Best Baby Stocking Fillers

I remember being so excited about my girls' first Christmases. But when it comes down to it putting together a stocking for someone who neither wants or needs very much is pretty difficult! So here are some ideas that I used. Hopefully you'll find them pretty thrifty too. Of course the suitability of the following does depend on your baby's age but I guess you could put one or two things aside for later in the year?!

With your usual shopping
Ok there are a few things your baby needs, such as new socks or a toothbrush! Can you pop them into their stocking to make up some space?!
* Snacks: with three little ones we stopped buying expensive toddler snacks on a regular basis but we do still buy them as a treat.
* Flannel/Sponge/toothbrush 
* Socks 
* For girls - hair things 

Charity shops/Car boot sales
I know some people still turn their noses up at second hand for their baby but with a quick wipe down of a disinfectant wipe many plastic toys are as good as new!
* Rattles 
* Small toys such as happyland figures or cars
* Mini books 

Pound shop
* Teethers
* Bubbles
* Crafty bits: crayons, stickers etc

Things you can make

* Glitter bottles: easy peasy. Buy some small, clear, plastic bottles (mine are fruit juice bottles from Tesco) and then get some glitter and some electrical tape from the poundshop. Mix as much glitter as you like with a bottle full of water, it will probaby change the colour of the water, as mine have. I have a glue gun so I used it to glue the lid on, but you could use superglue instead. Then I covered the entire lid with electrical tape and glue the ends down for good measure.


* Initial blankets: some people call them taggies. I appliqued my girls' initials on them. Each one is fleecy on one side and has colourful polycotton squares on the other side. Then I've added the ribbon tags. The are lovely little comforters.Won't surprise you to hear that these were all from my scraps bag!

* Christmas cuddly toys 

* Bib 

And of course the perfect finishing touch to your baby stocking is a Memories Gro gift voucher to have a treasured keepsake made from their precious first garments. Find out more at www.facebook.com/memoriesgro

You'll find links to some of these handmade ideas and more on my Pintrest boards where I also have ideas for my girls' toddler stockings for this year...

Ballerina Baby Toy

One of my NCT friends has just had her second baby, a little girl. So I made her a toy which was a variation on my Dolly pattern, adding in one of those teething, linking rings that babies seem to love so much. Another scrap-busting project (I have a LOT of scraps!) The tulle is off-cuts from my veil, which I made myself, see below.

It was cathedral length, and even though I wore it all day I am sure it took longer to make than it was worn for as I sewed bugle beads all round the edges. Oh well, maybe one of my girls will wear it one day?!

 

It wasn't difficult to make, nerve wracking cutting the tulle, but simple enough. Sadly I just looked for the tutorial I used and it's no longer there. Such are the pitfalls of the net.

A Bit Girly

I've decided to get a wriggle on with the girls' stockings. The will still have beautiful presents on a budget, it just takes a bit more organisation and planning. The only thing I bought for these crowns and wands were the ribbons. The rest is all from my scraps bag.

The crowns are fastened at the back with a button and some sparkly elastic that was in my wrapping box from last Christmas! They were inspired by this lovely blog post, although I used fleece instead of felt, it's so lovely and soft.

I was going to make these wands but I think the little ones are still a bit young for them. I would worry about them having
beads and wire! My wands have gardening green sticks that I've wrapped with wadding inside them.

Really, really pleased with how they've turned out. It's a shame I have such a long wait now to give them to them!

Sew Good

I had a go at 'sewing' with Big Girl a few weeks ago. I punched some holes in a polystyrene tray and gave her some wool and a plastic needle that I found through Ebay. It didn't work. She pull through the holes with the wool really easily. So when I saw some lovely 'sewing' cards from Minieco on Pintrest, ready designed to print on card and then punch the holes I thought it looked worth a go. It was better, although she did use up the wool going back and forth between holes in no particular order and then get grumpy. (She has just started preschool and is so tired!) What really surprised me is how long the Little Ones stuck at it. They seemed to quite like it! Will definitely be trying again sometime.

Super Heros!

A friend of mine has a son who turned 6 and a daughter who turned 8, both in August, 9 days apart! So I made these personalised super hero capes and masks. I designed their logos on the PC. I really enjoyed making them, a few more children might get them as presents yet!

There are a couple of super hero pins on my Pintrest 'Presents' board. I took a little bit of inspiration from most of them

Up, Up and Away!

I belong to a group of crafty Mummies and we recently had an exchange of gifts, a bit like Secret Santa, where we all made each other something. The theme was "Sky" and this is what I made...

Hello.... is there anyone out there?!?

I'm back and determined to have another go at blogging! So, you know I had twins, well, they're nearly 18 months! And Bambina is nearly 3 and a half (think she might need a new nickname!) I have been busy, obviously. I am not going back to work. Not only did my salary not even start to stretch to the costs of three lots of childcare but I am also happier to be at home with them for now.

My other major project has been to undertake a new business, making and selling keepsake Dollies from baby clothes! I am really enjoying it and am currently working on expanding my range.

That's it for now, I shall try to be brief and by frequent. That way I might actually have a chance. If you read this please say hi, it would be good to know if there is anyone out there!

