a partridge and a pear

**This design is now available as a PDF pattern!**

Carrying on the (short) parade of handmade gifts: I made these two wool felt ornaments for my bosom friend, Robyn.

My seven year old Thing 1 was very taken with the whole idea. I showed her the ornaments and she said "Oh, oh! Like the song." Counting exaggeratedly on fingers, "You have a partridge, then the pear and then you put it on the Christmas TREE. So the Christmas tree is the pear tree. Is that it?"

Yeah. I have to admit, I didn't think of that. I just knew I'd tried to make a pear tree ornament last year that was too complicated and super ugly, so this year I dumbed it down to just the pear.

I also ended up making a second pair (haha) of them for my sister, Leigh. I say for my sister, which is really how it is, but it was supposedly a 'family' gift. We drew names for families this year instead of individuals, and it was decided we'd all do handmade. So Leigh saw these ornaments under construction at Thanksgiving and instantly demanded to have a pair just like them for their family's handmade Christmas gift.

I said, 'Are you sure you want to speak for your whole family, they might not--"

"Yes." Her steely look cut off any further discussion.

So, here they are. They are almost but not exactly like the ones for Robyn. I can't seem to make anything EXACTLY alike twice in a row. That's boring. I also threw in some handmade candy so that the rest of her family got some enjoyment from 'their' gift. *wink* Love you, Leigh.

Asher's Mikey

"How YOU doin'?"

This is the Mikey monkey I made for smiley baby Asher's Christmas gift. He got to hang out some with Katy before I boxed him up. Asher's too young to appreciate him now, but maybe his older brother and sister can enjoy Mikey until Asher is old enough to suggest "Mine! Mine!".


And here he is in his pirate get up, ready to pillage bananas and swing from the main mast.

He's very similar to the Mikey I made for Tucker, I think the only difference is the eye, tie and hat colors. More handmade gifting to come. I have to string this out you know, since I didn't get to make much this year.

may it be bright

 
(Note: This design is now the Snow Bird PDF pattern, available for instant download in my shop.)

Four posts in four days. Nice way to wrap up 2009. This bird ornament has been a WIP since last Christmas. I finally put on the finishing touches a few days ago.

May your bright holiday be filled with the love of Christ, of family, and some really fattening snacks. A very merry Christmas to all, and a happy, happy new year. Thank you so much for supporting my often angst-ridden ramblings and craftings. I'll see you all in 2010.

snowflakery

Wow, two posts in two days for me. Cah-raaaazy. Happy Birthday, Jamie! You sweetie.

We were in a paper snowflake mood here after watching Elf. During the movie, I find myself getting really distracted from the antics by the profusion of snowflakes and paper chains Buddy festoons everywhere he goes.

So we made a bunch and taped them up everywhere in honor of the first day of winter. You can make some too with these great templates at Yarn Owl (via How About Orange). Print them at whatever size you like. All you do is fold on the dotted lines and cut out the black areas, and poof, a beautiful snowflake.

I found myself wanting to experiment with other shapes, so I also created this blank template (click here to download). With the hexagonal shape it is pretty easy to make an impressive snowflake with even very simple cutouts. Like this:

1) cut out the hexagon

2) fold in half

3) fold in half again

4) fold twice more on the dotted lines until you have this wedge

5) if you like, draw your shapes in pencil before you cut. Or just wing it.

6) cut out your shapes

7) unfold. poof! pretty snowflake.

The hardest part for kids is cutting through the thickness of the paper after it is folded. Little hands may need some help cutting. After a while, my girls also enjoyed just letting me do the cutting, then unfolding the snowflakes to reveal their shapes. That's the really fun part after all.

It occurred to me that this could also make a nice last-minute handmade gift for someone on your list. Neatly cut out a particularly spectacular snowflake, iron it flat, then mount it inside a nice frame with some pretty paper or fabric as the background. And there you go. Christmas decor.

