25 days until December 1st and 50 days until Christmas!
I better get a move on!
5 Likes
That gingerbread cat is too cute and that red slouchy hat is awesome! What pattern did you follow? Is it crocheted or knitted?
2 Likes
Thanks!
I posted more about the hat in the Hats along. It is crocheted and a fun pattern.
2 Likes
Yikes! I am having to deal with having the first Thanksgiving at my house this year! I have so much to unpack and we still have ongoing renovations (but those will stop once the first snow happens!). Contractors are working like crazy to get things done. At last, our gas heat is working so hopefully no $900 electric bills for heat!
I am going to make some Ouch Pouches to give so I am going to factory assemble them.
4 Likes
I deleted my previous comment because I’ve been thinking about holiday gifting. I’m still undecided about whether to send a note about staying home for the holidays/skipping gift exchanges. I might still participate and send the homemade consumable gift with a card. I’m staying home regardless. 2025 all of the traditional holiday meals are shifting to my house. Probably will just be my family, my sister, and my nephew.
2025 plans:
Mom- Rose Painting framed magnet (Paint-by-number framed kit at Michaels). She is supposed to be away for Christmas. She would like that though and it’s small and easy enough that I could commit to making even during a burn-out season in my life.- 4 adult men: Several Chocolate Peanut Butter meltaways (recipe ) - I don’t have holiday molds so I’ll be using 2 mini cube candy molds that I found in the Dollar General clearance section. I’m not sure how I’d package them yet. Also considering Buckeye candies (recipe video) or Oreo Truffles (recipe)
- 2 adult women– Possibly Grinch themed chocolates. Using the same mini cube molds and I also have a mini heart shaped ice cube mold. I’m trying to decide if I would just make green cubes and red hearts with a Grinch-y DIY label. Or meld the cube and heart together in a secured stack… still thinking about it.
- Adult sister - She has a “witchy” home decor vibe that’s like Halloween year-round. I picked her up a ceramic coffin/skeleton cookie jar and the matching treat jar from 2025 Halloween clearance
- Nephew (14) - ?
- Daughter (6) - ?
- Daughter (8) - ?
- Son (10) - ? + Carved Orange Calcite Demogorgon (from etsy shop)
- Son (14) - ?
- Mr. Dragon - Probably chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies — if anything. We don’t usually exchange gifts but we draw names in our intermediate family with our children. That idea is just in case I draw his name. I’ll look up a recipe if I need to.
Two of my children (son that will be 10, daughter that will be 8) have December birthdays and my dad will be 60 this year in December. I might add to my list in regards to those events as well.
3 Likes
I think more and more people will be appreciating homemade foods and treats!
I’d like to help my brother by making up some easy meal kits. He is single and likes to cook, but doesn’t always have the time.
All of your goodies sound reasonable and probably appreciated!
1 Like
Yeah, that is a good idea for your brother. Even people in relationships like having easy meals ready to go. I know I do! 
For my planned list, I think they will be received well no matter what. I’m still considering a “soup in a jar” thing or maybe just like a meal-in-a-bag. Most of the adults are disabled & retirees. They are mostly pairs though and I could easily turn them into a basket of meal & treats. They just all have varying food restrictions due to health concerns. I’m seriously considering a shelf stable potato soup recipe because I think it’s simple enough to keep within food restrictions but also usually delicious (who doesn’t love potato soup?) … or tortilla/ taco soup with add-ins included in the gift bag for the few that can tolerate a bit more. Just going with the easy to prepare & mostly just add water. I send many of them ready-to-eat (cooked) meals year-round so it would be different doing it that way.
Also considering the 3-2-1 Magic cake recipes in mason jars (cakes in a cup). I can’t link to the recipe right now but it’s just mixing any flavor box cake with a box of angel food cake mix. (Or do completely homemade versions). Recipient just uses 3 tbs mix + 2 tbs water + microwave for 1 min. Cool and add topping (optional). It’s easy enough for them to do whenever they crave a sweet treat. Can include homemade hot fudge, caramel, whatever for a topping. Devil’s food cake mix plus hot fudge comes out like an airy volcano cake.
& Some of them have to limit sugar which is why I chose mini sized cubes for chocolate treats. They all still eat sugary treats; just in moderation.
I was pondering sweet options and pairing with savory options; especially if making it like a gift to each household vs individual people.
