Stocking Up With Sales

Holidays are over, but that doesn’t mean the shopping has ended yet.  I made all my gifts, so I still have cash to spare.

First I made a stop at SAS, I do believe I have mentioned the wonder that is SAS before (see Done Already?).  I got more eyelet lace for $1 (as if I needed more), a huge roll of elastic that was also $1, 4 bells for 5 cents each, and 6 rolls of ribbon.  Two of those were 99 cents each, the second two were 65 cents, and the last two were free.  They were having a buy two get one free sale on ribbon, and they were insistent.  I had only picked out four rolls and the lady at the counter refused to ring me up until I had picked out the two free ones, not complaining about it.  Free is free.

I stopped by Wal-Mart this week as well, everyone’s heard of their 50% off Christmas clearance, right?  The only Christmas thing I liked was this cinnamon scented candle on sale for 50 cents.  It smells fantastic, much better than the pine and spiced apple ones.  While browsing I found these cute little erasers.  They had a bunch of them and they are only 50 cents a pack.  So cute, and shaped like desserts, junk foods, sushi, toothbrushes, cooking utensils, etc.  So many to choose from, I think I want to go back for more.

My mom gave me all her Bookman’s trade credit for Christmas, so I had to make a stop there.  I got the PatLabor vol. 7 DVD for $4, a baggie with and inkpad and 6 self-inking stamps for $1, and a rubber stamp of a heart-shaped bar of soap for 25 cents.  I also got a book but I didn’t like it so I’m taking it back, they have an excellent return policy.

I also got some hair elastics from DollarTree (obviously for $1), and some serger thread for $2 and white gloves for $1 at Joann’s.  They didn’t seem to be much of a point to take pictures of those, who doesn’t know what thread looks like.  Plus you will probably get to see the elastic and gloves eventually anyway, I am planning on doing something with them.  Might as well since I am now fully stocked up on ribbon and lace.  Look forward to it.

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T’was the Day of Christmas

T’was the exact day of Christmas, and all through the house,

Every creature was stirred up and mucking about.

The stockings once hung, but not anymore.

They’re tossed with shredded wrappings all over the floor.

The children are wide-eyed and shrieking with glee.

The adults are stumbling, still half asleep.

They rip through all the gifts in ten seconds or so,

Burying everyone in bright torn paper and bows.

One got a doll, but not the right one.

She wanted the pink one, the blue one’s no fun.

The second got such a loud toy, he loves it ever so much.

It doesn’t have an off switch, mom says “thanks a bunch”.

Third is the baby, but he’s growing so quick.

Too bad all the clothes he got already don't fit.

Mom is a little fed up with this “festive” sight,

Luckily someone crafted a gift for her that was just right.

A handmade eye mask to block out the view,

It will keep her content for an hour or two.

By then her mood will improve, she’ll be brimming with cheer.

Wishing all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

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Holly Jolly Christmas

 

As promised yesterday, here is the dress I made.  I actually used a Christmasy tablecloth with a lovely holly print, it was another dollar find.  The dress is trimmed with off-white lace, has shirring on the front and back, and laces up the front.

Here’s the backside.  As with all the dresses I make, it has a sash that ties in the back.  I plan on wearing it to church Christmas Eve.  We (the choir) sing every year at the 11 o’ clock service.  It should be fun, but a little tough the next morning. 

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Cutting It Close

I said I would finish the list by today, and that’s just what I did, sort of.  I finished the dress on my list, but kind of forgot to take a picture of it.  I’ll have plenty of that up tomorrow.  Here’s the rest of it.

Everyone should know by now that I love to craft with corrugated cardboard and that includes making decorations.  Hence the creation of this cardboard wreath.  I cut out a bunch of circles with the help of my niece and glued them to a ring that was also cut from the cardboard.  After that all I had to do what paint it white and sprinkle glitter all over.  Then came the ribbon, I reused some ribbon that someone was going to toss.  They were going for more of a silver and gold look this year. 

This is a small doll of the main character of Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, a manga series my brother likes.  It’s only about 4 inches tall and made with scraps of white an black fabric, fleece, a few beads, some wire, and plenty of glue (for the hair and shoes).  Knowing my brother, he will probably point out the the colors of the outfit aren’t quite exact.  Otherwise, it probably came out okay.

I had a bunch of labels left unused and a whole bunch of rubber stamps, also unused.  Put them together and now I have a bunch of homemade stickers, perfect for stocker stuffers and such.

Here’s that skirt I wanted to make, I wore it to church Sunday since it was a special day along with…

…the tie I wanted to make.   Simple black bowtie, dressed up with a touch of lace.  It went perfectly with…

…this lovely hair accessory.  It was a little bonus that went perfectly with the skirt and tie.  There are fabric roses on both sides.  I actually got more compliments on this then the skirt and tie.

And with some of the scraps left from the skirt, I made this ruffled collar for Midnight.  We match!  It’s being modeled by my niece’s stuffed dog named Ruby.  Ruby could use a trip to the washer.

For the nephew who doesn’t like “girly” plush toys, a plush robot.  Made from an assortment of fleece scraps.  My mom thought it looked like one of those one little toys, I forget the name, I think it was Knac-knacs or something like that.

And last is a Christmas cracker for Midnight, or at least my version of one.  Wrapping paper rolled around a tube and filled with cat treats.  She usually gets one in her stocking most years.

Here’s the updated list:

• Doll jacket
• doll clothes
• Tissue pouch
• Pins
• Scarf
• Boxes
• Purse
• Ornaments
• puppet
• Wreath
• Sweatshirt makeover
• Mascot
• Stickers
• Robot
• Collar
• Red skirt
• Tie
• Christmas cracker
• Dress

Nineteen down and out.  Whoo Hoo!  Don’t forget, I’ll be putting up pictures of the dress tomorrow.

