It’s that time of year again! I love to create and sew handmade gifts for the holidays. I mean I really LOVE it. I am the most happy when I am crafting and really happy when the gift gets to go to someone special. I have to come clean though, I actually made this beautiful Ruffled Tote for myself. I have carried this purse all over the place. I made an iPad pocket inside too, so my iPad has its only cozy home inside. I also put a phone pocket inside. You need to keep your technology handy so you don’t have to dig to the bottom of this big tote. It is big enough to fit folders or books. Or say you are shopping at a craft show, you don’t need a bag for your smaller purchases, just tuck them inside this awesome tote. You can purchase and download the pattern for this beautiful tote from my Shop. It is really easy to sew and the directions and pattern come in .pdf format. This is an awesome gift to sew for your sister or a teacher, or ahem, yourself!

When you purchase the pattern you get complete sewing instructions, detailed pictures and the patterns for all the needed pieces. You can purchase this pattern in my Store by clicking this link: Ruffled Tote Sewing Pattern or by visiting my Store. Please note that this pattern is for personal use only. You may not sell this pattern, variations of this pattern or clothes made from this pattern.

If you want to create the FABRIC FLOWER shown on this bag you can find the instructions here: How To | Fabric Flowers

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Handmade Holiday Gift Idea

There are a lot of gifts you could give this holiday season, but when it comes to something really meaningful, there’s nothing quite like the gift of a book you’ve made yourself. But before you start having visions of gluing and sewing together pages, check out the Blurb Gift Center.

Blurb lets you make seriously beautiful books using their free tools. Just add photos and text, choose your options (like paper and cover type), and then order. Of course, you do have to decide just what kind of book you want to make. But relax, because they have put together the cool Blurb Gift Center to give you lots of ideas.

For instance, if you’ve got a genealogical bent, there’s the Blurb Family History Book.

For those with newborns (or those that know someone with a newborn), a Blurb Baby Book might be just the thing.

And if you’re the kind of person who keeps getting asked for copies of your recipes, think about making a Blurb Food Book.

This holiday season, make your gift recipients feel really special by making them something special. There really is a book for everyone.

One of the neatest parts of Blurb is that they have tools you can download that allow you to use Lightroom or InDesign to design your books! How cool is that, really cool if you are into photography or you are a Graphic Designer like me! Don’t worry if you don’t have either of those programs, you can easily design your book entirely on Blurbs site, no download required.

So start now on making a personalized and unique gift for those Grandparents or even your kids. My kids love to get their printed photos albums every year at Christmas, it is one the season’s highlights and something they will treasure year after year. If you make something on Blurb I would love a comment or pic of what you created. Make this year a handmade holiday at your house!

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Have you ever thought about how many thank you cards a teacher has to send home with students at Christmas? What if all of her Thank You cards were already handmade for her? I decided to make handmade Thank You cards for my son’s teacher. Do you think she will be delighted? You can easily whip up some of these for a favorite teacher too. All you need are blank cards, washi tape, a stamp, ink and envelopes.

Supplies:

• Washi Tape or Crafting Tape (I found mine at Michaels, Recollections brand)
• Thank you stamp
• Ink Pad
• Blank Cards
• Envelopes
• Scissor

How To:

1. Use crafting tape and scissors to create patterns on cards.
2. Use stamp and ink to stamp Thank You onto card.
3. Tie a ribbon around your card and envelope bundle and gift to your favorite teacher.

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It is the first full week of November and I am kicking off my Handmade Holiday series with this adorable fleece hat pattern that is available for purchase! Wouldn’t your son or daughter love to wear one of these warm hats outside on a chilly winter day? Animal style hats are already really popular this season. This hat is worn similar to a hood to help keep their head extra toasty. Front flaps tuck easily underneath their coat to keep their neck warm and covered while they play. As you can see there is a lot of animal ear variations that can be done to create different animal styles. Lucky for you, all the ears shown here are included as part of the hat pattern.

You can purchase this pattern in my Store by clicking this link: Fleece Animal Hat Pattern.

Please note that this pattern is for personal use only. You may not sell this pattern, variations of this pattern or hats made from this pattern.

Check back in soon, there just might be a free downloadable hat pattern for your daughter’s special doll! Follow me on Facebook to stay up on my blog posts.

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I wanted to show all of you the Snowman Family Frame we made yesterday for our Advent Activity. I love it, it looks so cute on the shelf with all the other Christmas decorations. We have been able to keep on schedule for our Advent Activities this far. How about you guys, are you able to keep on track? Some nights are a bit tricky and we have to do some catch up the next day, but the kids don’t know what day I planned the activity for, so it’s all the same to them!

