A Holiday Calendar

Its the most wonderful time of the year… while I agree with Johnny Mathis, the holidays can also be incredibly stressful as well.  There are many things I have to do… decorate my home, send out cards, buy and wrap gifts, bake, sew.   And there are many more things I love to do.

Because I love the Holidays and don’t want to miss out on all the fun, every year I make a Christmas Calendar.

I start our calendar in November.  Some years I have made it a small work of scrapbook art.  Other years it’s just a plain printed paper from my computer.  Either way, I go through the entire month and plan our fun activities, traditions and events. Then the calendar gets a place of honor on our refrigerator.

That way, it doesn’t matter if I don’t have enough brain power to plan an activity at the end of the day.  When it’s on the calendar, I’ve already thought about it ahead of time.  I am able to have what we need or have made the necessary plans… bought tickets, made arrangements, etc.  Because of our Christmas calendar, my family and I don’t miss out on the fun of the season, and are still able to get everything done.

Here are few of the things on our calendar:

• The Back in Time Nativity in my hometown (an amazing Live Nativity where they recreate Bethlehem complete with blacksmiths, weavers, millers, potters, and all the animals including camels.)
• Make gingerbread houses
• Visit the lights at Temple Square (an amazing and lovely display of lights in Salt Lake City, not to be missed if you visit Utah in the month of December)
• Making care kits for the Food Bank with our friends
• Visit real live Reindeer at the Candlelight Christmas at This is the Place Monument

Those are just a few of the activities on our calendar.  As you can see, I don’t leave out the little things like Making Gingerbread Houses at home.  That’s one of those activities that might be missed if I didn’t have it on the calendar.  Having it there helps remind to buy candies for decorating when I’m at the grocery store the week before.

Making the calendar has been our essential tool for really enjoying the Christmas season.

If you embellish your calendar and use scrapbook paper, at the end of the season, the calendar makes a nice addition to your family’s scrapbook.

Make it Do Gift: Peppermint Popcorn

This gift idea that doesn’t cost much and is so easy to make.  It’s Peppermint Popcorn.  After receiving a bag for Christmas last year, my husband asked me to figure out how to make it.  I took the recipe for White Chocolate Popcorn, and simply added the crushed candy cane… and the result was festive and very yummy.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn (16 cups popped)
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
• a dash of salt
• popcorn may be lightly buttered if desired

1.  Start by popping 1/2 cup of popcorn.  I use an air popper and 1/2 cup is the size of my measuring cup on the lid.  This makes approximately 16 cups of plain popped popcorn.

2.  Place peppermint candy canes or candies into a ziplock bag and using a rolling pin (or the like) finely crush.  This is a great activity if you have any pent up frustrations…

3.  In a heat proof bowl, carefully melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent scorching.  It took 1 1/2 minutes in my microwave.

4.  In a very large bowl (I was wishing mine was bigger!) start drizzling the white chocolate evenly over the popcorn, then quickly sprinkle the crushed candy, and a dash of salt over the popcorn and stir vigorously to evenly coat all the popcorn before the chocolate starts to set up.

5.  Once it is evenly coated, turn the popcorn out onto waxed paper in a thin layer and allow to cool.

6.  When the popcorn is completely cool and dry, brake up into small pieces.

7.  Now it’s ready to be put into bags or eaten (my preference.)

I used a cellophane gift sack, which is the most economical way to package your popcorn.  But you could use a fun tin, gift box or colored Chinese take out box.

Giving Thanks

There are lots of ways to express gratitude.  But I sometimes I need an exercise, something visual, to help me really think about the things that matter to me most.

The answer this year was a Gratitude Tree.

It all started with a need to prune my Contorted Filbert Tree.  It was blocking the pathway next to our home.  Yay, I thought.  That’s one of the reasons I bought the tree almost 7 years ago, so one day it would need to be pruned, and I could bring the limbs in the house to decorate with.

I cut down the crooked limbs, removed the leaves from the branches.  And placed them in my favorite copper flower bucket.

