At last, the rest of our Handmade Christmas

Finally, I can show you the rest of the things I made for my children for Christmas.  I had intended to take pictures immediately following the gift-opening, but...well, we were enjoying Christmas.  Then there was the incident of a small wool-felt monkey falling down the toilet while it was being flushed (I know, what are the chances?  Apparently rather high, if you have little boys who pee standing up.)  After that, there never seemed to be a moment when all four little felt creatures were in one place at one time...and I had some Big Plans for taking pictures of the embroidered pillow along with Sparky in his matching pajamas...so never mind about all of My Plans -- here they all are!

First up: the little felt animals.

 
Made out of 100% wool felt (for softness and durability) and DMC embroidery floss

I actually cut out all of the felt pattern pieces for these two Christmases ago, but just...well, embroidery felt like a bridge too far at that time, and I couldn't find the motivation.  I left them carefully gathered in a little plastic bag, just waiting for the right moment.  Once I finally got started, they were so simple and surprisingly quick -- each one of these only took an evening, and they were so fun to put together!  These patterns are from The Cute Book by Aronzi Aronzo



I was actually spurred into action by my children -- I had left this book out, and they started reading it like it was a comic book and imagining stories for all of the little characters...truly, how could I resist?

 
The Purple Dress Kitty is Daisy's and the dog is Billy's, but he was far too busy kicking around a soccer ball to pose with it yesterday afternoon.



 

Sparky and Max with their little monkeys.  The adventures that these monkeys have seen from the vantage point of a back pocket...or a backpack... or a sweaty fist; I love seeing them enjoy these little bits of handwork.

The pillow that I worked on for Sparky for months.

 
Free Hug-Bot embroidery pattern by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching

The stitching didn't take all that long, but I just kept putting it down for more pressing projects.  Finally, as Christmas was drawing close, I just buckled down and finished it, sewed it into a pillowcase with a flannel backing to match the pajama pants that I had made for Sparky's school "Pajama Day", made a pillow form to fit, and it was done.

He also wanted me to sew up some pajamas to match for his Pom-Pom Pet (purchased at a school "Business Fair" that the 5th graders put on -- so cute), so I put together a quick "body sock" of sorts for "Felix".

 
"Felix" the Pom-Pom Pet posing with the matching back of the Hug-Bot pillow

Max also wanted pajamas for his favorite Beanie Baby horse, so I made a one-piece outfit for him.

 

This, of course, matches Max's pajama pants... (the "necklace" is a pipe-cleaner with a jingle-bell attached to it.  I'm pretty sure that Max made it at school.)


 

I really didn't know what I was doing (who makes pajamas for horses?!), so I just tried to remember what I would have done when I used to make clothing for all of my dolls and animals when I was 10 years old... I ended up laying the horse out on a double-thickness of the flannel, traced around him (giving myself about 1/2" seam allowance) and cut out the pieces.  Then I stitched around the outside edges, hand-hemmed the arm and leg holes, cut down the center-front, and stitched some soft Velcro as a closure.

 

Overall, it turned out much cuter than I'd expected, and Max was incredibly pleased with the result.

So!  There you go!  We are now all caught up with Handmade Christmas.  The horse and Pom-Pom Pet's pajamas were actually made this past weekend (I had to put off a few projects for sanity's sake before Christmas), but they were intended to be part of the gifts, so I included them here for posterity.

Tomorrow, I'll show you a very simple and fun restyle that I did for the children's bathroom on Saturday, but for now, I'm off to knit....because I've just cast on for another Ribbed Lace Bolero.

The Baked Sweater

Yesterday, I cast off on the Ribbed Lace Bolero.


 


I knew that I should block it, but wool takes sooooo long to dry... and I really wanted to wear it right away.


 

So I washed it, nudged it into place on a large flat cookie sheet...


 

Set the oven to 170...


 
I love Billy running through this shot...

And I baked it for 2 hours.


 

All done!  Project details here.

Link-tastic Friday

This week has been so windy and bitter cold, that all I've wanted to do is huddle in a slouchy knit hat and sweatpants and wait out the frost with my knitting (OK FINE IT'S ONLY BEEN IN THE UPPER 30'S, but my blood has turned Texan, and there's no help for it).  All of this to say, I'm about 75% done with the sweater-to-bolero project already.



 


Also, this past Saturday we spent about half the day in the car, so I managed to knit this entire hat for a cold-headed friend.

