* More DIY Christmas Gifts *

Here are some gifts I made for my friend's preteen daughters (one is obsessed with hedgehogs). They are the coolest girls.

I made these little stuffed plush animals for each one as well as handmade books. One is a writing journal, and the other is a fashion illustration workbook, with croquis templates for her to draw over. I put them together in these bags to make it fun. Hopefully they like them!

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* In the Bow Zone *

I am participating in an upcoming Craft Fair on December 12th for Rivier College in Nashua, NH. In preparation, I have been making a bunch more bows. Needless to say, I'm in the "Bow Zone". Here's a sneak peek at some of the bows in process (over 100 so far!).

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* Handmade Bags and Lessons Learned *

I have been spending a lot of my time teaching myself patience through sewing. The patience thing is difficult, but the sewing is fun, and the final product always makes me happy.

I have been developing prototypes of different bags. This most recent bag came out pretty well for a prototype. It is certainly not perfect, but at least I know how to make the next one even better.

In our society, instant gratification is the norm. Spending the many hours to learn how to make a bag, rather than just running over to Target to pick up a brand new one, is hard for me.

Although I understand the benefit of handmade, I am struggling with the time involved and am constantly making mistakes. If nothing else, this has been a great lesson to learn in patience and problem-solving.

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