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Another Christmas has come and gone! I feel like it takes months to prepare for- thinking about the perfect gifts for everyone; buying and making each gift – and then it’s over in a matter of 48 hours. This was an extremely busy year for me; my etsy shop kept me very busy, along with my toffee making and party planning and everything else that comes with the holidays. I admit that it’s nice to finally have a breather, but it’s always kind of sad when all of the seasonal festivities have ended.
The best part after all is said and done is watching my kids (and everyone else) enjoy their new gifts. I love it when I have a great idea and it is appreciated. For fun, I thought I’d share some of the things that were a hit this Christmas in the Jones’ home, particularly some of my homemade gifts. I just love thoughtful, homemade gifts!
I’ve had to keep this project on the down-low because my daughter is on Instagram and follows my account (and blog). I didn’t want any secrets spoiled, so I refrained from posting. But I had a big idea to make the kids new quilts this Christmas. I haven’t done this since they were little and they’ve long outgrown their princess and monster blankets. I went a little crazy while shopping at Joann’s when I saw fabrics that were screaming my kid’s names. I tried to talk myself out of it, but I couldn’t help it. I had to make them new quilts. I don’t have a quilting frame or a long arm machine so my stitching lines aren’t the greatest in the world, but they paid no attention to my stitching lines. They were more consumed with Harry Potter, Minecraft and sharks. Needless to say, they LOVED their new quilts. I daresay they were a favorite.
I also made some cosmetic purses that I loved. I wish I’d had more time to make them for all of my friends and family, but I would’ve needed to start much sooner. These are a couple of my favorites that I did get made. Aubrey is obsessed with flamingos and I added a special touch by using furry fabric, which she loved!
I also made these cute bookmarks for my kids and my nieces/nephews!
I wrote a post a few weeks ago about gift ideas for boys. I am happy to report that my idea for my boys was a HUGE hit! We bought them tactical bags for their outdoor adventures, since what they love to do best in their spare time is to explore the outdoors with their friends (we are lucky enough to have nature behind our backyard!) They take their new bags everywhere: on their bike rides, outside on their adventures, even while we are out running errands. Yesterday, we went on a hike and it was so nice for them to have their own bags to carry their water and snacks and of course their cameras so they could take pictures. It was also nice that I didn’t have to be the pack mule! The bags aren’t too big or too small; they are the perfect size and I am really happy with the quality. I was expecting lower quality but they are sturdy and have lots of different pockets for different things to carry along. I can’t believe how inexpensive they are for how nice they are! I highly recommend these bags!!
Jeff bought me photo lighting for my sewing studio and blogging ventures. I’m super excited about it! It’s easy to set up and was inexpensive, which is a plus for a beginner like me. I thought that I’d have to spend hundreds on professional lighting, so I was really excited when I came across this and added it to my wish list. You can (hopefully) look forward to better pictures on my blog! 🙂
One of Jeff’s favorite gifts was the air fryer. He has been wanting one for a while now. I’m looking forward to him making me good meals with his new toy. Ha ha.
By far one of the most popular gifts of the season was our Alexa Echo. My dad called me and asked me to order these for his siblings (I do his Amazon shopping for him). He went on and on about all the cool things Alexa does. Apparently his girlfriend has one at her place and he’s had a little fun ordering Alexa around. Not only did I decide to get my dad one for himself, but his girlfriend also got one for Jeff! So basically, everyone in our extended family now has Alexa, ha ha. We have had a lot of fun asking Alexa questions; I asked my daughter to look up some movie times on her phone, but she asked Alexa to do it instead. How easy is that? It’s been convenient to have Alexa around; I can pause my music or turn it up and down while I’m working without even stopping what I’m doing! My 7-year-old has been cracking me up with Alexa…he’s been asking her to play all kinds of music and I was surprised to learn that he knows all of the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s song “Look What You Made Me Do.” I was dying listening to him sing along!
What were some of your Christmas wins? I want to hear about them!
