Our Homemade Christmas

I know this post is late, and I doubt I need to explain why. The weeks leading up to January 6th were tense, and the big day itself was…revealing, to say the least. I’m no political insider, but I have a hunch that things are about to get spicy.

Today, however, I’d like to do something besides flip back and forth between Twitter, Parler, and Gab, so I’m going to give y’all a peek at our homemade Christmas haul.

Due to a tighter budget and shopping being too dang hard, our Christmas this year was smaller. For the first time in forever, there weren’t any dolls, Magnolia-inspired home decor, or fancy tool kits under the tree.

Nevertheless, each of us received plenty of presents—totally fabulous ones, I might add. And the cherry on top is that these gifts were made right here in our own home!

Miniatures For Me:

This Christmas Sister gave me some fantastic 1:6 scale props for my dolls.

You’ve probably already guessed that these are for my Hot Toys Tony Stark.

The outfit is inspired by the one Tony wears when he promotes Pepper to CEO in Iron Man 2.

Didn’t Sister do a fabulous job? The black shirt with navy-tipped sleeves is almost identical to the one in the movie. She chose dark denim calico fabric for the cargo pants and even took the time to sew on tiny belt loops and faux pockets!

It’s hard to see the details on the cargo pants from afar but, trust me, they’re way better than the mass-produced doll clothes at Walmart.

Speaking of details, check out the itty-bitty wristwatch she made:

She used clay to make the watch face and a thin strip of leather for the band.

After that, we have a miniature car battery. I think we all know where this piece comes from!

Yep, it’s the original contraption that kept Tony alive after the explosion in Iron Man.

Seriously, I can’t get over the level of detail here! The little wires coming out the top, the sculpting on the side, the black wash making it look grungy–she even painted the tips of the wires silver!

Of course, Tony doesn’t need this device now that he has the arc reactor. Still, it looks really cool sitting next to his other tools (there’s a picture at the end of this segment😉).

The chocolate donut and coffee cup are Sister’s rendition of Tony’s snack at the donut shop in Iron Man 2.

I don’t know about you, but I think she is giving Hot Toys a run for their money when it comes to realistic miniatures!

Here is a comparison between her donut and the one that came with my Hot Toys Mark IV:

The Hot Toys donut is darker brown and not as matte, but Sister’s is more elaborate. Every sprinkle is an itty-bitty piece of clay!

And the handcrafted coffee makes this doll-sized breakfast even sweeter.

The final bits of my gift was an Iron Man poster and some blueprints.

Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with this present. These one-of-a-kind minis will, no doubt, become regular fixtures in my doll rooms and Tony’s soon-to-be-created workshop.

Now, time to show you some of my handiwork😉.

Beatrix Potter Bunnies For Mom:

Part of why I didn’t publish more Christmas crafts this year is because I was preoccupied making these sweet bunny dolls for Mother.

My mother loves Beatrix Potter. Take a look around our house, and you’ll see books depicting the stories of Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, and Jemima Puddle-Duck amongst the decor. Sometimes even a plushie or two pops up.

So, when I saw this Beatrix Potter Journal on Amazon, I knew it was the perfect present for her.

The journal is more like a scrapbook than a picture-less biography. It has letters, drawings, and envelopes with little secrets inside. There is even a copy of Miss Potter’s first edition of The Tale Of Peter Rabbit hidden in the back cover!

The book by itself is awesome, but I wanted something to go with it. Something equally unique. So, I delved into the world of teddy bear making!

Following a tutorial by Lisa Pay (the artist behind Pay It Forward on YouTube), I created my own versions of Peter Rabbit and Mopsy to go with the book.

Believe it or not, these bunnies are incredibly easy to sew. They have felt heads and fabric bodies.

Most of their clothes can be taken off and swapped out for something else. Only Mopsy’s blouse is permanent (the blouse is actually her upper torso).

Although not every detail is perfect (Peter’s eyes are slightly off-center), I’m super proud of how these bunnies turned out. They are one of my best creations to date.

Most importantly, though, is Mother loves them. She knew I was making something for her but didn’t realize it was Beatrix Potter plushies.

While I had to sacrifice making a few holiday crafts to finish the bunnies by Christmas, it was worth it. They and the book ended up being way more special than a new crock-pot or wall sign.

I hope you all enjoyed seeing our homemade Christmas! Of course, not every gift was handmade. There were a few store-bought surprises (such as a new sewing machine for me😉), just not as many.

Now, before signing off, I must warn you I’m not quite done with Christmas. I agree it’s time to close the book on 2020 (and never open it again!), but I’m not ready to box up the sparkly decorations. I just set them out for Pete’s sake!

And let’s not forget the list of Christmas-themed crafts I want to make.

I know, I know–I’ve said that before and haven’t followed through. That’s not going to happen this time around, though, because my New Year’s resolution for 2021 is to spend more time creating things than buying things.

Now it’s your turn!

You’ve read all about our Christmas. How was yours? Did you swap any homemade gifts?