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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Stuff It, Wrap It & Send a Bit of Cheer!


Happy holidays my fabulous crafters and creative guests.  The holidays are upon us and I am still listing new items in the shop! How very slow of me, I know. But I am planning on making up for my last minute procrastination by whipping up a bunch of handmade gifts and you can too! Let’s start by making ourselves some stuffed animals and wild creatures…


Stuff It! You are going to want to start by grabbing yourself a whole mess of fabrics, scissors, stuffing, and either a sewing needle if you are sewing these by hand or your sewing machine so you can whip up some creatures of your own! Begin by making the ‘add-ons’ such as the legs, tails, arms, etc. and sewing them to the panels before sewing the panels together-leaving just enough of an opening  in order to be able to turn the creature right side out again, stuff, and then sew up the small opened area. One of the best ways to delve into this project is to check out stuffed animals online and then go from there. You can toss a squeaky inside while stuffing, you can leave out the stuffing if desired, you can add plastic eyes for those that prefer the look, whatever your crafting heart is content with really.

Whalzer...

Supreme Leader

Tiki Mouse, Squiggles and Azteca in the upper right...

Clarice Woot! is so happy it's the holidays! 

This is what my bat wing looked like for Batzie before I sewed them on...


Batzie & Hip Hop...

MC is in the house...


& the whole gang...


Materials list for making your own: A whole mess of different fabrics, Stuffing (optional), Thread/s, Scissors, Sewing needle or sewing machine.

W(rap) It! I will share a little something with you here. I totally love rap and hip hop and last year right before Christmas I thought up the idea of what I call my Chicken ‘n Waffles Gift W(rap). I never actually got around to making any (the downside to coming up with a cool idea a week before the holidays) but this last Thanksgiving when Macklemore tweeted how he was thankful for Chicken ‘n Waffles I was like “that’s it! I’m making my Chicken & Waffles Gift W(rap) this year!” I love these and they even work as tablet/ electronic pouches after you’ve given the gift so if you are thinking you need something super fresh to give to a buddy, I say Gift W(rap) that present!

Front cover...

back cover...

You like? 
imma show you how to make your own ;)

Materials:  fabrics, scissors, thread, Velcro or a snap for closure at the top, and a cd or dvd cover so as to get the appropriate shape for your gift w(rap).


grab yourself some cd's, books, dvd cases, etc for size.

(imma put that outcast cd in while working-recommended ;)

cut your felt accessory pieces like this

cut your pocket front and back pieces as shown above 


and then lay your accessories out on top...

1) fold over the felt, line up the plastic to the back and sew the side seams.
2) sew the red tab so it's doubled up and then add the red tab & snap 
3) ready to gift w(rap) my friend...


like this...

Woot!

How-to: Cut the fabric pieces for the front and back, leaving a little extra on the sides for the seam allowance and depth needed, cut a half pocket for the back (optional),  and a tab at the top to close the pouch with either velcro or a snap to hold it closed once the gift has been inserted. You are also going to want fabric paint to get the waffle print on and clear plastic if desired. I went with yellow and red for colors to brighten up the neutral colors of the Chicken and Waffles. I also imagined that when my brother opens his gift w(rap) the first words out of his mouth are going to be “what the hell is this?” I solved that with the star on the back. That’s right, it’s Chicken ‘n Waffles yo! (just in case you’re blind…) And if you were wondering if I put a copy of The Heist inside that Chicken ‘n Waffles Gift W(rap), you know I did ;)

So go be awesome and buy yourself some sweet music and then wrap it all nice! You owe it to yourself and your friends not to be boring. Were you just going to wrap your presents in paper? Boring. Fabric even? Fine for those who sew, kind of odd for those that don’t. If however you think Grandpa and even Uncle Mason aren’t  going to have the same affection for Chicken ‘n Waffles Gift W(rap) then do something like wrap the present in a simple cotton shopping  tote perhaps? They are a cinch to make and instead of wrapping items in paper or fabric, you have managed to also give an additional gift that they will be able to use all year long. For the gift wrapping for the guys I like to tone down the prints. A friend might love guitars but that doesn’t mean he wants to carry around a guitar tote to the grocery store so solid colors and the idea of keeping it simple works. For those friends and family where I know one of them is more often to do the shopping I might specifically go with the colors that person likes. So if I know my brother’s girlfriend’s favorite color is pink, I might make both his and her gift totes both pink so as to give her a matching set. It’s also an excellent opportunity to tease my brother about how I made his pink so as to match his princess outfit :p

& Send a Bit of Cheer… Along with making stuffed creatures and gift wrapping awesomeness, a little note card always brightens someone’s day so craft yourself some fabulous little holiday cards and note tags and such will prove useful and fun as well. If you don’t want to make note cards then you are free to skip this part and just supplement with bottles of alcohol or desserts. Trust me, it works ;)

Supreme Leader insists that you love these Holiday UFO Greeting Cards!




I will be back this afternoon/ tomorrow morning with another fun post on additional holiday gift gear (the post was simply too long so I’ve split it into a part I & II essentially) so check back then and for anyone still looking for last minute gifts I am still shipping items, and am shipping all packages usps priority 2-3 day delivery in the states so you are safe to order items and receive them before Christmas. And yes, you will DEFINITELY see new items in the shop up until Wednesday. I know it’s last minute but that means super deals for you and you still get the items by Christmas.  Not such a bad deal for all of you, despite this slow elf’s crafting production! You can find the shop here > www.Craftzies.etsy.com


Is this a lounging/ activity mat for my sister's rabbit? 
Why yes it is! Now that's what I call making it magical ;)

Have an awesome day & happy crafting-Lindsay ;)

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