Busy Getting Ready for Christmas!

It's been looking a little like Santa's workshop around here with the projects that have been going on for the past several weeks. Thankfully, I have completed many of my gifts. I'd love to show them, but I don't want to spoil any surprises! However, I do have a few other non-present projects that I've completed that I can share!

Bootie slippers for Joanna, using this tutorial. They are absolutely adorable, but unfortunately, they ended up a little too small. I'm going to have to enlarge the pattern and try again.


Slippers for Benjamin, using this tutorial. I added a non-slip slipper sole.

I finished this little doll I made for Joanna. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I actually started this doll in March. It was her Easter gift. I had finished everything but the hair. That's what took me so long. The hair is made of tiny thread loops all over, which looks good in the end but was extremely time-consuming and tedious to do. I'm not planning on doing hair like that again! Thankfully Joanna didn't seem to mind the wait! =)

An advent calendar for the kids! I originally had wanted to make something that was a manger scene - like a stable that they added a felt person or animal to every day. Unfortunately, I'm not that creative - making felt animals and people is a little beyond my skill, so I settled for this design instead. It's a felt Christmas tree sewn to a muslin background. All over the Christmas tree are buttons that little felt ornaments will be hung from, one each day until Christmas. The presents under the tree are actually pockets that will hold the ornaments until they are used. I still have most of the ornaments to make, but I'm hoping to make a couple each day until they are done - hopefully before they are needed!

This is just to show how the ornaments will be hung - that's supposed to be Baby Jesus, which was the only thing from the manger scene that I thought would turn out somewhat decent! =)