Handmade gift retreat

Handmade Gift Guest: Anna of Noodlehead

11.09.10

Today for our handmade gift retreat I’m excited to introduce you to Anna of Noodlehead. Anna is my sewing hero and is one of those women who dreams up beautiful things and then
just
makes them.

You are about to see what I mean.

She also has two adorable daughters who get cool things from their mama, like adorable neck warmers and unicorn dresses. (My kids don’t even know what they’re missing. Maybe by the time the grandkids come along…) So, without further ado, here is Anna.

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Hey gift givers!  Just want to say a huge thanks to Amber for inviting me over today. Well, if you’ve ever read my blog, you’ll know I love making zippered pouches.  I think they’re the perfect gift for any occasion, but especially Christmas.  By just changing up the dimensions a bit or using different fabrics, you can make a completely unique gift for that person on your list.

Go ahead and try my Scrappy Make-up Pouch Tutorial!
The best part about these pouches is what you can fill them with!  It’s a great opportunity to stuff in some special treats.  How about some chap stick, a mini journal and a pen for that teenager?  Or for a preschooler I love to make it a crayon pouch.  Fill it with crayons and markers, maybe some stickers, and wrap it all up with a spiral art journal.  For a special woman in your life you can dream up just about anything to suit their hobbies and tastes, I’d love one with a box of chocolates and a gift card to my favorite bookstore.  And maybe even for that man on your list, you know – that guy.  Yes, just grab some manly fabric and make it a dopp kit, some cologne, fancy men’s products, a gift card for ice cream perhaps?!
I think no matter what you add inside, making it personal to your recipient will make it extra special and show that you really care, and may run a close second to that fancy sports car they’ve been dreaming of.

Happy gift giving!

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Handmade Gift Guest: Hannah of Sherbet Blossom

11.08.10

This week I’ll be tying up my handmade gift retreat. And like any good party, I’m not ready for it to be over! But I have stellar women to finish it off, and I have something wonderful coming around the corner, so I will try to be brave.

To kick off the week, I hope you’ll help me say Hello to the beautiful Hannah of Sherbet Blossom. Hannah lives in Utah with her adorable family and runs a design shop you really must see. I love her May I Suggest series she has going right now, and before that her Project Organize (don’t you love her for this? you might run across me while you browse). I’m so thrilled to have her here today sharing a dear gift. I’ll leave you in her hands.

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I think we all have ancestors/relatives that we relate to more than others. Relatives that we seem to take after. Someone that shares your same interests, character traits or humor. My Grandma Boo is that relative for me. She was a woman who had a passion for design; she always had the latest fashions in clothing and home decor: not your average grandma. She loved to laugh and she adored her husband. She was always serving other people and thought of herself last. She was the ultimate, glamorous hostess.

I come from a family of cooks and Grandma Boo was the best. When she passed away, my mother made all of Grandma Boo’s descendants a book of my grandmother’s recipes. It is now one of my most prized possessions. I am sad to say this book is not available for purchase, but it SHOULD be!
My copy is full of food stains, kid scribbles and jotted notes. I love this book. I know that I am safe making anything in it. Everything is delicious and most recipes are accompanied by memories of my grandmother. The smells and taste of her food brings in a rush of memories. This is a gift that will keep on giving.

Today, my teary-eyed three-year-old came to me requesting “Grandma Boo’s Cookies” after falling down. How could I refuse him? Grandma’s cookies make any sadness a little sweeter.
Now the she is gone, Grandma’s recipes have become my homemade gift of choice. I pull out the recipe book for every holiday. Many of my friends, neighbors and family members have been the recipients of her fantastic recipes. Nothing can invite a smile like the gift of homemade chocolate chip cookies.

My grandma’s cookies are one of my favorite items in the cookbook, and like my grandma, I don’t believe in secret recipes. Sharing makes cooking even more fun. The recipe is my gift to you today. Enjoy!

GRANDMA BOO’S COOKIES:
3/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 c. quick rolled oats
1 pkg. chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs. Add remaining
ingredients in order and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees until done.
(About 10-11 minutes.)

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Handmade Gift Guest: Anna of Hey Bubbles

11.01.10

I have been loving our gift retreat so far. I hope you have too. And I have been feeling spoiled by all the lovely guests and your comments about what you would make if we were all spending the weekend crafting together (feel free to chime in). We have five more talented guests still to spoil us, starting with today’s.

