Day 6: 31 Days of Homemade Gifts for Everyone On Your List

If your anything like me, then you might LOVE the holiday season.

Not just love as in I heart...but LOVE as in cannot wait for it to get here and you're already planning new decorations for the tree, you're starting to get the decorations down from the attic, you already have your Christmas cards designed, and of course you've completed the gift list and you've already started Christmas shopping!!!!!!

So that's why I love today's series:  31 Days of Homemade Gifts for Everyone On Your List! 

Gifts are completely my love language!  I love giving and receiving.  But the best part (for me) about receiving is that knowing that someone thought about me.  And having a homemade gift means not just that I was thought about, but someone actually put their own talents to work to put their blood, sweat and tears (maybe some exaggeration) into something for me. But I also love making things for other people!  So this series is definitely a personal favorite of mine! 

This series covers everything from gifts for babies, to mommies, children of all ages, dad's, the book-lover, the writer, and even the foodie!  Its GREAT!  One of my favorites posts in the series is the hot chocolate mix. This is the perfect kind of gift that I love giving to co-workers.  It's simple, yet unique, I can make a dozen of them inexpensively, and they can even keep it at the office to use on the next cold or rainy day.  It's a win-win all around!

So hop on over to this series and tell me what you'll be making for the special one on your list!

A Sew-Sew Saturday

Well, It's more like a sewing weekend, not just Saturday!  

Saturday morning we got up and went to the JDRF walk in Trinity Park - it was fabulous!  I've got a whole different post for that one.  We got home around noon, had some lunch, then Emmalee went down for a nap.  Having some "free" time on my hands, I sat down at my sewing machine.

And this is my sewing maching - yes, it is over 35 years old, but it still runs like a gem and gets the job done!

 

First thing is first - ORGANIZE!  I really had no organization in my sewing space and it was making me a little crazy.  So, I organized! 

All of my "Stuff"!

Threads and bobbins

Ribbons, Scissors, Measuring tape, scrap fabrics and other "stuff".

  

All of the current fabrics I'm working with. 

Once that was finished, I got to work sewing!

This dress is actually for a friend but I still have plenty of fabric left over, so I'm sure Emmalee might have something made out of it as well!  

Dress#2!  When I saw this fabric the other day, I just fell in love!  I love all the colors in it - so perfect for fall. 

Now sometime between starting dress #2 snd beginning my new project, lil' bit woke up, so I just plopped her down in her excersaucer in the sewin room and just played.  We had fun together! 

So after getting the dresses down and feeling more comfortable with what I'm doing, I decided to tackle something other than a dress...a cute little top!  I loved this fabric and I got a great pattern here at Prucdent Baby...which has become an awesome source of information on sewing and making infant clothes! 

It definitely took me much longer than I ancitpated (as in it wasn't finished until Saturday night - like 10:30 at night - but I still got it done!)  But now that I've done it once, I'm certain I can do it again... and much faster next time! 

Sunday, we went to church and I let Emmalee wear hew new dress.  How precious is she? 

Love this toothless grin!

My perfect little model! 

And here is a sneak peek of Emmalee's Christmas outfit!  I found these fabrics and knew instantly that I had to have them! 

Sally the Seamstress

Ok, so my name isn't Sally and I'm no seamstress, but I want to be!  Several months ago, actualy it was before Emmalee was even born, I saw this fabric remnant at WalMart for only $2 - seriously, how could I not buy it?  I had inteneded to give it to my friend Kristen (who make the Em's Halloween dress) for her to make something cute out of it but I never got around to giving it to her.  So last night, I decided that I would make something out of it! 

So Em and I ran to Hobby Lobby so I could pick up a few sewing necessities...like thread!  We came home, Daddy gave Em her bottle, I rocked her for a few mintues, then she went to her bed.  As soon as she was in bed I started my master plan!  Within an hour and a half, this was the result! 

I'm not going to lie - I was totally proud of myself!!!!!!  Of course, I did take a bit of a shortcut because I just used Stitch Witchery to attach the ribbon and then just sewed the ribbon where it met the seams.  I'm not a perfect straight-line seamstress yet, so I figured this would work! 

And this morning, here is my darling girl! 

Just love, love, love this sweet face!