Some Handmade Christmas Gifts

Our Christmas was all about the homemade this year... and let me tell you I have never had more fun Christmasing (I made that word up as a little girl and it's stuck in our family :-) than I did this year! Making things for the ones you love is one of the best ways to celebrate the holiday!

Here are a few samples of what the Friedrichs are giving this year! Sorry I didn't link to any tutorials (some of these were from tutorials and some are my own design)... my bookmarks have disappeared, and I can't find them. Anybody know how to fix that- it's driving me nuts!

For the kiddos in our lives (including our own!):

Chalkboard Placemats

Coco and Jack each got a tool belt to go with a helmet/goggle set I found on clearance after Christmas last year

Play 'n Store Mats filled with various goodies (more on these later!)

A Baby Sling and Patchwork Scarves for the girlies

 

Felt Mr. Potato Head

 

Crinkle Taggie Squares, Stuffed Taggie Elephants, and Cloth Teething Rings for the Babes

And, of course, the obligatory Christmas Shirt :-)

For the grown-ups:

 

Fabric Postcards with a Fabric Writing Pen

Coffee Cozies with Felt Designs

iPod/iPhone/cell phone holders

...and a few others which shall be revealed after the recipients (aka grandparents) receive them! :-)

You can also check out Monkey Stitch, if you want, to see the Christmas Gifts Allison and I worked on for other people this season. :-)

And, I was happy to get the chance to whip up some reusable gift bags this year, too!

Family Fun

We had the chance to spend some time with Mike's extended family for baby Hunter's 1st birthday last week. Would you believe that I didn't get a single picture of the birthday boy?!

I did get a picture of the craziness that is Jack and his cousins playing! They were having stroller races (in doll strollers, what else?!) around the kitchen island.

 

It was fun. It was loud.

It was sweet.

 

What a blessing it is to be near family!

Here's a picture of the shirt I made for Hunter.

Words cannot describe the love Hunter's parents have for John Deere. EVERYTHING in this boy's life is Deere or camo. Even his name... Hunter Beau. So it was only appropriate that I help mark this occasion with a John Deere themed shirt. I also made him four mini beanbags with tractors on them, but forgot to get photos. They are cute. You'll just have to trust me. :-)

I also had the boys in matching brown shirts and overalls, but didn't think to get a picture of them together. They were cute too. And I'm sure you'll trust me on that one. :-)

Homemade Birthday, Part II

Here are the gifts Jack will be getting from Mama, Daddy and Charlie at his family party in a couple of weeks. I hope he loves them and that they encourage his imagination!

Jack's new cape. Side 1 is Captain Pickles (a character he loves on Barney).

Side 2 is modeled after Super Why's (another TV character he likes) cape.

Both characters wear a green mask.

 

An I Spy Bag- thanks to Beef (yeah, the person, not the food :) for the idea!

All the items in the bag. I printed this as a picture, and I'm going to laminate it and attach to the handle so he can "play" by himself when he gets older.

A crayon wallet. I'm hoping this helps at church.

The inside. The left has spaces for crayons, pencils, etc. The right has a pocket for a notebook, coloring pages, etc.

The crayon wallet filled with goodies!

 

See Part I if you missed Jack's awesome shirts!

Homemade Birthday, Part I

I've been bound and determined to limit the amount of "stuff" Jack gets for his birthday this year. So I decided a while ago to only give him homemade gifts for his birthday and Christmas this year. Here, I'll give a glimpse of what he's getting from us.

Here is what he's getting on his actual birthday tomorrow (Thursday) from Mama, Daddy and Charlie:

A shirt based on his very favorite show, Dinosaur Train. The main character, Buddy, is peeking out from behind the 2, which is part of the train. I'm so pleased with how it turned out and I'm pretty sure he's going to LOVE it.

A shirt and crown for his family indoor picnic party in a few weeks. He'll probably be less excited about this, but I think it's fun!

Front

 

Back

Crown

 

Check back soon to see what he's getting at his picnic party!

September Birthdays

Charlie isn't the only little person we know with a September birthday! Long before he was due I finished up a couple of September birthday projects.

First up, a shirt and skirt set for Miss Lily for next summer.

Next, matching shirts and skirts for Callie and her soon expected sister Madison (who, incidentally, will be Charlie's girlfriend :-).

 

And Miss Kennison's birthday isn't in September, but I LOVE making girlie clothes, and just couldn't help myself!

Getting ready for baby... for the Big Brother

I've been crafting a few things for Jack for when Charlie comes. I'm thinking we'll give it to him when he comes to visit in the hospital. I appliqued a J to a plain canvas bag (sorry about the weird lighting),

and filled it will baby things, mostly made out of the same fabric that I made Jack's blanket out of a few months ago.

Jack's Blanket

He is very attached to his blanket, so I purposely didn't make anything for Charlie out of that fabric. No need to encourage sibling rivalry!

Diapers/ Bib/ Burp Cloth/ Mini Blankie

 

I used this Martha Stewart Black Apple Doll Template to make a cloth doll for Jack. It isn't my best sewing work, and Mike think it looks like the baby has a mullet. Oh well! I had to alter it, because the original doll has girlie hair and is wearing a dress. I don't think Jack will mind that it's a little weird looking.

I also made him a baby sling, blue with red lining (it's reversible!) to wear his baby in while I wear Charlie.

 

I didn't have him try his on yet, but I did have him try on another one I was working on- for sizing and doll placement. Don't tell Mike I put our boy in purple- he didn't seem to mind! :-)

I'm also planning on recording a CD of me singing some of Jack's favorite songs/ saying bedtime prayers/ reading a favorite book or two for while we're in the hospital, and hopefully I'll get to it sooner rather than later!

And lastly, I made Jack this bear shirt to match the bear outfit we have for Charlie. My embroidery leave something to be desired, but overall I'm pleased how it came out.