So here's what I've been up to...

*Sigh* Anyone else feeling that great big sigh of relief that Christmas is over and done with? I've heard others get all down and depressed when its all over and I can see their point, but I just feel relieved and excited for a fresh new year and all the upcoming fun. I have all kinds of goals and plans for the coming year. You know how it is, good intentions, right? We'll see how it goes.

As far as what I've been up to, I've had a few people ask for pictures of my projects. I ended up making 5 bags, a calendar, a brag book, felt food, a doll, 2 dresses, 2 bows, and 30 paper crafted bags for my neighbor gifts. It doesn't seem like much when I look at it in words but I ensure you that you are looking at hours and hours of work. I love creating. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of a few items but I'm satisfied of how everything turned out.

I made this bag for my grandma.

This bag was for my sister-in-law. I got the pattern for all 3 of these bags on ycmt.com. It is called the 'love me, love me knot' handbag. They turned out really cute and were pretty quick to put together.

I originally made this one for my sister-in-law but I wasn't happy with how it turned out. It looks like I have a new bag. Not a bad deal, I guess.

Another bag for my mother-in-law.

My sister-in-law Emily showed me how to make these. I'm not sure where she originally got the pattern. They were super time consuming and a one time thing for sure, but they turned out beautiful and I was happy with them when they were DONE.

Both of these dress/tops come from a pattern from ycmt.com. I have made 5 of these now and love making this easy little dress. For little girls it is more of a dress but it is used more for a top for older girls. I made these with matching bows for two of my nieces.

This is my first ever doll. She was really easy and turned out so cute. I also got this pattern from ycmt.com. This picture was taken before she was finished. She is now dressed with cute little felt shoes and her hair is up in pigtails with bows. Maggie seems to really like her.

This picture was also taken before it was completed. I stuffed the little carrots, added some detail to the cookie box, and made adorable little animal cookies. I love love love the way these turned out. This pattern was also from ycmt.com. They have about a dozen different patterns for felt food and all are soooo cute. To finish this gift off I bought a lunch box and stuck it all in there.

Doing this challenge was hard. It took a lot of my time but was worth it. It is so much fun to give handmade. It means more to me to give something I've made from my own hands and I hope it means more to the recipients. As far as the prizes for the challenge, I did not win any of the drawings (no surprise, I don't win ANYTHING) but I did receive 15 free patterns worth more than 100.00. That itself is worth my time.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I will be posting soon some pics of our fun filled festivities!