You can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/memoriesgro

I've just converted a pair of ordinary black trousers to maternity trousers while bambino was napping!

As I cut into the trousers I thought, I should be photographing this. But I didn't sorry, had no idea they would turn out so well!

I bought some black t shirt material in town this morning. I cut of the waist band and then cut a half moon shape out of the front, completly taking out the zip.

Using the pieces I had removed I cut new, slightly more generous pieces from the t shirt fabric and sewed them to the existing trousers.

Saved myself a few pennies there! Feeling very smug! I'm now 17, nearly 18 weeks and these babies are growing fast. I keep reading about how twin mummies tend to grow out of their maternity clothes. Therefore a lot more improvising likely in the coming weeks!

Lunch Bags

I told you there were more bags to come!

The one on the left in a lovely pink ditsy flower print is mine. The one on the right with a great fruits tile print is for Bambino to take her lunch to my parents house. They are looking after her on the days that I work. Hers is circular because I make and freeze her lunches in little circular pots. I made the 'pattern' up myself.

My bag is based on the boxy bag tutorial I also used to make my pencil case it has a pink spotty oil cloth lining and a clasp fashioned out of a colourful hair elastic and and a button! Bambino's bag is lined with cow print oil cloth.

Now to fill the freezer with the delicious treats they will carry!

Stylish Work Accessories

To ease the pain of returning to work I have made myself some pretty bits, a notebook cover and a pencil case.

The notebook cover slips over a cheap hardback notebook so I could use it on another book once this one is full. It has a closing tab with a magnetic clasp and a piece of pink elastic to hold my pen. There's also a couple of pockets on the inside of the cover to stash loose bits of paper or business cards. I looked at a lot of tutorials for covering a notebook but I didn't follow any particular one, just combined the bits that I knew I would use.

For the pencil case I followed this tutorial which I've used a few times to make make up bags for family and friends but this is the first pencil case. Most of the bags I've made I've lined with a piece of oil cloth which makes them hold their shape better and gives them a waterproof lining. For the pencil case I had a scrap of green polka dot oil cloth left over from making my bambino's nappy change mat.

I sprayed both items with a protective guard spray, meant for shoes, in the hope that they won't get too grubby when chucked in the bottom of my bag. And I'm not done making bags yet...

Getting Organised

I have long been ridiculed by my father for finding any excuse to make a bag. But these two bags really are essential to me. I made the buggy handle bag when we were still using the carrycot. I keep our day to day bits and bobs in it; tissues, gloves, toys and letters that need posting. It saves me from having to stop walking to rootle around in my hand bag or the tardis that is the changing bag. And it has a clear pocket on top where I often stick a post it note with my shopping/to do list. I had the oil cloth in my fabric stash. It was in the remnant basket in John Lewis and is really good quality.

The second one, finished yesterday, is our "Popping Out Bag". That makes me chuckle because I have borrowed The Yummy Mummy Survival Guide by Liz Turner from the library this week and it has a whole section about how popping out is a thing of the past once you have a baby. It's a very funny book. However, some times, in comparison to other times, we are 'popping out' as in I don't need to bring bambino 8 nappies, a change of clothes, Calgel and a sun hat! I think the only essentials every time you leave the house are:

• muslin
• 1 nappy
• disposable changing mat
• wipes (pack with 20 or so only left)
• nappy sack
• water (or milk)
• small snacks
• small toy/teether
• maybe a bib.

Despite an impressive array of handbags (that rarely see the light of day now) I had nothing appropriate to stow these bits in because it really needs to be totally waterproof if it's going to sit permanently in my buggy basket. So I was thrilled to find that I had enough of this cool oil cloth to make a tiny bag with two separate waterproof sections and a holder for the water bottle.

I am really pleased. It will be much easier to pick up and carry into toddler groups alongside my increasingly heavy, beautiful bambino!

Perfect Picnic

The picnic was perfect. We sat in a field near Combe, but the pram top under the tree (bambino decided to nap eventually!) and watched para gliders trying to avoid the trees!

I'd like to pretend that our 'simple' picnic food is down to the fact that I have a baby to look after now but actually I don't normally put much of an effort in with picnics. There's so much fabulous food, prepared and ready to go, available from the supermarkets. On this occasion we just had some nice bread, pate, cheese, olives and crisps.

Last year when we took our parents to the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle as a "Thank you for helping with our wedding present" I did make quite an effort but there were six of us and it was a special occasion. I shall add a post about that another time.

Yesterday also gave us the opportunity to try out Bambino's new travel playmat, which I made for her. It's mainly black and white because these two contrasting colours are those that a baby can see most easily. The other side is red for when she's a bit older. It's just two circles (one is four quarters sewn together) with a thick piece of wadding between and then I added a 'rim' around the edge to keep toys inside. The rim was only two layers thick but it was too tall and too flimsy so I folded it over and tacked it down at various points to make it thicker. Next time (ha, if I make another) I might insert a thicker piece of material in between two layers. Anyway, it seems to do the trick and I made a drawstring bag for it big enough to add a couple of toys too.