If you want to create one of these Snowman Family Frames for yourself, or make one to give as a gift, you can find the instructions for it here: ChildMadeTutorials. She does a great job of explaining it and has lots of pictures. Just a hint, I found my frame at Dollar Tree, I can see from the picture she has the same frame. So if you are doing your crafts on the cheap, like I try to do, take a look at Dollar Tree for this frame. It is deep inside, but looks pretty much like a normal frame and is in the same section.

Stay tuned, tomorrow you can see the Toilet Paper Tube Reindeer we are making and it includes a Free Download Template to cut out your own pieces. Also, don’t forget to like us on Facebook!

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My daughter is having her friends over in a couple weeks to make crafts. We decided we wanted to make finger puppets as one of the projects. We wanted them to come in a little gift box so everyone would have their own Finger Puppet Kit. We made enough kits for her friends and a few extras to give to cousins. I am really excited to make these with the girls when they come over, my daughter is really excited too. If you want to make some Finger Puppet Kits to give as gifts, you can download my FREE patterned gift box by clicking on the link below. (Don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook so you don’t miss out on any great craft ideas!)

Handmade Holidays | How To | Finger Puppet Kit

Supplies:

• Stretch Gloves or Recycle Old Gloves (Target has 2 for $2 or Jo-Anns has them in their dollar bins at the checkout)
• 5mm Googly Eyes
• Tiny Pom-Pom Balls
• Assorted buttons, trims, wire and paper flowers
• Colored Paper
• Felt
• Glue
• Scissors
• Small Baggie
• Finger Puppet Gift Box Template Download

How To:

1. Download and print the Free Finger Puppet Gift Box Template. (It will work best if you print the template on a thicker paper.) Cut along the solid lines and score lightly using a craft knife on the dotted lines. Fold on dotted/scored lines. Adhere side of gift box together using double-sided tape or glue.
2. Cut fingers off of gloves.
3. Count out googly eyes. Add assorted pom-pom balls and trims.
4. Cut out paper and felt in 1″ squares.
5. Place all the googly eyes, trims, paper, felt and other small items into a small baggie.
6. Place glove fingers and baggie of items into box and fold sides closed.
7. Give as a gift!

FREE DOWNLOAD:

Click here – Finger Puppet Gift Box Template Download

Linked to: Where Women Create

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Over the weekend my daughter and I made these bottle cap necklaces to give to her friends as gifts when they come over in a couple weeks to make some Christmas crafts. She was so excited to help me put them together. We think they turned out really cute! The perfect handmade gift for little girls. If you want to make some with your daughter check out the free download below, it has the cute little girl faces for you to use to make your own necklaces! (The free download has a larger variety of hair colors than the necklaces shown above and no names.)

Handmade Holidays | How To | Bottle Cap Necklaces

Supplies:

• Darice Cotton Loops (found at Michaels)
• Jump Rings
• Bottle Caps (I got mine at Oriental Trading $4 for 24)(Also at Hobby Lobby $9 for 24)
• Gemstones
• Magic-Glos by Lisa Pavelka (found at Hobby Lobby) (other options are Diamond Glaze or 3D Crystal Laquer)
• Crop-A-Dile
• Scissors
• Double-sided Tape
• Bottle Cap Necklace Art Download

How To:

1. Use your Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole into the bottle caps.
2. Print out the Bottle Cap Necklace Art Download and cut out the ones you want to use.
3. Secure art to bottle cap using a small piece of double-sided tape.
4. Add a gemstone onto the art.
5. Follow the directions and add your Magic-Glos. Let it set for a very long time according to directions. Try to make sure you have nothing near by the bottle caps that will get fuzz or dirt on the glaze after you have applied it. Keep an eye on them as they dry and pop bubbles with a toothpick or pin.
6. Add a jump ring to the top through the hole.
7. Thread your cotton loop through the jump ring and knot the ends together. (I cut my cotton loops in thirds to make them the right size for the girls necks.)
8. Package in a cute gift box!

FREE DOWNLOAD:

Click Here – Bottle Cap Necklace Art Download

Linked to: Where Women Create

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{Handmade Holidays Idea #4}

Every year I make a new soldered ornament showcasing a photo of each child to hang on our tree. Grandma loves to receive these photo ornaments as a gift. Even if you don’t solder you can make these keepsake ornaments for your own tree using pre-made frames. This is such a thoughtful gift, your loved ones will cherish these every year as they hang them on their tree.

How To | Personalized Photo Ornament

Supplies:

• Memory Frames and Glass by Ranger Ink (Shop HERE)
• Photograph of Child
• Staz-on Ink
• Date/Year Stamp

How To:

1. Take photo of your child and cut to fit size of memory frame.
2. Place your photos (you can do double-sided) in the frame following manufacturers instructions for opening and closing frame.
3. Use Staz-on Ink to stamp the year onto the glass.
4. You can also embellish your frame by dangling charms from the top loop or by adding other elements inside on top of your photo. Ranger frames can hold three paper layers inside.
5. Wrap in tiny jewelry box and give to family members.

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