handmade gifts

Gift crafting is in full force here now.  First, for my nearly two-year-old niece, Emerson, a package of homemade playdough.

This will be accompanied by lots of cookie cutters and a rolling pin and hair maker.  Here is the playdough recipe, in case you'd like to make some.  It lasts for a long long time and is really fun to play with and totally non-toxic.

Playdough

Ingredients:

3 cups flour, sifted
1 1/2 cup salt
6 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons oil
food coloring (I use the gel kind)

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large pot until no lumps remain.  Whisk in the wet ingredients (except for the food coloring) and stir until no lumps remain.  Cook on high for 3-4 minutes until a dough forms. Separate into several portions and add food coloring, kneading until uniform in color.  Store in airtight containers. 

For my sister-in-law Jen, a sewing kit.  She mentioned to me recently that she has no sewing materials except for a tiny hotel sewing kit.  This cannot be allowed!  I made her a custard cup pincushion and a set of shrinky dink pins

I also made her a wool felt needle book. I am putting in a few other goodies - some vintage buttons and fabric scraps and trims.  I hope this will inspire some creative projects for her.

And finally for today, two princess crowns for my three-year-old twin nieces, Jordan and Ellis.  These are made of wool felt and plastic gems.  They fasten with Velcro.  I made little name tags from white shrinky dinks that I affixed to each one. 

Lots more to come.  Happy crafting!