These lovely branches were just perfect to create a Gratitude Tree.

Since Ben and I were home alone, he and I stamped some paper with leaf stamps and cut them out.  And began to write some of the things we are grateful for.  He wrote his family and our dog, Finn.  He is also grateful for his best friend Connor, his teacher Mrs. Pope, video games and Harry Potter books.

I, of course, am most grateful for my family.  My friends, good health, my home and food in my pantry are also at the top of my list.  But I found myself thinking about other things.  The little things (relatively)…  my sewing machine, warm showers, bread just out of the oven, Sunday mornings, and felted wool slippers to name a few.  I realized I could simply cover those branches in gratitude.

Who knew pruning trees could be so good for the soul?

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Snowman Hat update…. it took me long enough, but I have directions for making the snowman hat.  I’ve posted it with the snowman kit tutorial if you’re interested.

Make it Do Gift: Felt Poinsettia

Yesterday, my girls and I were working on a few Christmas gifts for their friends.  One thing led to another and I found myself making yet another flower pin.  This time a Poinsettia.  I loved this project and ended up making two for my girls, and plan on making more.  They are perfect as a broach or as a hair clip.

Here’s what you will need:

• Small amount of red wool felt (I used scraps from another project.)
• Very small amount of green wool felt (also scraps)
• button
• pin or hair clip
• freezer paper
• template  here is my simple template, but I also found this wonderful template from Kaboose.  It has a few more petals than my simple flowers, but that might look even better, here’s the link: Kaboose Poinsettia Template

1.  Start by tracing your pattern onto the paper side of a piece of freezer paper.

2.  Cut out your template, and place it on your wool, waxy/shiny side down.

3.  Using an iron set to wool, iron on the template.  It will gently stick to your fabric.

4.  Using good scissors, cut out around the template.

5.  Peel the template away from the wool.  It doesn’t leave a mark.  Isn’t that cool?

6.  Repeat with the smaller flower.  I just set the button down to see how it would look.

7.  Cut a 1 1/4 inch circle out of red or green felt.  Cut two small slits in the circle, just wide enough to slip a hair clip through.  This is for the back of the flower, on which to attach the clip or pin.

8.  Using just the bottom flower, stitch the circle around the back of the flower.  I used white thread to show the stitching better in the photo… Yah, that was it.  It wasn’t because my machine was already threaded with white and I was lazy.  That wasn’t the reason at all.  I was just thinking of you.

9.  Somehow I missed taking a picture of cutting out the green center of the flower.  I cut my green with a fluted edge, which was a little tricky and requires good scissors.  You can also cut it in a circle, but in that case, I would choose a button with a fluted edge.  I was dying to try pinking scissors, but I don’t own any.  So I just cut the fluted edge out carefully.  Sometimes you just need to make it do.  The finished green center was a 7/8 inch circle fluted.

10.  Layer just the smaller top flower, with green center and button on top.  And stitch together going through all three layers.

11.  Glue the bottom and top flowers together using hot glue.

There’s a front and back view, with a hair clip attached.  I like that this flower is flexible, I can easily pull out the hair clip and I can slip in a broach pin to wear on a sweater, hat or scarf.

Here it is pinned on a sweater…

Thanks to an idea a reader told me about on Craftzine, I also thought this would make a perfect topper for a gift.  That way the wrapping is actually like giving another gift.  (Using cheap yarn is much, much cheaper than ribbon!)

Christmas Eve Cozies

Every Christmas Eve, I give my children one gift, a new pair of pajamas.  Opening a gift seems to break the tension just a little bit, even if it’s  something practical.

Some years I have bought pajamas.  Some years I have sewn fancy nightgowns for the girls, and PJ’s for my son.  But my kid’s favorite thing to sleep in, by far, are plain old Cozies.

What are Cozies?  They are basically flannel pajama pants worn with a soft long sleeve t-shirt.

And that’s great by me, because making Cozies is a lot easier than making nightgowns or pajama tops.

