Handmade Gifts
Handmade Gift: Easy Stuffed Owl
This weekend we celebrated my niece’s 2nd birthday. Caroline just seems to get cuter with every day that goes by. The night before her birthday I was inspired to make her a new stuffed animal, hoping it would go better than my attempts at making a doll the previous winter.
I remembered that my friend Sunny had posted an awesome template and tutorial for a stuffed owl that looked foolproof, aka Janeproof. I printed it out, and gave it a shot. The results were awesome!
Note: If you don’t have a sewing machine, I still think you could do this project. sure, the hand-stitching to pull the back and front together could be tiresome, but not too bad. Just pop on a movie or something!
It took me about two hours, but most of that time was spent with indecision as to what fabrics to use. It was really quite simple, and I highly recommend following Sunny’s template. It’s also a great way to use up fun fabric scraps, for those of you who can’t bear to throw anything out. ;)
First, I pinned the template to my fabric, then cut out the back and front of the owl. I cut about 1 inch wider than the template all around, so that it would be a little bit bigger.
Then i grabbed my fabric scraps and had a blast mixing up colors and patterns. Knowing that little kids are very tactile, I also added some different textures, from the chartreuse velvet owl front to the fleece eyes and a silky minky fleece pocket (white) on the back.
Once I had all the pieces laid out, I ironed them into place with some fusible webbing. Then I used a zig-zag stitch on my machine to sew them into place and prevent edge fraying.
And because I just couldn’t stop there, I hand-stitched a little silk heart onto the pocket.
Finally, I turned the pieces wrong-side out and stitched the sides together, leaving a small hole in the bottom for me to turn it right-side out. Then I stuffed that owl full of polyester fiberfill, and hand-stitched the bottom opening closed.
Here is the finished owl, in all his or her glory!
As for my niece – she seemed to love it. She pulled it out of the bag and squealed with happiness: “My owl!” (And to think I was worried she may not know what it was.)
Caroline is just the cutest kid ever. Hopefully she’ll love the owl and it will stand up to her 2-year-old antics and beatings and heaven knows what else she may inflict upon it. If not, then I’ve always got more fun fabrics in the overflowing scrap bin.
Huge thanks to Sunny for sharing the awesome tutorial!
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Cute & Useful Bridesmaid Invitations {The Proposed Abode}
Remember that wedding Ryan and I are supposed to be planning? After we survived the holidays, and our event coordinator at the venue was emailing me about our upcoming planning meeting, I realized that “Holy Crap! Our wedding is 5 months away!”
The first thing I did was notify my bridesmaids, some of whom had been asking me if they were going to be in the wedding. I had already devised a cute plan for inviting them, and not wanting to spoil it, I avoided answering the question. Read the rest of this entry »
{Great Giveaway} Handmade Journals from Gadanke
***This giveaway is now closed, but you can still find fabulous handmade journals at Gadanke!
Today I’ve got a great giveaway for you all to enter: Katie, the blogger behind Making This Home, is generously offering all you wonderful readers a chance to win a journal from her shop, Gadanke.
I’m so excited, because Katie’s handmade journals are a product that I truly, truly love. They contain many inspiring writing prompts that inspire you to document your story. Here’s a few examples:
{The Little Things} Listing Thankful Thoughts
“Sometimes we just need to sit down and embrace the little details that make life good.” Made from 100% recycled papers held together with a beautiful Italian paper and sewn binding, {The Little Things} will have you thinking of those thankful thoughts:
~~~
{She: Me, My Life, My Days} ~ Personal Journal 1.0
One example is the {She: Me, My Life, My Days} journal. I write in mine at my local coffee shop, taking a little bit of time on the weekends to explore who I am – and it really inspires some powerful insights.
When Katie first released this journal, she described it on her blog:
They help create the story of you – your likes, your loves, your lists, and the things you secretly crave. The unique writing prompts and fill-in pages help you explore your inner world – who you are and how you define yourself, not just how your day-to-day has gone. It’s the kind of book you can pull out years later and say, “This was who I was.“
This page reads: “The truth was, she knew there were four things she secretly wished she could do.”
I really had to think about that prompt – then, by writing these ambitions down, they started to feel more achievable.
~~~
{Something Serious with Something Silly} ~ Doodle List
Journaling doesn’t always have to be serious, though! This little book of prompts, {Something Serious and Something Silly}, is a fun departure from boring world of To Do lists.
I could ramble on even more about the other journals, but it’s time for the giveaway details:
The Prize: One journal, of your choice, from Gadanke.
To Enter: Please visit Gadanke, then come back here and comment to let us know which journal you’d love to use to “celebrate your story.”
