Handmade gift ideas for children

Every year I attempt to gift the children in my life handmade Christmas and birthday gifts. Pinterest, blogs, and Instagram have been huge sources of inspiration. I thought I'd share the these with the community of makers I enjoy so much. I hope these inspire you to create something special for the little ones in your lives. I've listed some of the project patterns below.
Knitted bunny pattern / Butterfly wing pattern / Plum beret pattern / Unfortunately I can't recall the strawberry pattern. The chocolate and candles are something I worked up without a pattern.
The quilt was made with scrap fabric from many outfits I had sewn for it's recipient. It made the simple block quilt extra special. / Backpack tutorial / I didn't use a pattern for the conchas, pasta, and tea bags. I found lots of great inspiration for these on Pinterest / The doll I made years ago with a pattern I drafted but Lakeside Needle works just realesed an adorable doll pattern. I'm itching to make one.
The cape was based off this pattern One of my favorite things about gift giving is the wrapping. After putting so much time and effort into making a gift I delight in wrapping it up! Here are a few of my favorite wrapping ideas. This is one of my favorite handmade toys I've made. It's a felt birthday cake with removable decorations. You can remove the cake lid to store all the pieces. This gift was time consuming but probably the most affordable to make. The cake container was a thrift find and the the felt cost about $8.

I know I have quite a few more toys to share but that's all I have time for now. Hopefully I can continue to add to the list. I just want to get the list to you before Christmas so you can attempt some of these projects. I hope you feel inspired to make a few gifts this year.

Happy Christmas!

xx
Esther

David turns 30

We celebrated my brothers birthday with friends and family on Sunday. I prepared a giant charcuterie and cheese platter for him. He loves cured meats and cheeses just as much as I do. During my travels in Europe last month I bought marcona almonds from Spain, fig jam from France, and creamed honey from England. I knew they would all come together to make a lovely birthday platter for him. Cheers to 30 my dear David!

HANDMADE CHRISTMAS

I find it hard to believe that Christmas Day was nearly a month ago. I had every intention of documenting the projects I had been working on but unfortunately, as always, time quickly slipped by.
The past few years I have made a great effort to not fall into the typical American commercial Christmas. I wanted to make gifts that are meaningful and well thought out. Not everything I gifted was handmade by me but I'm proud to say quite a few were.

This kind of gift giving is so much more personal and satisfying to me. First you decide what to make. Which often enough is the real challenge. Then you take the time to go out and gather supplies. Choosing the perfect yarn or fabrics is one of my favorite parts. Lastly is the construction of the item. This is where the perseverance and patience comes in. It's when you sit and think of the one you are creating for. What are they doing now? Will they like it?... I make for those I love so it's always nice to sit and think of them. Perhaps it's the best part of all.

This year I made my grams a beautiful lace shawl knit with gorgeous wool from Scotland. I couldn't help but think about how much she would love it. She's my biggest fan. I've always felt so encouraged by her kind comments on all my creations. She flatters me endlessly. What a joy it was to make her something I knew she would truly appreciate.

I hope you all will consider making a few gifts for loved ones. It just might bless you as much as it does them.