Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Handmade Holiday, Anyone?

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Everyone is so crafty! I love all the projects.

Noelwr - My mother and I have been making stockings too. They''re mostly cross-stitch, but the one my mom is making for the baby is a sew by numbers like yours.

This Christmas, our gift-giving budget is a big ZERO with the baby coming and the potential house buying, so I decided to make the gifts. I have a cookies cookbook that has recipes especially for gift-giving; you make the dry mix, put it in a mason jar, decorate the jar and add a card with a message and the mixing (usually add some milk and an egg) and baking instructions.
 
Im not crafty so I won''t post anything I''ve made...

But Haven, since you collect mugs/pottery, if you ever go to Maine, you must stop at Edgecomb Potters (it''s on the Mid-Coast, near Boothbay Harbor). They have exquisite pieces - beautiful mugs! We have four - each time I''m in Maine I have to go there and buy something because any piece would make a special gift as they look very unique. You can also check them out online (although the pictures do not do the pieces justice).


Edgecomb_Potters_of_Maine
 
Thanks everyone for the nice comments about my cards. I really do love making them. Yes, it can get expensive but this time of year I sell them at various craft fairs and (at least I try to) on Etsy to recoup some of my costs.
 
Erica--Your cards are really beautiful. I love the designs! I feel like a lot of people go really overboard when they create handmade cards, and that makes them look unprofessional. YOURS are perfect!

noel--Holy moly! That stocking is incredible! And those mittens look so cozy. I really want to learn to knit so I can make knitted hoodies for my sock monkeys. I didn''t knit the pieces for the monkey, I made him out of a pair of genuine Rockford Red Heel socks.

cammy--Your pillows are so cool! I''ve wanted to quilt for ages but I''ve never gotten around to taking a class. I LOVE the designs, they remind me of my Nintendo-filled childhood!

anchor--I love the cookies-in-a-jar type gifts. I bet your family will really appreciate them.

Bia--Thank you for the link. That pottery is amazing, it makes me want to take a trip to Maine just for a mug! I''m adding Edgecomb Potters to my list of must-visit sites.

I started a new sock monkey yesterday out of white and yellow socks. I hand sewed the first one, which took a while, so I bought a mini sewing machine to make the rest of them. I had a 40% off coupon, so it was only $24 which felt worth it. I haven''t sewed since I was working on my costume design degree in college, so it''s been really fun to get back into it. I''ll post pictures of the new monkeys as I make them.

I love everyone''s craftiness, your projects are very inspiring!
 
knitting is so fun. I recommend it to everyone. it''s actually quite easy once you know the stitches and how to read a pattern.

cammy - those pillows are really cool! where did you find a pattern for those?

anchor - I love your cookie mix idea. better than some crap people give as gifts.

I found another holiday present I knit a few years ago for hubby. the x-mas tree in the background shows that I''m not lying! he is tall so I don''t knit a lot for him because you have to make everything longer and it takes a long time to finish. I really had fun with all the cables.

noelwrsweater.JPG
 
lilyfoot - thank you!

haven - thank you! To be honest, I have never taken a sewing class to save my life. I jumped into handquilting and sewing because it looked fun, and I''ve just learned as I''ve gone. I design all my quilt patterns and just find inspiration from a lot of different places. I''ve also picked up embroidery and am hoping to start making simple skirts and dresses soon (though zippers scare me!) I figured the recipient of the pillows would appreciate them as well, he LOVED all things Mario and Nintendo, and the design just lent itself perfectly to the pixelated patterns of the old school system. Some of my favorite pillows I''ve made :)

noelwr - Thanks! There actually wasn''t a pattern for it. I designed the pillows myself after looking at a few images of each of the characters i was making. There are two other characters on the other sides of the pillow as well. I used graph paper to draft out the pattern and just messed with it until it looked right. It was a pain because it was so many itty bitty pieces, but I could pretty much tell if my layout was accurate because I would just google a screen shot of an old school game, or the character itself, and you can tell if something''s off. It was a little hit or miss, but I''m so pleased with how they came out.
 
I''m not very crafty, but I do love to cook. I usually make some sort of food gift for my extended family. My great aunt has a big Christmas Eve party, and we all exchange little gifts, most of which are homemade. I''ve done biscotti for several years, and those are always a big hit. This year, though, I think I''m going to make orange cranberry marmalade.
 
cammy - that is amazing that you did those pillows from scratch!

clio - homemade food gifts are the best!
 
Date: 11/11/2009 4:48:41 AM
Author: noelwr

yay! I love crafts. here are some holiday gifts I made the past years...



first is a stocking for my husband. it was sew by number, so I didn''t design this myself. making a different one for my mom this year.

Click to expand...
noelwr - this stocking is gorgeous! can i ask where you go the pattern?
 
I am in awe of all you crafty types. I tried to knit once. It was bad.
41.gif
 
If I could make anything people would like, I would definitely do that. I love all the stuff that was posted, sock monkeys are so cute!

Both my daughters have these very nice dolls (magic cabin fairy dolls). My older daughter has the full set while the younger just has the doll (sans hat, shoes, little bag, etc). Instead of purchasing the additional sets when I have time off during the holidays I''m going to attempt to make little shoes, hats for the doll. I also want to get some fabric scraps to make little "beds" for them. I have very primitive sewing abilities (basically all I do is darn) but my daughter is fascinated by it so is always asking me to sew or repair things for her.
 
