Under the tree...

I won't lie to you and claim that I only gave and received handmade gifts, 'cause my nose would grow like Pinocchio's. With items like Wii and Nintendo DS games on some people's lists, it's nearly impossible to stick to a purely Handmade Pledge. But I did do a heck of a lot more sewing this year than any prior year, so I'm pretty proud of myself (and exhausted!) Here are just a few things that appeared under the Christmas tree...

I made Andalucia kitchen sets for each family. I embellished some pre-purchased towels with my 1.5" wide ribbon and then added either a pot holder or an oven mitt to each set.

My mom & dad got the Mod Blooms Fire set and my sister, Caty and hubby, Jason, got the Birdie Damask set:







My brother-in-law, Sean and wife, Alicia, got the Mod Blooms Earth set:



And my father-in-law, Jim, got the Moorish Tile set. I made him a pot holder instead of an oven mitt (cause I was told guys like pot holders better... something about big hands...)



I made an appliqued name pillow for my niece, Asja. Her room in FL is decorated in an "Under The Sea" theme -- lots of blues, greens & aquas with a touch of Nemo. So this should fit right in:



I made another appliqued name pillow for Sophie. Her room is pink, pink, pink with a Princess theme:



And since Sydney already has a name pillow, I made her a giraffe stuffie based on a pattern from Melly & Me (I met these ladies at Quilt Market this past October and they were such a delight! I couldn't wait to actually make up one of their cutie creatures!)



I just adore how she turned out! I used Tiny Dots Petal for her main body and Tiny Dots Earth for her hoofs and horns.



My dad received a handmade leather-bound sketchbook I purchased on Etsy from this seller. What great customer service -- he shipped it out the same day! Then I went to Heather's parents shop to get a plaque with his last name put on the front flap. Papi loved it!!!



Even Jon got bit by the handmade bug this year and decided at the last minute to make a Beer Turkey! Yep, you read it correctly. His friend, Todd, pointed him to this recipe using Hennepin beer and a few spices that I was not too keen on... especially the rosemary! I don't know about you, but I cannot stand the smell or taste of rosemary, so I was a tad nervous about this. But, to my utter surprise, the turkey turned out AMAZING! I could not taste the rosemary at all and it was so juicy and tasty I had seconds & thirds... and so did everyone else!



Christmas was great! And the best part of all, as usual, was watching the kids as they opened their gifts, jumping around so much I could barely get a good picture! What a blessing that is!



Sophie was beside herself with her new princess pillow... "A perfect match!" she said.



But by far my most favorite memory of this day was watching Sydney running around the house while clutching her new giraffe -- which she quickly named Pinkie -- and screaming "This is the best gift EVER!!!" WOW, that in itself made all the sleepless nights, back pains and headaches from the past couple of weeks totally worth it.



I'm happy to report that my family stuck to my wishes for a handmade Christmas too. I set up a Wishpot list a couple of weeks before Christmas and it contained lots of items I had *hearted* on Etsy, like handmade jewelry and knitted goodies, which are now in my possession... YAY! I even got a gorgeous handmade necklace from my dear friend, Daria, which brought me tears of joy. I'll share all these soon! :)

Oh, and I can't end this post without mentioning a little surprise I received in the mail a couple of days before Christmas. This Andalucia camera strap and fabric-covered journal came from Gabi at My Funky Camera. I have to say, my camera and I are feeling mighty spoiled these days. Thanks, Gabi!



Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! off to veg out some more...