Christmas Stockings

December has definitely slowed me down with getting ready for Christmas, working and trying to get neighbor gifts made and delivered. So if your checking in make sure to check the next few posts because even though I haven't been posting I have been crafting!

Growing up we had the best stockings! My mom made them for us and they were awesome. They were a good size so we got tons of stuff in our stockings. I have wonderful memories with our Christmas stockings. Our stockings growing up were all the same color (green and white) so we didn't have our own stocking. But every year we would write our names on a piece of paper and pin it to our stocking. Christmas morning we would sneak upstairs to find all our stockings in a row on the couch filled to the brim with stuff! Christmas morning always seemed so magical to me. We always got Oranges and Apples in the bottom of our stocking along with nuts. We also got toothbrushes and a few wrapped gifts. The wrapped gifts we could open before our parents got up. Everything under the Christmas tree had to stay untouched until Mom got up. As we got older we each found olives in our stocking... yes my family was crazy about olives. Mine were always green olives because I loved them so much! And we'd also get our favorite soda in our stocking (along with all the regular goodness).

So as you can see the stockings were a major part of our Christmas. And I want our kids to have the same kind of memories. So this year I finally got around to making the kids a stocking of their own. Zack's first two Christmas's he just used a store bought stocking.



So here is how I made our stockings:

First I traced my stocking onto the fabric that I picked out for the boys (Zack's was blue and Gavin's was Green). I don't have an exact measurement though. If anyone is interested in making their own let me know and I can get measurements or a .pdf of our stocking

The best material to buy is the already quilted Christmas fabric. I didn't do that so I had to quilt my own. I also didn't buy enough fabric because I forgot that I had to quilt it so the inside of my stockings are a plain coordinating fabric. (excuse the sideways pictures, blogger keeps turing it this way... Ugh!)

After you've traced and cut out the stocking match up the the inside, stuffing and outside of the stocking. (again stupid blogger rotated the picture)



To make the quilted effect I traced line on the inside of the stocking of the quilted pattern that I wanted.



I then quilted overtop of the lines. I'm not a quilter and a beginner seamstress so I know it's not perfect but it worked for my first stockings.



Once I got both the front and the back quilted I sewed the stockings together. Make sure to leave the top open. As a little bit of decoration I wanted to line the stocking with rickrack. I've never sewn rickrack before so that was an interesting process. It took me a few tries but I think it looked okay. Next time I would definitly make use a bigger rickrack though. Basically for the rickrack I pinned it on the inside of the stocking. That way when I sewed the sides the rick rack would be lining the stocking. Rickrack was definitly a learning process for me. I still haven't mastered how to use it but I am a little bit closer. I'd do a few practice runs just so your familiar with it if you haven't used it before and your going for the same effect.

After I sewed the sides together I wanted to add a fur cuff to the top of the stocking. Again another learning experience as I have never sewn with fur before.

First I cut the fur to the desired width. for the length just make sure it's the size of the top of your stocking. What I didn't do with the first stocking but did do with second stocking that is pretty important is to sew the sides together so it makes a tube. Then pin the fur to the inside top of your stocking. The picture shows the fur the wrong way. Make sure to pin it so you see the back side of the fur or when you turn it to make the cuff you will have the wrong side. Learned that the hard way.



Once you've finished you will have a beatiful stocking that you and your family will be proud to display all season long.



The two red stockings are stocking that my mom helped me make a few years back for the husband and I. They were also my templates to make the boys stockings.

2x4 Snowman

I am addicted to 2x4 projects. Once I saw this tutorial on Crafty Chic Mommy's blog I just knew I had to make one (or two). I also have a very a patient husband that will cut my wood for me (I just can't get over my fear of the saw).

I made this snowman as a baby shower prize. But I couldn't just stop with one I also made one for my Sister-in-Law for her birthday.




How I made the 2x4 snowman:
3 2x4 cut to size you want the snow man.

• I used 8" for bottom, 6" for middle and 4" for head

White Paint
Brown Paint
Burnt Orange Paint (for the nose)
2 Buttons
2 Stars (one for the star with words on it, and one for the nose)
Fabric for Scarf

First you need to sand the edges of the 2x4 so they are smooth and a little bit rounded

Next paint all the blocks white



Once the paint is dry water down the brown paint and apply it like a stain. I liked the kind of dingy look. The white was just too white. Apply the brown paint then immediatly wipe the paint off.


Once the blocks are dry glue them together. I use Gorilla Glue and LOVE it! It drys pretty quickly (completly dry in 5 hours) and you don't need to use a lot of it. And it's tough glue!



Once the glue on the blocks are set you can begin decorating your snowman.

I don't have a saw or anything I could cut a wooden nose out of so what I did was I bought two stars. The one I used for the bottom of the snowman and the second I used for his nose. I used my husbands pipe cutter (I think that's what they are) and started cutting. It worked out perfectly because it already had a rounded corner. To make the lines in the nose I just used one of our old kitchen knives and cut lines. Then I used our potato peeler to make them deeper. Quality I know, but I had to use what I had on hand.

The star that I used for the nose

Beginning cutting

After all the cuts. Don't forget to sand the edges. This will help get ride of any rough edges from the scissors.

Once you've gotten your nose the way you like it paint it orange. Don't worry if the paint doesn't get in ithe lines that you cut because you'll be putting the brown paint (stain) overtop and the lines will be filled in.

Finally after decorating your snowman you will have a wonderful 2x4 creation!