what to get when you don't know what to get

It's been mentioned in previous posts that here at 7Sisters we are doing our best to stay on top of the holidays this year!  I have to say that's definitely true for myself since I look like this (below) and expect the little snowflake to arrive 2-3 weeks before Christmas:

Talk about pressure! :)  But you girls know me, and I'm proud to say that I'm halfway done with my shopping already! Woohoo!

It hasn't been easy though, let me tell ya!  Shopping for someone in September can be difficult when you don't give them the gift until December and if people are anything like me...well, I've been told I'm a free spirit and it's true that I can go wherever the wind blows me... and the wind in September might not be the same in December! So while I'm crossing my fingers that my gift giving tactics are as foolproof as possible (everyone's allowed a gift flub once in a while, right? I mean, I know I've had my fair share) I thought I'd share a handy dandy list I whipped up to help me along on my gift-buying journey. 

Not ready for Christmas?  Don't worry, it's not holiday specific (though it does kinda lean towards girlier gifts), what can I say- you're at Seven Sisters, not Buncha Brothers! :)  I really tried to think of things that the gift giver would definitely use, love and enjoy. Things that you just can't have too much of...really nice colorful cloth dinner napkins are one of my secret loves as well as pretty stationary. 

The Fashionista

1. The Trend Watcher
•  A little black wallet or clutch
• Warm cashmere gloves in winter or sunglasses in summer 
• Shoes (or a gift card to their favorite shoe store)
• Fashion magazine subscription
2. To the beat of their own drum
• Costume jewelry from a local boutique, etsy, or handmade
• Handmade crocheted slippers
• Breezy neck scarf
• Colorful tights
• Bright colored nailpolish

The Chef

1. The Chocolate Lover
• High end chocolate (duh)
• Set of dessert plates (thrift shop!!)
• Cupcake domes (Hobby Lobby!)
2.  The Health Nut
• Homemade granola with a big chunky spoon
• Cookbook (Think Jamie Oliver or the Moosewood or make a scrapbook one!)
• Local cooking class
• Fancy tea

The Home Decor Lover

1. Just moved in
• Housewarming gift bucket (small tools, nails, wood glue, etc)
• Homemade "About the Area" book with tips and recommendations
• Welcoming door mat
• Plantable plant (or flowers for the apartment dweller)
• Mrs Meyers or Method cleaning products gift basket (looove Method!)
• Paintbrushes, rollers, and primer, oh my!
2. Festivity lover
• A wreath (for all those OTHER holidays)
• Homemade heart garland for Valentines' Day
• Handmade ornament (or search etsy)
• Variety of sunflower seeds, wrapped in a pretty bow
• Pumpkin carving set
• Make your own snowman kit
• Holiday themed tablecloth (other than Christmas)
3. Artsy
• Homemade abstract art/painting (or search etsy)
• Thrift store art piece
• Brightly colored sofa pillows
• Hand painted birdhouse
• Colorful/bold cloth napkins
4. Practical
• Pretty glass storage containers (or anything pretty for organizing)
• Handmade blanket
• Pretty placemat set

The Adventurer

1. Beach lover
• Colorful beach towel (with a favorite magazine!)
• Name/monogram written in the sand, take a picture, frame it and give!
2. Mountain/Nature lover
• Cute printed rainboots
• Bike basket (or if they already have a basket, a basket liner)
• Picnic blanket or basket (or both!)
• Outdoor game- think KanJam, bocce, horseshoes, etc
• Zoo passes
• White water rafting gift certificate
• A really nice flashlight (in pink for your girlfriend of course)

Sentimental

1. Your best friend
• Letter writing kit (with all the fancy stuff!)
• Magazine subscription
• Pedicure or manicure date
• Journal
• Frame her kids' art for her!
• Nice, colorful, WARM socks
2. Your grandma
• A homemade card
• Stationary
• Homemade baked bread, cookies, fudge, etc (you thought Grandma's liked cooking for YOU, but they like receiving too... at least in my experience :) )
• A lunch date
• Scan, restore, or save old photos for her
3. Your significant other
• WHAT HE ASKS FOR (no really...c'mon, men are simple folk).
• A "how to pray for your wife" mini book- I've seen these on etsy, love them!
• A love letter
• Sporting event/concert tickets

Obviously this list isn't exhaustive, but hopefully it helps you get your creative juices flowing!  Go ahead and comment with more gift ideas too! Can always use some nifty new ones. I still have the other half of my Christmas shopping to do :) Oh, and for a lot of kid-related gift ideas, click on our "gift ideas" link on the sidebar under the "We're Organized" heading!

The Cutest DIY Kindle Cover

Ok fellow sisters...this past week was Little L's first day of kindergarten! So needless to say I have been a little preoccupied with back to school jitters!! Much more so than my little L! She was more than happy to step onto that bus and ride all the way to kindergarten all by herself! My little girl is so brave and growing up too fast! 