Date: 11/12/2009 12:09:33 PM
Author: courtney5638

Click to expand...
noelwr - this stocking is gorgeous! can i ask where you go the pattern?
Click to expand...
courtney - I got this at the annual Knitting & Stitching Show that they have in UK. however, just google "felt Christmas stocking kit" and you will find hundreds you can order on-line. my particular one is by the Bucilla brand.
 
Man, you guys are crafty. I always buy stuff to make and then never get around to it lol.

For Xmas this year though, I am making calendars for the grandparents with some of my photography, and instead of having the usual calendar of days, I will list all the birthdays in that month so it can be used every year.
1.gif
I plan to start taking photos for it today sometime.
 
I made a couple of gifts for this year! This is a watercolor painting I did for my dad of his Distinguished Flying Cross that he is really proud of. I''m definitely not an amazing painter but I enjoy it. I''m going to have it framed before Christmas. I also made some mugs in my ceramics class this summer. I figured I might as well make something useful since the clay and supplies for that class weren''t cheap! I haven''t picked them up from the school yet so I don''t have a picture but they are taller and each have a pattern imprinted on them. One looks a little like fish scales and the other is a lace pattern if I remember correctly. One is for my mom and one is for my dad. I also made one for DH that he is already using for work.
9.gif


Those pillows are way cool Cammy! What is that on the right pillow? Is it a Mario character as well? I haven''t played any nintendo stuff in forever so I don''t remember all the characters.

Anchor, I''ve seen those jar baking mixes before but they were like $15 bucks in a store! I''ve always wanted to make my own!

Everyone''s stuff looks really great!

medal1089.jpg
 
Wow, you are all so talented!

Haven, the sock monkeys are fantastic. A few years ago, back when I lived in the west ''burbs, the sock monkey line of fabrics came out and I got my mother a few fat quarters as well as the socks with the sock monkey making kit. Last summer she and I were shopping for fabrics for a quilted wallhanging I''m making for my best friend''s new home and the store also carried the entire line of sock monkey fabrics, including adorable baby pink and blue versions for infants. My niece''s "theme" has been anything jungle-related (her baby shower gift from me was a copy of Where The Wild Things Are) or monkeys. I hope to get around to making her some things soon!

Knitting is really fun--you can either teach yourself, OR go on meetup.com and find a group in your area. There are tons in Chicago and the ''burbs as I recall.
 
oobieco - you ARE an amazing painter. your dad''s gonna love it. can''t wait to see your mugs.
 
Wow, everyone here is so talented. I wish I had the time to make handmade gifts, but I don''t even have time to shop in stores! Most of my shopping is done online....

I personally love getting a personal handmade gift though. One of my friends made me a mug once, which I treasured until I accidentally broke it.
7.gif


I hope she''ll make me another one.
9.gif
 
Thanks oobiecoo! It''s actually a character from Super Mario 2- Tweeter. One of the more obscure characters, and definitely one of the harder ones to figure out.

nerdy_art.JPG
 
Monnie--What are the sock monkey fabrics??!! I''m intrigued! I''ve just been using plain old socks!
 
Oh, the socks are what you use for the monkeys, the fabrics I''m referring to are bolts of cotton printed with sock money patterns! I''ll see if I can find a link or pics.
 
ADORABLE!!!! That totally went over my head, by the way. I really thought they were fabrics made to look like sock materials. Doh!

Those are super cute, I''m going to have to check out the local JoAnn Fabrics to see if they have any.
 
wow! everyone is so creative.

Last year I painted something for each of my roommates, and it may not be great, but, here is one example

ETA: and the lighter coppery part in the center wasn't from a flash, that's the way I painted it
2.gif


roomieart.JPG
 
Kas--that is beautiful! I see a resemblance between your painting and your avatar...favorite colors?
31.gif
 
kas baby - that''s so pretty! how big is it?

I haven''t been crafting for 2 weeks since I''ve been on a business trip but I really need to finish my stocking! hope to get it done soon to post on here.

no one else done any crafts these past 2 weeks?
 
Date: 12/1/2009 8:45:19 AM
Author: noelwr
kas baby - that''s so pretty! how big is it?

I haven''t been crafting for 2 weeks since I''ve been on a business trip but I really need to finish my stocking! hope to get it done soon to post on here.

no one else done any crafts these past 2 weeks?
Click to expand...
I haven''t done anything the past couple weeks...I meant to make my Christmas cards over the weekend but that did not get accomplished. I will probably spend a couple hours each night this week putting them together, will try to post pics.

Haven--saw sock monkey patterned pajamas in the ladies'' department of Target last week. Sock monkeys are quite the trend!
 
SanDiegoLady - please post photos of the finished product when done. they are really pretty. I will keep the pattern.

I finished the stocking for my mom this weekend. we don''t have much sun during the winter, so this was the best photo I was able to take this morning.

santastocking2.JPG
 
Date: 12/7/2009 10:03:54 AM
Author: noelwr
SanDiegoLady - please post photos of the finished product when done. they are really pretty. I will keep the pattern.

I finished the stocking for my mom this weekend. we don''t have much sun during the winter, so this was the best photo I was able to take this morning.
Click to expand...
Noel-That is beautiful!!!
 
I have actually made a few more things but can''t share them yet as they are gifts for others ;) It''s been a little of a ''sprint to the finish'' to get everything finished, but it''s been so much fun!
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top