Herd of Christmas Bunnies

Even though I'm no longer a nanny, I still keep my kids for the occasion date night/after work plans.  As I was trying to find a little something for their Christmas, I stumbled upon a small The Velveteen Rabbit book.  I knew they didn't have it, so I decided their little Christmas gift would be the book and little bunny ornaments.

I used this pattern which I found on Pinterest.  I made them in a hurry the evening before I gave them away, and unfortunately forgot to put on their little tails!  Oops!  Oh, well.  Next time! ;)

Hope ya'll had a very merry Christmas!  Here's to a Happy New Year, as well!

Felt Tractor Ornament - Free Pattern

Some of you may remember a couple Christmas' ago when I made this tractor ornament for a little friend of mine.

Well, when I decided I wanted to make a tractor ornament I searched the internet for a pattern...  And was unable to find one.  So I looked at this picture for inspiration and made my own...

I love the way it turned out.  It is very simple, but sweet and perfect for a little boy who loves tractors.  I kept mine plain, but could easily be embellished.   Some embroidery or added details are always a great addition; have a little fun!

Marie Antoinette in Wool Felt

Ever since I was little I have always enjoyed reading about the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette.  There was something fascinating about this rich queen with ornate dresses, expensive parties, and a mountain of hair that forced her to sleep on a wooden block to keep it nice.

So when I stumbled across this little doll in the Wee Wonderful book (which also contains  the Vera worm pattern), I was drawn to it.  And I knew it would be the perfect birthday gift for a good friend.

Light pastels just seemed perfect for this little Marie Antoinette-esque doll.  I chose gold thread for the french knots on her skirt and hair, then added the ribbon and beads for some outward detail.

I haven't done much embroidery in the last couple years, so I really enjoyed this different take on my crafting time.  And it was fun to do a feminine, soft, and girly project!

Tractors and Gingerbread Men

The other day I posted this ballerina I made for a little friend of mine.  Today I'm showing off the ornaments I made for her brothers.

I had originally planned to make a train ornament for the older boy.  Then I asked him if he likes trains or trucks better.

And he said trucks.

As I was rethinking my plans, I noticed he played with tractors almost the whole time I was there.  A tractor it was!

It's unbelievably difficult to find a cute pattern for a felt tractor.  In fact, I couldn't find one at all.  But I did find a few inspirations that gave me a place to start for drawing my own pattern.  I'm pretty pleased with the end result.

For the five-month-old I wanted to make a baby's 1st Christmas ornament, but I couldn't find very many baby boy ornament ideas that were cute.  I decided to go with an old favorite and make a Christmas stocking with a gingerbread man on it.  Not particularly baby-ish but very, very cute.

Have a very Merry Christmas full of blessings as you celebrate the birth of our Lord!

You Can Never Have Too Much Pink

I babysit a precious little girl who loves ballerinas, so when I discovered this cute ballerina on Pinterest one day I decided I wanted to make her one as a Christmas ornament.

You may notice that the blog is not in English...  It took me a few minutes to find the pattern, but I did find it here.  (And then discovered the "translate" button, haha)

Here's my ballerina:

The bead flower in her hair and her tulle tutu make her somewhat 3D, which I really like.  And instead of having a solid background there is actually a back of her body.  She turned out so well, I almost wanted to keep her and make another one for my little friend.  Almost.  ;)

I hope she'll love her as much as I do!  Next the ornaments for her little brothers...

Too Early

I love Christmas!  Every fall I have a hard time waiting until after Thanksgiving to turn on the Christmas tunes and get out the decorations.  But I do wait.  Because I must.

But I have a confession to make.

I bought Celtic Thunder's new album Christmas Voices.  And listened to it.  All the way through.  Just one time and then dutifully put it on the shelf until after Thanksgiving.  I may or may not have hummed a few festive tunes afterwards...

Not only did I commit this unthinkable crime, I also indulged in some Christmas crafting!  My excuse is that a friend is visiting from across the country and I wanted to introduce her to wool felt...

I had a pattern for Santa and the tree, but I made the mushroom based on a picture I found on Etsy.  When I finished I was told it looked like Toad from Mario Brothers.  Not really what I was going for...

My friend had never made anything with wool felt, but now she's addicted.  ;)  I love how her ornaments turned out!

And this little one did a wonderful job learning to sew buttons.  It took some patience to sit still and concentrate on the tiny holes, but she did a terrific job with her ornament!

I'm looking forward to Christmas time...  But now it's time to go back to fall and Thanksgiving thoughts!

Meet Vera

You know how you put in an old 50s movie and fall in love with the glamorous actresses of the past?  Well, after my sister Keely made an Audrey [Hepburn] and my friend Laura had a Doris [Day], I decided it was time for a Vera [Ellen] to look and cute and vintage-y on my bookshelf.

That is, a felted wool Vera worm.  :)

So I've had this image of Vera for a while now.  Pink body, white sunglasses...  She was all planned, and just needed to be made.  And when I got stuck on a sewing project because I couldn't find my zipper, making my felted wool worm was just the thing to do!

She really didn't take me very long at all to make, and I love the finished product!  The pattern is from Wee Wonderfuls.  It has some really cute projects in it, but I think this worm has to be the cutest.

So if you get stuck in a project and need a quick project with vintage flair, I would heartily recommend a felted wool worm.  Don't forget to name her after your favorite vintage actress!  :)

Christmas Ornament Giveaway!!!

I've been thinking for a while now that I would like to have a giveaway. And with my recent fetish for felted wool ornaments, I decided that a Christmas giveaway was the perfect thing!

So here I am announcing a Christmas Ornament Giveaway!







All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with something you love about Christmas/winter time.

I ask that (unless you know me personally) your comment includes your email address or blog address so I can contact you if you win.

You may enter until Tuesday, December 13.

On Wednesday, December 14, two winners will be announced, the first winner getting to choose the ornament they want.

For extra entries (please leave a new comment for each entry):

1. Follow Sailboats and Circle Skirts (If you are already a follower just leave a separate comment stating that.)

2. Post about the giveaway on your blog (Please include a link to your post in the comment.)

Have fun and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

3-D Christmas Ornament

As promised, here is the ornament I made at our felted wool party. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with the top of it, but I think the ribbon bow worked pretty well and doubles as the hanger - so no metal hook (or sometimes an untwisted paperclip) needed.



And no, our tree isn't really up yet. Not until the beginning of December. (Counting down the days!) But we happen to have a tree that we don't un-decorate every year, so I was able to take pictures with a tree still in storage. :o)

Enjoy your week before Thanksgiving, even though I'm posting Christmas projects!

Felted Wool Party

Any excuse to have a party is a good one. At least, that's what we think. So we were very willing to attend a pleasant afternoon spent chatting with friends and making felted wool Christmas ornaments!



Usually I avoid anything Christmas until after Thanksgiving. But Christmas ornaments should be made a little early so they're ready to hang. Now I'm feeling ready to put up the tree! Oh, wait... Still a couple weeks til Thanksgiving? Okay, I suppose I must be patient...



I chose to make a 3-D ornament in very Christmas-ey colors, but unfortunately I have yet to take pictures of the finished product... Coming soon!