And so in case you were like me last week; busy with back to school. Here is a look again at the DIY tutorial for a Kindle Cover that I guest posted in the Holiday Bake, Craft and Sew Along. It is the perfect gift for that special someone in your life that loves to read and owns a kindle (Like my mother in law who keeps dropping hers. This is the perfect gift for her.) If you don't happen to own a kindle this project could easily be adjusted for whatever electronic device you own and I will explain below. 

Materials:

*Fabric (preferably two different patterns that go together)

*Matting (like the kind used in quilting)

*Elastic

*Iron on velcro

*Fabric button

*Basic sewing supplies

*Sewing machine

Getting Started

My cover is made for the Amazon Kindle with dimensions as follows:

Length x Width x Height 

7.5 in x 4.8 in x 0.335 in

I used this formula for measuring and cutting all my material

(L + H +1) x (W + H + 1)

 This formula will help you make your measurements 

whether you have this exact kindle or not. For example, you could use this formula

and make a cover for the nook or even an ipad. 

I found this formula to be extremely helpful.

After calculating and using my handy dandy formula

 (and rounding to the nearest whole number) I cut all my material as follows.

I have numbered all the pieces to make my instructions easier. 

The numbers will be used throughout the tutorial.

*Piece 1: 9 x 12.5 inches (main fabric)

*Piece 2: 9 x 12.5 inches (main fabric)

*Piece 3: 10 x 13.5 inches (matting) 

hint: you want the matting piece to be slightly larger 

than your two main pieces 1 and 2

*Piece 4: 9 x 6 inches (main fabric)

*Piece 5: 7 x 6 inches (contrasting fabric)

*Piece 6: 8 x 6 inches (contrasting fabric)

*Piece 7: 3 x 6 inches (contrasting fabric)

* Piece 8: 3 x 6 inches (contrasting fabric)

Piece 9: 3.5 x 6 inches (matting)

 To make the strap:

You only want to sew up the three edges so you can turn in right side out

with the matting in the middle. Cutting the extra fabric off the corners allows

 for your corners to look neat and square instead of bulky. 

Viola!

A beautiful strap!

 To make the inside pocket piece:

Only hem the tops of pieces 5 and 6. Leave the bottom edge untouched.

Sewing the zigzag stitch will help prevent fraying along the edges. 

Again leave the bottom edges untouched on each piece.

When you are done only the top pieces of 5 and 6 should be hemmed and 

pieces 4, 5, and 6 should have the zigzag stitch along each side edge of fabric. 

Leave the top of piece 4 untouched as well as the

bottom edge of each piece.

 Turn your pieces over so you are looking at the front of them.

You are now going to pin the three pieces together and then sew into place.

This will form two pockets for the inside of the kindle cover. 

Turn the pocket piece over again so you are looking at it from the back and

 fold in the edges with the zigzag stitch only and pin into place. 

You are only going to hem along the two side edges with the zigzag stitches.  

This is what it should look like when all the pocket pieces are sewn together.

Hemming along the zigzag stitch sews all three pieces together.  

Putting it all together:

You want the matting piece to be larger than your two main pieces because it 

makes sewing it all together easier. You can trim away excess later. 

Right now we are going to lay all the pieces on top of each other as 

follows and then sew them all together as one piece. 

Once you have placed the pocket piece on top of piece number 2 

take your number 1 piece (with wrong side facing you) and lay it on top.

 Piece number 1 should look inside out right now. Not to worry once you sew 

it all up you will turn it right side out again.  Pin along the edges described below.

 Leaving the right side edge unpinned.

Starting from the right side bottom edge start to sew a straight stitch 

around the pinned edges. Do not lift your needle out of the fabric 

during this step, until all the way around.

 Finally once you have sewn around the three pinned edges. Turn your work 

right side out. This is what it should look like. With the right side edge still open. 

 For this final step we are going to sew the right edge of the cover while sewing the strap into place and continue around the entire edge of the cover to make for a neat, stylish finish. Fold in the bottom piece of fabric and the matting and pin into place. Place your strap where you want it and pin that into place. Finally fold in the top piece of fabric and pin it all together to seal it all shut. See below.

For this last part. Just be sure to catch every piece of fabric in the "last pinned edge" so

that it all comes together neatly .

Starting at the top right corner (where you have pinned it shut). Sew a straight stitch through all the fabric all the way around the kindle cover. This will make for a neat finish and close up the last edge.

Phew: hang in there it's almost done.. and looking beautiful!

 Sewing the Elastic:

I wanted this not only to be a cover to protect the kindle but also something that could hold the kindle in place while reading it. I might as well be stylish while I'm reading right?

First I cut a piece of cardstock to the measurments of my kindle to use it as a reference. Using elastic that I measured and cut to fit around the corners. I folded in the edges of the elastic and pinned and sewed into place. They ended up working really well, and didn't even interfere with the screen. 

Finishing Touches:

Iron out any wrinkles and iron on your velcro.

TADA!!!

I can't wait to give it to my mother in law for Christmas!

Happy Sewing!!

