Christmas on a Budget

I know. Christmas is 4 months away. But if you are like us you have to plan ahead & spread out the cost of all those gifts! This year, like last, I am trying to make as many gifts as possible & hopefully find some great thrift store gifts too. I've already finished my niece's gift! I fell in love with this sweater & thought a whimsical version of it would be perfect for a tween. Shh, don't tell!

Wool J Crew Sweater - $2.00 at my thrift store's 50% off Memorial Day sale, felted & cut by me :)
Ribbon & buttons I already had on hand. Total cost $2.00!
P.S. It looks MUCH cuter in person! I can't wait to see it on her!

Handmade for Teacher Too

In keeping with my Handmade efforts I wanted to make handmade gifts for the boys teachers too. It took me till the night before to figure out what I wanted to make them. I had already made the Spiced Pecans and Savory Oyster Crackers but it just didn't seem like enough. I decided to try my hand at fabric coasters and they turned out so cute! I used coordinating Flea Market Fancy fabrics (my fav!) some fleece I had on hand and went to work. I made eight, four for each teacher, and it took me no more than an hour to make them all. Best of all since I already had all the supplies it cost me NOTHING! When I was done I didn't want to give them away! Then I tied each set up with yellow ric-rac and I REALLY didn't want to give them away. Good thing I have more fabric to make my own set! I will so be making these again VERY soon. I think some of my friends can expect to be getting a set of these for Christmas!

Handmade for Christmas

I wanted to try & make as many of our gifts this year as possible. I ended up with only a few being handmade but I thought it was a good start. I won't reveal my favorite because it is a gift for my sister, Chubby Baby, and I don't want her to know what it is (obviously) but I will share another one of my favorites. My first quilt! (Transformers made from kinex are guarding the quilt while it is on the floor should anyone DARE step on it while I was taking a picture).

I have been wanting to make a quilt for a couple of years and just wasn't sure if I could pull it off & honestly didn't think I would have the time. But for some strange reason I thought it would be a good (and feasible) idea to make a T-shirt quilt for my grandpa & grandma for Christmas. I collected a t-shirt from each of their grandkids and great-grandkids, seventeen in all, and made my first quilt. The colors are scarlet on the front & gray on the back for what else but the Buckeyes! I also took a small piece from each shirt and made a strip down the back of the quilt. I decided to tie it instead of getting it quilted as this was a MUCH cheaper option for me. I still have some learning to do but all in all I think it turned out pretty well. I can't wait to see my grandparents faces when they open this on Christmas morning!