holiday handmades (from us)

I managed to squeak out almost everything i had planned for homemade gifts this year. A few things had to wait, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I managed to accomplish with a baby who hates to nap!

vanilla extract with family scrapbook cookbooks

vanilla labels here

For the kiddos - 4 ugly monster dolls

instructions here


pajama pants for all (a yearly tradition)


bath sets (all instructions found on pinterest, my gift board)

and a set of  baby blocks for my baby and my niece. These were really fun, quick and easy to do -  instructions here. You could make these look more professional and 'finished' by adding applique and using foam for the inside of the blocks, but for my purposes some simple flannel and stuffing did the trick just fine.

we also received some amazing homemade gifts from nana and from pop-pops workshop which I'll share soon as well.

I say it every year, but this year I really will start crafting before December. I'd love to have everything done to just enjoy the season and my family the week of Christmas, instead of rushing around and demanding wine and take out!

handmade holidays: gifts for babies and young kids

Note: This has been sitting in my qeue since 11/9 :/

I haven't done much of anything since then. I'm not just ignoring my blog, I'm ignoring a lot of things.

I was going to add to this, but maybe I'll just do a part 2. Maybe not. But if I don't post this now, at the rate I've been moving Christmas will be over before I get around to posting it!


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Tell me these aren't the cutest darn things you've ever seen? I really need to get moving on this learning to knit thing!!

baby monster pants!

no tutorial, but still a stinkin' cute idea over at Barefoot Witch: a stuffed triceratops! 

Make a baby hooded towel and washcloth  following this tutorial

image source

Easy baby blanket - knitted project

Hooded Baby Sling

Soft Baby Blocks


If you head on over to MarthaStewart.com you'll find 34 wonderful ideas! I'm loving the Felted Stuffed Animals, the Animal Nightlight, this fantastic Artists Organizer (I've seen the pencil holders before but love the option to include an art pad!)


Also at MarthaStewart.com you'll find some great handmade baby ideas! How cute are these washcloth puppets? Not handmade, but could certainly be vintage and I'm sure spruced up with some handmade accents - beginning a Classics Book Collection (I think this is a great idea for someone of any age, really!) Soulemama had something similar in Handmade Home that used old cozy blankets - no matter what material, I think it's a wonderful idea. I think for a gift, it would be cute if each pocket was stuffed with a little something. A stuffed animal, a book, some crayons. Shirt Pocket Quilt.

The cuteness is almost too much for me to bear! I'm thinking these washcloth duckies would make a great themed basket with  the washcloth puppets I mentioned earlier, some handmade hooded towels (also linked earlier in this post) and some baby soap. I'm a big fan of themed baskets, and could you imagine the cuteness overload with all those soft, cuddly, homemade bath items for baby? :sigh:

handmade holidays: gifts for men and boys

 Because I know my husband and kids don't read this blog, this handmade post will be the easiest to share, though even here there are a couple of handmade gifts that you'll have to wait until after the holidays to see!

I find that crafting for boys is sometimes pretty hard! Last year we did ok, but it felt like we used up all our good ideas! Here's a small list to kick off the handmade holiday season!


Handmade by others:

Beer Soap - search Etsy for all sorts of fabulous 'manly' soaps!

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I like this shaving kit. There are homebrew soaps and homebrew shampoos.   How about a chocolate stout soap?


Custom Guitar Picks for your musician. They're metal and it says they are easy to play with. I don't play guitar, so who knows. But they're still neat.

image source

You could probably make this on your own too, but inspiration deserves credit too! The Husband loves homemade popcorn, and I could see this going over very well.
Popcorn Spice Kit




The Husband also dabbles in making beer, but even if your guy doesn't - these Homebrew Ties are pretty dang cool!

 image source

Handmade by you!



Sports Cans. I think these are a super neat idea. I think depending on the size of the can, you could stuff them with goodies and snacks, or maybe slippers and a matching team fleece blanket.


Pajama Pants are quickly becoming a Christmas Tradition in our house, last year just the little guys got them, this year The Husband will be getting a pair too. We do fleece, but you could make them in whatever fabric you wanted. There are tons of tutorials online, here's a fairly easy one: 15 minute pajama pants

I made all the boys heat packs last Christmas, but these are always a great standby. Mine weren't this fancy - just a standard rectangle, but here's an idea on how to make them: Homemade Heat Packs



Bookmarks inspired by Soulemama. You can find the instructions in Handmade Home or here


Of course if you knit there are many more ideas! Socks, hats, scarves, sweaters (oh my!).

Or, if you don't knit - how about making a hat from a recycled felted sweater? Or a brimmed hat from an old sweater?



Every time The Husband comes to the market with me, he remarks on the felted slippers one of our meat vendors sells (she also spins and knits). Now my knitting skills are beginner on a good day, so knitting and felting slippers is out of the question. But how about felted slippers from sweaters? yay!


I think it's possible that crafting for the kids can sometimes be harder than crafting for The Husband. They're always appreciative (and seem sincerly so!) with handmade gifts. But. They're boys. 12 and 7 now. Coolness is definitely a factor! Pillowcases, blankets, pajama pants - all safe handmade gifts. But not surprising, or super special. So, that list will have to be continued as I find and add ideas!

If you have any handmade gift ideas for men and boys, please share them in the comments below!

Can't wait to see what everyone else is coming up with as the Holiday season gets into full swing!