Check Out the Holiday Craft Along

Happy, happy Friday friends! Three nifty, fellow blog-and-craft-lovin' girls have organized 30 days of sewing, baking and holiday craft ideas for the month of September. The girls are Kelly at According to Kelly, Cindy at Skip to my Lou and Rachel at A Southern Fairytale. They are trying hard to inspire the rest of us to get thinking about Christmas gift giving! I can vouch for the fact that it's never too early to start gathering ideas for those handmade gifts. Make your list...and check it twice!

And...I am pleased as punch to say that we gals at Seven Sisters were kindly asked to guest post for the Holiday Bake, Craft & Sew Along! (Who? Little old us? Oh, yeah we are blogging with the big girls!)

So, without further ado, here's where to go and a preview of what you will find (it's good stuff!)...

Jaime, our decorating super-star sister, is posting over at According to Kelly. Check out her holiday wreath fashioned out of tags. It has a lovely vintage look to it and is like a piece of art for you door. Jaime used paper and embellishments to create a beautiful, one-of-kind wreath.

Mar, our super-motivated-sister-with-a-sewing machine is posting an awesome sewing project over at Skip to my Lou. She shows you step by step how to make a beautiful fabric Kindle cover. It would be a stylish gift for anyone with an e-reader. This makes me want a Kindle just so I can carry it in this beautiful cover!

For some holiday baking inspiration, hop over to A Southern Fairytale to read my (Janel) post. I share a recipe for Christmas cut-out cookies with an anise glaze and a cute idea to package one cookie with a coffee drink. It would make a sweet gift for a teacher or co-worker.

This is our first time guest posting! Hugs to our faithful followers and if anyone is visiting Seven Sisters for the first time...welcome! Take a look around! We are seven friends who follow God and love to spend time together. We get together for "craft nights" at each others homes but really, it is an excuse to talk and eat! Occasionally a craft or two gets completed! Thanks for spending a moment with us..have a great weekend!

little picasso

my girlfriend's son may not know it yet, but I think he may have a knack for the whole artist thing.

Check out the abstract drawing that appeared in a thank you note from the birthday gift we sent him (he turned 2!);

Does it look like a bird to you??  His mom and I thought so too.  That's what got my idea going... I immediately knew that with just a few tiny tweaks and a color switcheroo, the little man could look like a semi-pro!

All I did was scan the card into my computer, and opened it up in Paint.  There I cropped it down to just the bird-ish drawing and erased two small lines from the original that were distracting from the real flavor of the piece (see how technical I'm getting? haha). 

Then I saved it and opened it up in PowerPoint.  There may be an easier way to do this, but this is the "blue collar" version of making artwork since I don't own Photoshop :).  After I opened it up in PowerPoint, I simply changed the photo to black and white. I had tried to do this step in Paint, but it got a little grainy/distorted when I saved it.  Not so in PowerPoint.  Then I actually printed it onto cardstock from the PowerPoint program, because I was able to resize it to the size more easily there than in Paint for what I needed for my frame.

Ta da! It looks like a neato abstract charcoal bird drawing to me! 

What do you think?  Is he a little picasso or what?  Are your kiddo's doing any artwork that deserves to be matted and framed like this one?

How to make your own... Buckle Bear...

Right now Little E is about 18 months old and really really really into BUCKLES!! Every buckle that she can find seems to occupy her little hands for hours. It wasn't until recently that she mastered the art of the buckle and is still fascinated with buckling and unbuckling everything. And the more things that keep my little 18 month old "busy" the better!! At least my poor house that gets trashed every morning at 7am thinks so..hehe. Jaime recently sent me a link to a website called  Buckley Boo. It is where I got my inspiration! And Little E is at the perfect age to start working on smaller motor skills and the concept of matching colors.                                  For awhile now I have been wanting to make a "busy book" for Little E, but was afraid that it was going to take me too long. Not to mention she is really not into any other part of those books besides the buckles. So I thought why not make my own.... and make it entirely with buckles.. and instead of making a buckle book..make a buckle bear!!

This little guy makes the perfect gift and only took me an hour or two to make. And if you are like me then you already have an assortment of stuffed animals at your disposal to work with so the only thing I had to buy at the store was the buckles and ribbon. (Most of the ribbon I already had, but I wanted to do a rainbow)

Supplies:

One cute and fuzzy stuffed animal (preferably with a long body)

Buckles ( I found mine at Joann's in the sewing section)

Ribbon

Basic Sewing Supplies

1. The first thing I did was measure and cut all my ribbon and then pinned 

it around the bear to make sure that it would all fit and buckle easily.

2. Then I took it all to my sewing machine and hemmed each end of ribbon and then 

sewed it into place around the buckle.

A view of the ribbon from the front and back.

Once all my ribbon was sewn onto my buckles I wrapped them all around the bear

and used embroidery thread and hand sewed each ribbon piece to the back of the bear. This way Little E can't remove the ribbons from the bear. This is how the back of the bear looked when I was done.

This is a view of the front of the bear when it was finished. It's just too stinkin cute!!

And now the fun part!!!

This little bear was a lot of fun to make but what's even better is the fact that Little E will not put it down! Once she buckles him all up she puts him in her little stroller and takes him on a walk. She even had to bring him with her to church on Sunday!