12 Gifts of Christmas: Gifts for Men

This was by far the most difficult one to put together! I think that making gifts for guys is so much harder than for girls!

But here are some great ideas… and don’t forget, about an hour 🙂

Paracord Lanyard by Stormdrane’s Lanyard

Moustache Coffee Mug by Plaid

Handmade Ties by The Purl Bee

Firewood Tote by Whip Up

Grill Rubs by A Creative Maven (Kojo Designs)
Bike Frame Lunch Bag by Evil Mad Scientist

Etched Glasses by Make: Craft

Coffee Sleeve by All Free Sewing

BBQ Mop Bucket by Westlake Hardware

Wine Bottle Glasses by Scissors and Steam

Leather Cuff by The Red Kitchen

Ipad Cover and Stand by Practically Functional

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Even though Christmas is on Tuesday, it’s still plenty of time for some of these quick gifts.

And so ends my 12 Gifts of Christmas for this year.

12 Gifts of Christmas: For the Ladies

This has been one of my favorite posts to put together!

Mercury Glass by Katie’s Rose Garden

Turquoise Knot Necklace by Mama Says Sew

Apron by Amy Hearts It
I might be making this for someone on my list…

Hand Drawn Decorated Bags by Emmi Grace and Me

Bow Belt by Momtastic

Quick Bread in a Bottle by Sunset

Bird Nest Necklace by Sarah Ortega

Ear Warmers by Delia Creates
Is this on my gift list… why yes it is!

Lunch Bag by Belly Buttons Boutique
Wine Cork Coasters by Pin Cookie

Bath Bombs by Instructables

Cake Stand by The Bride’s Tree

Hmm, I might need to make some of these gifts for myself too!

12 Gifts of Christmas: Gifts for Boys

And our counterpart… gifts for the little boys in your life!

Dinosaur Hoodie by DIYing to be Domestic

Car Roll Up Caddy by Lil Mop Top

Fort Kit by Meg and Andy Made

Skateboard Sling by The Boy Trifecta

Lego Table by Our Wee Family

Rag Quilt Letters by Happy Together Creates

Superhero Cape by Come On, Ilene!

Tool Bench by Hidden Sisters

Card Table Fort by Sew Much Ado
This one might take longer than an hour.

Big Boy Belts by I am Momma, Hear Me Roar

Busy Board by Making Boys Men

Marshmallow Shooter by Thrifty and Thriving
This one is for older boys

Happy gift making!

12 Gifts of Christmas: Gifts for Girls

And with days to spare… 12 Gifts for the little girls in your lives!
All of these gifts can be done in about an hour…give or take.

Magnetic Paper Dolls by Make It and Love It

Layered Twirly Dress by Pattern Remix

 Play Kitchen by Ikea Hackers

Scrappy Tutu by Create Kids Couture

Rag Quilt Letters by Happy Together Creates
This one might take a little longer than an hour.

Cone Girl Paper Dolls by Mr. Printables

Coco-esque Baby Doll by Kojo Designs

Tea Party Accessories by Kozy Kiddo

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by A Wednesday Afternoon

Lego Table by Our Wee Family

Sweater Leggings by Make It and Love It

Appliquéd Bag by V and Co.
Another one that might take a little longer than an hour.

I hope some of these give you an idea for the sweet girls in your life.

Gifts for Boys coming next…

12 Gifts of Christmas Reposted

Last year I was much more on top of things with making Christmas gifts! Here’s the links for my 12 Gifts of Christmas. Hopefully some of them will help you with your gift giving! Later this week I’ll post some gift ideas for loved ones (the boys, girls, women, men, neighbors/teachers in your life). And since it’s getting closer and closer to Christmas, you’ll be able to finish most of the gifts in about an hour. Until then… here are some ideas for you!

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Even though this is the first weekend I’ll be hanging up Christmas decorations, I’ve been thinking about gifts for months. I love the challenge of finding something meaningful and worthwhile for my family and friends. But with a little jelly bean on the way, I’m feeling a money crunch more than usual.

So at one very slow craft fair, I started going though all the pins I had collected that would make good gifts and tried to steal more great ideas from the crafters around me. The key was not to make something just to make it and save the money. I really wanted something that would fit that person’s personality and interests. I couldn’t come up with something for everyone, but I am pretty pleased with the ideas I did decide on. But there were plenty of other great ones that I thought I’d share.

Disclaimer:  If you are friends or family to whom I usually give gifts, read with caution. There’s a chance that your gift with be with these tutorials.

I’ve listed the different gifts I’ll be posting based on who they might be good for. But when I post, I’ll put projects that take longer up first and follow them with quicker projects. That way there’s enough time to get some of these done. No sense making the holidays more stressful than they need to be!

Women:
Bags (lots of tutorials from other blogs)
Scarves (5 varieties)
Tablecloth and Napkins
Mittens and Ear Warmers
Sugar Scrub

Men:
Bags (more tutorials from other blogs)
Day by Day Calendar
Iphone Carrier and Charging Case

Kids:
Fabric Memory
Giant Football Game Board
Apron
Tutu, Wand, Boa

 Teachers/Friends:
Notebook Set and Stationary
Gift Card Holders
Cookies

Apparently I can’t count and there’s more than 12 here. Oops.

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So, figure out who on your Nice List might like one of these gifts. Start deciding on some of the fabrics you might like to use (so if you need to buy more, you can take advantage of all the sales that are coming up!) See you tomorrow for the first set of gifts!

12 Gifts of Christmas: Sugar Scrubs

I’ve never used a sugar scrub, but how luxurious! I love the idea of giving someone a spa treatment as a gift. Here are some great tutorials to try out. Time to pamper someone you love (and yourself with all your Christmas preparations!).

