Well!

I accidentally took a big blog break! I've been really busy doing creative stuff, but it was all for Christmas presents and my parents' 30th anniversary party that my sister and I planned for the 23rd, and so I couldn't really post about any of it. To top it off, I was really busy at school the couple of weeks leading up to winter break, and so the blog just kind of fell to the wayside. So, though it's kind of lame to say so now:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Don't worry, though. One of my resolutions is to post more on my blog. And we hired a photographer for the party (which was AWESOME and filled with DIY touches, by the way) and when the photos come, I'll definitely be posting some of them here.

As for Christmas gifts, I made a bunch of different homemade gifts.

For everyone, I made rice-filled neck warmers. I sewed an inner layer and filled it with rice and one of three additions: cloves, cinnamon stick, and dehydrated orange peel, or lavendar, or kaffir lime leaf and corriander. Then I sewed an outer layer that can be removed for laundering with pretty fabrics, chosen specifically for the recipeint.

I also made home-made ziplock bags very similar to these (though I didn't bother with the corners). I used vinyl for the inside and different fabrics for the outside, and I simplified this even more with stick-on velcro. These were SUPER easy to make and I think I'll probably make some more for ourselves, so I'll do a tutorial then.

Selby, my sister, and I made feathered headbands for all the girls on our list. We ordered a bunch of feathers from BearyBox and pocketsaurus on Etsy. We chose a pallette of blues, greens, and turquoises.

And then to put all the gifts in, we made simple bags out of muslin and used gel medium to transfer a print off of their initial to it. I used this great tutorial from How About Orange.

So more about the party planning later when I get the pictures. And more posts soon! Promise!