Give the Gift They Don't Want to Open

The Second Baby Boom in full force!  No, seriously, it is.  I personally know of someone pregnant in every month from here until May, which is probably why I'm more stressed out about baby gifts than I am Christmas gifts!  On top of all that, I don't like going to baby showers...mostly because I can't stand to be in a room with that much estrogen.  So I tend to hide, and I've learned to give my gifts all the attention.  I craft together gifts that are too cute to be opened!

I enjoy making baby gifts.  They're small, which means the projects usually go together fast, and their themes are cute, sweet and colorful.  (In busy times like these, I do find solace in purchasing those ever so important baby needs off the registry.) But often, I've had so much fun making the gift, I rarely stop there!  I then insist on wrapping the gift with just as much creativity as I can muster. 

For my sister-in-law's first child, I went nuts.  I created an adorable stuffed octopus, and wrapped a custom embroidered onesie into each of its arms.  The octopus sat on a wrapped gift from her registry, and I placed the card (with her name embroidered on a ribbon that was sewn onto the envelope) in the perfect spot so that its face was still a surprise. Clear cellophane bound the whole thing together and colorful ribbons were tied tightly to the top.  It was so darn cute I didn't even want to give it to her; I just wanted to keep it for myself!

So now you can seem my demise, as I glue together pom-pom birds to adorn a gift I'm giving this weekend.  Maybe I should take the time to actually finish the gift...

With all this gift giving, I hope you can be inspired not to just throw your beautifully crafted projects into a gift bag.  Whether it's for a baby shower or Christmas, everyone  in the room should assuredly know that you are the craftiest!

Here's a picture of me with that cute octopus!  "Hexapus" was another creation inspired by Plush-o-rama.

Plush and not so Plush-o-Rama

I have returned from the mall as a happy shopper!  I bought a pair of jeans two sizes smaller than the last pair I bought!  The saleslady did say that they changed the styles since last year, but it's still a good ego boost!  In the spirit of feeling a little thin for the day, I'm sharing something a little more plush than I.

When I first started sewing, I received this campy pattern book of "curious creatures for immature adults" for Christmas.  (A thoughtful gift from someone who knows me very well.)   Plush-o-Rama by Linda Kopp offers a collection of stuffed animals that clearly belong on the Island of Misfit Toys!  Their goofy smiles and fuzzy fur will making you wanting to create every last one of them.

The first opportunity I got, I scoured the remnants bin at Joann Fabric and bought enough fur and fabric to make an army of quirky creatures!  Unfortunately, I didn't make an army, but I did manage to finish "Plucky" (from the front cover) and "Grégoire" who proceeded to stick out his tongue when I told him to pose for his blog depute.  He clearly needs an attitude adjustment.

I give this book 5 spools of thread!   It's got colorful graphics, great projects and thoughtful biographies of the designers.  The patterns are easy (I made these I was just being to sew) and the directions are clear.  My only complaint is that I can't claim these goofy designs as my own!