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One Week to Go, Eek!

Okay, starting to panic.  Due to several distractions (i.e. social stuff, sleep, the sniffles), I am officially behind schedule on my list.  But that shouldn’t be a problem, it happens every year.  Sort of a holiday tradition, the ones you don’t want.

First up is this sweet little purse I made for one of my nieces.  I used scraps of jeans and lined it with a cute pink cotton print with dots.  It’s trimmed with an off white eyelet lace and snaps shut with a pretty snap that was a pain in the butt to get on correctly.  Hopefully she will love it.

Next is these ornaments I made with pinecones.  I basically drenched them with glitter and Mod Podge and then glued on little bows and cord to hang them.  My niece thought they looked like little Christmas trees.

I realized I forgot something else from my list, again.  How does that happen twice?  Anyway, this is a doggie hand puppet for another one of my nieces.  She is a natural when it comes to dogs, so I thought she would love a cute dog puppet. 

If anybody has been paying attention, this is that sweatshirt I got from that last rummage sale (see Numbers Game and Perfect Heels).  I loved it because it was pink, but that was about it.  I wanted to make it prettier, so here’s the before…

…and here’s the after.  I chopped off the hem and neck and cut it down the front.  I covered the new neck with ribbon and added ruffled lace along the other edges.  Now it’s really cute and extra girly.   Perfect sweater for this weather too.

Here’s the updated list:

• Doll jacket
• doll clothes
• Tissue pouch
• Pins
• Scarf
• Boxes
• Purse
• Ornaments
• puppet
• Wreath
• Sweatshirt makeover
• Mascot
• Stickers
• Robot
• Collar
• Red skirt
• Tie
• Christmas cracker
• Dress

Ten down, nine more to go.  No worries, I will have this list done by Tuesday without fail.

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Touch of Origami

When I was younger, I learned how to make little boxes like this, though I forget exactly where I learned it.  They are so very handy for organizing and such, but I have a different purpose in mind, gift boxes.  There are perfect for all the pins I made (see Pretty Pins and Pouches), just the right size and light weight too.  Of course, now I have to figure out how to wrap everything else.  Plus, I have to finish everything else.

Here’s the updated list:

• Doll jacket
• doll clothes
• Tissue pouch
• Pins
• Scarf
• Boxes
• Purse
• Ornaments
• Wreath
• Sweatshirt makeover
• Mascot
• Stickers
• Robot
• Collar
• Red skirt
• Tie
• Christmas cracker
• Dress

Six down, twelve more to go.

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428

If by now you still haven’t figured out what to make for everyone on your list, here’s a little help.  Craft Stew has compiled this list of sewing patterns, 428 of them to be exact.  You should be able to find what you need there, there’s also some recommendations for which to choose.  So it’s no sweat.

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An Old Favorite

I believe this is the third time I made one of these, it’s a t-shirt scarf.  You can find a tutorial for it here.  I used a blue long sleeve t-shirt this time, it was way too big as is so I had to chop it up into something.  I think I could make a skinnier version with the leftover sleeves, bonus gift!  Anyway, they are so easy and make great gifts, especially for those on your list who are hard to craft for.

Here’s the updated list:

• Doll jacket
• doll clothes
• Tissue pouch
• Pins
• Scarf
• Boxes
• Purse
• Ornaments
• Wreath
• Sweatshirt makeover
• Mascot
• Stickers
• Robot
• Collar
• Red skirt
• Tie
• Christmas cracker
• Dress

Five down, thirteen more to go.  I might have a surprise tomorrow.  Cross your fingers.

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Pretty Pins and Pouches

Another couple of projects from the list.  First, I had a shirt that was plain and boring except for some lace along the hem.  With some cutting and this tutorial, I made these…

…Tissue pouches.  Super easy and they make a great gift, at least that was the idea.

Next, another project using fleece scraps, pins.  I have made similar pins using felt before, but not quite as abstract looking.  I just cut shapes I thought were interesting, glued them together, then stitched around some of the edges.  Finish with a pin back, and I now have some colorful pins to give away.

Here’s the updated list:

• Doll jacket
• doll clothes
• Tissue pouch
• Pins
• Scarf
• Boxes
• Purse
• Ornaments
• Wreath
• Sweatshirt makeover
• Mascot
• Stickers
• Robot
• Collar
• Red skirt
• Tie
• Christmas cracker
• Dress

Four down, fourteen more to go.  Up next is something familiar.

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Doll Clothes for All

Anybody remember that cute little doll I made for one of my nephews a while back? (See Dolls for Dudes)  His astute preschool mind pointed out that the doll doesn’t have a jacket for this chilly 70 degree weather. 

So for Christmas, I made this little jacket with scraps of fleece.  I also made a little scarf and hat to go with it.  This will keep him warm.

 

I realized I had somehow left off the Barbie clothes from my list.  Oops.  One of my nieces asked for clothing for her dolls, specifically a ballet outfit.  So with more fleece and other scraps, I made this leotard and skirt…

…A poncho and scarf (I love ponchos)…

…And this strapless dress.  Hope she will like them. 

Here’s the updated list:

• Doll jacket
• doll clothes
• Tissue pouch
• Pins
• Scarf
• Boxes
• Purse
• Ornaments
• Wreath
• Sweatshirt makeover
• Mascot
• Stickers
• Robot
• Collar
• Red skirt
• Tie
• Christmas cracker
• Dress

Two down, sixteen more to go.  I’m right on schedule, yay!

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