This past year we welcomed new babies into the family. My son and his wife had a baby boy and my nephew and his wife now have a little girl. Exciting times! I dusted off my sewing machine and made a few baby blankets. Fleece blankets are great gifts for babies because they can be used to put on the floor, sofa or other surface when at home or visiting – then you can just throw them in the washer and dryer and you are ready for another day!

Normally fleece is about 58-60 inches wide. I purchased 1 1/2 yards of two coordinating fleece fabrics. To begin, place your fabrics, wrong sides together and trim the edges up evenly. My finished blanket measured about 54 inches square. Adjust the size to meet your needs.

After trimming the edges, pin the two layers together, about every 4-5 inches and stitch about 2 inches in from the edge all the way around. Mark the corners, so you know exactly where to turn your stitching. Before you stitch your blanket together, you might want to check your machine settings on an extra piece of fabric. (Since the fabric is thick and plush, I reduced the pressure on the pressure foot and set the stitch length longer than usual. My tension stayed the same.)

You can use markers that have disappearing ink, which disappears in about 48 hours (depending on the type of fabric) or water soluble markers. You can spray the water soluble markings with a bit of water or wash the item after it is completed to remove the marks. Do not iron over the markings, it may make them permanent.

A blanket on Pinterest with scalloped edges was my inspiration. I thought that the scalloped edge would look cute on this blanket – since it is for a little girl – and it would match the outline of the little lambs .

To make a template, I used a jar ring and a piece of heavy card stock. You can vary the size of scallop, depending on what you like. I used about a 1/8-1/4 inch spacing between the scallops.

Cut out the template.

Line the template up along your stitched seam and mark with a disappearing or water soluble marker. You may have to make a few scallops a bit larger or smaller on each edge. I marked the corners first, so that they would all look the same and adjusted scallops towards the middle.

Using sharp shears, carefully cut the fabric along the marked scallop lines.

I think the scallops make this little blanket so cute! Perfect for a baby girl!

All ready to snuggle in for the night!

Before I wrapped the package, I attached a white bow with a safety pin.

Spring is coming! Yellow spring flowers and a gingham bow make a cute baby package. All ready to go to a baby shower to welcome a new little one!

Note: The fabric is “Blizzard Fleece Fabric, Sheep on Yellow” from Joann’s Fabric Store in Kansas City.

More ornaments or gift tags that you can make to add some sparkle and shine to your holiday! All of these are made with air-dry clay and finished with one to two coats of Sparkle Mod Podge. I used cookie cutters to cut out all of the above ornaments.

The round ornaments were painted blue after they dried, then two coats of Sparkle Mod Podge was applied with a sponge brush. Once that was dry, the snow flakes were glued on and one coat of Mod Podge was applied to them.

I used a house cookie cutter for the house, then I used a small heart cookie cutter to make an indentation in the center when the clay was still wet. Once the clay was dry, I painted the heart blue. Washi tape with a gift print was pressed along the bottom of the house and two coats of Sparkle Mod Podge was applied over the entire ornament.

A stencil was used with a sponge brush and acrylic paint for the blue tree ornament. Then the base was painted to match, once dry apply Sparkle Mod Podge.

White ornaments are elegant. You can simply cut out the ornaments and smooth out the edges and you will have beautiful ornaments. Or you can apply paint or finishes to your ornaments. I took the heart I cut out of the house and painted it pink. Once dry, I glued it to the angel.

Little white mittens are cute and easy! Can press designs along the top, if you like, and then you can glue on decorations, like snowflakes or pom poms.

Have a family of three? Glue three hearts on the house.

There is a wide array of holiday stickers that you can use to make decorating super easy!!! Just finish your ornament as you want and stick on the stickers.

These even have 3-D Christmas lights, so they add extra sparkle. I used a bit of red sparkly washi tape for the base.

So pretty as an ornament on your tree or to decorate greenery.

Pom poms just look fun and festive! I used a needle and thread to string the pom poms, then taped the string in place on the back of the ornament.

Have fun “playing” and being creative! Merry Christmas!

Being creative is good for your soul! And there is something so rewarding about taking a plain board and turning it into a beautiful cutting board, serving tray or charcuterie board. There are so many gorgeous woods to choose from, and when you make you own you also get to choose the design. This pig cutting board was a gift for my daughter. It is made from Bubinga wood, which is a really hard, dense wood. I love the grain and luster of this wood – just look at that sheen!

This house serving tray is also Bubinga wood, which is a very durable hardwood. This wood is pinkish red to darker reddish brown with darker streaks. Each piece has a different grain design.

This cutting board is made out of Shedua wood, which is a cousin to the Bubinga wood. It is light to medium yellow or reddish brown, and it is highlighted with occasional dark brown or black ribbons running through it. A tough, durable wood with an amazing natural luster. A coat of oil really enriches all these naturally exceptionally beautiful colors.

Birdseye Maple is a form of figured hard maple. It is called Birdseye Maple because of the tiny knots in the grain resemble small bird’s eyes. I used one of Grandmother Carr’s old cutting boards for the pattern for this one.

Remember to put your name on your creations, whether you sign it, burn it in or apply a label. All of the above boards were finished with 2 coats of a food safe mineral oil.

If you want an easy, soft wood to work with, pine might be good choice. It is so easy to cut and sand, but not durable enough to be a cutting board. But pine could be used for serving trays. I painted this one light blue, topped with a layer of dark blue. Then sanded the edges and random spots to make it look worn. A black wash was then applied to make it look a little more “antique.”

I added a layer of a food safe wax wood finish on the blue serving board. If using it to serve food from, I would recommend using parchment paper or cloth napkin on top of the wood. These also make colorful backgrounds for decorating or when creating vignettes. Imagine this with a pile of little pumpkins, some fall leaves and a candle on a coffee table.

A Pinterest search will give you many ideas for cutting and serving boards – from designs to finishes to decorations and embellishments. Enjoy being creative! These make wonderful gifts!

We purchased the boards for the above projects at Liberty Hardwoods in Independence, MO. They offer a wide range of woods pre-cut to about cutting board size. They also a variety of paints, stains, finishes and woodworking tools.