Ta da! The advent calendar is done, well pretty much done. It’s a string of chirstmas lights.   One of you guessed correctly! But there were some good ideas out there: an advent abacus, a ferris wheel.  Next year.  There are only twenty lights, but I figure I’ll save some making for next christmas or add them if I have time this month (ha!). There are treats in the bulbs and the lights fit in their little sockets, but they aren’t held in by anything–just the power of felt.  This calendar is for lightweight treats only or bits of paper with sugarless activities on them. I went with candy because my kids are still young enough to think it’s the best thing in the universe.

I’d be happy to write up a quick tutorial (with patterns) if there are a lot of you that would like to make one. It’s not difficult at all.  The hand sewing is a little time consuming, but it’s nothing a few movies won’t fix. If you sewed the bulbs on it would make a nice Christmas decoration for this year (or next).  If you’d like to see more pictures of it you can click here and here.  And there are lots more fantastic calendars here and here.

It’s Handmade Holidays all month long at Sew Mama Sew (if you didn’t know already).  They, so kindly, asked me to be on their board and come up with a few ideas for their amazing blog.  After crossing out many bad ideas, I came up with these little plush ornaments. They are simple to make and you can find all the tutorials here: woodland ornament tutorials.  If you make one, be sure to show it off on the Handmade Holidays flickr pool! Only 33 days until Christmas.

Only six days until christmas and amazingly there is no furious sewing in this house. Just one more gift to make and then we’re off to Grandma’s house. There are always a couple people I forget and they are always the ones ready with a gift for me. So I thought I’d make a few ornaments to keep in my bag for those awful, awkward moments. I’m sure there are people like that in your life too: the weird cousin, the super smiley coworker. I thought I’d pass on a pattern for a gingerbread man ornament that can be whipped up quickly just in case you forgot someone. Click here to download the gingerbread man pattern and instructions. I included some pictures with the instructions below as well. If you make one let me know!

materials
brown or tan wool felt
a tiny bit of white felt too
some stuffing (polyfil, etc.)
red, white, and black embroidery thread
white mini rickrack
fray check
two red buttons
glue stick

directions

1. cut out template and pin to felt. Cut out one gingerbread man out of felt.

2. for the eyes cut two small circles out of the white felt and attach them to the gingerbread man with one black french knot each. With a backstitch, sew a small circle for the mouth. Sew buttons on with white embroidery thread–to make them look like candies, sew from the button holes to the outside edge of the button. Cut pieces of mini rickrack for trim on two arms and the leg, dab all the ends with fray check, and use the glue stick to tack them down.

3. cut a rectangle as big as your gingerbread man out of felt. Pin your decorated man to this rectangle. Make a loop of rickrack and tuck it in between the layers on your gingerbread man’s head (to hang him from later). Stitch by machine or by hand from A to B (the long way) 1/8inch from the edge. Be sure to catch all the rickrack as you stitch.

4. cut off the extra felt.

5. stuff the little man lightly and sew up the opening.

6. hang him up or give him away!

Two perfectly good thrift stores very close to my house closed recently.  One so quickly and secretly that I didn’t even get in on their unloading all this crap for a ridiculously low price sale.  But I did manage to pick up these sweet little tin houses while I was on the other side of town. I think you’re suppose to put candles in them, but I’m content with them just looking pretty.  They are on our mantle next to our christmas tree away from four curious baby hands.

I actually had this done early–one whole day early, but I’ve been too busy sewing to post.  I had a couple different ideas, but spent too much time thinking about them and not actually making them.  This is from some old martha stewart magazine and with two little babies in the house we are flush with baby socks (though not all in red and green, so I picked up some second hand ones).  I even had some mini clothespins on hand! I picked up a bunch of little vintage ornaments to go in each sock. This is my favorite.

If you don’t have a calendar yet (this is usually the position I am in) I think this is a nice little grown up one you can download and print.