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub by Under the Table and Dreaming

Homemade Sugar Scrub by Tip Junkie (cinnamon vanilla and sweet ‘n spicy brown sugar)

Homemade Sugar Scrub by Homemade Ginger

DIY Sugar Scrub by Glamour (of course, you’ll want to put it in a jar instead of giving the mixing bowl!)

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12 Gifts of Christmas: Cookies

Today I thought I’d post recipes for some of my favorite Christmas cookies and cute ways to wrap them as gifts. I’m sure most people are all set with their cookie recipes, but in case you need some fillers, here’s what I did this year.

Chocolate Peppermint Wafers by Real Simple (love that there are so many variations on a sugar cookie recipe!)

Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies by Tidy Mom (3 ingredients, so easy!)

White Trash/Coated Chex Mix by Food.com (I’ve heard it called both)

Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddies by Cookies and Cups

*I also do a variation on Buckeyes and gingersnaps from Betty Crocker’s box mix.

I haven’t tried this yet, but doesn’t it look wonderful!
Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt by The Crunchy Mamacita

I love giving cookies as gifts. Here are some fun, easy, cheap ways to wrap them up. Easier than buying more holiday tins!

Treat Bag with Topper by DCWV Diary (I just used some wrapping paper)

Pringles Can Cookie Holder by A Thousand Words

Happy Eating!

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12 Gifts of Christmas: Notebook Set and Stationary

Since I can’t count and did a baker’s dozen of gift ideas, I decided to extend this series through this week. This week though, my focus is on quick ideas since we’re getting closer and closer to Christmas. Much as I love crafting, there’s nothing worse than feeling rushed when you’re being crafty. For me, that increases the stress by 100!

This is a great gift idea for your child’s teacher or someone who’s an organizer or list maker!

Notebook Set

What you’ll need:
*plastic frame
*scrapbook paper
*ribbon
*post-it notes (I’d suggest the super sticky ones)
*magnets

1.  Cut your scrapbook paper to fit into your plastic frame. Put it into your frame.

2.  Attach your ribbon towards the top of the frame. You can add extra embellishments here if you want too.

3.  Attach your post-it notes.

4.  Glue magnets on the back (optional).

From Paper Wings

Stationary

What you’ll need:
*small legal size notebook
*scrapbook paper (I’d suggest several coordinating designs)
*spray adhesive
*stapler
*magnet (about the size of a business card)

1.  For the notebook:  Cut your scrapbook paper to fit the back and the overlap on the front. Use the spray adhesive to attach.

2.  For the matchbook notebook:  Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to 5″x12″. Cut white pieces of paper (for the notebook part) that measure 4″x4″. On the back side of the scrapbook paper, go down about 2″ and stack your white papers into a notebook. Close that 2″ flap over and staple. Then fold down the long piece of the scrapbook paper. This will tuck under the little flap you created.
  

3.  For the magnet:  Cut a piece of scrapbook paper cover the magnet. Use spray adhesive to attach.

4.  For the stationary:  Cut pieces of scrapbook paper to measure 4″x6″. If you want to make them more like notecards, use the spray adhesive to attach to cardstock too.

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12 Gifts of Christmas: Tutu, Wand, Boa

I love this gift! I’m pairing these with a copy of Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Conner. I love teaching with this character, and a tutu, wand, and boa seem perfect for a little girl like her. Besides, I have to giggle every time I think of a tutu tutorial. I know, roll your eyes (I just did!).

Tutu:

What you’ll need: (for a 2T/3T)
*2 yards tulle
*elastic (about 1″ smaller than the waist)

1.  Sew the ends of the elastic together to create a circle.

2.  Cut the width of your tulle in half. Cut 2″ strips of tulle. Don’t worry if the edges are jagged, because when you tie all of them onto your elastic, you’ll never notice.

3.  Fold a piece of tulle in half with the loop on the top part of the elastic. Pull the ends through and tighten. Make sure that that knot is at the bottom of the elastic.

  

From The Real Life Mom

4. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Keep pushing the knots together to make it nice and full (and to cover the elastic).

Wand:
What tutu is complete without a wand?

What you’ll need:
*glue gun
*ribbon
*8″ ribbon strips
*12″ dowel rod

1.  Paint or color both ends of your dowel rod.

2.  Starting at one end, spread some hot glue all the way around the dowel rod. Just put a few inches of glue so it doesn’t harden on you too quickly.

3.  Start wrapping the ribbon, making sure that you overlap the edges to completely cover the dowel rod. Continue wrapping all the way up.

4.  Put a dollop of glue on the end of the dowel rod. Also put about 1/4″ of glue on two opposite sides (essentially creating a straight line of glue). Center one of the strips of ribbon over the top. Press down the top and the sides. Repeat with another ribbon, but this time put the glue perpendicular to the first ribbon. Continue, alternating the direction with each ribbon.

5.  To finish it off, take one last piece of ribbon. Wrap it around the very top of your dowel rod to hold all the ribbons down. Knot this ribbon, putting a bit of glue on it.

Fleece Boa:
This could also be a fun little scarf.

What you’ll need:
*fleece

1.  Cut a strip of fleece that measures about 4″x24″.

2.  Fold it in half lengthwise. Make cuts towards the fold (don’t cut through the fold!), leaving about 1″ between the end of your cut and the fold.

3.  Space your cuts about 1″ apart.

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12 Gifts of Christmas: Mittens and Ear Warmers

This is my warm and cozy gift. I hate being cold, so winter isn’t high on my list of favorite seasons. So I found a couple of tutorials that would make a great gift to keep someone toasty warm.

Woolen Mittens by Martha Stewart

Fingerless Mittens by Zaaberry

Ear Warmers by Delia Creates

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