Handmade Christmas presents are the best... THE BEST

This year I was able to actually make a number of handmade Christmas presents. One in particular was exciting to finish/give:

This should look familiar; it is on my 2011 Craft Resolutions list (check another one off the list WOOT)

I was also able to wing these peg dolls; they are heavily based on results returned from an image google search for "peg doll." I love google image search like a fat kid loves cake.

Best of all, the house and dolls were made for a special little girl who we all love; Jonah picked the fabric and helped me stuff and sew; Nora picked the colors to paint the dolls (note the green hair and lots of pink).

I love it when a plan comes together.

Sketching It Out

My husband has been complaining because he found several random pieces of paper (with sketches on them) strewn around the house which- as he put it- are suspicious looking.

What my husband calls "the drawings of a mad-woman" I call "Project Sketches." The sketch above is for some fabric-dollhouses I'm about to make for gifts using UK Lass's tutorial. Whenever I start a project (any kind of craft) I find that I have to sketch it out in order for the project to make sense in my brain.

I'm also working on finishing up my first attempt at a knit sweater (Rosamund's Cardigan); I can follow any knitting pattern much better if I sketch it out ahead of time (visual representation of the text). The project sketch below is of the sleeves (long sleeves are not detailed in the pattern, I sketched out the sleeves- as below- before I started to knit them).

I wonder how many other people feel the need to sketch out projects prior to starting; I'm sure I can't be the only one...