These little bunnies are easy and addictive to make–plus so cute! I had some left over wool felt from a tree skirt I made last year and wool stuffing that I bought ages ago and have used countless times. (I love when a seemingly extravagant purchase turns out to be perfectly practical.) I made a cardstock template and cut out two felt bunnies for each ornament. I added the embroidered details and then blanket stitched the two sides together leaving a gap for stuffing. I learned after a few bunnies that more stuffing is better and it’s important to fill all the spaces. Then I just closed the gap and left a loop of thread for hanging. Simple!
Tag Archives: Christmas
Advent calendar
Five days of cuteness! Still to come, six more peg elves, two more elf houses, the big guy himself on the 24th, and some other little surprises. I’ve had so much fun making this advent calendar. I haven’t painted anything except walls in a long time, and I was a little out of practice. My skills definitely improved after a few elves–the elf waiting on December 18 is superlatively cute. The little drawstring bags were pretty easy to make and I just stamped the numbers on with a regular ink pad. I still have a few more things to make–Santa’s house!–but I’ve got days and days to finish up.
Felt tree skirt
It’s a rare occurance when I am able to dream something up and then make it just as I imagined. This tree skirt was one of those lucky projects. I used Wollfilz felt by the yard from purl soho in red and ecru. This felt is so lovely and forgiving to work with. My first circle was a little ovoid, but it was easy to trim the felt into a nice round shape. For the design, I wanted something playful but not too cutesy, and I think the limited palette helps. I drew the animals on cardstock to make a template and then traced three of each animal directly on the ecru felt. Then I cut out the animals and sewed them onto the red background using a simple running stitch. I added some minimal embriodered details to give each animal a little personality. My greatest accomplishment? Dusting off my geometry skills to figure out the measurements for the circle and the petal border.
The little houses are my next project. I am going to paint them this week, so will post the finished product soon! If anyone would like pattern details for the tree skirt, let me know and I would be happy to share.
Paper garland
I am getting pretty excited about decorating my house for Christmas. Oh the crafty possibilties! I saw this post on How About Orange this morning and thought these paper ball ornaments would look pretty great strung together to make a garland. It seems like a nifty update on traditional paper chains, which I also love. All white would be quite sophisticated, but it’s hard to pass up the chance to use some pretty colored paper. For those people who save wrapping paper, this would be a great way to use up some of your stash. I plan to get my little elf to help me. Stay tuned for the finished garland!
Christmas village?
Speaking of little houses, but of a much more prosaic variety, we took a family trip to Michaels recently and my husband and daughter bonded over their love of the Christmas village. I agree they are fun. But, in my opinion, only in the bank window and not on seasonal display in my house. Wouldn’t it be more fun if we made a village? I asked. No! Apparently, painting the wooden birdhouse cabin and making peg people just didn’t appeal. Sometimes I wish my family shared my conviction that something made is usually better than something bought, but can I force them to make peg people? Probably not. In case the peg people don’t win the day, I need to know: is the Christmas village awfully tacky? I am pretty sure, yes, but sometimes I just can’t tell. If I had to choose, I do like the Dickens collection (right and left).
Meanwhile, I plan to satisfy my holiday crafting needs by making a felt tree skirt. I am very excited!
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