This gift made me cry

It's not that I love cooking so much but this gift said to me :

we know how hard you work to keep this family fed, we appreciate your efforts and hope this pot helps and adds a bit of joy to the process

Paul on the other hand said this gift represents the kitchen "arms race" happening amongst my Dad and all my sisters.

Happy Homemade Christmas stuff - Lego Rug

This was 

To:  James  From:  Maryanna

Lego actually has a similar product that they offer in their catalog but we made our own version.  It was simple enough for Maryanna to cut out and she sat by my side putting the pins back into the pin cushion as I sewed.

Now James' sets will stay safe from little hands while he is in the process.  You can see Maryanna eyeing the folded up pouch but no worries "here are two fine lego sets that were completed on the safety of the rug".

One more homemade gift to blog about but there is no picture because it has already been destroyed.  Henry sat on my lap and helped me assemble a little photo album for Clara.  I made the mistake of letting her look at it in her crib during nap time and now all that is left is a pile of crumpled photos and shredded paper and plastic.     

Happy Homemade Christmas stuff - Bib

This was 

To:  Henry  From:  Clara

It's just a bib and from the same fabric scraps you see in many of my other projects.  It was quick but not so simple to sew with a 2 year old on my lap.  We actually had plans to sew two but one was "flopped" because Clara kept pulling the bias tape away from the fabric as I sewed. Still it was fun to have Clara participate in this activity.

Happy Homemade Christmas stuff - Art Case

This was

To:  William   From:  James

I've been wanting to make one of these ever since it was posted on This Mama Makes Stuff.  James agreed it would be a great gift to make for William but refused to touch the sewing machine because "sewing is for girls". Instead he helped select the fabric, art supplies, thread and did the Math for me as we figured out the dimensions (we didn't follow the pattern exactly because James wanted it bigger). He also kept me company and entertained Henry while I sewed.

William is enjoying his new set and is busy using right now as I type.  He said it kind of looks like a frog and I think he is right.  

Happy Homemade Christmas stuff - Lego Set

This was

To: Peter From: William

The original gift was a story of Peter's favorite toys which William took pictures of and then edited on Adobe. We ordered a photo book but unfortunately it didn't arrive in time, we will save it for his birthday instead.

So William last minute created his own Lego set and wrote up some instructions for Peter. It was a 50 piece set and William completed and illustrated it completely on his own.  This was one of Peter's favorite gifts and yes Cookie Dough the Rat was on the loose as gifts were opened.

Happy Homemade Christmas stuff - Elephant Dress

This was

to: Maryanna from: Peter.

For the kids gift exchange they got to work one on one with mommy to design and create something special and handmade for their sibling. Peter can't really sew but he picked the fabric (which Cathy picked up at a yard sale in Bountiful for me). He kept me company and entertained me as I traced the pattern from the Japanese sewing book, sewed a few straight seams, and also helped me cut and operate the snap press (no time for buttons during crunch time).

The pants are made from a men's T-shirt and topped stitched with hot pink thread because it is hard to get Maryanna to wear anything that isn't pink. I also added a hot pink pocket to the dress, hot pink snaps, and two little hot pink tags to the pants. Apparently it wasn't enough because I had to put a piece of gum in the pocket of the dress just to get her to try it on. I tried to convince Peter to select the pink Marimeko fabric I have but ultimately it was his gift, he loves elephants and stuck to his choice. I think it will grow on her.

      

Happy Homemade Christmas stuff - Photo Journal

This was for Paul who stuffs his pockets with scraps of paper for taking notes on things he reads and thinks.  I would have liked to give him a pile of moleskines but I couldn't resist this project which I originally saw on One Pretty Thing ( I frequented this site daily as crunch time approached).

I already had everything for this project on hand and will make more when this one fills up.  I especially love that I was able to use up old spiral notebook paper for the pages.