Brrr.....

It is so cold here right now. I'm in Minnesota where the temperature was -12F when I brought Axel to school this morning. Then you add in the wind chill, and your fingers are frozen before you even make it out the door. It seems like most of the country is experiencing a colder (and snowier) than normal winter.

That being said, I really wish I knew how to knit (or at least crochet). A friend of mine made me some fantastic chunky knit pink gloves for Christmas. I would love to knit hats and gloves for my family. The fun knit flowers and the cute baby hats with the ears....

I bought this hat for my girls when Evangeline was born. I actually have a few. One the same as pictured and then two in a cream with brown. Unfortunately Evangeline has grown out of hers, but Miracle's still fits. We get so many compliments! I was going to link you to the etsy shop, but it is no longer there. Bummer!

Another Etsy favorite of mine:

Bear Ear Flaps Hat

 

 

 

I saw these at the mall a few weeks ago and think they are a really fun accessory (bought handmade instead of course!):

Chunky Ear Warmer Headband

 

And I really want some chunky legwarmers. I've been wanting to try the whole skinny jeans/legwarmers/boots combo.

Dotted Custom Legwarmers

One Hour Bag

For my sister (in-law) on her birthday I made this purse from a tutorial I found over at Ric-Rac. The tutorial is very detailed with lots of great pictures. This was my biggest sewing project so far and it went so smoothly thanks to the wonderful directions!

There is a little pocket inside and I couldn't find the magnetic snaps, but I did get a large snap from the sewing section at Wal-Mart. I think they were $2 or $3 for a set of 3.

I'm also really excited about the button embellishments! I purchased a little kit from Jo-Annes for around $3 so I could make matching buttons to add a little pizazz to the straps. 

If you aren't up for making your own, you can check out some of these great bags I found on Etsy.

Deer and Mushroom Bag

Freebird Emma

Colorful Songbirds Buttercup Bag

Birdie Sling Handbag

The Pixie Handbag

Buttons n Arrows

Slouchy Shoulder Bag

Knitted Handbag

Peek A Pink Handbag

Tea Bag Valentine's

I just couldn't resist sending you over to Tatertots and Jello for this cute guest post on Valentine tea bags.

And you could always put these together with my previous post on tea bag wallets.

Valentine Watch

I received this watch as a gift from my hubby last year for Valentine's Day. Ever since we have been together we have always skipped this particular holiday. Neither of us was really into it. For some reason last year my husband surprised me with a gift. So sweet! This watch has become one of my favorite pieces of jewelery and was made by my auntie over at Girly Muse.

 Girly Muse does great work and most of it is one of a kind and/or custom work. She has a few things for sale on her blog but I'm sure she would do something more for you if you asked. I also found this one from Thunder Bear Spirit Design.

For the Style Conscious Dog

My mother in law absolutely loves her dog. MIL is physically disabled and isn't able to get out much. Her cute little dog is her best friend. It was only natural that her birthday gift be something for her dog as well.

We got her a cute little dog sweater from Crafty For You. I have actually had this on hand for a couple of years and just hadn't given it to her yet.

This isn't the same one as we gave her but isn't it cute?! Stop by the etsy shop linked above to see some other cute styles.

Pocket Tissue Pack Holder

My sweet little girly has had a runny nose the last couple of days. She is really loving that she can get a tissue and blow her nose by herself and so I whipped her up one of these tissue pack holders. It went very quickly and used a minimal amount of fabric.

She loved it, and it made her smile on her otherwise icky sick day. It would be fun to make up a little care package for someone with some chicken noodle soup, a movie and one of these. A nice way to make a bad day a little better! They would also be great stocking stuffers or for back to school.

 I found the tutorial to make these cute little things over on the Sew Mama Sew blog.

Tea Wallet

I thought it would be fitting for my first post to be of the item that inspired me to give handmade this year. Recently I was able to purchase a sewing machine even though I didn't know how to sew. Since then I have been reading and researching sewing techniques and decided I just had to make this as my first project. It seemed ambitious at first, but this tutorial from Christy of Is It Naptime Yet? is very clear and easy to follow.

I have seen these before and thought that it would be nice to have one. Initially I started out making it for myself and then decided I should make it for a friend of mine who had a birthday coming up. After it was finished I just loved it so much and it felt so special to me that I just had to give it to someone who I knew would love it. My grandma mentioned over Christmas that she normally has a tea bag stuffed in her purse and I got an instant visual of her poor crumpled tea bag.

My grandma is so sweet and special to me and she has taught me so much about life, love and God. I know I would never be able to thank her enough, but I hope her little surprise in the mail makes her smile!

(If you would like a tea wallet for yourself or as a gift and you aren't up to making one I would be happy to do it for you! I charge $12 and have many fabric choices. Just click on the 'contact me' tab above.)