… Or dinner and a desert pairings (soup mix & cake-in-cup mix with topping)
1 Like
I just found this thread, where have I been?
Our church has an Artisan Craft Fair every year just before Thanksgiving. I chair the sewing booth and always need a fun, easy, stash busting craft or two to add to all the other donations.
After the fair I then get to start on family gifts. A dinosaur, a few small dog quilts for my DD’s ridiculously tiny dog, and an ornament or two.
Here are a few for this year.
5 Likes
Yes, where have you been all this time?? Your church fair sewing is always so nice. I would totally buy up half your booth if I lived there, I think. Our church also has a holiday fair every year that I really love to visit. It’s nice to see that so many crafters with different skills live in this neighbourhood - from jam making to crochet to wood carving and burning and so many different styles of painting.
I still haven’t done much in the way of Christmas crafting. I’ve been so extremely busy at work lately, but the busy season is nearly over. What kind of dinosaur are you making?
1 Like
I think a triceratops or Parasaurolophus. I have patterns for both amd both are so cute. Cholyknight makes the cutest stuffies. I’ve made a t-rex, a brontesaurus, a stegasaurus, and a pteradactyl (no checking spelling please).
3 Likes
I crafted a thing
I stitched this free kit a while ago and finally glued it today. It’s not much but it’s something.
8 Likes
No pic…it didn’t happen! 
Now it happened! so cute! I love little handmade ornaments around the house and on the tree during the holidays!
3 Likes
I still have issues posting pictures sometimes!
We have a few “real” baubles but I’m way too clumsy, I break baubles every year. By now I think at least half of my tree is filled with handmade ornaments, if not more. Some made by me and some by others.
1 Like
My cats have pretty much decided that most ornaments are the perfect size for cat toys…the glass ones are nearly gone and the cloth or felt ones look a little beaten up with teeth marks, but I love handmade ornaments, too!
1 Like
Finished the rose art for my mom. I love that it’s a 5x7” magnet or she can just set it down as a typical framed art. There are two roses painted because I thought the paint-by-number was a sheet of paper since I never took the frame out of bubble wrap until I finished painting the paper. Oops. 
The canvas to paint is tucked in the frame…. So I’ll probably put the paper rose up to make her a birthday card in February or put up for Mother’s Day 2026. Maybe paint over it to make a different rose color (red!!!) with the left over supplies. Sometimes I really enjoy kits.
7 Likes
Wow–bonus! They are both lovely! The frame really makes it elegant!
2 Likes
Thank you. 
I made Three French Hens ornaments, which I think need to go to my aunt (who loves her chickens). So I decided I had to make ornaments for my mom, too. And it’s going to be the primary/only gift I give her this year (Christmas is just me and my parents, so I usually get them several gifts but basically I’m boycotting Christmas Shopping season, especially Amazon, Walmart, etc. so they’re getting one special handmade gift instead, and a bag of the preserves/goodies I do up for others on my list).
I just made my own version of mmmcrafts’s French Hen pattern for those ornaments, but I did purchase their Santa & Mrs. Claus patterns. However, I am not following the pattern recommendations, as I refuse to order $50+ in supplies to make two little ornaments. (I’m using what I have; or in the case of things I couldn’t substitute with my stash I managed to find what I needed/substitutes for less than $5 at a local store.)
I started Mrs. Claus yesterday. (She’s not assembled yet, but I had to lay her out to see how cute she was going to be from what was finished so far.)
I’ve freehanded the embroidery designs because the pattern has you print them on sheets of sulky stabilizer and then use that as a guide right on top of the felt, and then dissolve the sulky later. And as my cheap self already said, I wasn’t going to order materials I didn’t have.
Another Idea I had while working Mrs. Claus (especially the boots… this could be adapted for a little witch ornament for Halloween, etc.)
6 Likes
I am also trying to use up what I have. I love your Mrs. Claus! The embroidery really adds a nice touch. Did you paint the bead?
1 Like
Mrs. Claus is coming along nicely! Her clothes are awesome, I would wear her dress! I wouldn’t have used stabilizer either, the pattern looks easy enough to freehand or draw on freehand.
@Dragon Your rose art looks gorgeous! And now you have two, that’s a pretty happy accident. I think kits are great for mindless crafting when you’re busy and stressed, or sort-of-ill but not bedbound, while travelling, or while trying out a new craft. I’ve been really busy this year and if not for simple cross stitch kits I wouldn’t have made anything .
2 Likes