Yesterday, I got started making them for the whole family.  For the kids, I use Simplicity pattern 2738.  The pattern is quick and easy to make, even for a beginner like me.  The fabric, Be Merry by Mind’s Eye, is a thick, soft and wonderfully cozy flannel.

I embellished the pattern a little by adding one pocket on the side, and a simple cuff at the bottom.  I plan on embellishing the t-shirts to go with them with a snowflake as well.

Now I just hope I can find the time to knit felted wool slippers before Christmas… unfortunately I am a painfully slow knitter (and I still have trouble turning a toe.)  My mother in law knit a pair for all of us a few years ago, and they are one of my favorite things. She can knit a pair in a few evenings… so maybe I can pull it off…. or not.  I need knitting lessons.

Make it: A Snowman Kit

Last year we received a snowman kit from one of my dear friends as a Christmas gift.  A few days after the gift arrived, we had an epic storm and the kids spent hours playing in the snow and building their wonderful snowman.

It was such a fun idea, and I was sure I could make a handmade version for gifts this year.

A snowman is simple.  He needs a hat, eyes, nose, mouth, scarf and buttons down his shirt.  If you want an authentic snowman, you can even add a corncob pipe.

Yesterday I got to work and made my own snowman kit.

I cut a 7 inch width of red polar fleece for a scarf.  Most polar fleece is 60 inches wide which makes a perfect length for a scarf.  Then fray the end by cutting a 3 inch strip every 1/2 inch.  Check it out with a little snowflake:

I traced a snowflake cookie cutter on white craft felt with pencil and cut it out.  Then I stitched around using a machine blanket stitch.  This scarf is so cute, you could steal it from the snowman and wear for Christmas.

Ben and I headed over to a stream by our house and gathered small semi round stones.  When we got home, Ben painted them with black acrylic paint to make the snowman’s mouth.

Boys love rocks.  They love to collect rocks.  They love to paint rocks.  I love rocks because they are the perfect old fashioned look for a snowman… and they are free.

I splurged on a fake carrot from a local craft store for $3.  My husband thinks I should cut the “hairy” things off it it… too gross.  I pulled out the foliage and hot glued a dowel into the hole in the end, to make it easier to stick it into the snowman.  You could also use a real carrot in the kit… which would obviously need to be replaced as needed.

Next were inexpensive buttons for the eyes and down his tummy, big black buttons for the eyes, smaller green buttons for the tummy.   I put the rocks and buttons into this cute little box for the gift.

And last but not least, the hat.  I made it out of cheap black felt.  I sprayed the felt with a little heavy starch to make it less floppy, and it turned out darling.  I will be posting a tutorial on making the hat later today (I hope.)  I still have a few measurements to get right if someone besides me is tried make it…  I had to fudge a few times.  I thought that Geometry teacher was lying when he said I would use these skills someday.  Circumferences anyone?  You could also buy a hat from a thrift store, Halloween close-out, cheap Santa hat, there’s lots of inexpensive choices.

UPDATE:  Here are the directions for making a snowman hat:  Start with at least 3/4 yard of cheap black felt.

1. Cut one circle 20″ inches wide for the brim of the hat.
2. Cut a smaller circle 6 3/4″ in the center of the the brim.
3. Cut one 8″ inch circle for the top of the hat.
4. Cut one rectangle, 6″ x  24″ for the cylinder.
5. Folding the rectangle in half, stitch the end using a 1/4″ seam, making the cylinder.
6. Keeping the cylinder wrong side out, carefully pin the 8″ circle around the top of the hat.  Stitch together.
7. Turn the cylinder right side out.  I used a chopstick to make the turn neat and tidy.
8. Pin the brim of the hat carefully around the cylinder.  Stitch together.
9. Embellish the hat if desired.  Use a piece of red felt or grosgrain ribbon around the hat.  Or throw on a flower or a sprig of holly.  Or just simply leave it a plain black hat… either way it’s going to be a darling snowman.

Last it all goes into a gift box… add a cute little tag that reads, “Just Add Snow.”  And another check off my gift list!

