Homemade Christmas Gift #4

I saw these I Spy bags on Sew, Mama, Sew's Scrapbuster month and had to try them for myself. I went back to see how it was done, but the tutorial was taken off for some reason. I just tried to make it from what I saw the first time and turns out they are pretty easy and quick to make.


I wanted to make my niece and nephew animal bags, so I drew them right on the fabric and cut two layers of each out. Then I cut a window out of one layer of each and fit a piece of thick, clear plastic in and stitched it on. I added eyes, nose, etc to the front layer then I stitched the two layers together leaving a 2 inch opening in the bottom to add the filler. I added tiny star pasta, buttons, numbers, and different little charms that were half off at Hobby Lobby. Sorry these pictures are so bad. I promise they look better in person.

Christmas Gift #3

I wanted to get my 10-year-old nephew away from the TV and PSP, so I decided to make him something to get him outdoors. These flag football belts are pretty easy, but time consuming. It was all worth it because I loved how they turned out.


No pattern needed. You just need three different color fabrics (for the belt and two team colors for the flags), D rings (I like using the larger ones), and velcro. I found that the sticky back velcro gums up the sewing machines needle, so use regular velcro and it goes sooooo much more quickly. I wanted my belts to look finished (even though my nephew will never even notice), so I folded the edges in, ironed, and stitched. I also made my favorite reversible drawstring bag from Yarnmonster for them to be stored in.

Christmas Gift #2

I know this isn't really homemade, but it kind of is because I designed it and used pictures that I took. Oh well, I think it's a great gift anyway. I think calendars are perfect for Christmas gifts because it's the start of a new year. Even if it's just kind of a gag gift (like mine to my sister) or for your own use. I'm in the process of making one for myself of my family's trip to Mount Rainier.


There are many different places that offer this service. I chose Sam's because it was only going to cost $10.00 and you can completely personalize it. They use thick, glossy cardstock that looks great with the photos. You can choose from about 12 different themes or just have a blank background. Some of the themes are really ornate and pretty while others are geared more towards kids and babies. Then you can choose how many pictures on a page and what size and shape they are. My favorite feature by far is that you can personalize each day with a different picture, change the color of the box, add text, and change the color and size of text. You can really do a lot with this $10 calendar. I was really impressed with how it turned out.

Homemade Christmas Gift #1

Anyone need ideas for inexpensive homemade Christmas gifts this year? I've got a few. Some are my own, some are from others, some aren't necessarily homemade, but all are personal and relatively easy. I'll be posting them throughout the week so you'll have enough time if you wanted to make one or two before Christmas. If you have any homemade gifts you're giving this year, please post them! I need more ideas!!!


This scarf is from Katiedid's blog.


I used really thick, 100% wool yarn. The thicker the yarn, the easier it will be to keep it together. Measure how long you want the scarf to be and cut as many strands you need for your desired width. Then line them up and stitch back and forth in sections. The sections can be as long or as short as you want. I also liked using contrasting color threads. This isn't really a quick project until you get the hang of if, so give yourself a day to finish.