 

Since she wanted exactly the same hat as the ones I knit for my aunt, and the pattern was fresh in my mind, I was able to stitch it up at a rather brisk pace.


It's link time!

Newly in love with this blog:

• Elegant Musings -- Casey's fearless approach to charming vintage style, her sewing prowess, and her helpful notes on projects make this my new Blog To Watch.  

Looking Fabulous:

• I use TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner Duo to keep my hair shiny and healthy looking no matter what damage I do to it with my ever changing dye-jobs.  (After the three processes it took to make my hair blond two months ago, I thought that my hair might snap right off.  Once I'd used the conditioner as a 15-minute-mask for a day or two, I was right as rain.)

Crafty:

• This 1940's "Swing" dress pattern by Sense & Sensibility Patterns MUST BE MINE.  I'm seeing it possibly in a beautiful cotton/silk...
• Thankfully, there is a Swing Dress Sew-Along over at Elegant Musings for people like me who can do simple things, but when it comes to a full garment, would greatly benefit from a little help along the way.
• I would very much like to make a Pillbox Hat like this one at Tuppence Ha'penny.  Mostly because I suddenly HAVE TO HAVE ONE, but I don't feel like buying one.
• I'm not sure if a military inspired had would look right on me, but I kind of want to make one and find out (via: Crafter Hours).
• I want to make a Pettiskirt, as detailed on the SewMamaSew forum here, and shown further on the blog Mushroom Villagers -- photo tutorial available for free download over at Sewing Mamas. 
• If you're interested in learning the ins and outs of sewing and don't have a local friend to teach you or a local class to take, this online sewing course available through Whipstitch might just be your ticket into the world of the sewing machine. 
• This would be a very cool idea to make using silhouettes of my children (via Circles And Dots And Other Distractions) 
• These embellished socks would be oh-so-cute with shorts or skirts as the weather starts to warm up (via Alisa Burke).
• This (free!) 12 Months Of Christmas by Talia over at Life's Visual Journal looks like a really fun idea.

Food (savory):

• I've been on a serious soup kick lately, and this Baked Potato Soup by Smitten Kitchen looks exactly like what I would like to be eating for dinner tomorrow night.
• There is a bunch of cured meat in my fridge right now that would probably work just as well as the bacon in this Pizza with Bacon, Onions and Cream recipe by Smitten Kitchen.
• This French Onion Soup will definitely make an appearance on our family table sometime soon (via Christopher Cina).  
• This recipe for Guacamole looks like perfect late night movie food.  Spicy, salty, and rather good for you (let's just not talk about the fried tortilla chips I'd be eating it with).  (Via Christopher Cina.)

Food (sweet):

• I just so happen to have 4 happy little Meyer Lemons, waiting for their greater purpose in life beyond the crisper drawer... Meyer Lemon Bars via Kitchen Runway.
• This Spice Bread sounds so warm and hearty, like the perfect afternoon snack.  Or maybe breakfast.  I have a few cans of pumpkin puree in the pantry that I just might substitute into this recipe (via 101cookbooks).
• I love ginger, I love muffins, and -- if I ever get a chance to meet her -- would probably love Molly Wizenberg as well.  Looking forward to trying out these Ginger Muffins!

Shades of grey

This past weekend, after a few months of hiding it in the closet, I picked back up my Sunshine Cardi and finished the work on the body.  Half-way through the bind-off, however, I remembered that I've been wanting to knit a Ribbed Lace Bolero for some time now, and I decided to cast on for that instead.  So I did.  (The Sunshine Cardi will just have to wait.  These things happen.)  As you may (or may not) remember, I was working on the Estelle cardi a while back, and finally finished it...only to discover (after blocking, buttons, etc.) that...it just was not flattering on me.  Something about the fit was off.  Very sad.

 
 

At the time, I couldn't bear the idea of ripping it out with the hours of work still fresh in my mind, but now, with a few month cushion, it doesn't feel like so much of a problem.  I picked out the end at the cast-off edge, and I am knitting my bolero straight off of the unraveling sweater.  A little bit disturbing, a lot-a-bit fun.

Yesterday, I made another circle skirt (this is #4).  This time, I did a double layer: two shades of lightweight sheer gray -- the darker is a tiny swiss dot, and the lighter is a dove gray with a slight sheen.  I've never liked gray, but I quite suddenly can't get enough of gray/bright color combinations.

For this project I did a mini-turned-hem on the overskirt, but the underskirt is simply serged, and I like the contrast of finished/unfinished.