Cookies in a Jar for Santa

During the Holidays, I love gifts that either make my life easier or are a fun activity for my family.  Today’s Make it Do gift idea does both.

Several months ago the fabulously talented Bakerella had a post about cookies in a jar- Cowgirl Cookies.  And my first thought was what a perfect gift for the Holidays.  Most kids love to leave a plate of cookies for Santa.  But having time to bake on Christmas Eve can be a challenge.  This gift makes it easy to throw together a batch of cookies in a hurry.

“Cookies for Santa” makes a great gift for friends or teachers as well.

Of course I had to make a batch to “test” the recipe.  And I can vouch that Santa will love these cookies.

To make this wonderful cookie mix head on over to Bakerella for the recipe.

And here’s a few additional tips:  I found it best to make the cookie mix in a Wide Mouth Quart jar.  I didn’t buy the special craft jars that Bakerella used, because they are more expensive and I don’t mind the embossing.  I used my wide mouth canning funnel to pour the ingredients in the jar, which really reduced the mess.  One batch made about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  I used regular Christmas M & M’s, but I was tempted to try the Mint Christmas M & M’s, I think that would be really yummy.

For the recipe instructions I created a document with both the front and back labels.  I printed it out on scrapbook paper and cut them out using a 2 inch circle punch.  I adhered the labels to the bottle using double stick tape, just like Bakerella.  If you’d like to make your labels using the document I created click here.

This project was so fun to make.  I loved them when I saw them on Bakerella back in August, and I love it more now that I’ve made them.  It’s a great feeling to make my gifts now and know I’m saving major stress in December.  Thank you Bakerella for the wonderful idea!

Make it Do Gift: Cozy Bed Warmers

A cozy bed warmer is one of my favorite things.  Put them in the microwave for a few minutes and they work wonders for cold feet, aches and pains, or plain old stress relief.  Bed warmers make a such a wonderful gift.  They are easy to make, inexpensive, and both pampering and useful.

For years I would climb into bed in the Winter,  and put my cold feet on my husband’s legs to warm them up.  Then my Mom made me a bed warmer.  Now I heat mine up every cold night before I go to bed.  I think my husband appreciates it more than I do.

Last year for Christmas, my Mom made them for all of her grandchildren.  But I wasn’t sure if my kids would ever take the time to use them.  I was wrong.  It’s a Winter ritual now, every night before bed my girls line up at the microwave to heat their warmer.  Even my son loves his, especially after a day of skiing, snowshoeing or playing in the snow.

My husband steals mine for back or neck aches… come to think of it, maybe he needs one for Christmas.  We have also used them to soothe stomach aches and the chills from fevers.

To heat up your bed warmer, simply put it in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.  (Don’t overheat like my husband did once, we heard popping like it is turning into popcorn!)

You can make a bed warmer filled with feed corn, rice or buckwheat.  I use feed corn, because it is very inexpensive and it stays warm for an exceptionally long time. I purchase feed corn from our local IFA, a feed and farm supply store.  A 50 pound bag is less than $10.  That’s enough feed corn to make between 17 to 25 bed warmers.  You can also purchase it by the pound if you are only making a few, but it is not as cost effective.  Buckwheat (use whole seed, not the hulls) can be purchased in bulk from many natural foods stores.  Buckwheat is wonderful, but just more expensive.  Rice is inexpensive, but doesn’t hold the heat as long.  Be prepared for what ever you use to smell when it’s heated- feed corn like popcorn, rice like cooked rice and buckwheat… smells a little grainy, but has the least smell of the three.

We have found several fabrics that make good warmers, such as cotton chenille, cotton flannel or cotton fabric.  I prefer chenille or flannel as you want it to be cozy and soft.  The only thing we’ve found is that the fabric should be a natural fiber, for some reason the synthetic fabrics seem to sweat when the bed warmer is heated (we found out the hard way using minky.)

I prefer a bed warmer with a removable, washable cover. Today I made a warmer with a chenille front for comfort and a print fabric back to make it easier to remove the inside pillow.  The same technique can be used for flannel on both sides, you just don’t need to line the back fabric.

