I always fail horribly when it comes to a handmade Christmas but I'm determined to succeed this year!! My girls will be 8, 4, and a few days shy of 1 and my crafting will be mostly focused on them.
Whats everyone working on this month? I need a major kick in the rear so get moving. Otherwise Ill never get anything done and I have a ton to do.. I need to get moving on Halloween costumes which totally isn't anything to do with Christmas BUT it needs to get done soon.
Oh my, I have hardly done a thing for holiday giving. Really, all I've made is three knitted washcloths in holiday colors to go with homemade soap for teachers...sigh...
I've just decided to do a craft fair, too, so I've really got to get rolling.
Love the inspiration from this thread!
Peace ~
edited to add -- I found a hat I knit for my youngest nephew for Christmas -- I made it in winter or spring -- can't remember...and since I posted here yesterday, I've made another washcloth and am halfway done with a hat for my oldest nephew!
i knit a really cool scarf for my mom. I plan to get a yarn that compliments it for a hat and driving gloves.
i also did a really fluffy scarf for one niece. I need to get more of that yarn to do one for her sister and to make them hats as well.
in nonchristmas news, I finished an awesome window treatment for my living room. I hope to post some pics soon!
I'm going to start on a quilt for my ds soon. It's going to be an animal themed I-Spy. I also want to make him some cloth balls and a doll.
I don't really give gifts to many people, just cookies... 
Just finished hat #2 -- this one for my oldest nephew...
Now I'm going to get started on decorating some unbleached small pads of paper for teacher gifts and for the craft fair I'm doing...my 10 year old ds made some this week to sell at the childrens' fair at our farmers market in a couple of weeks, and they are darling...
I'm having way to many pregnancy issues. They're worried that I'm having symptoms of pre-eclampsia & my placenta might detatch so I spent the night in the labour ward but my liver functions decent & the babys doing well so its a waiting game. I've been so busy just trying to keep up w reg stuff thats taking me forever & going to midwife,ob,u/s ect apts that ive got NOTHING done. I tried to take some organic cotton and needles to my last ob apt to knit the babe a hat and got there only to realize my circular was to big<sigh>. Inlaws have the kids today for a fam reunion that Im not allowed to travel to so I'm hoping to get ds's birthday costume complete while hes not here so its a surprise....yeah ds's MASSIVE bday party is a week 2morro<kill me>. In good news my 17y old cousin is coming 2morro until the party to help me do everything around the house & distract the kids so maybe I'll sneak in a bit of downtime knitting
I'm having way to many pregnancy issues. They're worried that I'm having symptoms of pre-eclampsia & my placenta might detatch so I spent the night in the labour ward but my liver functions decent & the babys doing well so its a waiting game. I've been so busy just trying to keep up w reg stuff thats taking me forever & going to midwife,ob,u/s ect apts that ive got NOTHING done. I tried to take some organic cotton and needles to my last ob apt to knit the babe a hat and got there only to realize my circular was to big<sigh>. Inlaws have the kids today for a fam reunion that Im not allowed to travel to so I'm hoping to get ds's birthday costume complete while hes not here so its a surprise....yeah ds's MASSIVE bday party is a week 2morro<kill me>. In good news my 17y old cousin is coming 2morro until the party to help me do everything around the house & distract the kids so maybe I'll sneak in a bit of downtime knitting
Your health and the health of your baby is so much more important than anything else. Take it easy, take care of yourself and the baby you are carrying. That would be the best holiday gift you can give your family.
Your health and the health of your baby is so much more important than anything else. Take it easy, take care of yourself and the baby you are carrying. That would be the best holiday gift you can give your family.
Yes!!!
Uhg.Our computer died.Not that I did much in the way of making Christmas presents in that time but I did make some backpacks out of t-shirts for birthday presents.And I will make another one for someone on my list.
So Im still not up to much at all...besides hospital,ob and midwives apts...thank god for Canadas health care or my bp would be through the roof wondering how to pay for all of this lol
I did start an organic cotton hat for the baby. I work on it a little bit at a time when my eyes arent bothering me. Itll get done eventually
I have been slowly working on things a bit at a time. This is a busy time of year for us with school, birthdays, holidays coming, etc. We just finished my oldest's birthday, my husband, mom and best friend are next within 3 days of each other. I'm also prepping for a baby shower I'm throwing in a little over a week, and then its my youngest's birthday too! Busy busy busy!
