More Handmade

 
There were lots of handmade presents around here and all were busy.  We even went to the local ceramics studio to paint some beautiful pottery.   Ceramics,sewing, drawing, baking, were some of what was given.  I don't have pictures of it all because some was given away and some I just haven't photographed.  Here is a small sampling of some of the things that were made.   And in between the making there was room for dress up.  Duct tape gloves and duct tape sheath.  While sewing, his sword was never far from his side.   

Sewing Napkins

There was some other sewing going on also.  Emily sewed napkins for her grandparents and aunt and uncle.  This went well into the night.  She picked out some beautiful fabric for them, each to match their respective kitchens.  She sewed them double sided which took some doing and some ironing.  They were beautiful, wrapped up with a silk ribbon. With a lot of perseverance and Grandma's sewing machine she got them done just in the nick.

Equipped Explorer

The birthday week continues.  I finished this bag for Eli today.  I had wanted to get it done before his birthday but didn't and thought a few days later would be okay.  One night last week I thought of staying up past midnight to finish it but couldn't quite muster up the energy.  As it was I squeezed in getting it done.  A little bit here and a little bit there.

As I went to wrap it tonight I thought, "Oh dear, I don't think he'll like this.  Maybe I should have found some cool patch and not done embroidery."  But guess what?  He loved it.  Of course it came with all kinds of little goodies that Emily and I had picked out.  A compass/whistle container, mini pens, notepad, small watercolor pad I made, watercolors and a few other things.  He started a journal in the notepad and wrote a title on the watercolor pad.  He's ready for exploring. He tried it on and the length fit perfectly.  I got this pattern from the book Rhythm of the Family by Amanda Soule of soulemama.  I have some fabric left and was thinking of making a bag out of it for myself.  It's really soft yet durable.

Presents Handmade

Here are some pictures of a few of the handmade gifts we exchanged this year.  I love all the work that goes on behind closed doors.  Emily made this lovely lavender lotion for me and lip balm.  I came home from running errands the other day and the kitchen sink had an oily shine and smelled of luscious lavender.  She made journals for her brothers.  She also made candles and a hat.  Eli gave stars to some relatives to hang in the window.  He also did a few collages, put them in frames we had around and had them wrapped and ready to go stored under his desk.  I made cozy pajama pants for everybody.   I got wonderful poems and a photo album.  Also, we got our delicious jam and plum butter.  All that thoughtfulness makes giving a little sweeter.

Sewing and Canning

The pears that I showed earlier have now either been eaten or canned.  Everyone helped harvest them before they all got eaten by the starlings or raccoons.  Though I canned these a while ago I haven't been able to put them away because they look so lovely sitting there on the shelf.  So much of what I do doesn't result in a product so when it does I like to look at it for awhile.   Also, I haven't had access to a camera for a while but we resolved that so now I have some pictures of things we've doing around here.  That is when we aren't at cheerleading events or soccer games. 

We also celebrated apples this weekend.  We ate some of that delicious caramelized fall topping, that was featured at mayamade, on waffles and  made apple crisp for the about the fourth time.  Served with vanilla ice cream, can't beat that.  Ian was home so we canned some applesauce for him to take back to his house to enjoy with his roommates.  Our neighbors got out their classic wooden juicer and Ian and Eli brought over a bowl of apples and made it into a tasty container of juice.  So fresh and delicious!

Here are some of the new napkins I made.  I got inspired by some napkins we bought from Girl Scouts a while ago at an auction.  They are colorful, small, double sided and a variety of patterns.  I made them for the table and for picnics.  Most of them are about 10"x10".  I loved piecing together the bright scraps of fabric!

New Pillows

Here are a few new pillows.  They are great for reading on the coach on  Saturday mornings.   I started to make a few for our coach but the first piece I made was too dark.  It didn't go well with the color blue of our coach so I was going to make it into hot pads.  But Eli loved it and wanted a pillow.   I finished some lighter ones for the coach and went back to make his for his cozy bed.

  Then I had to make one for the girl.  Pink is in again.  So I found lots of pinkish pieces of flannel for hers.  I liked making these-taking small bits and sewing them into something, piece by piece.  I had the ironing board up in the kitchen for weeks and would just pluck away at it whenever I had a chance.