Easy Peasy Christmas Gifts for Teachers and Support Staff

It's that time of year again....you know, that time of year to scramble together a massive list of who to give to and what to give. And, if you're anything like me, it always creeps up on you. Every year I have grand plans to have all of my shopping done early, to make wonderful handcrafted gifts or to put together super cute projects for the kids to make. And yet somehow it just doesn't happen. This year is no exception. However, I have a handy backup go-to gift for my kiddo's teachers, coaches, bus driver, etc. Hand sanitizer!!! Bath and Body Works always has their PocketBacs on sale near the holidays. They are usually 5 for $5 and you can mix and match. Last year, I purchased PocketBacs and small gift bags (under $1 at Walmart), a package of Lindt's truffles and a package of Ghiradelli chocolate squares. I placed a couple chocolates and a PocketBac in the bag and had the kids make small gift tags to add a personal touch. If you really want to splurge, you can purchase the travel size lotions to complement the sanitizer. A fun way to make it personal is to purchase plain paper sacks (check these out at Michaels.com) and let the kids decorate them...color a picture, add stickers...express their love for those who care for them when they are away from you. If you have a larger budget, another of my favorite gifts to give is a travel coffee mug with a gift card inside...we did this for my son's preschool teachers (there were two). I purchased inexpensive travel mugs at Walmart and then gave each a $10 gift card to Dunkin Donuts. I then had him draw pictures which we made into handcrafted bookmarks. (I was a little more on top of things that year.)

December Photo A Day Challenge

December is off to an interesting start...the plague (aka flu...the upper respiratory flu) hit our house gracing me with a sick kiddo. As mom, I don't get sick...or so it would seem. My grand plans for December have taken an early hit in conjunction with my energy level as a casualty of this flu. However, I think I have found inspiration to help keep me on track. Over at TheIdeaRoom, they have been doing a monthly Photo A Day challenge. I stumbled across this in my antihistamine fog the other night. December's list of inspiration looks like a lot of fun, so I am giving it a go. Everyday for the month of the December I will attempt to post a photo from the list. Today's photo inspiration was "red and white"...follow me on Instagram or Facebook for the rest of the month to see what I come up with.

#theidearoom Photo A Day Challenge

A photo posted by Jamie (@1200stitches) on Dec 12, 2014 at 2:15pm PST

I am SOOO Midwest...

I am sooo midwest.... This image feels like home to me...my kids groan during road trips until we get to "more interesting" areas...a.k.a. anywhere without cornfields...but the rows of corn and waves of beans bring me such a sense of home and comfort. Don't get me wrong, I love rolling hills and trees and water and even the mountains (though admittedly I haven't spent any significant time in any of our great mountain ranges). But eventually I long for the open land where I can see the sun set, unobstructed, over solid ground and watch the rain roll in. I will never be described as urban chic, though I am not country or western either. And I tend to take great offense to the depiction of the "stereotypical" midwesterner with wannabe last season hair, shabby chic, overstuffed taste and queen of the casserole menus. Midwestern transcends those things...those were midwestern decades ago. Today's midwestern, my midwestern, is eclectic modern...it's tattered now, not shabby which seems a little more chic. Though a true midwesterner still can't qualify as chic by most urban coastal standards. My home is a mix of old an new, of industrial and antique...never modern. I don't have a defined style because I just can't feel at home in one set of parameters. I have ideas for what my "someday" house might be, though no specific timeframe for achieving "someday". Though I know that "someday" will definitely be mostly rural...an afternoon at a suburban mall sends me screaming down the highway towards open spaces.

Fall is what makes me feel truly midwestern...the changing seasons are a large part of what defines the Midwest. It's the change in color of the corn fields and bean plants, it's apples and pumpkins and fall festivals that create a sense that sometimes the world is right. And while I long to see all of this great nation and other places around the globe, it is the rural midwest that I will always call me home.

Sewing Lessons

Last Christmas, my niece asked for a sewing machine! I was very excited because my daughter has yet to express an interest in learning to sew (although, as my husband points out she has a mom who sews so she doesn't need to sew). I gave her a couple of patterns and money towards a machine...she pooled the rest of her Christmas money and purchased a basic Singer.

So this summer (before the dreaded back to school rush) we spent an afternoon sewing. She had been playing around with the machine at home and getting to know it, but had yet to sit down with anyone who really spent time showing her the parts and completing a full project. Being self-taught, I feel the easiest way to learn how to sew is to just do it...dig into a project and learn as you go. There is so much to sewing that you can't learn it all ahead of time.

After raiding my stash and finding a print that worked, we opened up her pattern and got to it.  We started with simple pajama pants....Actually, we started with a lesson on threading the machine (she had done it a few times, but practice makes perfect!). After getting the threading and machine setup out of the way, I put her to the task of reading through the pattern instructions...completely! I then turned her loose with the scissors. She cut out her pieces (even making the adjustments for length) and we began pinning.  It took a little bit of work with the seam ripper to completely grasp the importance of guiding a straight stitch, but in the end she got it.  The leg openings were hemmed requiring the use of a seam ruler and iron.  She created the casing at the waist and threaded the elastic through, stitching the ends together and completing the project.  The smile of accomplishment on her face was priceless!

Make A Wish

For about 9 years, I have been volunteering as a wish granter for the Make A Wish Foundation.  This has been such a rewarding experience.  Today, I was able to marry the craft skills I have been building with my volunteer work and I am so happy with the results!  I experienced such pure, simple joy personalizing this beach bag and sun hat.  I can't wait to see this little girl's face when we deliver her wish at the end of the month!

This was such a simple project.  I used my Cricut to weld three circles together to make the ears and then cut paper templates for the ears and the initials.  I then traced that onto my Pellon WonderUnder and fused that to my fabrics.  I used Peltex for the base to give the personalization plenty of structure;  then layered my fabrics and used a heat transfer glitter T-shirt vinyl from Expressions Vinyl to create the initial.  I cut a length of polka dot fabric for the band of the hat, gathering at quarter intervals and stitching the gathers.  Then I hand stitched the initial patch to the front.  I used a machine zigzag stitch to attach the initial patch to the beach bag.

So Summer!

Just a little peek at some of the great items to find on Etsy!

Spring!

Spring has sprung...FINALLY!!!!  Although at 91º it seems more like summer...but after record breaking snowfall this past winter, who's complaining?  With spring comes softball/t-ball season and an end to any free time I may have been considering.  My sewing has been sporadic at best, non-existent at worst.  I am hoping to try a new dress pattern for my little girl and find a bag pattern for myself...reviews should follow, though they may come with fall.