 
Style notes: Headband was a free gift from Modcloth (thank you Modcloth!), Baby blue studded leather jacket by Wilson Leather (normally our family doesn't support "mall leather", but this was a clearance purchase that I made as a starving student back in 2000), Pink shirt from Old Navy, hot pink leggings from Target, ankle booties Steve Madden Hondd.


There's just something about the circle skirt that has me completely enamored.

 


Easy to wear, and most importantly....

 


Infinitely swishy.

 

I've just finished another one today, but I plan on making a stiff petti-skirt to wear under and give it the look of a poodle skirt, so I'm going to finish that up before I show it to you.  I just can't get skirts out of my mind; I know that it's still cold outside, but here in Texas, the fact that it's January means that summer is just around the corner -- and I'm going to have a whole new wardrobe of floaty skirts to greet the season with.

Link-tastic Friday

I've been out shopping all day WITHOUT THE CHILDREN, which means that I went to about eleventy-billion places and am subsequently exhausted and have a headache.  Although the headache might be more because I forgot to bring (or even buy) water.  Not the smartest of plans.  However, it was fun!  Greg had the day off, and spent it here with the children so that I could accomplish grocery shopping PLUS whatever else I needed/wanted to do.  And I needed/wanted to do A LOT.  Thusly, I am not going to give you little write-ups for the links today, I'm just gonna throw them at you.  Apologies in advance!

However, before we can get to the links, I must show you my knitting progress.  I finished the hat that I showed you on Wednesday, and then yesterday... I knit another one.  I even surprised myself.

 


I have not knit this focused or quickly in quite some time.  My Aunt Allie has wanted these hats for quite a while, so I finally just kicked myself into gear and KNIT THEM UP.  I will be sending these off tomorrow, and she will have a very warm-headed second half of winter.

And now for the links.


Looking Fabulous:

• Most mascara clumps up on me, but Neutrogena mascara Healthy Volume works well, even when I do 3 or 4 coats for a more dramatic look.

Crafty:

• Sleepy Time Baby and Doll Quilt via Whip Up (I intend to make this for Daisy's birthday in April)
• Triangular Pouch (via innocentia)

Food (savory):

• Roasted Eggplant Soup (Smitten Kitchen)  This doesn't taste like eggplants -- it just tastes like a whole lot of delicious, and even the children love it.  I don't crumble cheese over it; I like it just the way it is.  I've made it 3 times already!
• New Year Noodle Soup (101 Cookbooks)
• Healthy One Pan Recipes (101 Cookbooks)
• Honey Peanut Chicken (Tasty Kitchen)
• Butter Chicken (Tasty Kitchen)
• Split Pea Soup (Orangette)
• Zannie's Black Eyed Pea Dip (Pioneer Woman)
• Jan's Dilly Bread (Pioneer Woman)
• Hasselback Potatoes with Spinach Cashew Pesto (Joy The Baker)
• Broccoli Crunch Slaw (Everybody Likes Sandwiches)

Food (sweet):

• Salted Butterscotch Pecan Cookies (Baking Bites)
• Vanilla Bean Pudding (Smitten Kitchen)
• Beetroot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (foodbeam)

Aprons for little ones

Several years ago, I purchased two handmade aprons for Sparky and Max.  Now that Daisy and Billy are regularly helping me in the kitchen I felt it was high time they had their own aprons as well.  Since I've been sewing again, it occurred to me that I could make them myself.  What an idea!
 
 
Apron on left is my own improvised pattern, apron on right is from pattern Simplicity 3701, little girl size medium (thank you for the apron pattern suggestion, Aunt Susie!).

Remarkably I actually managed to get these under the tree by Christmas morning, and the little ones have been making good use of them since.

Billy's apron took almost no time at all.  I simply laid out a very old, raggedy child's apron that we've had around (no one ever wanted to wear it because it just didn't hang right, and it was plain red with great big stains all over it).  I traced around the old apron onto this adorable Golden Books fabric that I happend to have in the stash.  Once I had edged it with a 1/2" denim bias tape (and added little bias-tape loops at the waist to thread the straps criss-cross), it was DONE!

 


Daisy's took a full day or so to complete.  The top of the bodice is lined, with the added trouble of inserting piping all around the edges and ruffles at the shoulders.

 


The pockets are fully lined, and have an oversized rick-rack trim peeking out for a scalloped edge (my own touch -- I adore rick-rack, and keep a little stash of vintage edging in my studio at all times).

