One Last Christmas Hurrah

Before I can move on to sharing our adventures in January, I first want to share this last holiday post with some fun gift ideas and tutorials you may want to keep in mind for next year.

*Embellished Hand Towels*

My sweet sister-in-law made me this cute towel and I love it! It makes me smile everytime I see it in my kitchen. She made the fabric flowers using a tutorial similar to this one and then hand stitched them onto a white towel from Target. So cute! They would also be precious on a headband.

*Photo Ornaments*

I met Holly last year at a sewing workshop and have followed her blog ever since. She is super creative and I love all of her ideas! She shared this tutorial on making photo ornaments earlier in December and I made some to give grandparents.

* A Merry Cricket Christmas*

Will gave me a Cricket for our anniversary in July and I finally got the chance to put it to good use making Christmas gifts! I found some cute buckets at TJMaxx and spray painted them red (and some orange for tiger fans!) and packed them full of homemade yummies.

Lowes also carries buckets in the paint department that are great for monogramming and can be used for chilling wine or beer (think oyster roast or tailgating).

These drink dispensers are also great for showers, parties, and tailgating. My sisters and SIL's got these for Christmas! :)

I also used the Cricut to monogram these cute jute bags (found at Hobby Lobby) by using this freezer paper stencil tutorial.

*Felt Applique Tees*

Need an idea for the little boys on your list? I made some cute tees with felt, Heat-n-bond, and some colored shirts from Wal-mart and Target. Just check out etsy for some ideas and inspiration for appliques and create your own using this tutorial.

* Silhouettes*

My mom has mine and my sisters' silhouettes hanging on her bedroom wall and I love to see them everytime I'm over there. I used this tutorial to create some of Anna Cate and Caroline, but I cut mine out with tiny scissors instead of using the exacto knife. I love them so much and want to make some more to display on our bookcase in our house.

* Farmhouse Dolls*

The most time consuming gift I worked on were these dolls. I saw these farmhouse dolls listed in the PBK catalog this fall and knew I wanted to try to make some for the girls. For the doll head and body, I used my Rosie Posie doll pattern (but increased it by 40%) and stitched the face on with embroidery thread. I also sewed the shoes onto the legs with brown felt before I stuffed the legs with polyfil. For the dolls' dresses, I made a smaller template from Leila and Ben's Sweet Little Dress pattern on etsy. For their hair, I found this tutorial which explains how to make and attach the yarn. I braided the hair once it was in place and secured the braids with invisible ponytail holders. Oh, and I also added some dry beans to the body before I stitched them up for added weight.

I'll be honest, it was a very time consuming project. The girls really do love them! They play with them all day and sleep with them at night. All of the supplies I needed were leftovers I had stashed in my craft closet, but if you were going to have to buy everything to make them, I'd just go ahead and buy them from PBK. The dolls are currently on sale for $19.99 and I'd say that is a steal!

Oh, and as for the quilts...they were also finished in time to be opened on Christmas morning, but I'll save that for a post all on it's own.