I can't think of a title for this post.

This year, Christmas gifts need to be simple, because we've got our hands full with two little ones. But I still don't like to show up to someone's house empty-handed, so I have made a few things to gift when we go visiting.

A bottle of wine is an easy gift, but it's nice to dress it up a little. These were once the sleeves of a sweater I no longer wear...after a little embroidery, they're much more festive!

I'm linking up at

Wouldn't these make fun Christmas gifts?

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Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

I haven't had much time for crafting lately, but I have managed to get one project done - Christmas stockings for our newly enlarged family! I made stockings for Keith and I the first year we lived together, but I never liked them all that much...they came out smaller than I wanted, and I was never satisfied with them. So this year, I made a set of new ones which I love!

 I used the same fabrics for all four, but different designs. They were fun to make and they look really fancy hanging over our fireplace! Also, this tutorial helped me to make these stockings more quickly than ever before - it's so mind-blowingly simple, I can't believe I didn't think of it before.

I have a few Christmas gifts in the works, but this will be a pretty low-key Christmas for us since we are busy with babies!

I'm linking up!

Christmas Recap, Part 2

Another Christmas project I enjoyed was this simple scarf. You need a TON of stitches on the needle, but they work up pretty quickly and they are pretty! I have already gotten requests for the pattern, which is a free one from Lion brand yarn! 

With this blue one (for my Nana, she loves this color), I followed the directions exactly, and used just a little bit more than one ball of yarn. That annoyed me, since it meant I had to buy two! I made a second one, in red, and just reduced the number of stitches (I think by 20 or so) and then it took exactly one ball. I think a little bit shorter looked fine - maybe better, since it was a little less bulky.

Not the best picture I've ever had taken of me...but I was in a hurry to get things photographed and wrapped!

Christmas Recap, Part 1

My brother is in the process of becoming an adult. This year, he bought his first condo...and the first time I visited, I felt like it was missing something. It was lacking a certain sophistication. And people were drinking wine out of coffee mugs.

So, of course, I bought him wine glasses for Christmas. But I felt like he needed something to go with them - cocktail napkins!

But of course, plain white wouldn't do. So I sought out this tutorial for a basic napkin, and then looked for some embroidery patterns to spice them up. I found the perfect patterns here.

And, voila!

Grownup (because they are cloth napkins) and still ridiculous. Perfect for my brother.

I love the way these turned out. I will definitely make more!

And now, for something completely different...

Christmastime is great, but it can be kind of stressful. Today, I needed a smile. I have no other explanation for this.

Moustaches are really funny. Even funnier? Things that don't have moustaches pretending that they do. Enjoy!

moustache gloves plpomegranates $12.50	Moustache Masquerade 'St... CannibalCrafts $16.50
Moustache - Neck Warmer - Gr... GoodYarns $20.00	Hat with moustache lmariann $9.00
moustache binky plpomegranates $10.00	Wooden Spoons with a Moustac... TreehouseIllus... $9.00
Fancy Moustache Pins yummypocket $10.00	Moustaches, Lips, Bowties an... sarahQhappyboo... $45.00
Moustache & Monocle Necklace MoustacheFancy $15.00	24 Month Long sleeve moustac... vintagebabyjan... $16.00
Moustache scarf lmariann $20.00	Moustache Pint Glasses - Var... modernmadness $28.00
Ceci n'est pas une moust... Mishler $15.00	Sophisticated : Whale with M... isabellsumbrel... $25.00
Pink Octopus Plush Toy with ... cheekandstitch $14.00	Lil' Man Moustache Binky... theliltwinkles... $10.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Happy holidays, all! One week to go!

Christmastime is here...

So I thought I'd share a finish of a project I started forever ago :) I first blogged about it here...and finally finished up a few weeks ago. I followed a tutorial at Oh, Fransson! by Elizabeth Hartman, and although this project was time consuming, it was totally worth it!

Each square is a little pocket, so you can add a little treat for each day of advent!

(If you look closely, you'll see that this quilt, like everything else in my life, is covered in cat hair. Sigh).

Merry almost Christmas!

Penguins!

I like the remnant bin at Joann Fabrics because you never know what you will find. Sometimes, I pick something up and it remains in my stash for awhile, waiting to be paired with something perfect. That's how this blanket got made.

I have seen these little taggie blankets before, and the penguins matched perfectly with that super-soft pink backing. I used a tutorial here for guidance, and then adjusted based on how big my fabric was.

Anyone who has read this blog at all knows that I like to make things more than once. I'm really not sure why that is...perhaps its the same reason I like to reread favorite books, rewatch favorite movies...in any case, I made two!

One will go to my cousin's baby daughter who is celebrating her first Christmas this year. The second I will donate to a local homeless shelter.

So here's a question about taggie blankets, from someone who has no kids...what's to stop their tiny fingers from getting caught in the ribbon?

In other news, I have decided to participate in this year's Giveaway Day! Check back later in the week for details :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

So, I made some Christmas placemats. Mostly, I wanted to practice my quilting, so I made each one like its own tiny quilt, binding and all.

I tried out a different pattern on each one.

It was a fun project. I made some matching trivet/potholder things out of scraps too.

In the pictures, they don't look quite square...but they are, I promise :) Although I think my camera has something on the lens...

In any case, happy Christmastime!

Christmas Inspiration...

I like giving gifts, but I don't like the pressure to come up with the perfect gift for everyone I love all at the same time (that's why birthday gifting is easier). However, I've been cruising pinterest for inspiration...here are some great Christmas gift ideas!

For the chef in your life...

For the ladies...

For the home...

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For readers...

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Of course, I won't have time to even attempt most of these...*sigh*...but it's fun to look! I always think I'll get started on Christmas earlier next year...