handmade holiday

 the 2012 defoyd handmade holiday gifts 

for teachers, friends, neighbors and family!

fabric wrapped bracelets for friends and teachers.

 i love the vintage look of these...and how simple they were to  make!

creating these were how i spent many of the final evenings of my pregnancy.

wrapping & gluing while dreaming of holding a baby in my arms instead.

snowman kits for cousins and little friends

these were lots of fun to put together with the kids!

picking out strips of fun and fuzzy fleece at the fabric store.

trekking down to the river to hunt for rocks (eyes) and sticks (arms).

raiding our veggie drawer for carrots (noses).

 selecting just the right set of buttons from our giant collection.

and the best part...snow over christmas break to put these kits to good use!

cookie dough to go

 baking dozens of cookies to deliver to neighbors was simply not possible this year.

so instead, we mixed up some yummy dough and wrapped it up 

for friends to put in their fridge/freezer and use whenever they wish.

i'm totally doing this again!

recipe and awesome template found here.  

grandchildren / cousin  silhouettes

 my personal favorite project of the season.

framed silhouettes of the 13 cousins / grandchildren for grandma and papa,

and one for each family of their own kids.

i even used a type of black paper that can be easily removed 

so that we can update these as the kids grow.

another handmade holiday from the defoyds...a most cherished way
to spend the christmas season!