Handmade Holidays - Gift Wrap

Today's post concludes my tutorials series - I hope someone has found these useful and inspirational. I'm leaving for a winter vacation in a few days, so this blog may get a little quiet for a couple of weeks. I hope everyone has a happy handmade holiday!

Martha Stewart has an idea for wrapping cookies shipped to a loved one this holiday season.

And also for wrapping coins. This would be a great stocking stuffer for anyone like me who is always running out of laundry change...

Here's a simple way to make your own gift bags from newspaper (from How About Orange). I think these would also look nice if you used the paper as a base and covered them with fabric...

Also from How About Orange, some surprisingly lovely bows made from recycled magazines, etc.

Zakka Life has a great tutorial on making decorative knots for gifts from mizuhiki cord, though just about any stiff cording would work.

Martha Stewart, of course, has lots of ideas for making your own gift wrap.

Furoshiki is a japanese art of folding fabric. It is often useful for wrapping gifts in re-usable fabric squares, and I use it myself. This site has tons of versions of fabric gift wrap and other uses for furoshiki. Here's an ehow article on making the fabric wraps - I think 24" square is standard.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Handmade Holidays - Reading and Writing

Today's post is just a quick one with a couple of reading/writing themed tutorials.

I love A Little Hut's stationery set. Using security envelopes for decorative purposes makes me look at the ordinary things around me in a whole new way...

Here's a printable pattern from Keep and Share for book marks that kids can colour and use:

Tomorrow: Gift Wrap Tutorials!

Handmade Holidays - Clothing and Accessories, Part 2

Continuing from yesterday's post, here are some more tutorials for handmade gifts of clothing and accessories.

Here's a cute little Kut Out + Keep tutorial to make a small pouch for a mirror or make-up, etc.

And another for a chained pearl bracelet.

Here's a cute sewn handbag from Little Girl Pearl.

This Anthropologie inspired necklace from Mrs. Priss uses some neat techniques and is quite lovely.

Here are a couple of tutorials for making chandelier earrings: There's a Youtube video, and a Making Beaded Jewelry tutorial.

This “falling water” necklace from Paper 'n' Stitch is also lovely, and has such an organic feel to it.

Handmade Holidays - Clothing and Accessories, Part 1

Todays tutorials are all about clothing and accessories. There are so many ideas out there, it's really difficult to choose. I love making jewelry, myself, but handbags and winter accessories are also good choices for the right person.

This Nuno felted scarf from Catherine et les fees looks like a lot of fun to make – and the design ideas are nearly endless! I want to start felting just to try making one of these!

Julie's Blog has a tutorial for some simple and cute felt flower hair clips.

I'm a little wary of heating plastic, but I won't get into the debate. If you're alright with it, then here's a super cute way to recycle normally non-recyclable plastics into cute charms for earrings or necklaces (from Dabbled).

Here's a great tutorial from Until Wednesday Calls on how to make a cute scarf from an old pair of pajamas, though scrap fabric would probably work just as well.

These bangles made from vintage maps are so lovely. I have also seen a version of these where the bracelet itself is made from a slice of an old shampoo bottle, then wrapped in scrap T-shirt fabric, though for the life of me I cannot find the tutorial.

Handmade Holidays - Decor, Part 2

Here's a continuation of yesterday's tutorials for home decor gift ideas. Enjoy!

My sister and I made a whole bunch of these little magnets – they are really easy and super cute. I found an old homemakers encyclopedia, and the images from it were perfect! The tutorial's moved around a bunch, but Not Martha has a really good post on them.

While you're at it, you can also make these button magnets from the Happy Home. We did.

Here's a cute little photo cube from Instructibles.com for displaying numerous images of loved ones in a small space.

These paper flowers from Housewife Eclectic are just too beautiful for words! I would love to receive a bouquet of these!

Here's a link to a Spool pattern for a simple sewn decorative bird.

These little patchwork baskets look so handy. I want to make some for my recyclables – then I can take them out to the bin, toss them in, and roll them up to stick in my bag when I head out for work. No mess, they stay open, they won't take up much space, and I won't need to make a special trip to the recycling bin.

Here's a simple but delightful paper and twig centerpiece for entertaining from How About Orange.

This is a really cute idea from Sandy's Space for organizing ribbon.

And some lovely kitchen decals from Just Something I Made.

Handmade Holidays - Decor, Part 1

Many of the tutorials I received were for home decor items, so this will be a two-part post - the rest will be posted tomorrow!

Here's a tutorial for some pretty candles from Martha Stewart.

Here's a tutorial for a gift recipe tin, also from Martha Stewart.

Just Something I Made has an adorable tutorial for cute decorative houses and all sorts of ideas for using them. I love the idea to use them as stamp dispensers. Very useful to us swappers...

The Little House by the Sea has a pattern and tutorial for such cute little felt mushrooms!

