from the heart.

one of my goals this past christmas was to give more homemade gifts. i didn't really succeed with that goal, but i did manage to knock out a few gifts that were a hit with the recipients.

in christmases past, i've always made ornaments for my children's teachers. i didn't do that this year. instead, i made rag wreaths. four of them, to be exact. each wreath was 12" {i also made a 16" rag wreath that was part of my gift for the sneaky santa game we played at my mother-in-law's house}.

 {my kitchen table was a disaster for most of the month of december}

{the pics were taken with my cell phone}

each of my children have two teachers and i let them choose the color scheme for each teacher. this project was super easy, but time consuming & slightly messy {if you can't tell from the frayed fabric pieces on  my legs in the picture above}. as for cost? you can make a 12" rag wreath for less than $10. how? the wire wreath frame is only a couple of bucks {even less if they are on sale or you use a coupon} and i used one jelly roll of quilting fabric for each wreath. the jelly rolls were about $12 regular price, but i used 40% or 50% coupons to buy each. the jelly rolls made it easy because the fabric was already coordinated & the fabric strips were the perfect size to cut with minimal waste. i cranked out three wreaths in one night while sitting in front of the television.

i also knitted a scarf for my sister. i promised her an orange scarf last christmas and, well, that didn't happen. so this year i taught myself the mock cable knit stitch and whipped up a small infinity scarf out of some very lovely orange peruvian wool yarn. the color is called clementine.

{this is what i do while the kids are at their kickboxing lesson}

i have one more skein of this yarn and i'm thinking about making another scarf just like the one i gifted to my sister. what do you think?

i think the best present of all was the picture i drew of my parent's dog, nono. originally, i was going to frame a picture of her, but i decided - at the last minute, in fact - that i would draw one instead. it's been years since i've sat down with a sketch pad & pencils. but, considering we said goodbye to nono just weeks before the holidays, a framed, hand drawn portrait of nono would be a perfect gift. 

i managed to draw this picture two days before christmas while watching "the hangover, part 2" with adam. i'm not entirely happy with how it turned out, but i'm proud of what i did. i think i even like it better than the painting i did of frisco nearly a couple years ago.

at any rate, my mother cried when she opened the package containing nono's picture. i can't wait to visit my parents to see where they hang the drawing. 

so, i know the holidays have come & gone and i really should be focused on organizing & cleaning my home, but i think i'm going to start now to make a more conscious effort to give more homemade gifts. they truly are the best gifts to give.

i linked up with kristen from ladybug blessings for handmade tuesday.