Some sure-fire last minute gift ideas

If you are starting a handmade holiday gift in the next few days, I'm with you.

I always have the best of intentions, if not the most realistic.

And personally, I would not exactly classify the second week in December as "last minute" (guess I am a bit more literal... and a bit of a procrastinator...).

So I don't want to send anybody over the edge, but aid my fellow dreamers in their hour of need, so here are some fabulous ideas for those of us who are still adding to (rather than taking away from) our to-do list:

























No shocker here: the Winslow Market Tote will always be a fave, last minute or not! Free pattern available here (thanks, Kathy!). Lots of our in-store customers have been stocking up on fat quarters lately to make these for Christmas gifts. You can make one of these in just a couple of hours, and all you need are five fat quarters and 5/8 yard for the lining. If you substitute some of our cute twill tape or cotton webbing for the handles then you could skip the whole "handle-making step" and things would go even more smoothly. The Winslow Market Tote is a great gift on its own, but you could always toss in some lotion or a cute little pencil case or a nice pair of gloves to sweeten the pot.

























And the knitting bug continues with these super-cute, super-easy, super-quick mug snugs from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern Knits book. I can get one of these done in about a day, working on it here and there when I have a spare moment. Just one ball of DK would make quite a few of these mug snugs, making this project extremely affordable as well. And I love a chance to show off a cute button or two. What an awesome gift this would be with a pretty mug, some tea and maybe a gift card to a local cafe thrown in? Totally do-able!

Hope that is helpful to you all: good luck in your last-minute crafting endeavors... see you again on Saturday for the Virtual Christmas Open House!

XO,

Rhea

PS: don't forget that tomorrow is the online men's shopping day! Tell any of the special fellas in your life to shop with us online tomorrow, Wednesday December 14th, and use the code MENSSHOPPINGDAY for 20% off his entire purchase (does not apply to shipping).