Just for fun: Feel free to share why you’d love a particular journal. Is there a story you’d like to document? A person you’d like to gift a journal to?
Cheers,
~Jane~
(who wishes she had a cute signature to insert here.)
When handmade gifts go wrong
Sometimes, even the most well-intentioned handmade gifts can go wrong. Especially when I’m making them without using a pattern, as is the case with most of my attempts.
Let’s examine the events of last night. I am making a doll for my niece, because I have this idea that she will absolutely love it and cherish it and never let it go. Of course, in reality, she may very well hate it, and go for the iPad or TV or other fancy toys instead. But an aunt can dream, right?
So I sketched out a shape on paper, then cut it out of fabric. The style I was going for was a plump but tiny doll, one that she could carry around without being too much of a pain. I carefully and painstakingly hand-embroidered a face onto the doll, then cut off a bit of an old shrunken cashmere sweater sleeve as the “hair.” I put the two pieces of fabric together, wrong sides facing out, with the cashmere in the middle between the two heads.
I sewed it together several times, discovering that the unbleached cotton linen blend liked to unravel easily at the edges.. Ugh. I then began the painstaking process of turning it right-side-out. See, this was tricky, because the doll turned out to be more emaciated than a barbie doll. Oops.
At this point it was 1 am, and I was determined to finish this sad little doll before bed. I worked like a woman obsessed. I knew I’d have to make another, more plump one, but I really wanted to finish this. I stuffed her full o’ stuffing, and sewed her up. I also had to re-sew her feet because they came apart in the turning right-side-out process. Same with her neck. It was wobbling precariously, split open at the seam.
I threw together a dress, whose proportions also came out wrong, and squeeeeeezed the doll into the too-tight dress. I took a scrap of wool and sewed it around her neck to a) hide the bursting seam and b) keep her warm! :)
So she’s a little wonky looking. But I actually kind of like her.
Does anyone have a good pattern for a doll? I think I may need one.
Shared at House of Hepworths.
Top 5: Handmade & Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas
Whoa! It’s already 12/12 and I haven’t shared my suggested gifts list! These are some of my favorite eco-friendly and/or handmade items from small business owners and bloggers – because, as you know, I’m all about local, small business, and fair trade shopping. Well, without further ado, may I present you with:
Borrowed Abode Top 5 Eco-Friendly and/or Handmade Gifts
1. Gadanke Journals
The handmade journals from Gadanke are by far my favorite go-to gift for friends and family members, because there’s something for everyone – and they’re unlike any other journal I’ve ever seen. Katie from Making This Home creates them from recycled and Italian papers, and includes clever little writing prompts that really inspire you to explore your thoughts. And because they’re held together with metal rings, they’re totally expandable.
This December I’ve been taking a few moments here and there to record memories in our “Joy to the World” Christmas journal. It’s perfect, because it’s compact size allows me to take it in my purse wherever we go. I’m also stealing a few moments to write in my She journal, which I also love – especially now that I have little time for scrapbooking.
2. Reusable Glass straws from Glass Dharma
The glass straws from Glass Dharma are a great eco-friendly solution for environmentally-friendly straw users! I’ve got one, but I would love to have more! They come in three sizes, from small to large, so that there’s something for every type of drink – even thick smoothies. You can read more about how they’re created here, but in short – they’re specially made to resist breakage, and they won’t leach chemicals like plastic does. And they’re made in the USA. The shop also sells assorted cases for them, so you can keep your glass straw handy in your purse, without worrying about breakage!
3. Handmade Jewelry
Why subject yourself to the holiday mall traffic for just another boring necklace from the jewelers, when Etsy and other sites are chock-full of beautiful, unique handmade pieces? And what fabulous lady wouldn’t prefer a beautiful handmade necklace? I know this girl would. In fact, I’ve been amassing a wish list on Etsy for some time now – and I’ve realized there is absolutely no reason not to shop at Etsy! Here’s a peek at what I’ve had my eye on:
(1) Sterling silver Hydrangea Cluster necklace from Patrick Irla on Etsy. (2) Stamped silver Smiling Pit Bull pendant (a fundraiser for the Oakland Animal Shelter) from Lulu Bug Jewelry on Etsy. (3) Falling Gold Orchid Necklace, with aquamarine Swarovski crystal, from In Style Boutique on Etsy. (4) Sterling silver Star Bright necklace from Silver Moth Design on Etsy. (5) Sometimes simple is perfect: Moonlit pearl necklace from Ellie Rose Designs on Etsy. (6) Stamped silver Voyager necklace with compass rose from Lulu Bug Jewelry. (I love the Walt Whitman quote on it!). (7) Silver Calla Lily necklace with lavender crystal from Balance 9 on Etsy. (8) Silver Mama Bird pendant with pearl accents from The Vintage Pearl (a shop featuring fabulous hand-stamped designs).
