The Annual Gift-o-Rama Post!

My goal was to do a Handcrafted Gifts series throughout the month of December to highlight lots of wonderful ideas I had for children's homemade gifts.  However, goals die fast when you have a new baby!

So, I'm just now getting around to posting what I'm giving my kids for Christmas.  I like to do this every year as I am greatly inspired by seeing other folks' gift ideas and want to do the same for you!  I had plans to make these snazzy capes for my kids for Christmas, and possibly matching ones for my nephews too, but never got around to it.  Maybe next year!  They love to dress up so I know they would use them!

 My kids don't own any beanbags and they are a fun, classic toy that is easy to make!  I just made a square template on a piece of paper and cut 4 squares from each fabric.  Rather than using denim, or a heavy fabric, I doubled the fabric up so that I could use some of the really cute fabric I had on hand in my stash.  So, each of our 3 oldest kids will get 4 beanbags in their stocking!

 I remembered that my friend Heather had done a post on how to make a Go-Fish Game a couple of years ago and I decided to make one for each of our boys.  I used binding tape instead of string as I had visions of my boys strangling each other with yarn or string!  It's harder to strangle with binding tape and it's harder to eat the magnet at the end of the line if it's inside a felt hook!

I know Justus will like this game as I once caught him "fishing" in the toilet using one of his sister's belts as his fishing pole.

 I had planned to put binkies in Katri's stocking but alas, she is not a binky baby!  I got her a book she can enjoy in a year or two from a clearance sale at christianbook.com and when Robeez were on sale for $11 at diapers.com with free shipping I snagged these darling little ones for when she is a toddler.  I can't even make them for that considering the time I spend making them.  What a steal!  The first pair of new Robeez I've ever purchased for my kids!

Forgot to rotate this one before I posted.  Ooops!  My kids absolutely LOVED Toy Story 3 and for days after watching it they would only answer to their favorite character from the movie.  So, I knew they would LOVE these as their special surprise gift under the tree on Christmas morning.  (Sidenote:  We don't do the Santa Claus thing but we do something similar--Daddy and I fill the stockings and leave a special gift under the tree, unwrapped, for them to find on Christmas morning). 

I was able to use a 30% off coupon each of these toys, making them very affordable!  Ali will get Jessie, Jer will get Buzz, and Justus will get Mr. Potato Head.

 I made a fabric book for our 1-year-old nephew

I didn't get a picture of our 4 year-old nephew's gift before Ali wrapped it, but we made him a rice tub with little pebbles and jewels and coins in it and he can dig in it with scoops we put in there.  Our kids love our rice tub so we thought it would be a nice, educational toy for him.

In addition to what you see pictured, Ali got a new baby doll that looks just like her, Jer got some new Duplos (this is the #1 toy at our house which all 3 kids play with every single day!), Justus got a xylophone, and Ali got some new slippers.  We try to keep Christmas pretty simple, but sometimes it's hard because it's just soooo fun to give gifts to our kids!