I knitted my mom a cowl that matches the colors for the university she teaches at so she can wear something in school colors on spirit day without looking unprofessional.
I am knitting some striped legwarmers for my youngest for Christmas too. :)
Lot's of ideas and I keep adding to my list, but I haven't started anything yet. I've been doing clothes for DD and curtains and stuff for the house, but no holiday gifts just yet. I'm thinking I'll go full force in October :)
Hello everyone! I don't have much of anything to post yet, but I just wanted to jump in to say hi, and that I am in again this year. I know some of you guys start crazy early, which I probably should, but this is pretty good for me. 
I have no pictures, but these are the things I have going on:
DD1 and I have started on some acorn garlands for her grandparents that I will try to link up soon.
I have the bodies and embroidery done on three little steiner dolls for DD1, just need to finish their heads and hats.
I have a start on a.. er.. letters, numbers, and shapes set, also for DD1. I cut little discs out of a small cherry branch, maybe 1" in diameter or so, then sanded the flat sides smooth and left the bark on the round. I am now working on beveling the edges (rounding them,) woodburning the letters in, and then oiling them. It is taking forever! I may cut it down to just the alphabet, depending on how I am feeling about it all by the time I get there.
I started a color / shape sorting set for both girls, I made out of air drying clay 6 mushrooms, 6 eggs, and 6 acorns. The acorns have real caps from some exceptionally large acorns we found. When they are done drying, I will paint each set of shapes in the colours of the rainbow, (one red acorn, egg, and mushroom, one orange acorn, egg, and mushroom, etc...) and I am still on the lookout for some little wooden finger or prep bowls that I want to paint the insides of in the different colours as well for the little objects to be sorted into.
I finally placed my order today at Weir's Crafts to make a 16" waldorf doll for DD2, wish me luck on that! I've not made one before.
And I have some oak boards that I want to turn into something like this for them.
I would also like to make them a set of wooden animals similar to these... although I will be making for my first set some barnyard type animals, and will probably add a lick of watercolour paint. I have some scrap cherry from my FIL leftover from him doing the trim in their house for those.
So.. yeah... I have a mess of things started, nothing finished, and nothing figured out yet but for my own children, lol. Oh boy am I behind already!
Juise - I love the wooden animals. So stinking cute and they look like a set my dad made for me when I was little. I'm trying to find some nice wood for some natural curtain rods and holders. I just got a great book about tree crafts. I'm really ambitious about this as we don't have the workshop set up to be able to make anything yet, but that will be a fall activity.
I've completed a new spreadsheet that breaks down all my gifts by month and allows me to do a sort of assembly line for gifts that are being given multiple times. I purchased all the fabrics I needed for gifts, and have everything for these projects - now I need to find the time (hmmm, maybe I should get off the internet) to get them completed...
How is everyone's fall going?
I've completed a new spreadsheet that breaks down all my gifts by month and allows me to do a sort of assembly line for gifts that are being given multiple times. I purchased all the fabrics I needed for gifts, and have everything for these projects - now I need to find the time (hmmm, maybe I should get off the internet) to get them completed...
I do a similar spreadsheet as well. Mine has which gifts are for which people, along with materials needed to complete and total cost. It's a good budgeting tool. Unfortunately, I'm better about updating the spreadsheet than I am at doing the actual crafting... I too should probably get off the internet!
I use a combination of folder and texts documents on my computer. I hope this is easier to explain than I fear it will be...
I have one main folder titled, "Gift Planner" with more folders inside it. One folder, "Recipes" contains text documents, titled with the name of the recipe, of recipes I like / want to make and give as gifts. The text documents contain either the copied recipe, or a link to the recipe online.
A second folder, titled "Crafts", contains text documents of crafts I like and want to save, but do not know who specifically to make it for yet. I just throw things in there as I find them throughout the year, so I can dip into it come the holidays or other gift giving times. I also move crafts here that I want to remember after making them. The text documents are titled with the craft, and either contain a short description of the idea, or a link to the craft online.
