Happy Handmade Christmas (vol 3)

I love giving handmade gifts at Christmas and at any time of year.  So I've started keeping track of what we've made and gifted here on ye olde blog.  Here are the 2013 and 2012 lists if you're interested...)

As for 2014... Better Late Than Never???

So... Christmas was a month ago now, but it's taken me this long to finish some last minute gifts and pull this stuff all together for a post.  Here's the yearly show and tell of the handmade gifts we gave for Christmas.  I always try to include links back to original ideas and patterns for your reference and for giving credit where credit is due.  If you have any questions about anything here, let me know!

I didn't do a lot of sewing for this Christmas, and that made me a little sad.  But for all the time I didn't spend up in the sewing room, I spent crocheting...  it was a very crochet-intensive Christmas.

All the adult guys got a Brain Waves Beanie, which I crocheted with the super soft Lion Brand Heartland Yarn  (I blabbed about it here) 

(here's the free Ravelry pattern from Playin' Hooky Designs)  

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One of my sisters recently moved back to Western New York from Florida, so I treated her to a couple things to keep her warm while her blood is thickening back up :)

  

The slippers were based on this tutorial and the hat is the In Bloom Beret (free Ravelry pattern)  I also made one of the In Bloom hats - picture below.  I really like these patterns and the finished products!

(dishcloth "pattern" here)

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A couple of cotton hot pads.  I used a free pattern for this, but for the life of me, I can't find it again.  Sorry :(

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This cupcake hat was so fun to make and looked super cute.  I looked around at a lot of patterns for this one, but ended up just doing my own thing to get the look I wanted. 

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And a few non-crochet items...  The first of which was scented, rice-filled heating pads.  These things are so wonderful on a sore back or over your toes on a cold morning :) I made several a few years ago and the ones I kept for myself were my dear companions through my last two pregnancies :)

(I used this tutorial)

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My nephew turned 1 in November, so he didn't mind that it took me until the end of January to make him a Birthday gift and Christmas gift :)

He received  a color-sorting clothespin activity ...

(these pics are from the tutorial I wrote a while back)

...and a set of soft flannel bean bags (and a dollar store bin for storing and bean bag toss game!)

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And, just yesterday, I finished an ornament for Russ that I had hoped to include in his stocking as a way of saying "thanks for putting up with all my craftiness!"  He'll have to wait till next year to hang it... unless he travels through time...

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And here are the things the kids made...

(we started back in October!)

Button Flower Wall Hangings (by Ruth)

(tutorial here!)

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NFL Team Logo Embroidery Wall Hangings (by Aaron and Dominic)

(tutorial here!)

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Melty Pearler Bean Ornaments (by Ruth and Clare)

(tutorial here)

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Holly Berry Wall Hangings (by Aaron and Dominic)

(adapted from this idea here)

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Pine Cone Christmas Tress (by Aaron and Dominic)

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Washi Tape Vases and Tea Light Holders (by Ruth and Clare)

("instructions" here)

kind of a lame photo, but it's the only one I got - they were drying on the deck after a coat of
spray Modge-Podge

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Scrappy Yarn Sun Catchers (by Ruth and Clare)

(tutorial here!)