felt breakfast foods.

i like giving handmade christmas gifts. more often than not, i have lofty goals that are never quite brought to fruition. this year though, i couldn't even manage to come up with any lofty goals. my brain was a dull hum of pinterest overload and denial that the holidays were just around the corner.

come christmas day, this random assortment of felt breakfast food ended up being my biggest accomplishment. why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast food?

i made it for my nephew, who's almost two, and probably the most ridiculously cute kid ever! i dare you to argue. just look at those eyes! that hair! that cheesy grin! and anyone that can rock buffalo plaid like that gets a ticket straight to my heart.

since felt food has been a big hit with the margot lately, i figured it would go over pretty well with her cousin. i had already made margot some pancakes and pretty well perfected my felt pancake construction method (future blog post mayhaps?? comment if you'd be interested in a tutorial), so i started with those, complete with felt syrup and wooden pats of butter. and since you can't just have sugar and carbs for breakfast, felt bacon and sausage was a must.

these felt cinnamon rolls were fun super fun to make. i pretty much followed these instructions, but instead of hand sewing the coils together, i cheated and used hot glue. i feel no guilt over this decision, as i made the whole half dozen this way in under an hour (a huge crafting win, i must say). i sadly opted out of using puffy paint to add icing to the rolls. it adds a lot to the adorableness factor of them, but i figured, if it were margot, she'd pick it right back off in about two seconds (and then probably eat it), so her cousin would likely do the same.

and no breakfast spread is complete without the incredible, edible egg. sunny side up of course. for those of you that follow me on instagram, that egg carton may look familiar, as i couldn't resist a pre-christmas sneak peak (i don't think my nephew is on instagram yet, so i didn't have to worry about spoilers). i found the plain cardboard cartons at hobby lobby and then drew the design on with a marker (don't be too impressed, it's not free-handed...i first mocked it up on the computer and then transferred it over in pencil with carbon paper...i'm not that good...)

i debated for a while what to put in the carton. felt eggs? plastic easter eggs? but then i finally settled on another household favorite, kitty mcnuggets. they just fit so perfectly in an egg carton, i couldn't resist. and margot really loves hers.

and there you have it. enough christmas food for a two year old to play short order cook. which will you be having? i'm thinking those bacon and eggs look pretty good right about now.

so what about you, did you accomplish any of your handmade goals this christmas? or are you still spinning in pinterest overload, looking to the new year for a refresh?

printable christmas gift tags.

i'm a habitual christmas procrastinator. not when it comes to things like decking the halls, or making cookies, or drinking hot cocoa by the fire, or watching elf fifteen times, but definitely when it comes to buying and wrapping presents.

so here i am, several days (i'm not even going to count) before christmas, just starting my wrapping and with several gifts still yet to buy. i would hereby resolve to do better next year, but really, that's just a ridiculous notion. so rather, i will share with you, my fellow procrastinators, some fun and free gift tag printables.

because this seems to be the year of printing things off.

if you checked out my advent calendar, these patterns may seem familiar. and this probably isn't the last you'll see of them...the black and white patterns are just so fun. i also added some hand lettering to the mix. because there are far too few opportunities in life to practice your cursive.

you can get the file here. just print it off (landscape style), cut them out, punch some holes and use them to bring a little cheer to your holiday packages.

i think they're pretty swell. especially paired with bakers twine, black and white ribbon or some chunky yarn. and if you're not a holiday procrastinator (lucky), you can use them for whatever your next gift giving occasion is, since they're pretty neutral. if you do use them, post a link in the comments. i'd love to see them!

merry and happy banner.

ever since i shipped off the advent calendar, my mantel has been looking rather lonely. and since i cannot seem to settle on stockings to hang up by the chimney with care, i needed something quick, cheap and cheerful to fill the void.

so i made a banner, with bright colors and a fun sentiment. who doesn't need the occasional holiday reminder to be merry and happy?

the design was done in inkscape and i printed the letters two to a page on some heavier card stock. after a couple of sitcoms spent carefully cutting and hole punching, volia, no more naked mantel!

i've been really digging a colorful christmas this year. if you are too, you can grab the free printables and make your very own merry and happy banner (be sure to print the file landscape style). hang it above your fireplace or over a doorway or along the wall. anywhere that you need a little more holiday cheer.

cardboard christmas tree house.

last year i made margot a felt christmas tree, and it was a big hit. this year, since she currently loves playing with tiny toys, i made her a cardboard christmas tree house. complete with tiny kitties, peg people, and it's very own christmas tree.

it's a super cool project with templates from mr. printables (check out the whole site. there are lots of neat things there). and the best part is, it's essentially free, because who doesn't have a spare cardboard box (or fifty) sitting around the house right about now.

it's also fairly quick, depending on how much customization you want to do. i chose to paint the various panels with some acrylic craft paint that i had on hand. this was accomplished during a margot and mom painting session, which actually was super fun and minimally messy (she's quite the painter).

i also used some gold foil tape to stripe the floors, and maybe ran out on the bottom floor...if only i could remember where i bought it... i'm also considering using a sharpie (white mayhaps) to add some fun designs to the walls. hmmmm

*i really love this picture, because it makes margot look like a giant...

margot seems to think it's pretty cool. she mostly likes putting the kitties through the doors.

so, you should make one too! i'm pretty sure ours will stick around long after christmastime. as long as the masking tape holds and margot doesn't decide that it's climbable...as it most definitely is not.