Friday, January 16, 2015

Handmade Christmas

Christmas has its challenges when it comes to children -- how does one achieve that delicate balance between giving gifts without fostering materialism? While we're probably far more conservative than average, it's still easy to get carried away. There are so many toys that I know our children would love! 

This year, we tried to augment current "collections," or upgrade toys that they already love but have outgrown. And always books -- this year Rosa got A is for Annabelle, Little Man got Curious George and the Firefighters, and they jointly received The Tale of Three Trees and Journey (which is now one of our favorites; it's delightfully whimsical, and surprisingly "well told" for having no words!)  

Rosa's other Christmas gift included play food, a new apron, and a little tin tea set. She has this Stephen Joseph kitchen set (a gift from her "Mumsy") so a few accessories seemed like a good idea.

The apron was simple -- I used a little canvas apron (via the Publix Preschool Pals club) as a template, rounding the bottom edges for a more feminine flair. A little bit of trim, bias tape, and a wee pocket later, it was ready! All done in less than one nap time.


The pink polka-dot fabric came from a visit to Denver Fabrics about seven years
ago! It's a lightweight canvas, perfect for an apron. 

For play food, I settled on a slightly breakfast theme -- pancakes, eggs, strawberries, and orange wedges. I'd like to branch out over time, but I knew those particular foods would go over well (and I already had the necessary felt!). I also stitched a simple grocery bag, loosely following the instructions from Sew Magical for Baby -- I reduced the size to be more suitable for little hands, and kind of winged the construction process. It's a hard pattern to mess up!





And then, a week before Christmas, I found the tea set of my dreams while browsing World Market's website -- searching for "tea tins," I came across their Floral Tin Tea Set. Rosa is fascinated by tea, but I'd thought it would be a while before she was ready for a tea set due to my aversion to plastic sets and the likelihood certainty of a porcelain set shattering within weeks (or days, or even hours!). But a tin tea set? And one that evokes Cath Kidston, at that? Never mind that fact that it already perfectly matched the apron I'd just made for her! Granted, her pancakes are bigger than the plates -- but so far she hasn't complained about that. *wink* It even came in a little case, which makes storage simple.


The orange wedges are a bit primitive, but I'm very fond of my seeded strawberries!

The tea set necessitated a little stash of tea bags -- I saw some that had been made using a real tea bag as a template, so I tried that. Did you know that a tea bag is actually a tube of filter, folded and stapled? You do now! Some sheer musliny fabric from my stash served for this miniature versions, and I did actually fill them with a sprinkling of Earl Grey Moonlight. They smell heavenly! Ric rac and felt for the tags, and they were ready.




And here's a snapshot of the wee little lady herself on Christmas morning -- she lost no time in serving out steamy cuppas  (though for some reason she insisted on removing the tea pot's lid before using it. Hmm.).




I was less involved in Little Man's present, simple by nature of what it was! We went with a Robin Hood theme for our outdoorsy boy, which meant a bow, quiver, arrows, and a felt cap. Pablo had made him a small PVC bow and a single PVC arrow about a year ago, but it was time for an upgrade. This time Pablo made a nicer PVC bow with more shaping, and applied a shoe polish "stain" that looks like a real wood grain. I fashioned some black leather into a grip which was glued/stitched on. Oh, and Pablo made eight wooden dowel arrows, complete with fletching and carved nocks. Plenty for a young marksman!





The quiver was also made out of PVC, slightly flattened into an oval shape. We covered it with pleather (resorting to some interesting techniques to finish the bottom!), and riveted a leather strap to the top and bottom. 




The felt hat, of course, was my domain! I used this free tutorial for Little Man's Robin Hood hat, printing it out at 80% -- the size is perfect! I may make a sturdier version in the future (his is just felt, and rather thin felt at that), but for now it's just right. Little Man has been wearing this ensemble almost non-stop since Christmas, especially since we recently watched the old Erroll Flynn Adventures of Robin Hood movie as a family. 

Lessons learned this year? Get an earlier start! In fact, this year I really want to be more prepared for gift-giving events in general. Birthdays and Christmas are quite predictable, so why not be ready early and avoid last-minute stress?

But overall, considering the innumerable cups of "tea" I've been served and the frequent archery exhibitions I've been invited to view, I'm pretty sure we can count this year's Christmas gifts a success!

24 comments:

  1. What fun Christmas gifts!! We also went along with a theme for Juanito... Super hero toys! He's convinced super heroes are soccer players. They've been a big hit. Rosie received plastic play food and matchbox cars (both to add to her brother's toys as she loves to play with him). We kept it pretty minimal for amounts of toys given. And, we also had to give books and puzzles :) I understand what you mean about the tension of not encouraging a materialistic view and wanting to be generous to our kids.

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    1. Adding to existing collections is so nice -- I love not needing to find a new storage solution! :-) Aren't books and puzzles great?

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  2. Oh, this post makes me miss you all so much and, thus, to treasure doubly my day with you over Christmas, when I got to experience each one of these firsthand. Love and hugs to every one of you -- and throw in a few kisses for the littles! ;-)

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    1. We treasure our day with you, too! I think you have forever secured a spot in the littles' affection. :-) I'll be sure to pass on some love to Little Man and Rosa, but I'm keeping plenty for myself!

