Last Minute Gift Idea

Need a quick last minute holiday gift for a co-worker, friend or neighbor? Try this non-sewing christmas ornament:) Here is the tutorial by WhipUp. Super easy and really cute :)

Les

Thank You for A Great Ornament Exchange!

                                                           Ornaments by Paige :)

Just wanted to send a shout out to all those who participated in the ornament exchange!! It was a success.  I was able to be there when two people received their ornaments and the excitement on their face was priceless.  It amazed me how a small gesture from someone you dont know has such an impact on someone's life.  Tears, jumping up and down, showing everyone the gift you got and the smiles were heart warming.  It really made me realize what the holidays were all about.

 One person was going through a family loss last week and was hosting the party at her parents house when knocking at the door was one of Santa's Elves, the Mail Man.  She grabs the present comes running in to the back room where I was with Chloe and says "I GOT MY ORNAMENT!!". She was so excited and ripped open the box and there was this beautiful handmade ornament! For that second this ornament brought a smile on her face when at the time we were grieving for the loss of our Uncle! WOW.

The second person,  was a little down because she had been going through a tough week and was sad because she hadn't gotten the tree up yet which she always gets up on the same day every year.  That day when everything seemed to be going wrong again the Mail Man came knocking and handed her box.  She came inside and her kids were gathered around her waiting anxiously to see what was inside.  She opened the box and  there was this ornament and she gasped.  Her eyes filled with tears and the kids where jumping up and down in excitement.  But wait, there was more in the box.  The person had sent her one of a kind greeting cards.  That made the tears come down even more!  What the person didn't know is that She LOVES cards!. 

So, it's not all about the expensive gifts during the holidays. It's the little stuff that counts, the ones that come from the heart.  The women who participated in this exchange will forever remember that ornament that came in the mail and will always have a story to tell!

Happy Holidays,

Mamma Tortilla

Check out Mommy Meatloaf

My good friend Melissa S. (yes, I know a lot of Melissa's) over at Mommy Meatloaf has some really creative ideas for ornaments. She made a light bulb into a cute christmas ornament. WAY TO BE GREEN! Become a follower of her blog. You won't regret it.

Les :)

Mouse Pad

For my birthday two of my bestest friends gave me sewing books! I got Homemade Home by Amanda Soule and Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan. I highly recommend both of them. Well, since I am making all my holiday gifts this year, I decided to put my new books into use. From Homemade Home I made the really cute mouse pad. Easy to do and a great gift. I made two of them for some of our relatives.

Happy Sewing,

Les :)

Black Apple Doll

Made one of the Black Apple Dolls by Emily Martin at Inside a Black Apple for Chloe` for Christmas. Love it. Here is the tutorial . I did make the legs and arms bigger because I was having trouble turning them inside out.

Les :)

1st Annual Ornament Gift Exchange

Picture by Supergail


I was inspired by this idea from Sewing Dork and my friend Andrea!! Thought it would be great for everyone here to make an ornament and send it off. Tis' the season for giving :). So please join in! There is no skill level required. I REPEAT NO SKILL LEVEL REQUIRED! Who doesn't love getting a little surprise in the mail :)

Here Are The Rules:

1. You have to make one handmade ornament and send it to someone you have never met before.

2. Post a comment below and leave an email address/blog address. You will make a handmade ornament and mail it to the blogger who posts a comment below you. Once a comment has been posted below yours, go ahead and contact that person to get their mailing address. You have until November 25th to post.

3. Please mail your item no later than December 7th.

4. If you are running behind NO WORRIES! Just be kind enough to email the person letting them know their gift is on the way.

5. This is supposed to be fun and stress free.

6. U.S. and Canada participants only please :)

I will post the first comment.

Les:)

Pincushion

When I started sewing, my mother-in-law for Christmas put together a sewing kit for me. It came with all the essentials needles, thread, patterns, a book, etc. I owe her a huge thank you for teaching me the basics about sewing(trying to win some brownie points by blogging about her!).

Anyways, the sewing kit came with the standard tomato pincushion (i think that's what it is) that everyone gets as a beginner. Well I decided to retire the tomato and upgrade to a more modern pincushion. Let me tell you, I'm in love :)

Check out Creative Kismet for the tutorial :) This would be a great gift for the crafty person in your life!

Les:)

The Count Down Begins

6 Weeks and Five Days until Christmas! WOW! This means that the little elves are starting to get busy. This year I have informed both sides of the family that they are getting handmade gifts from us :) I'm super excited about this and hope that it continues through out the years.

I've been finding some really good blogs that have tons of ideas for gifts and wanted to share. Hope this motivates you guys to make some handmade gifts :)

Skip To My Lou

Sew, Mama, Sew

Tipnut

One Pretty Thing

Happy Sewing!

Les