Artsy Fartsy

I love love love to make things. I can happily say that I never waste time on Pinterest because I actually make a lot of the things I pin. I've made so many things, in fact, that I started a "Things I've Made" pinboard where I re-pin the projects I've completed. The thing about that is, they aren't actual photos of the things I have made. I thought it would be fun to post photos here of the things I have made, for posterity, you know. I don't sit around crafting all day. I did, however, devote part of almost every day in November and December to making Christmas gifts. I LOVE what I made for everyone, and I think they all loved it too. So as you look at these photos, remember that I made these things over the course of 3 months.

I made these cute skirts for my nieces. There was another one--madras plaid for my rainbow-loving niece--that isn't pictured here. 

These burp cloths were also really easy, thanks to that delightful product called quilter's basting spray.

My little niece (who just arrived on Monday) got this pretty cloth-wrapped canvas for her nursery.

My dinosaur-obsessed nephew B got this cute hat.

This monster cap went to my nephew C, and nephew A got the same hat in blue. My sis-in-law says the hats rarely leave B&C's heads. I need to make one for Pepper, too.

I couldn't find a Christmas dress that I loved for Snapper, so I made this sweet skirt for her instead. 

I haven't used my Cricut much since switching from paper to digital scrapbooking. I was so happy to have a reason to use it again! This wreath was really easy to make, and the end result was stunning. I made about a dozen of these for teachers and family members.

I had originally planned on making these for all my aunts, cousins, and sisters-in-law. However, it would seem wood letters were a popular gift this year, and I was only able to find about half the letters I needed. I didn't make as many of these as I had planned. This was probably my favorite gift to give this year.

Coasters were a ridiculously inexpensive--yet lovely--gift. And they were super easy to make! It just took a lot of time because I had to let each layer (3) of Mod Podge and each layer (4) of sealer dry completely. It took all day.

Snapper has 4 swim coaches. I wanted something unique that they would enjoy using, so I made them clipboards to hold their heat sheets at swim meets. They were a hit! I also made photo ornaments for them--photos of the coaches with Snapper--but I forgot to get a picture of them. Boo!

Ever since Snapper was 3, we've had the tradition of making cookies for our neighbors. With gluten out of our diets this year, I didn't make any of the traditional cookies. We made gluten-free candies instead! These are peppermint patties.

You can't go wrong with Buckeyes! YUM! I also made caramel corn and salted caramels. Even more yum!

I absolutely love wreaths. The remind me of my mom, and they make me smile. I have made a few wreaths in the past, but they are getting pretty tired. My goal for this year is to make a new wreath for every season/holiday. Here is my Valentine wreath. I cut a whole bunch of 3" circles out of red felt, folded them in half and in half again, and used basting pins to stick them through the point, into a heart-shaped foam wreath. Then I glued on a bow. Simple!

 Pepper has a very loose tooth. He's the kind of kid that will not be able to leave his tooth alone under his pillow. He'll have to check on it throughout the night, hold it, touch it, etc. When the tooth fairy arrives, that tooth will be lost somewhere in the bed. So I got out a bunch of fabric scraps and made these cute tooth fairy pillows. One is for Pepper. The other two are for my nephew C (age 6) and my niece A (turning 5 next month). 

As we prepare to welcome additional children into our family, we thought it would be a good idea to post our family rules in a visible place. Matt and I had a meeting, developed these rules, and backed them up with Scripture. I need to do a post about our rules in case another family would like to use them, too. I wrote the rules and corresponding verse references on strips of pretty scrapbook paper. Then I mod-podged them onto a 12x24 canvas. The word Family is a cheap cutout from Michael's. I painted it black with acrylic paint and hot glued it on. I need to get black grosgrain ribbon, which I'll use to hang the canvas in our living room. I love how this came out!