Crafty Christmas

So I'm finally getting around to posting some Christmas fun.  This year, Christmas was different in a really sweet way.  There were so many handmade gifts! Yay for crafting!  I even got a little crafty myself. 

Gabriela loved this blankie and pillow I made for her baby doll.  She was so thrilled when she opened it that she immediately left the room, telling us she'd be right back.  She returned with her baby doll and was over the moon excited to tuck that baby doll in.  AND the blanket is the same pattern as some jammies I made her before Christmas. Double fun.

I made Gabriela this scarf. She especially likes it because her baby doll has a teeny tiny matching one also. And I love that Gabriela is wearing her handmade elf hat from Nana and her birthday jammie shirt that Auntie Kristie made and her Christmas jammie bottoms made by yours truly.

 I sewed together a whole wardrobe of dresses for Gabriela's little fleecie dollie that Auntie Kristie made her earlier this year. This doll now officially has more dresses than both Gabriela and me. 

She loves the oven mitts I made her, and plays with them often in her little kitchen. Gabriela almost always uses her oven mitts so she doesn't get burned.

I didn't get pictures of everything. Gift opening with kids aged 5, 3, 2, and 1 goes really fast. like lightning speed. It was a little overwhelming. Theresa made car organizers for us to keep kids stuff neatly in our cars.

I made felt art organizers for the kids. I wish I had more pics.  They were all decorated fun on the outside with the kids' initials. Andrew has a pirate themed one, I made a robot themed one for Luis Carlos and Mina and Caetlin have sweet ones too.

My mom made me this comfy fun hat (and the apron which was a present from a different year)

Does this count as crafty? It's one of my favorite presents of Christmas. I made a photo book for Gabriela on Shutterfly. It's her ABCs of 2010 book with photos for every letter of the alphabet from her adventures last year.  There are TONS of photos in that book chronicling everything from family birthdays, to merry go round rides, talk like a pirate day, halloween in Santa Barbara and tons more. Gabriela sat down and listened to the entire story in the middle of gift opening and then requested that we read it again! 

The girls weren't the only crafty ones! Papa and Lane made this lego table for Andrew. Here, it's pictured with the lid on it, but inside is a big lego board where the kids can build (and store) legos. They also made step stools for all the kiddos.

Auntie Kristie made that sweet flower pin for Gabriela and one for me too! She also made Gabriela the sweetest little pretend set with a picnic basket, picnic tablecloth, napkins, and felt cupcakes. 

Lane got crafty too.  He's not finished, but he assembled this picnic table and one of the benches over the holidays. Lane started on this project before we moved to DC. The unfinished table has been waiting patiently in my dad's garage for the last five years. Isn't it pretty?

 

I am hoping for many more handmade Christmases. They are much more special and meaningful, if you ask me.