Christmas Gifts...Made and Received

Well, OF COURSE I did an Elise Doll for a Christmas gift!! It really is an AWESOME pattern! Go get one...and check out Beatrix's sale in her Etsy shop....75% OFF!!! I might have to pick up a few things...better get there before me! :D This little cutie is for my niece, as well as a couple of monogrammed shirts for upcoming holidays!


My nephew has been begging for a cape for about 2 months now!! Yep, I'm a Meanie...I made him wait for Christmas! I didn't really have a pattern, I just browsed some capes on some other blogs and then started cutting! Thankfully it came out ok...and fits his neck!! The neck tab is sewn in on one side and velcro'ed on the other. While we were at my folks, the kids were playing "kitchen" with The Middle Child's new Melissa and Doug Cookie Set and they turned the cape around and used it as an apron...now WHY I didn't think about this before, but the next apron I make will have a velcro'ed neck tab!! Gotta love kids' imagination...the ULTIMATE in creative thinking!!


This was a QUICK sew!! I used this tutorial!! No pockets, and the felt is on the inside with fabric on the outside...but it got RAVE reviews!!


My brother wants to get me some leather so I can make him one!! :D I found the tutorial through Sew Mama Sew! OF COURSE!! They are sooooooo awesome! This bag was for my older nephew. He is 8 going on 18! I thought Ms. Priss was sassy!! He and his brother, who got the cape and is about to be 5, came back with me to Lafayette for a couple of days!! We had a great time, and it was nice to be able to "steal" my sister's kids, since she ALWAYS gets mine when they stay with my folks!! As we were loading up I said, "ya'll wanna come with us?" And before she could even THINK...their bags were packed and they were in my car!! HA! I didn't even ask my husband...just took them! Thankfully my friend Jane has an older boy, so we all hung together!

So, moving on...

This was a vinyl table cloth. It is for my cousin's sweet baby! Yes, I did put the snap on before I gave it too her..but unfortunately because of my stomach virus she didn't have it for Christmas day! :(

But luckily, I had the good idea to make it into a removable ornament so she could put it on her tree every year! I just sewed a clear vinyl "pocket" onto the bib, but haven't figured out a way to close it more securely. I just folded the excess over the little gingerbread man to make sure no food slipped in and messed it up! Now that the ornament has been put away for next year, I am going to do a little heart so she can use it for Valentine's Day. I did another bib for her, but didn't get a picture of that one.

But I did get a picture of her taggie.


It's backed with a soft fleece. Aren't the cherries so cute?

I also did some appliques on some PJs I picked up at Target on Black Friday! Can't pass up $5 PJs!!


These are sewed on with my regular machine.


And this was done on my embroidery machine!

I used minky for the Polar Bear, and now he wants a matching minky pillow!! Yep, it is the 8 yo nephew!! ;)

Ok, now for the receiving...

I WON another giveaway!! It was my friend, Marguerite's 100th post and this is what she sent me all the way from England!

Wonderful panel, isn't it? She even sent me some extra fabric to make a cushion or tote bag with it! I don't know if you can tell, but the little shapes are sailboats...too cute!! And the Heart? LOVE IT! It will go up with my Valentine's Day decorations! Thank you so much, M!! I am inspired by your quilting talents! And I am enjoying "learning" with you! You make it seem easy...even when you mess up! :) So glad we met!

And now, meet my Cricut Express!!

This is what my folks got me for Christmas!! It cuts FABRIC!! As well as all of that scrapbooking stuff....which is the only craft I haven't gotten into....yet!! :D I am still working on the cutting through Felt...there is a "deep cut" blade I haven't gotten yet. Since I am a TERRIBLE cutter, I really NEEDED one of these!! Ok...so I didn't NEED it, but I wanted it and my Momma and Daddy bought it for me...so there!! HA! My awesome man bought me a program that helps to eliminate the need for those expensive cartridges, and thankfully there is a wonderful online community that just GIVES away designs...so hopefully, I won't have to purchase too many things to keep this machine from becoming a money pit!! So now you know my secret...I'm a gadget junkie!! If it is cool and I can use it for sewing or really neat crafts..I'm buying it or I am getting someone to buy it for me....which reminds me, my birthday is coming up....hmmmmmm!!! :D Until later...