rostitchery

if not for the last minute: keep the kids occupied edition

last week ella and i went to a gingerbread decorating party with some friends.  her little house was beautiful.

we put it on the dining room table for her daddy to admire.  and then the next day while we were out, the dogs admired it a little too closely.  :(

she was devastated.  and of course, i was devastated for her.

this craft partly made up for it. 

i cut a house shape out of brown felt and she decorated it over and over with pieces of scrap felt cut into different shapes.  i let her have some rick-rack too, which doesn’t stick well to felt but it stayed in place enough to make her happy. 

 

when she got tired of the house, i cut out a gingerbread boy.

 

if you don’t happen to have felt, you could cut brown paper bags or construction paper and let the kids decorate with crayons, stickers, etc. 

i can always tell how hard she is working and how engaged she is in any activity by the expressiveness of her piggies. 

if not for the last minute: party clothes edition

origami skirt, for when you only have one yard of fabric and 15 minutes to sew

 

instant heirloom dress, for when you only have hand-me-downs that need handing down

 

math dress, for when something inappropriate needs to become appropriate

 

t-shirt dresses, for when you have enough time to make a skirt but not a bodice

 

and of course, the fabulous convertible dress, for when you need to look a minimum of five different kinds of STUNNING in a single evening.

if not for the last minute: wearables for others edition

yes, you can make things to wear at the last minute.  

magistrate dress, great for that last-minute nativity play costume.

 

pillowcase dress, great for that last-minute little girl party dress. (ella is STILL wearing this very dress, by the way.  now it is a cute summer top).

 

apron cheat #1, great for that last-minute hostess gift.

 

 

apron cheat #2, great for that other last-minute hostess gift.

if not for the last minute: friends and family edition

this post caused me to realize that i have posted very few projects that would be right for the men in my/your lives.  part of the reason i've posted so little in that category is that SOMEONE, and i'm not naming names here, reads my blog and thus SOMEONE would be impossible to surprise if i just posted things i have in mind for SOMEONE. 

back to the list.

stationary holder keepers 

 

pleated purse

 

pictures for daddy that would also be great for grandparents

 

*what do you suggest for last-minute guy gifts?

if not for the last minute: knifty knitter edition

now is not the time to pull out the needles.  this is the next-to-the-next-to last minute.  if yarn is going to be your medium of choice, then you need to whip out the looms.

shawl you can make in an hour

 

cabled hat you can make in an afternoon 

 

pet sweater you can make in an evening 

 

ear flap hat you can finish just in time for wrapping 

 

*confession:  i’m knitting something on needles too.  and it MIGHT get finished in time.  what about you?

if not for the last minute: holiday decorating edition

admit it:  you still have decorating to do. 

sure, you probably have your tree up—and you probably have some pretty candles scattered tastefully around your home.  you might even have a fantastic light display on your house.

but you know there is always a corner that could use a little christmas cheer.  and your christmas table might have a little room left on it for some sparkle.

these projects will go a long way toward filling up those empty nooks and crannies, and they also make sweet hostess gifts too.

 

rudolf's felt christmas trees

 

quickest wreath ever

 

pipe cleaner christmas trees 

 

button wreath ornaments 

 

beginners tree skirt 

 

*what do you make to give your home that extra touch of christmas?

if not for the last minute: kids edition

in spite of what i've said all these years about last-minute christmas crafting, i know some of you are doing it anyway.  i know this because i am too.  :)

so let's pool resources, shall we?  each day this week i'll post a few links to some projects that you CAN do at the last minute, or at least at the 11th hour. please feel free to post a comment with a link to any project you'd like to share as well!

together, we can get each other to the finish line without too much damage to our mental health.

first up:  gifts for kids!  

baby cradle and knot doll 

 

tiddlywinks 

 

max and ruby dolls, or any other character your child loves

 

shower caps for girly girls  

 

 

*what are you making for the kids in your life?

new advent calendar

our most excellent advent calendar had seen better days, so we put it in a pretty box to save, and made a new one.

like before, we used only what we had on hand, but unlike the year we made the first one, what we have on hand now is mostly school supplies—some sticky dots, a number line, a package of pretty envelopes which i couldn’t put in this picture because we had used them all before i thought of taking the picture.  all from the most magical of stores, the dollar-tree-i-love-that-place.

so last evening, while waiting for a cake to bake, we sat on the couch with our materials and ella made a new advent calendar.   we lost almost all the clothes pins in the garden this year, so we scrounged around and found just enough paper clips and spring clips to hold all the envelopes on the line.

each day between now and christmas, i plan to post what was in the envelope each day on my parenting blog, the ELLA echo.  i know ella would love it if you came over there to visit and even better, left a comment from time to time throughout the season!

 

*how does your family count down the days?