Category: Gift it

Socktopus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What You’ll Need:

Cotton thread for sewing
Embroidery needle
Embroidery thread
Four Ladies’ trouser socks of the same size
Polyester fiberfill or cotton alternative (Michaels.com)
Ribbon
Scissors
Sewing needle
Optional: 2-inch diameter circle of felt

First, cut up four socks
Before you cut, wash the socks to make them nice and soft.

1. Turn one sock inside out. Cut it down the middle through both layers, leaving 1⁄3 of the length intact at the toe end. This sock will form the head and two legs.

2. Turn the other three socks inside out, and cut the toes off of them. Then, cut all of them in half lengthwise through both layers to form two strips from each sock.

Next, sew and assemble the head and legs
To sew the legs, you can hand stitch or use a sewing machine. If you choose to hand stitch,
use a backstitch.

1. Sew the legs on the sock that forms the head. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, and sew along the long edge and the short open edge with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Trim the threads, and tuck in any remaining fabric. Leave an opening at the bottom (by the “head”) for stuffing.


2. Turn the sock right-side out, and stuff the legs with polyester fiberfill.Make sure that they are stuffed evenly. Then, stuff the head, and hand-sew the opening at the bottom closed.


3. Sew each of the remaining six legs closed.Leave one end open for stuffing, and sew with a 1⁄4-inch seam allowance. Then trim the threads, and tuck in any remaining fabric.


4. Turn each leg right-side out.
Stuff each leg, and hand-sew the ends shut.


5. Attach the rest of the legs.Sew the legs to the base of the head.



Finally, adorn the Socktopus
If your socks have a very busy pattern, you might want to sew a felt oval to the head, as shown top right, before you embroider the face. Here, I embroidered the face directly on the sock.
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Sanitary Slippers

Money is a little tight this year, but I still wanted to exchange gifts, so I came up with this idea for homemade Christmas slippers

They are:
* Soft and Hygienic
* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
* No more bending over to mop up spills
* Disposable and biodegradable
* Environmentally safe

Use 4 sanitary napkins, decorative trinket and a little ingenuity to put these together. via

Yo-Yo Pine Trees

•Assorted fabric
•Clover Extra Small Quick Yo Yo Maker template (optional)
•Thread, string
•Sewing Needle
•Pinecones
•Clear drying glue

Steps: Make as many small yo-yos as needed for the pinecone.
Stuff each yo-yo.
Secure stuffed yo-yo to the pinecone with a small drop of clear drying glue. Optional: glue onto an old jar cap to make tree stand upright. via

Apple Suncatcher Craft

Supplies: clear glue, paint brush, clear plastic lids, hole punch, white, red or green tissue paper, stem with leaves (or use a brown pipe cleaner and green tissue paper cut into a leaf shape), apple seeds (or brown paper cut into seed shapes)

Day 1

Glue seed to inside of lid. Looks like a petri dish. Have kids arrange seeds using a toothpick.
Let dry overnight.

Adult prep: Determine top of apple and punch hole as far away from outside edge as possible.

Day 2

Rip tissue paper into small pieces.

Glue white tissue paper on inside of lid. Overlap paper for good coverage.
Easiest method. Squirt glue all over lid. Spread it with a paint brush. Lay pieces of tissue on top. Brush with a bit more glue on top. This way fingers should stay clean.

Rip green or red tissue into thin strips. Add glue around inside edge. Place tissue down and using the paint brush – gently push and coax paper into place. Children will need an adult to demonstrate how to do this. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It actually looks better the less precise it is. Let dry.

Adult prep: Glue stems into holes. A glue gun is probably the fastest. Older kids can glue the stem into place when gluing the tissue on by laying pieces of tissue over stem like bandages to secure.

They make great sun catchers too! Tie a thread or ribbon through the hole so kids can hang them from a window.

GREAT IDEA VIA

Cake Batter Crispy Treats

3 tablespoons butter

1 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows

1/4 cup yellow cake mix

6 cups rice krispies cereal

1 1.75-ounce container of sprinkles

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them.

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