Printable Letter to Santa from I'm Feelin' Crafty

Just saw this via Craft Gossip and had to print out immediately!  How adorable!  Click on the picture for your own.

Free Gingerbread Printables

 

Hey there!

 

 

Just popping in to share a link I just found and can't wait to print out!  It's a group of children's illustrators who each designed a gingerbread house to print out and assemble.  They are adorable, and just the kind of afterschool crafty project we need around here!

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Felt bird ornaments

Each year, we like to treat our family friends to a small, meaningful gift for the holidays. We have friends that are known for their granola, hot chocolate and gingerbread men. While I've made peppermint bark in the past, I wanted to do something different this year.

Little E had planted sunflowers in the garden that yielded beautiful yellow heads full of seeds. When they dried up, we got the idea to save them and give them out as our holiday gift - something to either save and plant or share with the birds now.

After a few trial runs, I came up with a felt bird ornament with a fabric applique wing and bell to accompany the sunflower. Unfortunately, when we went to retrieve the flowers, they looked less than gift-worthy. Plan B? A sack of seeds the birds will enjoy in the coming winter months along with a handcrafted ornament I hope our friends will enjoy in the years to come.

The bottom right was my first bird - the wing came out a bit too big. I love the paisely brown one, probably for the sheer luck that the print landed on its eye. In the end, I opted for the simple felt birds - I love the striking contrast between the saturated color of the felt and the fabric print.

Here are two gifts, packaged and ready to deliver (can you tell my color ink was running out?).

Wishing you the joy of creating and giving!

Candy cane heart pops

While cleaning out my craft area, I came across an old Family Fun magazine. Before recycling it, I flipped through quickly and found these great Valentine pops.  A simple recipe with few ingredients and a few steps makes for great holiday treats to wrap up for friends.

With a change of sprinkle color, they are now perfect for the holiday season.

Candy cane, white chocolate and festive sprinkles...

...all packaged and ready to go (into my tummy?).

Hope you find time to try something new today!

Just in time for Santa: felt carrot tutorial

Cookies for Santa are great, but I think the reindeer deserve a healthy snack after all that pulling, don't you? Here's a quick and fun project to make sure that sleigh makes it wherever it needs to go!

Materials: a small amount of green and orange felt
polyfill or other stuffing

Cut felt according to above measurements.

Put these out for Santa's team on Christmas eve and you'll be sure to avoid any coal in your stocking! Make a few more for your little one's imaginary horse, too!

Wishing you delicious treats this holiday season!

Advent stockings

The countdown to Christmas is a magical time but often gets overshadowed by Advent calendars that hold treats and candies. My preference is for a simpler kind which helps children and adults prepare for the holiday with actions of friendship, love and kindness.

I have had these sweaters in my repurpose box for years but never wanted to cut into them. Once I saw this decorating idea on Martha Stewart, I finally braved the scissors to my felted beauties. I'm so happy I did because now we have our own Advent calendar tradition.

Borrowing some prompts from Noodlehead's Advent calendar and coming up with our own, we now have 24 days to show acts of kindness, love and fun as we prepare for the Christmas holiday.

Wishing you moments to stop and enjoy the spirit of the season!