Last minute Christmas (and a bump)

I am not a last minute shopper. In fact, the thought of that stresses me out. I'm a planner and therefore any amount of procrastination generally sends my blood pressure rising. However, I will say that I am a little envious of all of you last minute shoppers who brave the crowds in the last minutes before the "big day". Everyone always seems so carefree and happy-go-lucky...and surprisingly, they generally find everything they were looking for. Why can't I be more like that?

Ah well. While I figure out a way to tame my strict ways, I thought I'd share a couple last minute gifts with all of my homies. These were just 2 of the goodies I made for Ethan's daycare teachers this year and let me tell you...they were a hit!!!

Handmade hand warmers:

Disclaimer: I only cut these out and filled them with the rice. My mom sewed them because Lord knows that I can't sew to save my life! 

The steps to make these little cuties are easy peasy:

1.   Find some fabric that you love (I'm no seamstress, but I think anything will work here). I used an old red sweater for one side and a felted wool gray scarf for the other).
2.   Cut out your heart shapes
3.   Sew away (I have no direction on the sewing, folks. But if you're handy with a sewing machine...you'll know what to do here. Something about a seam allowance and flipping it inside-out)....
4.   Leave a small hole (not only to invert your fabric) but to fill with rice. And any rice will do. I used plain old white rice.
5.   Finish up by hand sewing (I employed my handy husband for this job. Yes...I can sew a little, but I wanted him to get in on the action, too)
** Heat in the microwave for one minute for toasty hands

And walla! You're done. The total cost of this project was maybe $3.00. And do you know? Ethan's teacher LOVED them. (We made 2 pairs of them and I thought they were so cute that I kept a pair for myself)




TILE COASTERS


These were a little more labor intensive, but boy were they cute! I bought 4, 4 x 4 tiles at Home Depot and I believe they were roughly .16 cents each. What a bargain.

I found several tutorials on good old Pinterest and got to work. I think they turned out really cute and, in fact, I made a set for us at the house. This is, by far, one of my favorite presents I've ever made (and this one I did all by myself--but probably only because there was no sewing involved).

These are just a few to get those wheels a-spinning.

And while I'm at it, I thought I'd share the latest photos of our little baking baby. (These are taken at 20 weeks) and I am now going on 21. (Hey, I procrastinated....)