Busy Books

I set a goal for myself to get all of my Christmas presents done by October this year.
Well, OBVIOUSLY, that didn't happen.
I have managed to finish a few though, and these are what I am most proud of so far.

I have wanted to make these for my kids for years, and had "plans" drawn as how to do it, but never managed to find the time, or the bravery to start such a long project.

They are finished now, thank goodness, and I really hope that they like them!

The Covers:







The Pages:


Zipper Skills (Couldn't rotate this one...sorry)


Shape Skills


Numbers, Colors and Counting


Button Skills


Telling Time


Hair Fun


Tic-Tac-Toe




Fun with Baking and Numbers


Locks and keys


Some Car fun


Letters


Tying and Lacing


Decorating a Christmas Tree


Picking apples


Fall Leaves




Clothes and a Clothesline to pin them to




Notes and a Mailbox to "mail" them in

Fancy Hair Bows

I had some extra tulle and thought I would use some to "fancy" up some felt hair flowers. I think they turned out cute for that special little girl out there!

Birthday Deals!

I was perusing the aisles at Joann's the other day, and they were clearancing out all their canvas goodies, so I snagged a couple for some upcoming birthdays. With a little ribbon, and some felt flowers, they are perfect! A little bag for a princess, and an apron for Mommy's Little Kitchen Helper!



(excuse the wrinkles, there is no ironing going on at my house right now...)

Homade Gifts

This fabric bracelet is a new obsession of mine.
I saw it somewhere and had to try it, and couldn't quite get it right, so I ordered the pattern and whipped up a few for some girlfriends' birthdays. This was one of my favorites!



She even wrote me a thank you that said something to the effect...."you are making homemade gifts 'cool' again"....ha! That made me laugh! Who knew?

Why Not????

Yeah, I had to try it!

This was a belated gift for my daughters sweet kindergarten teacher who got married on Valentines Day this year! I love the teacher, and wanted to make her something from the heart...





I was sooooooo nervous to give it to her, you know how jewelry is...such a matter of personal taste...but every time that I see her wear it I smile knowing that she likes it!

Cute Clips for Girly Girls!

I saw this on a crafty blog and had to try them out! I love making them! I love giving them away too!
I would let my girls wear them everyday....if they would let me near their hair!









Also, for some reason I can't post this, but here is a link to another of those adorable girly girls wearing a clip that I made!

Touching Taggies

I never knew the fascination with these until I had a kid who loves silky things. He loved to rub his fingers on the silky ribbon, and really liked all the textures that one of these little blankets had to offer! This is one that I made for a little girl in Illinois! Funny to think that something I have made has travelled over the US!

Coloring to Go!

This is not a new idea by any means, but a fun one!
This little crayon holder fits regular or chubby crayons in it, and is perfect to throw into the diaper bag, or restaurant kit to keep little ones busy with a semi-quiet activity. This little holder, paired with a coloring book makes a cute, cheap fun gift to give away as well.



Unwrapped and ready...



Rolled and ready to travel.

A Happy Princess

What better gift to give a 3 year old than a felted hair flower, and a "reversible" dress up skirt.
My attempt at "reversible" didn't come out so well, but its the thought that counts right?







By the way....felt is my new favorite thing to work with! So fun! I have big ideas about a Quiet Book, and it all revolves around felt....

Side note: Next time I get the big idea to attempt to make clothing, I am hitting up the thrift store for material! I could have bought a whole lot more with a whole lot less!!!

Not So Scary Monsters

These were from "Make" magazine. There is a girl version called "Craft" and it is chock full of cool ideas!
These monsters are cuddly and soft, and not very scary...

Quilted Letters

I found a free tutorial and pattern for these letters. I made quite a few sets to give out as gifts! They are great! I used all scrap materials so they were very inexpensive to make! They are easy to store, don't take up much space, and soft enough for little ones to chew on!

Christmas Love

These are all very random, but here are a some of the things that I made for families and friends this year for Christmas. Hubby helped out too!





A Jewelry Tree from a Manzanita Branch. We set it in a Plexiglas square, and I think it came out really well!





A simple fleece scarf. Warm and cute!





Amish Friendship Bread Recipe book and a small loaf - just to get you addicted!





Our "green" project! These were leftover from a job that Hubby did. We used manzanita branches, and pieces of rock and stones and made some pretty wind chimes.