Here’s what you will need for this project:

• 7″ x 21″ 100% cotton chenille fabric for the front (available from most quilt shops) (or flannel)
• 7″ x 24″ cotton print fabric for the back (or cotton flannel)
• 1/2 yard cotton muslin for inside pillow and to line the cotton print fabric
• 7 cups feed corn, buckwheat, or rice (it is just under 3 pounds of the corn- I don’t know weights for rice or buckwheat.)
• rick rack for embellishment, if desired

Here’s how to make a cozy bed warmer:

1.  First start by making the pillow.  Measuring on the fold, cut your fabric 6 3/4″ x 21″.  (Over all fabric will be 13 1/2″ x 21″ when opened up.)

2.  Stitch around raw edges using 1/4″ seam, leaving one end open.  Stitch around again using a scant 1/4″ seam (still leaving the one end open.)  This double seam helps insure against leakage.

3.  Clip corners and turn pillow right side out.

4.  Fill pillow with 7 cups feed corn or filler of choice.

5.  Fold a 1/2″ seam in and stitch the pillow shut, using a 1/4″ seam.  Stitch a second row using a scant 1/4″ seam. (Again double seam to prevent leakage.)

6.  Now to make the cover:  Make sure to square up fabric if it has a grid or line pattern (like the fabric I am using.)  Trim top chenille fabric to 7″ x 21″.

7.  Cut back print fabric into two pieces measuring 7″ x 12″.   I also cut muslin to the same dimensions make a lining for the print fabric (to help it match the weight of the front fabric better.) These two pieces will overlap on the back of the warmer, so the inner pillow can be removed for washing.

8.  Place print fabric and muslin lining, right sides together.  Using 1/4″ seam stitched one end.  Open up so wrong sides are together and press along the seam.  This makes a nice clean seam for the opening.  I’m not really sure why I thought this picture would help, but I was hoping to show the print fabric sewn together with the muslin lining… I think?

9.  Pin rick rack to print fabric (if desired) and stitch into place.  I place them 3 1/2″ in on either side.

10.  With right sides together pin the front chenille to the two pieces of the back print fabric.  The back pieces will overlap in the middle.  Stitch around entire cover.  Clip corners.

11.  Turn right side out and use a chopstick to push out the corners.

12.  It’s a little bit of a squeeze, but fit the pillow inside the cover.

I’ve dropped the corn to one end to show a picture of the front and back in one shot.  If you are giving a bed warmer as a gift, I love to fold it this way and tie a ribbon around the bundle.  Make sure to include a tag that says to microwave the bed warmer for 3-4 minutes in the microwave.  (Do not overheat.)   You can also put your warmer in the freezer to make a cold pack.  I hate cold packs!  Heat it up and enjoy!

For another great gift idea, check out my Lavender Eye Pillow tutorial, which uses buckwheat and lavender.

Make it Do Gift Ideas: Fabric Flowers

A few weeks ago, I decided to wander through Dear Lizzie, a small boutique near my home, to look for Handmade Christmas gift ideas.

Right as I walked in the door, I spotted the perfect project.  It was a darling fabric flower pin, and I knew it would be easy to make at home.  It’s a perfect gift for a friend, mother, sister, or even a teacher.  The flowers at Dear Lizzie sold for about $15 dollars, it cost me less than a dollar to make these.  And it was a quick project that took me less than half an hour.

Here’s what you need for the project:

• A small amount of fabric- scraps of fabric from a past project are perfect!
• Light weight iron-on adhesive like Heat n Bond or Wonder Under
• Wool Felt- just a small amount.  Again scraps from another project work great.
• Buttons, large crystal beads, lace, tulle or any other embellishment you love.
• A hair clip or a pin
• Click here for a printable template of the flower.

1.  Place the template under your iron-on adhesive and trace all three flowers.  Roughly cut out around the flowers, leaving a little edge.

