Over the Holidays Crafts

It's always fun to see friends and family light up with delight after the wrapping is torn away, when gifting for any  reason and I think it means just a little more when the gift is handmade. On my end, it's a welcome change from the busy hustle and bustle of the stores, especially at Christmastime.

Here are a few of the things I made over the holidays.

 

This paper flower wreath was a gift for a friend. We both liked the look so much, but didn't want to pay what the stores wanted. I found the tutorial online at Under the Table and Dreaming and added the ribbon to jazz it up a little. I was unable to find a wreath form at a reasonable cost so I ended up choosing plastic piping from the local hardware store.

 

Such cute little birds! I have a friend who has a thing for birds, and these were so cute I just couldn't resist making her a couple!  You can find the how to at Skip to My Lou. They were fairly simple, even given my very limited hand sewing experience.

 This owl is cute as a button! He was a gift for my 5 year old nephew. He immediately gave him a squeeze upon opening the wrapping paper. So it seems he's a "hoot." The pattern was off the internet, but the directions were in another language, not very helpful. It was a little bit of a miracle that he came together okay. :-)

 These last two photos are Christmas garlands I made for my sisters and a friend. They were just a little something special to get them in the Christmas mood. I found the idea on several blogs, and I took the best the suggestions and combined them to meet my needs. I cut the shapes from felt, after tracing from cookie cutters. Then I sewed them together on the machine.I didn't like how bare they looked, sort of unconnected, so I added the rickrack, which I think was the perfect finishing touch!