Lego Table
As I mentioned in another post about Christmas, I made a Lego table for the kids for Christmas. I have seen the Ikea Hack post all over Pinterest and thought I would try my hand at an easy craft.
This table cost under $40 total. The table was $8 (Ikea Lack), the 4 Lego plates were $23.96 and the glue I used was $4.69. Total cost was $36.65. The assembly couldn't have been easier. The table legs just screwed in, no tools necessary. The plates were glued on with an epoxy glue. To be honest, I didn't even measure. I eyeballed where the plates should go, put the epoxy on, let it sit for the instructed 5 minutes and pressed down. Easiest project ever.
Felt Christmas Tree
This project was also very easy. I had seen these felt Christmas trees at Target and decided to make something similar. I bought the felt and the double-sided tape at my local fabric store. The bonus was that they were having a 30% off sale so in total, I want to say I spent less than $10 for this project, and the boys can use it for several years.
I freehand drew the tree using a white crayon and simply cut it out. I made ball, bell, heart and star ornaments. I also drew those with a white crayon and cut them out. Using double-sided tape, it all got hung up on the wall. The tape was light enough that the ornaments could be moved around many times. The boys really enjoyed "decorating" their own tree.
Ribbed Socks
I made several knitted gifts this year for Christmas. These are just the ones I hadn't posted about yet. This was a last minute gift for my mother-in-law. I had the yarn and she raves about the other socks I made her so I made another pair. Again, she loved them.
Yarn Credit: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock yarn in Splish Splash
Sweater
My mom requested a sweater for Christmas so I found a pattern I liked at my local yarn shop and then picked out the yarn. I ordered the yarn online since I could get acrylic for a very good price. It's hard to knit up a sweater and it ends up costing $80 just in yarn costs plus the many, many hours of work. I was able to purchase the yarn needed on KnitPicks for $30. Score!
The yarn is more of a plum color. It was hard to photograph. It's a very simple v-neck pullover with a split bottom. That way, it fits nicely over the hips. It turns out that my mom loved it!
Yarn Credit: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Mullberry
Bow Hat
You guys, I think this makes 8 of these hats that I have knitted. If anyone else asks, the answer is NO!
This hat was for my sister. She asked and she is an exception to the "NO" rule. She requested the hat in black so here it is! I used something other than my standard black yarn. I used black, but in something a little nicer since it was a gift. The yarn itself is so soft!
Yarn Credit: Malabrigo Rios in Black
Fisher Cable Hat
I couldn't leave my brother-in-law out so I knitted him a hat as well. The yarn was more navy than black like the picture shows.
Yarn Credit: Imperial Yarn Erin Worsted in Navy
Chocolate Pie
For Christmas Eve, I offered to bring dessert. I love baking and hadn't done a lot of baking over the holidays. My Aunt makes the best chocolate pie every Thanksgiving and she was so gracious and gave me the recipe. It's actually a recipe from a really old Hershey's cookbook for Banana Chocolate Cream pie. I don't have the recipe handy, but this one is pretty close.
My Aunt's trick is when the crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle some chocolate chips in the bottom of the pan, let them melt and spread with a pastry brush. This keeps the crust from getting soggy.
I topped the pie with some sweetened whipped cream mixed with a touch of peppermint extract. It really made it taste festive!
Christmas Appetizers
Every year when celebrating over at my Aunt's house, we have something called a grazing table. No formal Christmas dinner, just a bunch of snack type foods and treats. My contributions this year were goat cheese stuffed dates and sausage balls.
I didn't use a recipe for the dates. I just pitted them, halved them and put a bit of herbed goat cheese in the middle. Very simple and very tasty!
The sausage balls were also very easy. You use a pound of hot sausage (I used Jimmy Dean), 12 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, and 3 cups of Bisquick. You mix all that together (this was not very easy or fun - I just used my hands) and form into golf ball sized balls. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.
I assembled and rolled these the night before so all I had to do was bake them off. Such a good idea!
Christmas Cookies
I was on vacation from work the week of Christmas and we had no plans. The only plans the boys and I had were crafts, baking and playing games. I did make one batch of cookies and they are always my favorite: Peanut Butter Blossoms
I had the boys unwrap the Hershey kisses and when I checked on them, a few had bites taken out of them. LOL.
There are a few things that I am sure I am omitting. Like the beaded pipe cleaners that my kids did. Or the peppermint ornaments we made. Or the no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies that Jason requested.
I have done a few more knitted items since Christmas, so that post is sure to come soon!
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