Or, snowflake cards! Ooh. Or snowflake embellished stockings! Ooh! Or snowflake appliques on dresses! I could go on and on.

tooth pillow improvement

Hey, everybody! I've been to physical therapy and we did all kinds of cool but sinister-sounding things like electrodes and traction. My neck is on the mend, and this Thanksgiving all my thanks go to the good Lord for answered prayers. And to you, for your prayers and good wishes! More PT after Thanksgiving for me, and I'm looking forward to it.

I did squeeze in this tiny bit of crafting for a sweet little five year old's birthday party. I assure you it was quite moderate compared with the mondo crafting I wanted to do. I thought I'd share it with you since I added an improvement that will make it more durable.


When you make the Tooth Pillow from my pattern, after you mark the line for the mouth but before you cut the slit, machine stitch all the way around it with matching thread, close to the line. See the stitching around the mouth in the photo above? This will prevent the mouth from stretching from repeated use. You can also used this method with the slit you need to cut in the back for turning. It makes things look neater with less stretching. The PDF pattern has also been updated with this change (and can be found here).

Well, there you have it. Just a small thing. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday all you United States citizens, wherever you may be.

And the winners are...

(rustling of envelopes)

Amy, who has made an Atlanta Braves themed Molly and would like to add a Mikey,

and

darlinroz, who's in it for the shoes. Darlinroz, I need your email address!

(falling confetti)

(pinwheeling spotlights)

Well, congratulations you two! I'll be emailing you the patterns soon.

A huge HUGE thank you to everyone who commented and also for your support in my shop for the patterns. It blew me away! Happy holiday crafting.

Don't forget the pattern sale is on through Monday, 20% off the regular price of Katy Kitty, Baby Binky Bunny and Mikey Monkey.

P.S. On a sad note (for me), I have injured my neck and time spent on the computer or sewing seems to aggravate it. SIGH. SIIIIIIIGHH. I'm praying for healing and patience. Until the neck is better, I won't be crafting or posting as often! I'm going to have to learn moderation, which is very difficult for me when it comes to Precious and crafting. I'll miss it, and I'll miss you.

Mikey Monkey, a sale and a giveaway

Wow, thanks everybody! Comments are now closed for the giveaway.

Mikey Monkey is now in the shop! Above is the first page of the 15-page boy-centric Mikey Monkey PDF pattern. It includes color pictures, step-by-step detailed instructions, a boatload of illustrated diagrams for each step, and of course, the pattern pieces. I've learned a few things since I wrote the Molly pattern, and I've made some adjustments here and there for easier assembly.

I hope this is in plenty of time for your Christmas makings. If you already have the Molly pattern but would love to make the boy version and these accessories without all the guess-work, then this pattern is for you!

Here is the basic Mikey, above.

He has two options for his Look. One is the more debonair tie/collar combo, paired with a jaunty newsboy hat, above.

The other fashion option is a striped t-shirt with a baseball cap, for the more casual monkey on-the-go.

Here's the back of the cap.

And included also with the pattern is a pirate play set, with pirate hat, sword and eye patch. Arrrr!

And of course, the tennis shoes. And if Molly wants to play, go ahead and let her! All Mikey's accessories fit her too.

To mark the debut of the Mikey pattern, I am also having my first ever sale at the shop. All my softie patterns will be 20% off until Monday the 23rd.

And oh, yes. I nearly forgot. I'd like to celebrate by giving away two Mikey patterns! If you are interested, leave ONE comment with your email address on this post. I'll be giving the patterns away via random number generator first thing on November 18th. See you back here then.

P.S. If your monkey makin' won't wait until Wednesday and you want to get started with the pattern, I can refund you the purchase price if you should be one of the lucky winners!

aarrrrrr...

Aye, hand o'er the bananasss and no one gets strapped t'the masthead. Arrrr

So, so close on the Mikey Monkey pattern. Finishing up some fun options/accessories for him, including the pirate playset you see here.