4. Upcycled LP Notebooks from Just L
Remember when we raved about Just L, the mid-century modern furniture store we discovered during our fall road trip? Well, they just got even cooler with their newest line of products: Upcycled blank notebooks. They select the most fabulous vintage LPs, book covers, bingo cards, paint-by-number paintings, and old Venture Magazine holographic covers, and have them turned into blank notebooks by a local book binder. Isn’t that a great way to bring new life to an old work of art?
Although these guys are a small operation in New Hampshire, you can admire and purchase their wares on Facebook, even if you’re not a FB user.
The Venture Mag holographic notebooks are totally awesome, even more so in person than in the photos. The vintage book blank books are from the 1900′s to the 1960′s, and are upcycled into notebooks while leaving the first 2-7 pages of the novel intact. All notebooks are filled with 75 blank pages of recycled paper and are priced at $16. Wouldn’t this be a great stocking-stuffer for the artist or sketcher or doodler (like me!)?
(1) Two upcycled and classic LP blank notebooks. (2) A vintage Venture Magazine holographic cover makes for a totally spacey notebook. (3) Two blank books with backs and fronts of repurposed Bingo cards. (4) A close-up of another holographic Venture Magazine-turned-noteboo cover. (5) Three vintage books-turned-notebooks: “500 Live Ideas for the Grade Teacher,” “Seventy Times Seven,” “First Steps in Acting.” (6) Two blank LP books: a Peter, Paul and Mary album, and a Chicago album. (7) Three vintage fiction books-turned-notebooks: “Puss in Boots,” “Blacky,” “Danny’s Secret.” (8) A peek at the inside of a vintage book-turned-blank book.
And don’t forget to hop over to Just L and check out all their other goodies, like the vintage desk calendars.
5. Cross-Stitch Pieces and Kits from Slipcover Your Life Stitchery
In case you haven’t noticed, cross-stitch is totally cool again – and Erin from Slipcover Your Life has some seriously fun and unique pieces to deck your walls. All of her designs in her Etsy shop are available as pdf patterns, stitchery kits, or fully-finished pieces – with prices ranging from $5 to $50, so there’s something for everyone, from the avid DIYer to the lazy decorator. She also does custom orders – in fact, she’s working on one for me right now as part of my office redecorating plan.
One of Erin’s custom stitchery orders was spotted in the Apartment Therapy tour of Loving.Living.Small’s home office! Clearly this is a great gift, guaranteed to leave your recipient in stitches. :)
So that’s it for my top 5. What’s on yours? Any small businesses or Etsians that I should know about?
A winner, A shop update, Exciting news
It’s been a busy week – but in a reasonable way. After realizing that I practically missed November, I’ve regained some balance between sewing for the shop and taking time to organize, blog and spend time with Ryan. I thought I’d end the week with a glimpse at a few products I’m finishing up, as well as sharing a small but exciting development.
But first – a winner must be announced! Remember when I asked you all to vote on my shop name, offering one lucky winner a $25 credit to Flourish! Pets & Home once I opened it? Well, I haven’t fully-stocked the virtual shelves yet, but I’d like to let you all know that the lucky winner is Jennifer over at the eco-friendly, DIY-ing, recipe-loving, blog Peas and Crayons!
Jenn, shoot me an email at borrowedabode(at)gmail and I’ll give you the details on how it works. But if I were you I’d save that credit for just another week or two (or as long as you want) because I’ve got a few fun decor-related items coming soon!
Now for my personally exciting news: here’s one of my handmade recycled jute coffee bean gift bags that the owner of my local coffee shop will be selling in his holiday gifts corner of the store! That was my exciting development for the week – having a business owner like my idea enough to want to sell my product to customers! I think it’s a great way to give the gift of cofees and teas, and he’s also set up a nice display of French Press coffee makers and cast iron teapots.
If you’re in the area and want to support a great new business with fabulous, friendly staff and delicious, roasted-in-house coffees, it’s Caffe Amouri on Church St. in downtown Vienna, VA. I’ve been thrilled to see that he’s staying busy despite the location of Starbucks only a block away.
Now on to the new items for the shop. Speaking of gift bags, here’s a set of 6 gift bags – 3 wine-sized and 3 smaller pouches – that I listed last night. I created these little bags thinking that it would be more fun to give a gift in a little cloth bag that could be reused. Also, it was a great way to repurpose (sorry, Ryan) the smaller pieces of fabric that don’t always have a home. No fabric left behind!