      Love,
      Shannon

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  3. I enjoyed this post, Shannon! What great Christmas gifts for your kids-- ideas definitely right up our alley, too. You and your husband must have such fun creating things together.

    I'm so with you on the "start earlier" mantra. I started earlier than I normally do, which in hindsight proved to be a lifesaver....but even earlier wouldn't have hurt. I just need to get the ideas to come sooner--they seem to come best when I'm under pressure or facing a looming deadline. I always want to say, "Never again (will I do it this way)!" But the truth is, I will! :)

    Thank you for the book and pattern recommendations! Those are fun to look up and consider.

    Take care,
    Krista

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    1. Thank you, Krista! We did have a blast (though I think I was little grumpy by the time we finished up at 1:00 AM Christmas morning... ;-), and I'm so glad we can each contribute to our kids' gifts.

      I think I'm probably in the same boat -- I'm a procrastinator by nature, so I'm better at whipping something up last minute than I am at being prepared and organized. :-)

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  4. Oh, Shannon! I just loved this post! Your creativity and imagination are such an inspiration!! I love the felt food. I am pinning it now so that I will hopefully remember this idea when my little one is older. : ) What special memories for your children; each gift a sweet expression of love made by mom!

    -Sarah

    P.S. I especially loved the tea bags!!

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    1. Thank you, Sarah, you are so sweet! :-) Perhaps one of my favorite aspect of the Internet (and sewing/crafting blogs in particular) is the constant swirl of ideas and inspiration -- I drew from so many sources as I planned, so it makes me happy that my results can do the same for others! The tea bags are my favorites, too :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  5. Lovely to see your handmade gifts. My twins have the same tea set & I made them little knitted tea bags for it. I love your one's with the little hearts.
    We try to keep Christmas gifts simple too, Christmas has got far to materialistic.
    Fondly Michelle

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! I was certainly chuffed to find that tea set (it was reasonably priced, too!). Knitted tea bags sound extra cozy!

      I just had such a lovely browse on your blog -- I'll have to visit again!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  6. Oh my, I LOVE the tea set! Good thing it's out of stock online, or I'd be tempted to order one for my girls... even though they already have a play tea set. Uh, I love tea, what can I say... :)
    Those are some fun books... we checked out "Journey" from the library a few months ago and the kids really enjoyed it. Just recently Edmund was asking for it again, but I couldn't remember the title, so thank you for the reminder!
    Overall your handmade gifts are very sweet and well done, and it's nice that you put some thought and love into the gifts. I always planned to go low-key with gifts for my kids, but alas, I've been carried away on the tidal wave of massive influx from relatives, and my husband likes to "splurge" on the kids, too. I am seriously gearing up to do my first major toy purge and I'm daunted by the task, but hoping it will result in a more peaceful and tidy home.

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    1. I noticed that it was out of stock when I put up the post -- it's been less than a month since I purchased it, so I'm glad I found it when I did! Can one have too many tea sets? ;-)

      "Journey" is so marvelous! I didn't like the sequel as much ("Quest"), though it was still quite good. I love watching Little Man figure out the story by poring over the pictures. I tend to be a word-oriented person, but I think those books are fabulous for the imagination.

      It's so difficult to keep things modest, especially when there are grandparents and relatives (and ours are very moderate, which I am so grateful for!). I am always surprised by how hard it is to resist things for the children! :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  7. so cute! (and sadly, that fabulous tea set is out of stock!) Good eye. ~shannon

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    1. Thank you, Shannon!

      I'm counting my blessings that the tea set was still in stock when I found it! Perhaps it might be found in a store, though, if there's one nearby?

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  8. Great gifts. I love homemade Christmas gifts. Both children will no doubt greatly enjoy these gifts :)

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    1. Thank you, Danice! I'm feeling confident that they will be well-loved! :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  9. So glad you had a joyful Christmas. This is like a mirror of mine exactly. My daughter was gifted (by me and my husband) a tea set too. We found ours at the toy store and it is the Totally Me Paint Your Own Tea Set. It should be fun to personalize it for her to play with and hopefully, it won't shatter too much. I considered this type only because she is so curious about my own cast-iron tea set (from Japan) and goes to the drawer where I store it and pulls out all the parts.

    As for my son, he too got a bow and arrow that he shoots around. I like the idea of a felt cap too, after seeing what you did here, and the craftiness of the bow and a quiver is fabulous! Now I'd like to also make some tea bags for my girl to enjoy when she serves tea for her dad next time!

    Thanks Shannon, you're the best!

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    1. How funny that our children's gifts were so similar! Great minds think alike, perhaps? :-) I love the idea of a tea set that can be personalized.

      Thanks for stopping by, and for your kind words!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  10. Those tea bags are just the cutest things ever :D You did a really good job on all of it.
    I have a soft spot for archery (growing up on Narnia and Robin Hood and getting a bow on my tenth birthday) and your son's bow and arrows are really nice looking.

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    1. Aww, thanks! :-) There's just something about archery, isn't there? My husband is actually quite keen on our taking it up as a hobby together, so perhaps it will soon be a family thing!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  11. What wonderful gifts! Your little play tea bags make me wish I was little again!!

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    1. Thank you for your sweet words! I must admit, I think I'm having as much fun with the tea bags as Rosa is... ;-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you so much for stopping by!