handmade gifts

101 Days of Christmas: Hand-Painted Glass or Ceramic Gifts

by janel on December 21, 2012

The following post is from Janel of Life with Lucie and Ella.:

Hand painting plain glass or ceramic dishes is a great way to make an inexpensive holiday gift! It’s not difficult to find a glass or ceramic item that you can add your own special touch to. This season, the dollar section at Target has been stocked with stemless wine glasses and drinking glasses for just $1 each. Try Walmart or your “dollar store” for other options like mugs, bowls, or plates.

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101 Days of Christmas: DIY Dyed Play Silks

by Mandi on November 4, 2012

source: Mandi Ehman

Play silks are a great open-ended toy for kids. They can become a fort, a baby blanket, a scarf or a sari.

I’ve been wanting to dye play silks for the girls for a long time now — and I’ve even had the silk and Kool-Aid just waiting to be used — but for some reason I kept putting it off.

Thanks in part to this series, I finally pulled them out yesterday to try it, and truly, it was so simple and easy that I feel a little silly for waiting so long!

We dyed the silks yesterday, let them dry overnight, and then today two of my little models helped me get a picture of them, asking the whole time, “Can we play with them now? Are we done? Can we play with them?!”

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101 Days of Christmas: Felt-Covered Journals

October 31, 2012

I actually made these felt-covered journals for our sisters a couple of years ago, but I figured they were worth resurrecting for the series because they make great stocking stuffers or teacher gifts. {If only I had an updated picture…} This would be a great project for kids who are just learning to hand sew, [...]

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101 Days of Christmas: Marshmallow Shooters

October 27, 2012

We made these marshmallow shooters for my younger step-brothers a few years ago, and they were a hit. Rather than just giving them the guns and some marshmallows (or pompoms for indoor play), we also include paint and foam brushes so that they could camouflage them as well. That year, as the rest of us [...]

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101 Days of Christmas: Felt Coffee Cozy

October 23, 2012

Isn’t this felt coffee cozy so much fun? And the best part is you can customize it with any shape or design — white snowflakes, a Christmas tree, an apple for a teacher, embroidered names, etc. It’s also a really easy project. While I like the look of the hand sewn edges, they don’t need [...]

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101 Days of Christmas: Homemade Soap

October 22, 2012

I’ve always wanted to make homemade soap, but I’m intimidated by the directions for making soap from scratch because it involves lye and comes with all kinds of safety warnings. I’m a little too scattered in the kitchen — with kids running in and out and multiple projects going at once — to trust myself [...]

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101 Days of Christmas: Coffee Lovers Gift Basket

October 14, 2012

I love a good cup of coffee, and this basket is a fun one to put together for the coffee lovers in your life! For a great centerpiece, start with your favorite coffee and two plain mugs (I got the ones in the picture at Walmart for $1.25 each because I couldn’t find any at [...]

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101 Days of Christmas: Peppermint Hand Scrub

October 10, 2012

The following post is from Kacey of Next Level Mama: The Christmas season is all about giving, and this gift is sure to please. Pamper a friend, your child’s favorite teacher, or anyone special in your life with a calming and delicious-smelling peppermint scrub. Super simple to make, this scrub can be used on the [...]

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101 Days of Christmas: Printable Disguise Kit

October 3, 2012

Shaina from Food for My Family recently came for a visit — both to hang out and to take family photos for us. Among the many fun things she brought with her were a pack of cardboard mustaches, glasses and lips to use as photo props. The girls were so excited to play with these, [...]

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101 Days of Christmas: Handprint Calendar {Updated}

October 2, 2012

The handprint calendar is one of our most popular projects, and it happens to be one of my favorites as well! It’s really a lot of fun to watch handprints transform into animals and characters and symbols, and my girls have always loved the feel of the paint on their hands. This year I’ve added [...]

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