And one more topic in the reusable-bag category: my hand-stamped reusable produce bags will be ready by the weekend! I had hoped to have them done before Thanksgiving, but I was absolutely unable to get the permanent fabric ink in time. It finally arrived and I spent last night stamping to my heart’s content, covering the kitchen counters like crazy.
The bags come in two sizes – small and large – and are made of the lightest natural material I could find: unbleached cotton muslin.
Curious about the stamps? In an effort to keep my operation small-business friendly, I ordered the custom fruit stamps from a wonderful Etsy seller whose shop goes by the name Sugarskull7. I can’t say enough about how great she was to work with. I’ll definitely be ordering more stamps from her in the future. I’ve got a few hand-stamped houseware ideas I’m working on . . .
So that’s a wrap for me. I’ve got to get to bed, tomorrow’s going to be a busy Friday at work, followed by a very Christmas-y weekend! Who else is getting their tree this weekend? And what about Chanukah? Are any of you guys celebrating that holiday? If so, do you decorate for it?
What’s in store for next week? A few fun no-sew, budget-friendly Christmas decorating projects, suggested handmade holiday gift ideas, and a mood board and some other details for my much-needed office/studio makeover!
PS: If you’d like some free help with a decorating challenge posed by your rented home, please hop over here!
Etsy Christmas Spotlight: Our Humble A{Bowe}D
Throughout the holiday season I plan to spotlight different Etsy shops that I’m really loving for potential Christmas gifts.
I recently discovered the Etsy shop of Amanda at Our Humble A{Bowe}D – and I love it! She makes some sweet and sentimental prints and cutout paper art. Of course, as the Borrowed Abode-r I’m also loving how she used the word Abode in her blog and shop names.
But back to the art. While I’m digging everything in her shop, I especially love her customizable pieces, all of which would be perfect for a newly married couple:
In addition to the initials, you can even customize the number of birds in the above print – how fun is that?
So don’t waste any more time sitting here, when you could be over there purchasing one of these prints for only $15, or perusing the rest of her shop! And while you’re at it, visit her blog to check out the fabulous dining table she built herself!
Are there any Etsy shops that you’re especially loving right now? Do share, because I plan to only give handmade gifts this Christmas!
It’s time: Handmade Christmas gifts
So, it’s November. Seven weeks to Christmas. HOLY COW!
Have you started whittling away at your gift list yet? If you’re planning to make any or all of your presents, then trust me – get started now!!
So many products for every holiday just end up in landfills when the season is over. Last year I decided to do my part for the environment, making gifts using re-purposed items when possible. My handmade gifts were some of the cheapest and most appreciated of all the gifts I gave! But be warned: Handmade gifts take time! I learned last year that the 30th of November is not the time to begin. Start now, and see if you can work on gifts while watching TV at night, etc.
Some of you may have seen these ideas when I wrote a post for my friend Julia’s “Christmas in July” series. But if not, here are my favorite handmade Christmas gifts:
Customized Coasters:
My homemade coasters were by far the cheapest gift I made last year – but they were also one of the most popular.
A measly $13 will get you a box of 80 white ceramic 4” square tiles at Home Depot. At that price, a gift set of 8 coasters will cost you less than $2, and you’ll have enough to make 10 gifts in one sitting! You can find the full tutorial here.
Ideas: Any colorful paper or fabric scraps will work. Print photos onto cardstock paper to make photo coasters. For a newly married couple, create monogrammed coasters with pretty paper and a stencil.
Mini Scrapbooks
One of my favorite gifts to make and give is mini scrapbooks, created around a single trip or event shared by you and the recipient. They are gifts that friends and family members will pick up time and time again, and are perfect for those people who just seem to “have everything.”
When my dad and I climbed a mountain together last fall, I made this mini-scrapbook of the hike for him.
All you need is a mini scrapbook, some colorful acid-free paper, a photo-safe glue stick, and a few colored pens. It’s the memories that matter, not the embellishments surrounding them. A perfect example: the way Katie at Making This Home creates her journals.
Scarf Display
With the heightened popularity of lightweight scarves, a custom scarf storage/display solution is a perfect (and much-needed) gift for many women. For less than $5, I created a custom scarf storage solution for my mom’s closet door. Supplies needed? A fabric remnant, some old ribbon, and shower curtain rings. She loved it.
There’s no hard and fast rule for how to make this item – it can be customized in size and style to hang in a closet, over a door, or even on a closet rod.
That’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll be inspired with even more ideas as the holiday gets closer, and I’ll be sure to share if I am! What are some of your favorite gifts to make and give? And while you’re at it – what’s something (handmade or not) that you’d love to receive this year? I’m hoping for a dress form so that I can sew some clothes from scratch!
