What are you making this holiday season?

This last Friday, I posted a question to my readers... "What are you making this holiday season? Or what would you make if you could?" While no one commented on the blog post, I did get five replies through emails and conversations around town.

Here are the results!

7 Quick Crochet Craft Ideas for Holiday Gifts

The holidays are getting closer and you still need a gift for people on your list. Why not crochet something for them? Here is my list of quick things to crochet for holiday gifts.

Quick Crochet Craft #1: Angel Ornament

This cute Angel ornament pattern would be a cute gift for someone. Add a loop at the top or just thread a wire or string to make it ready to hang on a tree.

Quick Crochet Craft #2: Can Cozy

If you have a friend that loves soda (or beer), you could crochet them a cozy to hold their can and keep their hands warm. You can find the pattern here.

Quick Crochet Craft #3: Chain Link Necklace

I love this look! This creative crochet chain link necklace can be made in a lot of colors and would look great to wear!

Quick crochet Craft #4: Sundance Slouch Hat

© Carrie Piper

These hats are pretty stylish right now. I know a lot of teens love the look. The pattern is available as a download through ravelry. 

Quick Crochet Craft #5: Hermione the Unicorn

© 2011 Dawn Toussaint

Look at this! Isn't this just the cutest thing you've ever seen! This pattern is a ravelry download also! Okay, this may not be as quick as the other projects, but how could I pass this up? It's freaking adorable!

Quick Crochet Craft #6: 90 Minute Scarf

from the blog "Craft Disasters and Other Atrocities"

Here is a scarf that only takes 90 minutes to make. Pick two coordinating colors and you'll have a scarf in no time... er, 90 minutes.

Quick Crochet Craft #7: 30 minute hat

from the blog "Craft Disasters and Other Atrocities"

Here is the hat that was designed to go along with the 90 minute scarf. In 2 hours, you can make a hat/ scarf set for a gift!

Homemade Holiday Gifts? What are you making?

I was debating on what to write for today's blog post. I was deciding whether I should share a movie or a game for hang out night when... I realized that this hang out night will be for making things for gifts for the holidays.

So, my question to everyone today is, what is something you are going to make for a gift OR what would you like to make for a gift if you could/ had enough money/ knew how to work a bejeweled machine/ [insert your reason for not making homemade gifts here]? 

You can answer by commenting to this post, or you can email me. I'll let you all know what the answers were in a few days, unless I have a ton of answers... then It'll probably be Sunday.

5 Frugal Homemade Gift Ideas for the Holidays

With Yule and Christmas coming up and having very little money to buy gifts for my family, this year I am opting to be frugal and make gifts instead. I have been searching around for ideas and found these creative frugal gifts to share with you.

Frugal Gift Idea #1: Rose made from plastic spoons

Photo Credit: Cut out + Keep

This is so beautiful  and looks like a lot of fun to make. It's a rose pendant made from plastic spoons. You'll need 17 plastic spoons, scissors, needle-nose pliers, a candle, and these directions to make this. 

Frugal Gift Idea #2: Gifts in a Jar

Photo Source: Bargain Blessings

These are adorable! You can see the idea behind these here along with many other wonderful gift in a jar ideas. 

The options for gifts in a jar aren't limited to food items either! You can make snow globes, oatmeal cookie bath soak and peppermint bath salts, child and adult journal in a jar (journal prompts) just to name a few. 

I am thinking of creating a first-aid kit in a jar and a sewing kit in a jar. I'll post pictures when I get the made.

Frugal Gift Idea #3: Paper Mache Pens

Photo Source: Paper Crafts for Children

Okay, these are meant for kids to make, but I am totally going to make some of these! They are so cute. The directions are here.

Frugal Gift Idea #4: A Heat Pack for the Neck

These can be easy to make with cute toe socks filled with rice and then sewn or tied shut. OR, you can go here and make this totally cool looking neck heat pack.

Photo Source: Ever Never Again

Frugal Gift Idea #5 Decorate A Cup

Photo Source Unknown. Email me if you know.

This is pretty cool. Take a sharpie and draw a picture on a cup (or plate), then bake the plate for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. There were so many cute pictures to choose from that I decided to just give you a link to a pinterest page to give you some ideas. 

Just an extra tip: This blogger says they are hand-wash only.

And if you love playing with sharpies, you can also make a dishtowel design with sharpies too.

Reynaud's AKA Ice Cold Hands and Feet (and ears and nose)

At my annual check up at the doctors, I mentioned that my hands and feet are constantly freezing. I could be fine, nice and toasty, or feeling pretty okay but my hands and feet feel like it's this

My doctor said it's what is called Reynaud's Phenomenon or Reynaud's Disease. I heard of the term before from my friend, Amy. She mentioned it could be Reynaud's when I posted about how my hands were freezing.

What is Reynaud's Phenomenon (sounds better than "disease")?

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says Reynaud's is "a condition in which cold temperatures or strong emotions cause blood vessel spasms. This blocks blood flow to the fingers, toes, ears, and nose." I even found this nifty image to share with all of you that shows the blood vessels constricting and turning the fingers purple.

By NHLBI authors. via Wikimedia Commons

This last week with the cold front that came through causing Montana to have the coldest windchill on earth that day, not exaggerating!, and the stress in my life, made my hands and feet freeze! I wore gloves, soaked them in warm water, did exercises with them to get the blood pumping... and still my hands looked closer to the right hand picture. 

Everything I read said that it doesn't hurt. I would like to take a moment to say that this is

I don't know about the rest of you with Reynaud's Phenomenon, but my fingers and toes HURT SO BAD! They sting, they burn, they tingle... and then go numb. I am torn about the numb part. I'm happy my fingers don't hurt anymore, but I kind of need to be able to feel them to be able to work.

So in case you were wondering why I was absent this last week in blogging, this is why. Because I swayer to you, in a southern drawl, that my hands are turning to ice cubes as we speak.

I hate Reynaud's Phenomenon!