Holiday Giveaway Week over at The Crafty Crow!!

I just entered a holiday giveaway over at The Crafty Crow. This site is a gem. I check it regularly for ideas on crafts to do with the kids and my girl scout troop. It is super easy to navigate through as all of her projects are linked through pictures ~ my favorite way to search! So anyway last week I stumbled across a post about a week of holiday giveaways and had forgotten all about it until this morning when I was looking for a little advent calendar inspiration... tomorrow's the day they start!

Right now, you can enter to win a  FLY Children's Art Kit from FLY Children's Art Center on Etsy.

Yay Etsy:)

Anyway, they look really neat. Each kit has a choose your own adventure kit inside. All supplies are included along with directions for each project.

So head on over to The Crafty Crow for your chance to win and some great kid's craft ideas!

A Few Tutorials for a Cold Fall Day

Fire Wood Carrier

This is actually a post office carrier, but I think that if you double the length of the handles, it would make a great tote for firewood.  I would hate to show you mine, which is ugly grey and not at all cute, but it gets the job done.  Plus, this is a great sewing gift for a Dad.

Check out Elsie Marley's blog for the complete firewood carrier tutorial and more.

  

Fire Starters

This is a great idea and it involves mostly recycling.  Check out Junk Sophisticate for the full fire starter tutorial and find out how to make your own simple fire starters with a little lint, an old egg carton, and some wax. 

Snuggie

Again, I've been wanting to put up a tutorial on the slanket/snuggie for a while, but we are in full craft show mode so there is no way I can get my tutorial up.  I used multiple fabrics and added a pocket just to make it more fun for the kids, but instructables has a nice basic kid's snuggie tutorial. 

Hot Cocoa Mix

Vanilla Joy put together this great little tutorial on hot cocoa mix.  I think that this would make a nice simple gift in a hand thrown mug for the bus driver or teacher. 

Hot Buttered Rum

This is a little cold weather favorite of mine.  You can see why.  Check out the recipe over at Barbara Adams. 

10 Tutorials for Handmade Preschool Christmas Gifts

Memory Game

Can you say charm packs?  How great is this idea.  I know a few little people who will be getting this this year.  What a great idea.  I have always hated the paper memory games.  The pieces and small and always get lost or swept into the trash.

This tutorial is from fishsticksandfries.  Great Idea!

Car Caddy

This tutorial from handmade by jill takes a pages from the oh-so-popular crayon rolls.

This is a great idea for anytime of the year, especially little birthday parties.  Perfect for eating out entertainment. 

Felt Food Christmas Cookies

felt food tutorial from glitter to gumdrops

I have used this same idea for little Easter and Valentine's Day gifts.  Plus, this is a great idea for letter learning.  You could make the "cookies" in the shape of letters.  Whip up a couple of these sets for all of the little preschool friends.  It is cheap and easy.  It you don't sew, you could easily fuse or glue this together with great results. 

Elf Slippers

Tutorial by Maya Made

If you don' t think that you can make your own pattern, Lisa & I have several super easy slipper and booties patterns in the shop. 

Soft Doll Monster

I think that kids love stuffed animals in equal proportion to how much mom's despise them.  Maybe it's just me, but they have a way of taking over a room.  Yet, somehow, my kid and every kid I have ever know has in insatiable thirst for stuffed dolls.  This great tutorial is for a plush monster doll.  I'm thinking DVD + Doll = great gift for niece/nephew

This tutorial is from Dragonfly Designs.

Also, we have many soft doll and monster patterns in the shop for $2.95 this holiday season. 



Dress Up Tutorial

This is a nice tutorial for a simple and easy to make cape.  I don't know any kid who doesn't like dress up clothes, boy or girl.  As I am totally lazy, I would make this cape from felt or fleece and applique an initial or something for personal onto the back. 

This tutorial and more can be found at Yours 'til Niagra Falls.

Crayon Roll Tutorial

Skip to my lou has this great tutorial for making your own crayon rolls.



Felt Board Tutorial

This is a nice tutorial for making a felt board with a picture frame.  Lisa & I did a previous post so look in the archives about creating felt board pieces with your die cutter machine.

This tutorial if from Three Sneaky Bugs.

Felt Play House

This isn't really a tutorial, but you seriously should not need a tutorial to create this. 

There are so many options with these little card table play houses.  I also want to say for the record that 4 years ago, before these things became all of the rage in the crafting world, I made basically the same exact thing for my niece.  Instead of making something that goes over a card table, I made it on a hula hoop and hung it from the ceiling. 

Zhu Zhu Pet Clothes

Yes, I actually am serious.  Kamille has been asking for these since her b-day, when she got 4 pets. 



 This is a simple and fast project that can use up loads of little scraps.  Plus, if you are going to a birthday and gifting one of these little things, the kid will be thrilled to get some clothes to go along with. 

Girls in White Dresses did this tutorial.


Happy Crafting!