 


 


I edged the bottom ruffle with a baby rick-rack in matching red.

 

Now I think that I need a matching one for myself.

Most importantly though, beyond all of the fashioning details, is how they fit:

 


And the fact that the children's clothing now doesn't get AS covered in flour when they "help".

 


Because there is a LOT of "helping" around here, my friends.

 


 


Completely unrelated, but there was frost on the ground when we woke up today, and all that I want to do is curl up with a hot chocolate and my knitting.  And maybe a little embroidery.

 
"Thinking" pattern from Little Dear Etsy shop by Aimee Ray; Chullo earflap hat pattern by Mary Ellen Langieri.

What is on your agenda for today?

Floral circle skirt

Continuing on the circle skirt theme...


I actually made two of these today.  There was one with purple polka dots that didn't make it.  That was a little bit sad.


Style notes: Shroom hat, Old Navy striped v-neck,  Navy Tweed Cardi, Frye cowboy boots.


I had to re-do the waistband twice on the purple skirt (not shown), and still somehow the hem edge doesn't hang properly.  Ah well.  I'm totally in love with this one though. 




And I think I need a hair-bow to go along with it.  Or maybe an embroidered felt embellishment on a clip.  Mostly, this skirt just makes me want to go all mismatched and sort of hobo.  I initially put this on with my muted teal February Lady Sweater, but it didn't match the blue of the print, and I thought that all of you would care.  In real life though, I'll probably just wear it with the teal sweater.  And fuchsia tights.  Because I'm suddenly all about rocking the miss-matched, and I don't care who knows it.

Once again, skirt tutorial is from Made.  Thank you Dana for posting such a helpful tutorial, and just when I started thinking about circle skirts.  Love it when that happens.

Link-tastic Friday

A few weeks ago, I showed you a pile of burlap.  I haven't had a moment to show you before, but this is what that turned into:

 
During the month of December, it said "Merry and Bright", but now I've changed it.

 
I love the way that it can be personalized or changed to be seasonally appropriate, and since the colors are just "funky" and not "Christmasy", I can keep it up for as long as I want.

 
Which is awesome, because it took a little while to cut out all of these circles.  I kind of felt like a rockstar with that glue gun though.  It had been far too long since I'd held one in my hands.

 
Stop laughing at me.  I relish the amusement found in the small things, and I'M NOT ASHAMED TO SAY IT.  (Tutorial found here at Tatertots and Jello.)

And now for today's links!


Newly in love with these blogs:

• i love it all -- lots of free downloads, tons of ideas for creative scrapbooking.
• The Dainty Squid -- a constant stream of quirky and eclectic inspiration, fun style, and craftiness.
• A Beautiful Mess -- the owner of a vintage clothing botique, she has gorgeous inspiring style both in clothing and home decor, crafty ideas, etc.  When I found this blog yesterday, I literally could hardly tear myself away.

Looking Fabulous: 

• Gorgeous (and very reasonably priced) repurposed and indie jewelry at So Very Charming.
• After spending too much money on lip glosses that I hated the taste or feel of, I finally found an unexpected favorite in one of the least expensive glosses on the shelf: Rimmel Vynl Gloss.  It lasts a long time, the color selection is satisfactory (there is more than they have listed on their site), and it actually keeps my lips hydrated -- not sticky.  Love it!
• I've been playing with liquid eyeliner lately, which takes a bit of practice to get right, but I've just found something that's easier to control, yet just as dramatic, and a little more versitile: Maybelline Lasting Drama Liquid Gel Liner. 

Crafty:

• Have you decided on your 2011 calendar yet?  Here's a free -- and completely gorgeous -- downloadable calendar at Blog Guidebook. I plan to print it on this linen paper, and then get it spiral-bound at a nearby copy shop.
• Seriously though, who says you can only have one?  Here's a whole round-up of printable calendars.
• I've got the fabric for this circle skirt all cut out (via MADE).  Now if I could only grab a few moments in the studio without interruption...
• Make your own brooches and hair clips with this super-simple tutorial from Max Califorina.
• I've already got the the Wilton Cupcake Stand, but it would be terribly cute to have one of these DIY ones (tutorial by Skip To My Lou) alongside at a party.  And I actually have a drill!
• These Mini Top Hats are so obnoxiously ostentatious...and yet I'm drawn to them like a siren's song. Tutorial at the Offbeat Bride.
• I'm pretty sure I can't live another day without a Cowgirl bustle skirt.  (In a grown-up size for me)  Tutorial from No Big Dill.  
• Sparky and Max are fascinated with maps.  Inspired by this tutorial at Inhabitots, I'm going to start saving our cereal boxes to create this Cereal Box Map for their room.
• With the Christmas gift-making season past, it's time to make things for myself.  I think I'll start with some homemade body scrub.
• Now that school has started again, I've been looking for some fresh ideas to keep Daisy and Billy busy.  We'll be making this Homemade Poster Paint sometime soon.
• We will also definitely make some of this slime.  Way too fun to pass up!
• Another fun project to do with the littles: Acorn owls.  So cute!