Then I have a folder in the name of each person or pair on our gift giving list, containing text documents in the same way as the main "Craft" folder, but of gifts I want to make for that specific person.
This system has worked so well for me, I like making actually, physical, organization systems, but I never end up keeping up on them. This allows me to see a project at the most random of times, when I am not giving two thoughts to making gifts, and drop them in for when I am suddenly panicked and need idea fast. Then I am delighted by how many I apparently already have. 
Because those are pretty much my two states when it comes to this, not thinking about it at all, or totally panicked. 
And, speaking of which, I did go through mine yesterday, and while I posted just two days ago that I only had ideas for my own children, it looks like I actually have most everybody figured out, hurray! 
So I am going to try to put up my list.
I'll include links to what each of my item ideas are, in case anyone else is interested. I will try to add my own pictures as I complete projects.
DD1 and DD2: Listed a couple posts ago
Step-Sibling-in-Laws: Rice packs, (except I make mine with channels,) "Marbled Glass" ornaments that DD1 is making, Tiny Tote filled with treats
BIL: Beer bottle cap magnets, Rice pack, Beer Cozy
SIL 1: Rice pack, ??
SIL 2: Tea Wallet? (Going to have to ask brother if she still carries tea everywhere), ??
Brother 1: Lunch money cuff, Bonsai mountains (okay, pretend ones)
Brother 2: Dice Bag of Holding
Grandma-in-law: ??
Mom and Dad: Acorn Garland with DD1, painted Tea Towels with DD1 (using diluted acrylic, Terrarium
MIL and FIL 1: Tiny Tote filled with treats of some sort, more Tea Towels with DD1, more of DD1's "Marbled Glass" ornaments, glass magnets, Coasters
MIL and FIL 2: Tiny Tote filled with treats of some sort, more Tea Towels with DD1, more of DD1's "Marbled Glass" ornaments, glass magnets, Coasters
Niece 1: Terrarium, Covered Journal, Bath Fizzies
Niece 2: Bath Fizzies, Felt Crown and Wand Set, Bath Crayons
Niece 3: Bath Crayons, Bath Fizzies, Crown and Wand Set
Niece 4 (Baby): ??
Nephew 1: Car Tote (I think this was someone's from last year?) Bath Fizzies, Bath Crayons
Nephew 2: Car Tote, Bath Fizzies, Bath Crayons
DH: ??
Oh my, I have done nothing for the holidays as of late!! I am busy knitting an orange/black Halloween scarf for myself -- I couldn't resist the fun yarn! I'd never seen Halloween yarn before! And, I just cast on to knit my ds a sweater...fun stuff, but not holiday giving stuff!!
I have everything to make Bartlett pear jelly, but haven't gotten around to making it. It's super easy as it uses pear juice, not whole pears!
My 10 year old ds is doing a holiday craft fair selling his magnets, and those that are left-over can be used as part of teacher gift-giving. (They are super cute. He did a craft fair this summer for a day and sold 40 of them!)
Keep the posts coming!! It's inspiring to hear what everyone is up to!
Peace ~~
I haven't done anything either! I need to sit down and look at what we have written down. Soon. Im working on DD2's birthday items right now then Christmas.
I've done very little since my first burst of motivation this summer. I have been making jams and jellies and such since the spring, so I'm thinking so jars of those might be good to give to each couple in our extended family. Today I'm making apple butter and apple peel-cinnamon jelly so I can add those to the assortment I have to give people. I'll try to get some pretty baskets and tea towels to put with them. So far I have violet jelly, rose jelly, strawberry jam, raspberry-blueberry jam, and the ones I'm making today. I also might try making some cranberry orange cardamom preserves and some onion jelly.
I did design and make a cardboard mock up of the wooden barn that my parents are going to make for ds for Christmas, but technically they are the ones making it since I don't have the proper tools. I wish I had taken pictures of the mock up while I was at my parents house. I'm really excited about this barn. I know DS will love having it to put all of his wooden animals in.
I've also thought about trying to make him a wool felt barn that he can carry his animals in when he goes places. I'm thinking I might needle felt a design onto it before I stitch it up. He has a little cheap one he got somewhere, but it's just to nearly big enough for the bigger wooden animals and it's starting to fall apart.
I need to get busy knitting and felting gifts for family members asap.
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