My Favorite Christmas Projects

So probably my favorite Christmas project was making this apron/paint smock for my niece Lilly. It was so fun doing something so very girly. AND this is one of the first times I had a picture in my head, made a little sketch, and then from scratch (no pattern?) had an idea turn out just right. AND AND it was for a young person I really love, so that made it all the sweeter.

The shoulder straps are velcro adjustable to the back waist at two different lengths.

I also had fun making last-minute (finished them on the ride down to the Johannsen's a couple days before Christmas) dolls for our two brand new nieces, Felicity Ackland and Ivy Ohorilko. They are made of wool felt and stuffed with cotton.

They have tiny little heart pockets on their chests...
because it would be neat to put a secret note in them.

I also sewed a half dozen of these paper envelopes for...

These paper triangle garlands...
just for fun, for parties, for brightening a blah winter day,
for whatever you'd like to use them for...

And, drat, I didn't take a picture...but Atticus, himself, cut out 5 sets of linen circles, sewed them into sachets, filled them with peppermint oil scented cotton. Then he drew Christmas spiders and monsters and hearts on them and signed an "A" on each one. He did all this work for his grandparents and his great grandmother. Dietrich colored these Christmas pictures and then we tied them onto the bags. I was so proud of Atticus for his hard work and enthusiasm.

This project was for my mom and mother-in-law. I found the project on a blog that doesn't seem to be active any longer -- Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! -- that Leah introduced me to. The holders were my own creation (-: -- I love holders and pockets especially with snaps involved!