2.  Following the intructions for the iron on adhesive, iron to the wrong side of fabric.

3.  Carefully cut out the flowers.

4.  Peel backing from iron-on adhesive.

5.  Iron the flowers to the wrong side of fabric.

6.  Carefully cut around flower edge, making your flowers double sided.

7.  Cut out three circles from the felt.  For the first circle, I used the top of a shot glass.  Next flip it over and trace the smaller bottom of the glass.  The last circle was about the size of a penny.  So you are basically going from large to small circles.  You can usually use a pencil to trace the circles onto the felt.

8.  In the largest circle, cut two small slits, across from each other.  This will be to slip a hairclip or pin into, as you can see below.

Remove clip before stitching felt into place.

9.  Center largest circle onto largest flower and stitch around edge.  This may be done on the machine or by hand.

10.  Layer large flower, then medium felt circle, then medium flower, small felt, the small flower.

11.  Center a button in the middle of the flowers and using a heavy duty thread, and a sharp needle, stitch through all the layers to sew the layers together and the button into place.

You can also use a layer of lace before you sew on the button.  Using long thread, I weave the needle in and out of the bottom of 7 inches of lace.  Then pull both ends of the thread and gather the lace in tight.  Tie the thread into a knot.  

Trim off the end of the lace.  I used my still attached needle to weave the two ends of the lace together.  This is an optional step.

I used one less layer of flower for this flower pin. I stitched the lace to the flower below it, before securing the button.

These pins are perfect to embellish a purse… like this Swing Bag from Amy Butler.

Or slip in a hair clip for a wonderful hair accessory.

These flower pins make a fun, easy and thoughtful handmade gift.  If you prefer one out of ribbon, don’t forget the tutorial for ribbon flower pins I made in the Spring… they would be wonderful in reds, greens, silver or golds for the Holidays.

Just in Time- Harry Potter Quidditch Costume

With a busy morning of getting everyone in their costumes, we just had time to snap a quick shot of my son in his Quidditch uniform before running to catch the school bus.

I am happy to say I finished his costume without staying up til 2:00 am.  Sewing the costume jersey was actually was very easy, despite the fact that I made the pattern up in my head.  I only used my seam ripper twice.  Once because I thought I had made a mistake, and the other because I realized I had done it right the first time.  The fabric was called Ponte, and I was able to by it at 50% off bringing my total in fabric to only $6.  It looked athletic fabricish and all in all was the perfect fabric for the project.

For this costume, the devil was in the details.  Most of the time was spent sewing the ribbon trim.  For the trim I used the wrong side of a  3/8″ satin gold ribbon.  The ribbon however didn’t have the ability to curve the way it should, and if I were to do it again, I would have invested in a  1/4″ Bias Tape Maker.  I could have used gold cotton fabric to make the bias tape (my Mom’s suggestion all along) and it would have made the curves nicely without buckling like the ribbon did.  But you know what they say about costumes?  If you can’t see it from a galloping horse, the mistake really doesn’t matter.  (At least that’s what I tell myself.)  The other thing they say is “Always listen to your mother.”

The best part was using Transfer Magic- Transfer to Dark to make the numbers and crest for the costume.  It worked like a charm.  I made the numbers in Word using Arial Bold sized to 650 percent and colored gold.  Then I printed them from a inkjet printer.  Again, since it isn’t recommended to use the Transfer Magic on synthetic fabrics, I kept the iron moving slightly to keep it from leaving an iron mark.  I also put grommets and lacing down the sides of the costume.

Ben wore his gray athletic pants and a gray long sleeve waffle t-shirt under the jersey. We did buy in a Quidditch accessories kit and broom from the costume shop.  They were made in Taiwan, and guess what?  They are utter garbage.   I wish I would have used my ingenuity and made something out of faux leather.  I could have made the goggles using a tutoral from dadcando.com (Have I mentioned how much I dig this site.)  I think I want to try and make the snitch they have on Dadcando as well.

They’re off to our little yellow school bus…  which they are imagining is the H0gwart’s Express.