Anna of Hey Bubbles has been one of my heros for a long time. She lives in Brisbane with her two adorable little girls, and makes a million
beautiful
things for them (how cute is this girls’ apron set she gave as a gift?) She also bakes. Yum. I’m excited to leave you in Anna’s hands, which I will do right now.

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One of my favourite ‘go-to’ handmade gifts for children is a handmade pencil roll.

There are a few reasons why I like this present
-  Generally I try to avoid buying more plastic toys when I’m giving a gift to a child.  Mainly because everyone seems to have so many, I know my children do, and as a mum I appreciate not having to find the space for even more toys amongst our clutter.
- If I’m giving a handmade gift I like to try and pair it up with something small that I have bought.  So a handmade pencil roll together with a cute colouring in book and maybe some stickers works really well.
- They work for boys and girls and most little kids I know like colouring in and drawing
- They’re really handy to take with you if you’re going to a restaurant or somewhere else you need to entertain a little one quietly for awhile.

I don’t use a pattern to make mine. I just measure my pencils and go for it.  But there are lots of great tutorials around in blog-land for how to make these, you just need to do a quick search for ‘pencil roll tutorial’ and you’ll find many to choose from.

Here are a couple of other ones I have made in the past.

On a different note, have a look at the absolutely beautiful knitted matryoshka dolls my youngest daughter, Polly, recently received.  If I could knit, these would definitely be on my list – they can be played with now, and it’s something beautiful enough to display as she gets older!

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Handmade Gift Guest: Marisa of Food in Jars

10.28.10

I am excited to introduce you to the next talented woman joining us for our gift retreat. If we were all spending the weekend together turning out handmade gifts, this woman would be busy at work in the kitchen making yummy things.

Please help me welcome Marisa of Food in Jars. Marisa lives and teaches canning classes in Philly, and I adore her because she makes me feel brave about canning. I love her canning 101 series, and of course, I love all her recipes. I want to have a picnic and bring my own canned pear butter and garlic pickles, and would love to start making my own stock for fall soups. If you need yummy gift ideas this year, her blog is the place to go.

And now I’ll leave you with Marisa.

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As the days turn colder (a blessed relief after the hot summer we had in Philly) I’ve been thinking a lot about holiday gifts. The recipe that keeps springing to mind is the one I developed around the holidays last year. It’s a sweet, spicy and herb-y roasted nut mix that is completely addictive and super easy (and who doesn’t like an easy homemade gift!) It’s also a good one because the ingredients aren’t seasonal, like so many of the other recipes on my website. That means you can cook it up at the last minute, without having to make any major substitutions.

I make it with peanuts and cashews because they’re my favorites, but you could do it with any combination of nuts that you like. The only thing to keep in mind is that since there are so few ingredients, you must use good ones. Get high quality butter, real maple syrup and check to ensure that your dried rosemary is fresh and fragrant. And of course, use the best, freshest nuts you can afford. Packed in jars or tied up in brown paper and baker’s twine, these nuts are tasty addition to any holiday gift basket. Visit here for the full recipe for Rosemary Maple-Glazed Nuts.

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Thanks, Marisa! Be sure to stick around through October and into November to meet the rest of the talented women joining us on our gift retreat!

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Handmade Gift Guest: LoraJean’s Magazine

10.25.10

I am here with the next superstar woman I have invited to our gift retreat. She’ll be sharing a gift she’d make if we were all huddled around the craft table this weekend turning out handmade gifts together.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you already know that LoraJean makes beautiful things. She also throws beautiful birthday parties for her little girl, and together the two of them make the sweetest creations. She is also hosting a Free Halloween Challenge, which I love.

But today, LoraJean is here to tell us a little about some of her favorite handmade giving. Take it away, LoraJean!

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What is my favorite gift to give or receive? I have to say hands down it’s a handmade gift!  A handmade gift says, I am willing to spend the time, whether it’s time wrapping it beautifully, time planing out what the gift is, or time making the gift itself.  My most recent favorite gift to receive was a skull and crossbones blanket my mother made for my son.  I love it because my son is obsessed with skeletons, & I love it because my mom went outside her own craft style just for him. (She’s not the scull and crossbones type at all.) I also love it because every night when I tuck him in, he is reminded his grandma loves him.
Thanks mom!

