Top 6 Handmade Baby Gifts

Shopping for babies is so much fun--way more fun than shopping with babies.  And if you have the time, making gifts for babies can be a lot of fun, too.  In the past I have made many baby gifts and even some things for my own little one.  It's so special to give (and receive) handmade gifts so I am sharing my top 6 favorite handmade baby gifts with links to patterns, tutorials and instructions. 

1. Nursing Cover - All moms who nurse need one of these.  They're $30 at many stores, but you can make one for a fraction using fabric of your preference!  (This is the only craft in this post that I have not made--but I do have one of these nursing covers and it was one of the most essential baby items I received!)

2. Diaper Cake - Perfect as a gorgeous gift or as a unique centerpiece at a baby shower.

My mom and I made this as a centerpiece for a baby shower. Well, she did all the work really, but I contributed. Isn't it awesome? We decorated the "cake" with crepe paper ornaments that I couldn't resist at an after-Christmas clearance at World Market.

3. Burp Cloths - This is a great sewing project for beginners and the results are professional and oh-sew-satisfying!  (Forgive my pun...)

4. Appliqued Tie Onesies (or try my no-sew version)

5. Itty Bitty Baby Dress - A sewing project suitable for "advanced beginners".  I made this one for my sweet little Elliott.  She wore it once.  Go figure.

6. Stardust Shoes - Cute little accessory!  Use coordinating fabric from your tie applique onesies or itty bitty baby dress to make the perfect gift set for a little boy or girl.

Happy crafting!

Recycled Gift Wrap

I love a good looking gift. When someone has given thought and care to how the outside of a gift looks, you know that they have taken time and effort when creating/selecting the gift inside, too.  While I appreciate the look of a wrapped gift, I have grown less than thrilled with the idea of purchasing wrapping materials.  First of all, they can be SO expensive (relatively speaking).  Let's say that you buy a friend a small gift for an occasion and spend $10 on the item--the gift wrap for said item can easily be $3-4 for a bag and tissue paper.  Again, relative to the cost of the gift, that is expensive wrapping.  Second, there is so much paper wasted and thrown away on a daily basis that it seems wrong to buy huge rolls of paper just to be ripped up and thrown away. 

So, what's a gal to do? 

How about making some homemade gift bows like Jessica from How About Orange did here?

These bows were so simple to make and SO stunning--and made from a cut up magazine page!  How clever (and resourceful)!  You probably have everything needed to make them right now, so go and create!  I'll bet your Mother's Day gifts still need wrapped, right?

These take 5-10 minutes each to create out of a magazine page.  It's best to choose a page with minimal writing and a strong color theme.

This is just one piece of tissue paper as wrapping paper--cheap, simple and very nice looking.

You can always use yesterday's news to cover a gift--maybe slightly cheesy, but still appreciated.  I personally like it...  and I have been saving comics for gift wrap for a while, so family members, beware...

You can buy a dozen of these plain ol' brown gift bags at most craft stores for about $4.99--a great alternative to the shiny colorful (and expensive) variety.

My mom has wrapped baby shower gifts in baby blankets and fastened them with those big safety pins for baby diapers, which is both  unique and useful. And I have received gifts before in those green grocery bags, another fabulous idea.  And I know a sentence shouldn't being with "and", but I want to be conversational.  So sue me.

Remember to reuse and repurpose your gift bags.  I am committing to buying no new gift wrapping materials from now until the end of the year (and yes, I realize that this includes Christmas).  Wish me luck!  Any clever ideas to share?  Leave a comment!