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We are going to change up our Handmade Giving series just a little bit today to share some ideas for bringing handmade into your holiday decorating.
I'm sure there are many out there reading our gift guides that just don't have people on their lists that would appreciate a handmade gift. We get that. But don't let that stop you from enjoying the merriment of creating during the holidays! I've got some super simple things from my own home to share with you today. The parts of my home I love the most are the ones I have been able to really put my own stamp of creativity on. Creating my own decor pieces is key to this. You'll see that nothing is perfect here (and the camera hides the dust and crumbs) but I'm excited to welcome you in and I hope it inspires you to find places in your own home that you can add your handmade projects to.
Changing out the pillows on my couch is one of my favorite ways to freshen up our living room. I have two 20" pillows and two 12" x 18" pillows on our couch, all with invisible zipper pillow covers. Easy to change, throw in the wash and exchange for a new look. (The same can be done with envelope style pillows if you prefer.) I made these pillow covers last year with some Christmas fabric we had in the shop, so this was the first time "reusing" them. I have to say, it was a pretty satisfying moment when I changed the pillows to a Christmas theme without having to do any work! We have some really fun Christmas fabric this year that would make amazing pillows. Do future you a favor and sew up some pillow covers to enjoy not just this year, but many years to come.
My kids have a great time decorating our tree with all the ornaments we've collected over the years - and I love that - but it means the idea of a color scheme or certain "look" isn't really possible. So I picked a different spot to decorate with the look and feel I had in my head. This is a chalkboard wall that's between my kitchen and dining room. (Also, this is what a 4 year old textured chalkboard wall looks like!)
I made the plaid blanket by folding over the edges of some flannel and top stitching it. That's it. Flannel restock is happening in the shop all the time, so stop in and see which beautiful plaid or solid would add a little something to your home.
I just finished up perfecting an ornament for our Handmade Giving party on Saturday. They are origami inspired cranes made out of felt and I am a little obsessed with them! I'll be teaching a free class in the afternoon on how to make them. Just purchase a sheet of felt and join me anytime from 2:30pm - 5:30pm on Saturday. I made a lot of cranes during the process and decided to feature them on some garland instead of adding them to our Christmas tree. The snowflake embroidery is also on felt and took almost no time and was so relaxing! A quick snowflake image search will give you stitching inspiration for the whole winter. A hefty dose of kid art rounds this wall out nicely I think.
Even if my gifts aren't all handmade, I like to try to make reusable gift bags or just wrap in fabric for most of our gifts (for sure the gifts exchanged between our immediate family, so the wrapping stays in our house to reuse). I'll do anything I can do to avoid that post gift opening paper explosion! So much mess, expense and waste. If you haven't tried our free drawstring bag pattern yet, you are in luck! The morning class, from 10:30am - 1:30pm at our Handmade Giving party is the Reusable Gift Bag with Angelique! Purchase one of our kits for just $4.50 and you'll have your first of many bags in no time. The best part - once you've gotten the method figured out you can make bags in any shape or size! I used suede cording for the drawstring on these bags, just to change things up.
Anyone remember the rope tray I made last year? I've been using it ever since, but I love it the most at Christmas.
Things I want to add to our house this year:
Flower Garden Christmas wreath and my own set of Scandi Stockings.
Bring some handmade into your Christmas decor this year. I promise you'll have a new sense of pride in your home when your favorite parts are made by you.
Happy Sewing!
Roxanne
P.S. Don't forget to join us for our annual Handmade Giving Party on Saturday, December 10th!