handmade Christmas 2011

Our original idea was to only MAKE the kids presents this year...plus give some of the ones I had found in yard sales earlier this year and was able to sneak by them. But we did cave at some point in December and buy a few things.

These are the handmade ones...painted, sewed, and constructed in the wee hours of the night. I love, love Pinterest for giving me so many ideas!

The first ones Isabela helped with. These little things are pocket warmers, or hand warmers. We made one for each of the kids in Isabela's class...and by we, I mean she now knows how to sew very well. These were super simple to make, just two 5" squares of flannel and some rice inside. They can get very hot after 30 seconds in the microwave and are great to take out to the frigid bus stop in the morning. We also made huge foot warmers with a removable cover that could be washed (in case of stinky feet!). We went through a 25lb. bag of rice (which is only $8 by the way!)


These blocks were one of the first gifts I made. We had a set of these several years ago and loved them. You can make different designs, and I think they were originally used to make quilt pattern blocks. These have a few more fancy patterns on them and can be made into different animals.


Here is the monkey. I just painted some of Joaquin's blocks with acrylic paint and Mod Podge on top to protect it. No one's really played with them too much yet, but I do find them all over the floor.


These masks were for Diego and made from scraps. Very simple, but Diego doesn't like to put masks on, so not really a great present for now.


This fishing game was a big hit though. As soon as Diego opened this, he did not want to open any other presents. It's just a simple fish with button eyes. There is a safety pin through each of their mouthes, and the stick has a strong magnet on the end.


The kids make up their own rules as they play...there's even a shark in the mix...sometimes if you get that, you have to throw all your fish back in the water.


These were some cute printable bookmarks and cards...Isabela is into that type of thing.


Now the guitar was a little harder. I made the pattern up myself, but saw the cute idea here. The neck is too thin and flops around...I'd definitely make that part larger if I made it again.


Juan Pablo and I play with it more than the kids...one more for us!


And Daddy helped make this cool tent. Again...not played with too much, but maybe with time.


These little animal sleeping bags were a lot of fun. This one we gave away, but I made one for each of the kids, with material that reflected their personalities...balls for Diego, a bear for Joaquin, and zoo animals for Isabela.


And finally, I've always wanted to make one of these puzzles...I copied a page from a favorite children's book, sliced it into squares, and Mod Podged it onto some blocks. Where the Wild Things Are for one side....


...Horton Hatches an Egg for the other.