Food (savory):

• After all of the fussiness of holiday food, I find myself craving things like this Egg Salad Sandwich.  Because whatever Joy The Baker makes, I have to make.  I'm helpless to resist.
• Not sure if I've posted this before, but even if I have, it bears posting again.  This Curried Lentil Soup recipe by Molly Wizenberg just makes me love my life every time I make it (also, her writing never fails to charm me).  French Green Lentils maintain just a bit more texture than the usual green/grey sort, and the soup is softened out with a creamy swirl of pureed chickpeas (brightened with a touch of raw garlic and a squeeze of lemon), and a pat of butter stirred in at the end.  This has become a repeat recipe in our house that even the children are excited about seeing at the dinner table (I serve it over rice to make it a little more filling for Greg The Food Vacuum).
• Since we're on the topic of soup (my Very Favorite Food), check out this recipe for Vegetable Barley Soup.  This was dinner last night, along with some hard rolls from my batch of Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day dough.  Warm and soothing -- perfect for the chilly nights we've been having now that Texas has finally acknowledged winter.  (Note: next time I will add half the amount of tomatoes, because Greg felt it was a bit "too tomatoey".)

Food (sweet):

• The perfect cinnamon rolls?  I plan to test out this recipe by White On Rice Couple sometime soon.
• Love the winter flavor combination in these Orange and Clove Snowballs by Baking Bites.
• Speaking of winter flavors, these Gingerbread Stout Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting sound like they would be perfect at any cold weather celebration.  Or maybe Just Because.  (Recipe via Love & Olive Oil.)
• I made these Tiramisu cupcakes recently for a dear friend's birthday.

 

Her favorite dessert is Tiramisu, but I couldn't find Lady Fingers in stock anywhere that close to the holidays (less than a week before Christmas), and didn't have time to make any from scratch, so these ended up being a cute little substitute.  I frosted these with Stabilized Whipped Cream, which worked wonderfully.  (Note: I put the cream/gelatin mixture in the freezer to chill for only 10 minutes before whipping and it worked perfectly.  Any longer, and I would have had a frozen Panna Cotta on my hands.)

 

Still, nothing compares to a good old fashioned Tiramisu, but I will save that for another day.

 

Our Christmas

Hello 2011!  Happy New Year, my dear friends and family.  During this unintentional -- but much needed -- blog break, we have enjoyed a beautiful holiday.  I have not posted my "favorites of 2010" year-end wrap up, or done many other things that I had intended on, but I feel rested and at peace.  Because who says you can't do a few of those in January?  Or February for that matter?  :-)


On Christmas Eve, our dinner started out with a sampler we had ordered from Salumeria Biellese.

 


We spent the evening in the plesant company of our dear neighbors with a dinner large enough to get us through the rest of the weekend on the leftovers.


Christmas morning I put a Cowboy Christmas Breakfast in to bake (I had put it together the night before), and Greg read the children books while I did the morning dishes and readied our house for the day.

 


Daisy woke up with a fever, so she was languishing on the other couch listening to the reading.  Poor babe.

And then after breakfast, there were the gifts.

 

Some Handmade By Mommy...

 
Embroidered pillow with a cozy flannel backing to match his new pajama pants


 
Tiny felt kitten and a little apron (details to follow soon in a "handmade gift" post)


 
Felt monkeys for my little monkeys


 
A calendar Sparky made for us at school


 
An adorable wall hanging that Max made for us as a Kindergarten project

And hand-drawn pictures a-plenty.

 



 

After all of the gifts and the playing with new toys and eating our Christmas Eve leftovers, there was this: Softly glowing tree, darkness fallen outside the windows, tiny bare feet, a favorite book...
 

Of all of the time and energy and money spent in preparation for this one day, the beauty of a moment like this is the best gift I could ever hope for.

For more pictures of our Christmas, click through to the Flickr set here.