Kiddo Christmas Crafts

As promised here are the crafts AJ and I worked on this past month.  I love doing crafts with her at this time of year but I have to say that with the sleep deprivation a six month old brings, I had a little less patience this year. 

This is the Snow village we worked on together for over a week.  We did it in bits and pieces, painted the doors and windows one day, the tubes another and applied the glitter on another day.  You can't tell from the picture but the roofs have "snow" on them as well as around the bottom of the houses.  Next to one of the houses is a purple snowman made from pom poms.  This was another craft we were meant to do together but just turned into me completing.  There were more of these little guys but AJ has misplaced them and we haven't a clue where they are now.

 

Notice the ric rac scarf blowing in the wind. 

 



These are a couple of the salt dough ornaments we made for everyone we could think of.  These two belong to two of AJ's friends in Kansas City we just haven't mailed them yet.  I added strips of fabric scraps to the ornaments for hanging.   

This is wrapping paper that AJ and I made.  I just took a huge roll of craft paper and rolled in across the kitchen floor then poured red and white paint out and let AJ walk across it with painted white feet and stamp it with red hands.  She seemed to love it and at several points when I'd point out a spot with no prints she'd say "I've got it Mom, I know how to do it!"  So grown up. 

Here it is on a package to Nana and Pop pop.  AJ picked out the bow.

It turned out so cute and I think I'm going to have a hard time wrapping gifts with it and giving it away!  Well two more days until Christmas!  I hope all your Kiddo Christmas crafts have been fun this year too!

Ruby Star Wrapping: Newspaper Flower and Pillowcase Pouch Combo

This is my third entry for the Ruby Star Wrapping Wrapalong at Sew Mama Sew.  I combined the projects for the Newspaper Flower and the Pillowcase Pouch for this gift.  Instead of a pillowcase I made a lunch bag for my husband, afterall this is his gift.  I made it with some of my "man fabrics" that really rarely get used.  First I screenprinted the brown fabric with a screenprint I've had for years but rarely have used.

You can see that my screenprinting skills are rusty!  Anywho after I screenprinted it I used the dimensions of a paper lunch sack and cut out a lining and ironed on some fusible fleece I've also had forever and have been intimidated by for far too long!  That stuff is easy to use and GREAT!  I also squared off the corners to help the bag stand alone.  Probably the best tutorial I've found for that technique is here.  To cover up one of the stencils that went all wrong I made a heart pocket (ok I know its sappy) for a note or a piece of chocolate for Micah's lunch.  Don't worry I made the bag in such a way that you can't see the heart unless you open the bag.

See the other "manly fabric" for the heart. 

Then I added a leather button, again keeping with the man theme (rolls eyes) and to stick with the theme of the Ruby Star Wrapalong I added a big Newspaper Flower on the front. 

This is not just any newspaper, this is Sports Illustrated newspaper, again keeping with- you guessed it, the man theme!  Here's a closer look at the flower.

I think it looks like a Sports Illustrated Poinsettia, very Christmasy!  I included a surprise with the gift.  My husband hates the way most travel coffee mugs leak at the top so here is a picture of his solution to that problem.

Its a wad of paper towels and a produce rubberband.  So I decided to make him a cover for his new travel mug and here is my solution, now granted my solution looks a little bit like a Granny's night hat but it solves the problem of all our paper towels disappearing.

 

Wha-la, a new solution for an age old problem!  Eventhough this travel mug is not supposed to leak at least now if it does it can be soaked up by the manly-granny night cap!  If you are so inclined you should also enter a package in the Ruby Star Wrapalong contest and maybe you will be lucky enough to get your hands on a copy of that book...here's hoping I win a copy!  Well happy wrapping to all and to all a good night!



Ruby Star Wrapping: The Resplendent Rose, Package number 2

This is my second entry for the Sew Mama Sew Blog Ruby Star Wrapalong contest.  I am reposting for the entry and I also wanted to mention that the boxes used in wrapping these gifts were reclaimed from the recyling.  One box is a cereal box and the other is a water filter box.  This long package is obviously the cereal box and it was a great resource since I'd completely run out of the traditional white boxes.  It was great to reclaim these boxes since going to the store for boxes with my four year old and six month old is the last thing I want to do these days! 

I'd also completely run out of ribbons and looked to my scrap fabrics again for this supply.  The ribbons on this package and on my other entry are torn strips of fabric.  And as I said in the last post the fabric used here is from a vintage sheet and the netting is a produce bag I've been saving to incorporate into my wrapping. 

Happy Wrapping Everyone!!

Ruby Star Wrapping: The Resplendent Rose

This post is for the Ruby Star Wrap-Along contest at the Sew Mama Sew Blog.  I chose to do the project called The Resplendent Rose which was featured on another blog.  I did my project as a sort of riff off of the project since I've made fabric roses before (I just never thought to use them on packages!).  I combined the roses with mesh bags from produce that I'd saved for a few months.  My hope was to incorporate them in my Christmas wrappings some how, so I just mashed all those ideas together and came up with these packages.

 

 

Heres a shot from closer up and with a little distance.  I'm still figuring out the lighting in our new home. 

 

This one is wrapped with some gingham fabric scraps and you can see the produce bag peeking out behind the flower.

This one is wrapped in a vintage sheet scrap and has a black produce bag behind the Resplendent Rose! 

Heres a close up of the rose.  All of the materials used to wrap both of these presents came directly from my scrap bag of fabrics!  So this project is a great scrapbuster.  Well happy wrapping everyone and I'll be back soon with a post of all the Christmas crafts I've done with AJ this year!

Where I've been

Its been over a year since I've posted on this blog and I think I have a pretty good excuse.  It started with the excitement of expecting our second child and it continued to unfold with a move halfway across the country!  I've been squeezing in some sewing here and there, some for new baby, some for friends, some for my oldest daughter and some for our new home.  I haven't taken any pictures of any of it but plenty of pictures of our new addition and family. 

The new baby is now 15 weeks old and my oldest daughter just turned 4 so I hope to take pictures of things that I have been sewing soon but hesitate to make any promises!  I love documenting my creative life in this space and have lots of plans to return to it soon!