One tradition that I do is I make a plush food toy for each of my kids every year for Christmas. As a kid I loved to play store or pretend cook. My kids are the same. My daughter loves pretend cooking. At three years old she professed the desire to be a chef, now at 6 years old she still plays with the food toys I make. Throughout the years here is some of what I have made, a 3 layered cake, brownies, chocolate cookies, pizza, spaghetti, and a popsicle. (I may be forgetting some.)

Wrapping the gift, for me, is just as fun as making it. A wile ago I fell in love with the cute packaging I was seeing at the craft stores.  But I was unwilling to buy them, I was bent on figuring out some way to do it myself!  And I guess I finally did. This simple origami box has changed my take on wrapping and gift giving. I am obsessed! (Yesterday I even tried to make one out of a 3×3 ft piece of canvas… it didn’t work.)

What was your favorite gift to give or get?

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Be sure to stick around through October and into November to meet the rest of the talented women joining us on our gift retreat.

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Handmade Gift Guest: Alli of One Pearl Button

10.21.10

Our gift retreat is officially underway. Are you ready? We are kicking things off with a woman whom you will adore, and who will be sharing a gift she’d make if we were all huddled around the craft table this weekend turning out handmade gifts for everyone we love.

Alli writes at One Pearl Button, where I’ve been a fan for sometime. She does beautiful things with sharpies (I love sharpies!) and is even a member of the Sharpie Squad,  she’s handy with a sewing machine and with yarn, and she is one of my fashion heroes (heroines?) Also, I love her beginner’s guide to Polaroid photography. Don’t miss it.

And now I’ll leave you in Alli’s capable hands.

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I made this little doll for my niece last Christmas, using Emily Martin’s fabulous Black Apple Doll pattern and Chez Beeper Bebe’s doll accoutrements patterns. I had a ton of fun designing and sewing the fiddly little accessories, especially the velvet capelet.

When my niece (who was about to turn two at the time) opened her package, she immediately started beating the doll against the floor, grinning and squealing. Her parents assured me that was her way of showing how much she loved it! It made me so happy to see her running around the rest of Christmas weekend, clutching her new doll.

I felt such a connection to this project, and I love that I’ve passed that connection on to one of my favorite little people!

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Be sure to stick around through October and into November to meet the rest of the talented women joining us on our gift retreat.

And also be sure to RESUBSCRIBE if you haven’t been getting my blog in your reader. I’ve broken up with my old web hosting company forever (sweet freedom!), and have moved on to someone better, so you may need to click my RSS button and subscribe again.

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Handmade Gift Retreats

10.19.10

I have a ritual I do every year about this time. I start dreaming of all the handmade gifts I’d like to make and give over the Holidays, every one made with love and care, and I imagine how fantastic they will all turn out. I imagine working on them during quiet evenings during the close of fall, while I watch great old movies or something wonderful.

I somehow forget that I will be dealing with school assignments and occasional head colds and Halloween and Thanksgiving and before I know it my list is half as long and all my projects twice as simple as originally planned. I do think I’m learning to plan more realistically, but I’ve also had a few friends through the years who’ve had another, brilliant solution.

Are you ready for it?

They all leave home for a weekend Handmade Gift Retreat.

These women are ingenious.

Imagine if you can, an entire weekend with no phone, no email, no kids’ homework projects. Just a few days surrounded by other friends busily working away at a basketful of handmade gifts. Everyone brings their own projects and supplies and just chats and creates.

I thought you’d like the idea.

So then, since I couldn’t logistically figure out how to have you all over to my house for a weekend, I decided to do the next best thing. I’m hosting a blog version of a Handmade Gift Retreat.

I’ve invited nine women to this Handmade Gift Retreat of mine. All of them are women you would love to have along if we all did spend the weekend together. I’ve invited each to mention a handmade gift she’s enjoyed making in the past and would bring to make again. A couple women will be making yummy things in the kitchen. Others will have their supplies spread out all over my giant, imaginary craft room table. But I’m sure you will love what each of them has to bring.  You can join me in  imagining that we’re all working away at our gifts and talking and admiring and having a little calm in the holiday rush.

So then, tune in Thursday to meet my first guest. I’m sure you’ll love what she’s brought along.

p.s. What would you bring to work on?

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