my girl, i wanted ice cream cones. but all i could find were cupcakes. totally acceptable! i'm happy to say it's now january 19th and she still wears this every day! hooray for that! she really likes it!

for my boy, i did blue felted beads (his favorite color) and added square silver beads with his initials.

the hardest part was tying the knot once i strung them on to the stretchy cord. that stuff is slippery! but, once i got it, it stayed. thankfully.

this would be a great project to do WITH your kids as well as for them. they can wet felt these little beads and choose their own accent beads and even string them with a blunt needle. a great rainy/snowy day project!

december rewind no. 4 {handmade holiday}

i've decided that this year i'm going to make ornaments all year long. why not? they are little, fun and there are so many that the kids can do themselves or help with. this is one of many ways in which i want to try and prepare for the holiday more in advance. so i'm not a crazy crafter for 2 weeks before. making myself all stressed. we'll see how it goes. i always have big ideas about doing things differently right after the holiday. but you never know. this could be my year!

we did 2 really fun ornament projects this year. the first one was this fabulous glittery / snowy pine cone. it's easy-peasy and my 5-year-old did this mostly himself. first we collected pine cones from the yard. then we got some white craft paint and bowls of glitter and coarse salt. we painted the pine cone's "leaves" (what do you call those?) and then sprinkled on the "snow" (coarse salt) and glitter (2 kinds -- big chunky glitter and soft, tiny glitter). and the result is really pretty! i like the snowy ones best. they really do look snowed upon.
the second ornament was a basic dough, rolled and cut w/ cutters and then we added natural design elements--any kind of nut, seed or dried fruit we could find. i like working with natural "ingredients" when crafting and the kids do, too. they get a kick out of using "food" to craft with.

my son was so proud to tell people that the pine cones came from "our real, own backyard!"

december rewind no. 3 {handmade holiday}

there were a few family projects going on this holiday season as well. wasn't just me working like a busy elf all through december.

we decided that it would be fun to make candle holders and dip some beeswax candles (thanks to a dear friend for the idea in the first place) to go in them. so, we went outside and found a good, recently fallen branch.

hubby and bb cut it up into stumps for us. then sanded them and drilled holes. "we used THREE drill bits, mommy!"

it was a really fun project. we kept them in basket in the play room and everyday we'd sit and sand a bit. put them down, come back to them. it was fun to have something to work on that all of us could do.

the candle dipping was funny. we've never done it before. they came out like little lumps sometimes referred to behind children's backs as "candle turds." but they were made with love. honest!

december rewind no. 2 {handmade holiday}

it's no secret that i adore that amanda soule. her blog. her books. all are so inspiring to me. since i got her book Handmade Home, i've been slowly working my way through all the projects that i marked on my first read as "must do."

after tackling the treasure bags, the letter satchel, hot pads and sweater hats (with marginal success), i decided to whip up the table runner for a holiday gift for my mom. she's a lover of thanksgiving. she's grandmother and fall colors are definitely her hues. so, i decided to ask 3 of her grandkids (the ones old enough) to draw something that made them think of fall or thanksgiving. i didn't tell them what it was for, but to just send the pictures in the mail and the rest would be a surprise for grammy.

so, here it is! i have to say, i was really proud of how it came out. it's easy for the things i make to come out "wonky" as we like to say around here. crooked or slanty or otherwise not straight.

but this one came out nicely. partly because hubby helped me with the measuring and cutting of the fabric, which is surely the hardest, most un-fun part of sewing. thanks, hubby!

my son did this little one of the apple tree and the "dude" with his pumpkin. festive!

i chose linen for the bulk of the this project, which has such a nice feel. it feels "real" you know? the project calls for printing artwork out on to fabric sheets. they were a little less real feeling than the linen, which was a not-so-great contrast, but the whole scene is so dang cute, it doesn't really matter.

here's a snowy little scene done by my niece who is 7. if there were a mistake i made in this project it was that i didn't pin the artwork in place well enough. so, when i sewed the pieces on, they ended up a bit crooked.

each time i do one of these projects, i learn something new, get a little better at certain things. and most importantly, it's fun!

december rewind no. 1 {handmade holiday}

i decided to dedicate myself to doing as many handmade gifts as i could for christmas this year. my list was long. too long. it became clear about 12 days before the holiday that i had a list about 2x as long as was realistic for me to accomplish.

but what can i say, i got excited! i have all this lovely wool roving. pretty fabrics and a sturdy little sewing machine and a lot of love for the people in my life. hence the project list.

needless to say, i was so busy trying to tackle the list, i decided to not even try to blog about

any of it. and so the december rewind is born.

the first project to share in the rewind is a felted cupcake that i made for my little baby girl. she loves candles. she loves cupcakes and tea parties. so, for her this cupcake with dainty little pink candles that she can take out, put in, take out. . . and i'm happy to report she LOVED it.

she'll sing happy birthday to anyone who'll listen. it's adorable. i could listen to her all day.

there is nothing better than making a gift for a child that she ends up adoring. it feels really good.

to go with it is a late-night inspiration. it wasn't even ON the big to-do list. but i had to make a set of napkins to go with the wooden tea set we got her. and then a little tablecloth, too.

a round (ish) purple one that is loaded with imperfections and shortcuts, but it was a last-minute have-to. and i admit, i get a thrill each time i see her pull everything out and set it up!

cookie Carnival :: January 2010!

i cannot believe it's 2010.

my 20 year high school reunion just passed.

for xmas i got a copy of the 80s Scene-it game. and i rock at it.

i feel old!

whoooeeee.

okay, on to the january cookie, shall we!? i am excited about this one. it comes from the Nantucket Cookie Co. via the Food Network.

are you ready for DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPOTLE COOKIES? i am. bring it.

here is your recipe.

join me, won't you? get me your photo and post link by JANUARY 31st and i'll happily include you in the round-up.

cheers and happy new year!