3.02.2012

Shortcut Gift Ideas (Showoff!) #1, #2, and #3

I didn't make a passel of Christmas gifts this year, but I did decorate some pre-made things to make them pretty.

Sometimes, I like to take shortcuts.

Shortcut Idea #1:

I gave my sister-in-law April embellished potholders to pair with kitchen towels and oven mitts.  Exciting, I know!  Her kitchen has a chicken theme, hence proud Chanticleer on the potholder.  I cut him out and appliqued him using the same ultra-professional technique I used for these pillow pieces a few years back.  And if you want to do the same, may I suggest putting a rooster on one potholder and a egg-sitting hen in a nest of hay on the second?   At the last minute, frantically sewing on the rooster, I regretted only thinking of that immediately before we needed to set out.





Shortcut Idea #2:

Buy some pillowcases because you didn't leave time to make some (drive your mother crazy with this unnecessary expense); applique on a few items in lime to match your sis-in-law Sarah's bedroom color scheme.  Even more exciting than the potholders, huh?!  We also gave her a dress and some chocolates, so we're not completely dorky.




Shortcut Idea #3:

I stole the bathmat idea from my friend Rebecca for a Christmas gift last year (as I explain in a post below), and I re-used it this year for my mom-in-law.  A pig on a bathmat?  Yes, a pig on a bathmat.  They're cute, dang it!  Her bathroom is black and coral, and she likes pigs, so there you have it.




Oink.


5 comments :

Mary said...

love the chicken pot holders.You clever lady!

Abigail said...

If you put in an order, I can have them to you by 2017...maybe.

Rebecca said...

I super duper LOVE your apliques. They are the coolest.

They are like your cakes. Every single one shines, even though you wonder how you could ever make anything better!

I LOVE the rooster!

(and the pig is super cute too. I love the ear.)

Abigail said...

I like appliques because they're a quick way to fool myself into feeling like I've made something.

Someday, maybe I'll actually MAKE something. If so, you can bet I'll show it off on here. :)

Abigail said...

In other words, don't hold your breath.

I'll just live vicariously through people like you.