My Little Mochi has a great tutorial for making little bowls that snap together when you need them, and lie flat when you don't. Great for people (like me) who don't have much space.

I don't know about you, but party crackers are always present during the holidays at my boyfriend's family's home. Here's a tutorial for making them from Not Martha.

Or, here's an idea for making gifts out of egg shells.

Here's another cute use for eggs as vases from Design Sponge (one of my new favourite sites – I can't stay away!).

Here's a pattern for some lovely little paper flowers from Folding Trees.

Handmade Holidays - Bath and Beauty

Who doesn't love to pamper themselves with a nice long soak in the tub? It's the perfect way to relieve holiday shopping stress here is a set of tutorials for making body-pampering gifts for those in your life who love to/could use to slow down and take some me-time.

I love making bath products, and here is a series of tutorials from Martha Stewart on how to make some of my favourites. Bath fizzies are always well received, and are pretty simple:

Body Scrub
Bath Salts - a simple variation on the bath salts is to mix your salts, then open up a peppermint tea bag and mix in the dried mint leaves for a peppermint soak. This is a great refreshing soak for the feet after a long day of work.
Lip Balm - add a few drops of Vitamin E and lavender for a healing lip balm, or peppermint for refreshing balm.
Bath Fizzies

Life With Monkey has a great tutorial for sewing your own hair curlers. This is genius!

Handmade Holidays - Gifts for Kids

For those who have kids in their lives, here is a handful of gift ideas for the little ones.

Here's a cute little tute for a baby doll sling from Domestic Dork.

I Love to Create has a cute little tutorial for making a puzzle with pictures of distant loved ones.

Of course, Futuregirl's Sigmund the Octopus is always an adorable choice for the kids.

Keeping with the water theme, here's a tutorial for a kid's aquarium (for that child who may not be able to care for their fish...)

Here's a Martha Stewart tutorial for making snap-on felt appliques for kids clothes.

These elf slippers from Maya Made would be great for the child (or child-at-heart) in your life.

Handmade Holidays - Holiday Decorations

This holiday season, I have decided to make most of my gifts handmade. This wasn't a conscious decision, but when thinking of what each person would like, in most cases, something really personal and handmade came to mind. Unfortunately, I clearly can't post those gifts here, or the recipients would lose the surprise.

Luckily, I have been exchanging handmade ideas with my swap-bot partners, and have a huge list of tutorials that came from everyone. I'm going to post a handful a day, separated into categories, so that I can share them instead.

I decided to start off with some holiday decorations to get everyone into the holiday spirit. Enjoy!

Here's a cute little advent calendar from Martha Stewart made from baby socks.

Or, Freshly Pieced has a tutorial for making a wall hanging advent calendar. She even sell all the fabric to make it in one custom fat quarter, though it may be a little late to order and make in time for Dec 1.

Eat Drink Chic has a tutorial for some adorable little holiday goodie bags.

Jolly Allsorts has a cute tutorial and pattern for a decorative felt Christmas tree.

Here's a tutorial for making a lovely little money tree from Do It Yourself Gifts.

These Dorset buttons from Trish Alan make adorable Christmas decorations.

I love these flower ornaments made from recycled paper towel tubes from Michele Made Me.

Green dress is complete!

I finally finished the dress for the wedding! I used an old pattern from 1975 that I hadn't ever touched before... it either used to belong to my mom or I picked it up second-hand somewhere, I'm not sure which. I had to alter the pattern since it was in a size 12 and I'm more like a size 16, but it turns out this pattern is very forgiving, and it turned out great! I just added 1/2" to each seam allowance and eye-balled the curves.

The pattern is supposed to attach the halter-strap behind the neck with buttons, but I never liked that kind of attachment. I find that anything behind the neck, depending on your position, will get too tight or too loose. Here's what I did instead:

First, I measured the overlap when the straps were sitting comfortably behind my neck.

Then, I sewed a tube of fabric about 1.5" longer than that length and the width of the strap. I then cut out 2 strips of elastic (I didn't have any wide elastic) a little longer than the length of the overlap.

I placed the strips of fabric side by side in the fabric tube. I then cut the straps down to eliminate the overlapping ends entirely, but keeping 1/4" seam allowance, which I then folded into the strap. After that, just slip the tube and elastics into the strap, and sew the whole thing!

I pushed the fabric of the tube down until it is level with the end of the elastics (I exaggerated a bit here to show the elastic), then sewed the other side in a similar way.

Voila! A comfortable halter strap! And if you're wondering about the tape on my back, I have had to have that lately to keep my muscles in the correct place. It's all to help get rid of some neck/shoulder problems that I can thank working in front of a computer for...

Zippered Tote-bag How-to

Heart of Mary posted a tutorial for this awesome tote bag that zips up into a little pocket. So handy! Update: The new and improved tutorial for this tote is now available for a small fee at her Etsy shop Simple Things!