Last year we had our first handmade Christmas. It was awesome! And a LOT of work. I am not making everything this year, but from now on, I will always make some or all of our gifts. Here are some of my favorites for toddlers. Be careful, some are a bit chokey for little ones.
Toddlers:
Magnets- you have to be careful because they can be a choking hazard, but I scanned, cropped and printed Franklin Characters onto magnet paper from Staples. Daniel is still playing with them! There are probably all kinds of tutorials for other types as well.
Painted Wooden People- I painted wooden people pegs to look like our family. They were a big hit but Daniel lost himself almost immediately.
Homemade Play Dough: Here is one
site, with a million recipes. You can also pack it in a stainless steel conatiner like
this and have a great, eco friendly way to pack snacks later.
Honey Toffee: I use Honey, butter and vanilla and boil to the hard crack stage (it doesn't come out hard because honey is pretty gummy) and wrap it in wax paper. It's one of those treats I don't mind giving Daniel because it has no sugar in it. For those of you who like recipes, there's one
here.
Felt Cookies: There is a great tutorial at
Prudent Baby, but really it's as simple as cutting felt into cookie shapes, sewing embellishments on the top side of the cookie (beware of small things that may come off) and hand stitch them together. Felt doesn't fray, so it's a great beginner sewing project to do by hand.
Crayon Roll: I made a mini one for Daniel's stocking. I recommend reading a few different
tutorials and choosing what you like best, or making up your own! Who doesn't love new crayons???
Crocheted Headband: I made myself a headband from
this pattern at Creative Yarn, and noticed that someone
modified the pattern to fit her daughter. I made one for a friend and it's cute!
Neck Tube: Best thing EVER! No more scarves all wrapped around to go out and play. Cut a piece of polar fleece fabric about 5x20 (measure you child's neck and leave a little extra room to pull over head), fold it in half and sew it together, right sides together. Voila! We love ours.
CD from Daddy: Or mommy. Or whoever is not the crafty one! My hubby burned Daniel his own CD of favorite songs and it was a huge hit! In fact, he received another one for his birthday. This is a great way for older siblings to make gifts for each other or the non-crafters to get in on the handmade goodness.
Felted Balls: Ours were a bit awkward looking, because it was my first try. Luckily, wonky balls are still fun.
Foot Bath in a Bag: I put a bit of oatmeal, some lavender buds and a bit of loose leaf tea in a bag and Daniel enjoyed his very own relaxing footbath. Yes, he really did sit still! He still talks about it!
Add a candy cane and a Christmas orange (or is that just my family?) and you have a pretty well rounded, toddler stocking full of handmade goodies!
In the next few weeks, I will be posting ideas for Preschoolers, School agers and maybe even grown ups! I don't know if I'm brave enough to tackle a handmade teen stocking!
