Homemade Toys And Gifts

Homemade is big right now.
I can't imagine why. :)

Here are some ideas for homemade toys and gifts for children.


First, from TennZen, homemade marshmallow shooters.
These look really neat, we'll probably make a couple for our children.


Make Baby Stuff.com has several tutorials with patterns for sewing to woodworking and more.

Wooden toys:
Homemade Birdie Toy Tutorial

Wooden Puzzle Instructions

Doll Cradle Plans

Wooden Memory Tile Tutorial

Make Wooden Building Blocks

Sewn toys:
Doll Pattern & Instructions

Soft Blocks Sewing Tutorial

Felted Sweater Mouse Puppet

Waldorf Doll Instructions

Recycled toys:
Cardboard Playhouse Plans

Recycled Wallpaper Blocks

Even more toys:
Homemade Playdough

Kool-Aid Dyed Playsilks

Homemade Stickers


All Free Crafts has quite a few ideas for sewn, knitted and crocheted toys.

Teddy Wolf

Stuffed Hound Dog

Crocheted Frog

Amigurumi Bunny

Corker Knitting Spool


This next one is not a toy but a book on toy making for children, from Homeschool Freebie of the Day.

"Home-Made Toys for Girls And Boys" (available today only)


Finally, if you're like us and think children have too many toys, I have an idea for you.

You can buy plain canvas totebags, purses, and aprons from Hobby Lobby (or make your own, but last year I paid less than $2 for a pack of three).
Decorate with fabric paints; freehand, with stencils or rubber stamps.

I have also used acrylic craft paint in place of fabric paint, it just has to be heat-set with an iron before washing. Be sure it's dry (it takes about 24 hours), use low heat and don't put the iron directly on the fabric, copier paper works well.

You can also use this idea for your children to make "handprint" T-shirts, pot-holders, or aprons for their daddy or grandparents.
We made my husband a T-shirt one year with both our children's handprints on it and "We love our daddy" written in freehand.

Happy crafting. :)

Free Craft Projects and Patterns

Good morning!
Have you been or are you going shopping today?

Not us!
I have never been shopping the day after Thanksgiving...unless it's for groceries.

We usually don't have the money to buy a lot of gifts for people so we make things.
In my experience people like homemade gifts better than something from the store, especially if it's from a child.

So, along those lines, here are some more links to free craft projects and patterns.

Ribbon-bound Journal

Papier Mache Spray Painted Paper Bowl a craft project for children

Free Craft Patterns and Projects on Ruby Glen almost 100 different projects

No-sew Fabric-covered Boxes Tutorial

Bernat Free Knitting and Crochet Patterns


Paper crafts:
Iris Folding

Origami Resource Center also has information on Iris Folding and Quilling

Quilling with Wit

Whimsiquills

Update To Crafts Post

I'm having trouble getting this link- Monday’s List: 100+ Homemade Christmas Gifts for the Craft-Impaired, to work in my earlier post on crafts, Free Arts and Crafts Projects/Scrapbooking/Homemade Gifts. Hopefully this is just temporary and if you're having trouble, check back later. There are some great ideas there you don't want to miss.

Also, I forgot to put in the link for my momma's blog, Artistic Inkspirations. That is fixed now.

Free Arts and Crafts Projects/Scrapbooking/Homemade Gifts

My momma is a crafter, you name it she's done it. She really loves rubber-stamping and even teaches classes on it in her home. You can see some of what she does on her blog Artistic Inkspirations.
Anyways, she has been cleaning out her e-mail and sent me some great arts and craft links, and I thought I'd share them with you all today.

Starting off the list, from the blog Semicolon, Monday’s List: 100+ Homemade Christmas Gifts for the Craft-Impaired. There are links to all kinds of how-to's for homemade gifts; cooking mixes, sewing projects, homemade books and notebooks, and toys are just a few examples.

Do you need a place to store all your ribbons?
Make a homemade ribbon dispenser box, from Instructables.
I need to make one of these!

Make a mini, "maze" scrapbook at Making-Mini-Scrapbooks.com.
This 3x3 book would also be great for lapbooking or notebooking.

Would you like to learn how to incorporate quilling into your scrapbook?
Check out Introduction to Quilling for Scrapbookers from About.com Scrapbooking.

Don't know how to do quilling?
Here are a couple links to get you started:
A Basic Introduction to Quilling
Quilling Lesson for Children

All kinds of homemade gifts including; gifts-in-a-jar, printable gifts, decorations and some simple sewing projects, can be found at Organized Christmas. Check out the organizing and planning tips, too.

There are more that I'll post later; computer is acting up. Time to re-boot. :)

Free Sewing Tutorial-Placemat Purses

Check out the blog, House of Whimsey, she has a neat little project to make purses out of placemats and recycled purse handles. This would make a great sewing lesson for little girls.
You can find the tutorial here.

Stamping Give-away

Connie over at Artistic InkSpirations is giving away some fall-themed BlogCandy. Included in the give-away are a hand-stamped pocket book and cards, some Clear stamps, some pumpkin colored brads, buttons, and tabs, and a set of little photo frames. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on her blog, here, answering the question "What is your favorite theme to stamp during this time of year, and why? ". Winner will be anounced this weekend.