Let the Crafting Begin!

While I'm sure many crafters started their Christmas crafting a month (or months!) ago, this year I decided to hold off and keep it simple.  I'm not going to make my kids Christmas pajamas this year and I've opted out of sewing the girls' Christmas dresses.  Given that they might only wear the dresses once, I didn't feel like it was worth the time this year.  I do want to include a few handmade things under the tree, though.

I'm making crayon rolls for the kids using this tutorial.  I started Indi's today.

I think each roll will take about 30 minutes from start to finish.  It's an easy project to add to the 'handmade' list.

I also plan to make the kids chef hats

photo from the book Sew Liberated by Meg McElwee

using the pattern/instructions from this book.

This book has a lot of great projects, but if you are looking for an online tutorial, there's one here.

I'm planning to make a yoga bag for a good friend of mine using this free pattern by Amy Butler.  I was just about to get started when the kids got back from a walk with Dan.

 
A couple of months ago, the kids chose some fabric for cloth napkins for their lunches.

I'm going to sew those up using this tutorial but with a straight stitch instead of a zig zag stitch. 

I started cutting the felt birds that I ordered last month.  I think that will be the most time consuming project I have going right now.

We have our Advent calendar up and the kids cannot wait to get started on it.

 I made the calendar last year using this tutorial.

I'm using these daily advent devotions (starting today actually!), tucking one in each pocket starting Dec 1.  We made these ornaments to go on our 'Jesse tree'.  (I had never heard of a Jesse tree until last year.)

The Jesse tree and ornaments are going along with our advent calendar.  The really awesome ones were made by Dan.  He was into it, even lifting his ban on glitter glue, so he could add a little sparkle.  :)

Two ornaments by Dan

We got our tree up the Friday after Thanksgiving.  The two older kids had a great time decorating the tree.

[Indigo insists that this (formerly) Shirley Temple costume is either a clown or mushroom costume... depending on the day.]

Evangeline was rockin out to Christmas music in the backpack.  She's been loving the backpack again which makes my life sooo much easier.

When she's not in the backpack, she has no trouble at all keeping up with her big brother and sister.  Jude did manage to capture this photo of her being still, a fleeting moment to be sure.