White Christmas

The theme for my gifts this Christmas was all things white. I received a couple of wish list items and a surprise pair of my favorite thing in the world- owls.

My sister-in-law Ashley found these adorable owls in a vintage shop. I love their little eyes. They have a new perch in the living room next to the window.

I have been wanting a new chair for our office. We previously had a folding wooden chair that was horrible to move and very uncomfortable. My parents got us this rolling Ikea chair. I'm still up in the air as to whether or not I want to make a cushion for it. But the height adjusts and it swivels, much better than the old.

It has been awesome to have so much time off work and although there was a small sick stint in the holiday break, Erik and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together which I wouldn't trade for the world. Also Doc has been leaving us fun messages via our chalkboard...

{ He left this one for our spaghetti dinner with the Grahams.

Please forgive his grammar, he is only 3. }

Handmade Onesies

Katie, my best friend of forever, had the wonderful gift of a new baby girl this year. Miss Hannah Grace was born back in August and I had to make her something special for her first Christmas. I figured onesies are a staple in the baby wardrobe, so I added a few details for a handmade gift for the little one.

First I used some fabric scraps that were a b-day present from Lesley to craft this adorable cupcake design. I used Amy Butler for the cup, and some pink fleece from Wal-mart. * Note- have you ever visited the fabric section of Wal-Mart?? Super cheap!!! Anyway, I used interfacing to bond the two pieces together then hand stitched them to the onesie ( because I couldn't figure out how to maneuver the onesie on my sewing machine ). Then I added a cute red heart button as a topping for the cupcake.

Second, with more gift fabric, I drew this little sparrow pattern. Dwell Studio was my inspiration with their adorable baby line. I used the same pink fleece for the belly of the bird. Interfaced again and hand stitched it on. I also used a button for the eye and hand stitched using brown thread the beak and feet. On the back of both I used another piece of interfacing on the inside of the onesie to make it extra soft against Hannah Grace's belly and to ensure that all my hard work didn't come undone. Fabric Check was used on the edges of the fabric to keep them from fraying in the wash.

I also used my fabulous neighbor once again for her bib-making tutorial and crafted two bibs for Hannah Grace, but I forgot to get pics of them before dropping the gift in the mail. I think I'm getting better at my sewing projects and I'll be doing even more since I scored one of my gifts from my wish list!!

What did you get/give that was handmade this Christmas?

Handmade Greetings

Two special friends, two specials events, that calls for two special cards:

The first is for my dear friend Katie. She and her husband welcomed their darling Hannah Grace just 2 short weeks ago. She was difficult because they waited to find out the sex of the baby until birth, so as soon as I knew the gender I had to get Miss Hannah Grace a girlie assemble to add to her wardrobe. I made the simple rattle design with scrapbook paper and the letters were courtesy of my favorite Martha Stewart alphabet stamps.

The second is for our friends Brett and Erin, who will be blissfully wed in October. This was their shower card that I made-an abstracted wedding cake. Erin has chosen an eggplant purple for her color, which I love! The card went along with their adorable salad plates that we purchased from their registry.

Simple, easy cards that give a personal touch for friends. Plus they were free, I used paper scrapes and blank cards that I had stocked up on!