First, a note to my family. Mom, Dad, Titi, Pete: LOOK AWAY! In fact, any close friends and family should avert their eyes lest they spoil the surprise of what's coming.
Seriously.
Anonymous blog readers only.
Okay?
Okay.
I mean it.
Oh, the crafting that has gone on around here in the past few weeks. There has been so much baking and sewing and painting and mod podging... we've been busy. Pete, the kids, and I.
A few trips to the thrift store (and one to the craft store) and we had all the supplies we needed. Many of these projects were surprisingly quick, so there's still time for some handcrafting if you are inspired!
What have we been up to? Here's a sampling...
Inspired by this, he kids each decorated a thrift store coffee cup for my dad.
Using upcycled coffee bags from our local roastery and lining fabric from my stash, I quickly sewed up some buckets for my mom's onions, potatoes, and other kitchen produce. I didn't use a pattern, but simply traced a salad plate for the bottom and then measured it around for the length of the sides. Simple, rustic, and sweet.
By modifying my zip bag tutorial and using the sides and lining for the buttercup bag instead, I made my sis a sweet little zip purse. Oh my I love this pattern. If time permits she might just get a little matching coin purse too.
This is one of my favorite, most simple gifts. Its for Pete. 12 envelopes, one fore each month. Inside is a "coupon" for a date (something we normally make time for just once or twice a year). They are season-specific, and include dates like snowshoeing, canoeing, picnicking, dinner, hiking, and cross country skiing. I'm looking forward to these myself.
For my boy, the chef, I made him a refined new apron. Hemp on one side, green oh the other with bias tape ties made of an elegant geometric pattern (and a pocket to match). He's a serious one, so it's very grown up. Because, well, he is too.
And for my girl, I thrifted a (rather ugly Disney) music box and covered the outside with origami paper and mod podge. I removed the plastic little mermaid from inside the box and painted a few peg girls/fairies. The baby will go inside, twirling away where the mermaid was, and I think one of the ladies will be attached to the top of the box, just for cuteness. Another one will become a necklace for Lu with a piece of cording and a screw eye.
Edited to say: I changed my plans a bit tonight on the jewelery box. The baby became the necklace (more size appropraite for a 5 year old) and one of the big peg girls became the dancer. I caked the whole thing in glitter, which is almost always a good idea in my opinion, inside and out. So the blue fairy girl above who is now dancing inside the box. She's crooked, but that makes it cuter in my non-perfectionist opinion. (So much cuter than that plastic mermaid, if I do say so myself.)
There has also been a lot of knitting (socks for my dad) that needs to be finished, but we're in the home-stretch. Happy crafting everyone!
xo Rachel
P.S. This was all very budget-friendly too. The total cost of items above: $1.00 per mug; $.50 for the awesome Lotta Jansdotter stationary set (thrift store score!); $12 for three porcelain markers; $1 zipper; $3 for the music box; and about $1.75 for peg people. The rest was in my stash. Total holiday budget: $20.25 (8.25 if you don't count the pens.)
P.P.S. I'm experimenting with setting comments to post only after approval. If you don't see your comment right away, please be patient! I'll get them up as soon as I can. Thanks for understanding!
