'Tis the Season for Creating

It seems like we have had a lot of crafting going on here.  The girls all love to craft when I have the patience or time for it.  We have made some ornaments and some gifts for friends.

Our stake did a play last spring and had fabric left over from the costumes.  I helped make 12 of those costumes!   They decided to donate the left over fabric to the primaries of the stake.  I was excited.  The lady who I helped sew called me to say she had a bag of fabric especially for me.  It sat in a bag for several months until I decided I better get busy on our nativity costumes.  I pulled out each piece, kind of imagining what it could become.  It seemed too perfect.  Here is the stash:  

I especially loved this piece which was already sewn.  What a perfect wise man collar! And the thick piping on the left.  Perfect for a wise man's hat.

 I need to get a better picture from the camera up front, but here is a shot of all the kids!  I made Mary, Joseph, an angel, 5 shepherds, 3 wise men (plus a gift bag), extra pieces (like the scarves for the head and shoulder) for the shepherds.  I had one piece left over which was about an 8 inch by 70 inch piece of muslin. That became the swaddling clothes for Jesus.  Not one scrap was wasted and not one piece was missing.  That bag was meant for our primary.    

Then for family pictures, Brent said we should wear Hawaiian type shirts.  He was the only one that owned one!  So I got to looking for the kids.  Way too much.  So I hit the local Joann's fabric store and for $24 I had enough fabric for dresses for the little ones and skirts for Janiel and me.  I made a simple "pillowcase dress" but they seemed a little too baggy.  Then I happened to read a blog about adding elastic smocking to fabric.  I thought they looked much better!  You can see all of the dresses in our family pictures post, here.  

 While browsing online for a craft for our church Christmas party, I ran across this wreath on Family Fun.  I had to make one!  It cost me $2!  It is just fold-over type sandwich bags, folded in half and tied once around a hanger.  Dollar store for both bags and ribbon! (Now I just need a red door to hang it on!)

 We had a fun Super Saturday too!  I was only going to pick one craft, but Brent liked them all and said I should do them all.  I wasn't going to argue!

 (I had already signed up for the wreath when I decided to make the other one.)

The girls always are coming up with fun things they have made.  Ashleigh told me she was going to make a sun.  I thought it was adorable. Then I saw how she cut it out.  It made me smile.

It also makes me smile how proud they can be of their work. Our refrigerator is often covered in art work.  I "clean" it off to make room for new creations.  One day I came downstairs to find where Kara had hung her work of art (with a push pin). I guess she thought it was worthy of the wall.  That made me smile too.

With the busyness of the season, it is always fun to take time to make things.  Sometimes I think I should start in July making so that it could be a homemade Christmas.