Holiday Gift for Teacher

I came up with this little idea of what to give my kids' teachers for the holiday.

Holiday Snowflakes

I really like to help the kids make crafts for the holidays.  This is one of the easiest and most fun for my kids.
We made this fun snowflakes to line our wall.

I like to make my snowflakes out of coffee filters because they are round, thin and cheap.  Nice, right?  If you don't know how to make them, here's a quick tutorial.

Start with one coffee filter and fold it in half.

Then fold it into thirds (just eyeball it and do your best to line up the edges.

Then fold it in half one more time.

Now cut along the folded edges. You can cut just about anything you want, but don't cut from one folded edge across to the other folded edge.   You can cut the tip if you want a design in the very center.  Here's how I cut one.

And here is what it looks like unfolded.

It's super easy for the kids and each one is unique and beautiful. I just love them.

Just be ready for lots of little bits of paper to clean up afterward.  I just let my vacuum do the work - thanks Dyson! 

Letters To Santa

This is the template for our letters for Santa I used this year.  The kids always love getting to write down their wishes and put it in the mail.  My favorite was Hunter's - he had the exact numbers of which lego sets he would like this year.  It was really cute.  If you haven't already, get yours in the mail, too.

Jeans into Miniskirt

Made this for my Mikyla.  Took some old jeans with holes in the knees and turned it into this cute jean skirt.

Easy-To-Make Wallet

I made some cute little wallets for my kiddos for Christmas this year. I'm tired of them not having a place for their money and tired of the cheap kid wallets from the store that fall apart at the seams.

Here is what I came up with:
It has a place for the bills, a pocket for whatever card or papers they want to put in and a velcro pocket for the coins.

 I also made felt letters on the front as a monogram so they know who's is who.

Want to make one of your own?  Here's my tutorial.

I started with:
2 rectangles 5" x 8" (for outside)
2 rectangles 4 1/2" x 8" (for inside 1)
2 rectangles 3 1/2" x 8" (for inside 2)
2 small rectangles 3 1/2" x 2" (for the inside flap)
2 rectangles 2 1/2" x 2" (for the strap to close it)
some velcro
Felt Letter if you want to personalize it.

I started by stitching on my letter on the front as well as sewing the velcro (soft side) to the outside of my wallet like so.

Put that aside and sew the other side of your velcro to one of your strap pieces. 

Sew together the strap by putting your two pieces with right sides together and sewing around three sides like so:

Next, work on your inside flap, doing the same as you did on the strap

lip off the sewn corners so that when you turn them right side out they can lay flatter.

Turn right side out and set aside
Get your fabric rectangles for the inside of your wallet.  Line up the two 4 1/2" x 8" rectangles with right sides together.  Sew along one of the long sides (this will be the top of your pocket inside). Repeat with the 3 1/2" x 8" rectangle.

Turn the right sides out and press flat with an iron. You should now have these four pieces sewn. (you can top stitch along your sewn edge if you like how that looks)

Line up your two large rectangle pieces on top of one another.  Use your flap to line up where to put the other side of your velcro on the wallet (making sure to allow room for a seam on your right edge)

  First, you will sew on your other side of velcro, then fold over the unfinished end of your flap to sew onto the larger rectangle and sew a seam up the middle to divide your pockets (as seen above).

Next you are going to layer all your pieces to sew them together.  Starting at the bottom.  Place your largest rectangle (for the outside) without your velcro and letter right side up on your work surface.  Next you will lay your sewn together rectangles for the inside.  Next, place your strap half way up along the right side with your velcro facing down.

Finally, you are going to lay the outside piece left on top - right side down with your velcro and letter on the left side.

Pin around the edges.  You are going to sew along the right, bottom and left edges leaving your top open. as so:

Clip the sewn edges like before and turn the wallet right side out and you will have this.

Now fold over your top edges to the inside of your wallet.  Sew along this for your top seam.

And you are finished.  You have a cute little wallet for your little one.

 I made four different ones in all different colors. It was a fun and quick project using scraps I already had on hand.  Perfect for a stocking stuffer or last minute gift.

Christmas Tree Onesie

To add to my collection of onesies designed using folded up circles, here is my Christmas Tree Onesie. I know, I know, enough of the circles folded into sixths.  But I can't help myself.  I am having so much fun making things for my baby girl.

( you can click on the picture to see closer)

For this one, I made 10 circles out of knit material using my pinking shears to give it a zig zaggy edge. I folded them into sixths (half and then in thirds) and placed them to look like a pine tree. 1 on top, 2 in the next row, then 3, then four.  I had some cute little tiny buttons that I sewed on for my ornaments.  Also see my Flower Onesie and Turkey Onesie.  I love that it's 3 dimensional.  Hope you enjoy, too.

Christmas Book Countdown

I got this idea from my friend, Alisha a couple of years ago and love this little tradition for our family.  I have collected 24 Christmas books (over 3 years and thanks to Scholastic book orders that make it more affordable).  I wrap up all the books and each night the kids get to take a turn to open our special Christmas story to read before bed.  I love it because it gives them a chance to open presents before Christmas and it makes for a special few moments spent together before bed. 

Jean Dress

For Christmas, my daughter said she wants some new dresses and skirts, so here is the first one I've finished for her.

She loves denim and didn't want any pink. I think this will be perfect.

Warm Hat for Winter

Over the summer I made some cute little reversible hats for my baby girl. Now that it's getting a little cooler, I was thinking that she'd need something to keep her head warm.  If you visit craftstylish, you can see how to make your own pattern to make one for yourself.  For this one, I used fleece on the inside for extra warmth.

I started with my fleece and sewed the edges together.

Working around the hat, keep sewing the pieces together until you have all six together.

 Sew your last one back to the first one.  Then do the same for your next color.

Take your inside and outside and put them together.  Wrong sides together.

Pin the two together, turning the edges in for a hem.

Sew around the edges and your hat will be finished.

And the cute possibilities are endless!

Christmas Placemats

I wanted to make something that the kids couldn't ruin too quickly, so I'm trying something new!  I made some Christmas placemats with vinyl sewn on top for easily wiping clean.  I know I could have just made them machine washable, but that means more laundry and I don't like laundry.  Lets see how they hold up for the holidays.