Etsy Royal Baby Gift Guide

With today's news that we are, at long last, expecting the Royal Baby (Henceforth addressed by his or her proper title, HRH Baby), surely people around the world are already choosing fabulous gifts befitting of HRH Baby stature. I think HRH Baby is a baby who would appreciate supporting the independent crafter and, as such, I have rounded up some of the finest Etsy has to offer HRH Baby. I have also sorted them into helpful, orderly categories, because HRH Baby also is a baby who likes orderly categories.

 

As future ruler of the United Kingdom, HRH Baby needs to be very aware of his or her environment, and can learn about his or her subjects, royal family, or area weather whilst spending time in the Royal Crib. The Sheep Baby Mobile by pingvini will teach HRH Baby about the people in the English Countryside as well as local agriculture. The Personalized Baby Mobile of the Wee One's Family by PinkCheeksStudios will allow HRH Baby to learn the complicated Royal Family history, while dreaming happy dreams about Great Granny QE2. And, of course, the Cloud and Raindrops Mobile by ClaireonCloud9 will expose HRH Baby to the elements of London without actually exposing him or her to the elements of London.

 

Certainly HRH Baby will have many, many engagements and appearances where only the finest attire will be acceptable. For black tie occasions, might I suggest the Mini Top Hat and Bow Tie Set by fleurdeleighacc. If the evening requires a display of the crown jewels, HRH Baby might adorn his or her royal noggin with the Baby Gold Lace Crown by bonbonLand, as practice for wearing the heavier headpieces once his or her Royal Soft Spot has hardened. Thirdly, for the more casual but still fancy occasion, we have the lovely plaid Diaper Cover and Matching Bow Tie by thesewingmachine, which is not only stylish, but will teach HRH Baby his or her primary colors.

The Royal Bum is of the utmost security concern for the Palace. It must be pampered and cleaned with precision. To both keep the Royal Bum clean as well as to practice receiving bouquets of flowers from his or her Royal Subjects, HRH Baby most certainly needs the Baby Washcloth Bouquet by YouAreMyEverything. As we already know, HRH Baby likes things to be neat and orderly, and would much appreciate the Yellow Giraffe Diaper Caddy by Creat4usKids. Not only will it help to store the Royal Nappies and Wipies, but the festive giraffe pattern will prepare HRH Baby to follow in the footsteps of his parents many charitable works in Africa. As I mentioned, the Royal Bum is, itself, very important. As such, it must be emblazoned with a crown so that all who encounter it know that they are in the very presence of royalty. For this, HRH Baby needs the Royal Bunz Wool Soaker Diaper Cover by chickadeeandme. Not only is it stylish, but it will keep the Royal Bum toasty at all times in the chilly weather.

HRH Baby must show pride in his or her country. Firstly, we have the Union Jack Mini Baby Onesie by byebyebirdieengland, which shows pride in the flag as well as in the British auto industry. The British Flag Baby Booties by coolarific will show that HRH Baby is British from head to teeny weeny toe. Finally, nothing says national pride like wrapping, or, in this case, swaddling ones self in the flag of your country. Perfect for the job is the British Flag Baby Quilt by HouseofdeVeer.

Finally, no young Royal can reach his or her full potential without cultivating a stiff wooden attitude. So that HRH Baby knows his or her kingdom extends all the way to Australia, I suggest the Kangaroo Wooden Baby Rattle by LRMWoodSculpt. To protect the Royal Gums, the Duchess might wear this stylish Aqua Nursing Rings Necklace by nihamaj so that HRH Baby might teethe in comfort. Lastly, no modern mini-royal can go without a Personalized Baby iPhone5 by 3PrincessesStore to keep abreast of World News and to contact ones nanny for a nappy change or a feeding.

I hope that you all find this guide helpful in presenting HRH Baby with an appropriate welcome gift. We still have a few months to make our final selections, but this guide should get you on your way.

12 DIY Holiday Wreaths

Holiday Wreaths 

 Another pretty new concept to me is The Wreath. I would sometimes put up a basic autumnal wreath or greenery and red bow Christmas wreath back when we had an apartment, but now that we have a house, I may get a little bit more adventurous with my wreathing. (Really, spellcheck? No problem with "wreathing?" Alright...) So, I scoured the blogosphere for some stylish and fun holiday wreath DIYs, but I ran into a bit of a problem...Apparently, I find a sizable percentage of wreaths to be ugly or tacky. Hello, my name is Cami, and I am a wreath snob. But, I foraged on and came up with these twelve, non cheesy, non tacky, creative wreath examples for you to try. Enjoy!

 For the links and to see which wreath is my personal favorite, join me after the jump... 

18 Knitted Holiday Gifts

I love knitting gifts for the holidays. I could look through patterns for days, but I've gathered 18 free or inexpensive patterns for you to make for your friends and family. Hurry hurry, only 23 more knitting days until Christmas! (Even fewer until Chanukah!)

Links after the jump...

Project Life: November 18-24

Sorry I'm a bit late on this one, but whatever plague hit me seems to be taking its turn with Scott, so I've been on nursing duty. Normally, a Project Life weekly post takes up a two page layout, with an insert or so if necessary. Apparently, holidays and big time family visits take up a bit more real estate. In fact, with two pages and five inserts of varying sizes, filled front and back, I may have abused the page protector system. But hey, it was a pretty eventful week, and the next week's layout is looking pretty sparse, so the Project Life universe will balance it all out in the end. 

 

For the first page, I had designed my own Thanksgiving header card from a Disney version of the Norman Rockwell painting, Freedom from Want. I used Becky Higgins Page Design B, which allowed for a lovely vertical place setting picture and some space for some tasty food porn. The large journaling card is from the Project Life 4x6 Textured Cardstock Cobalt Pack, with the same washi tape from World Market that I used in my Thanksgiving Menu Tutorial. I also used my corner rounder, as usual.

For the first insert, I used Becky Higgins Design J. I like this insert because it allows for use of both vertical images and square Instagram images.  I used the same washi tape throughout to keep the theme going, and here, in particular, to mark the first official time my younger brother surpassed my height. The day will live in infamy. 

Of course, I had to save one of the DIY Thanksgiving Menus. I used a Becky Higgins vertical 5x7 page protector which, obviously, fit perfectly. On the other side, I put a crayon rubbing of the Rosa Parks Bus from our trip to...

...The Henry Ford Museum! Much fun was had by all. I especially enjoyed seeing the Wienermobile and eating my delicious chocolate mustache - I think it made me look quite distinguished. I used Becky Higgins Design G, which is about 2/3 the size of a full page so I count it as an insert, but it still has plenty of room for all kinds of photos. The blue Model T card and the Mc Donald's card with the blue convertible (love) are souvenir post cards from the museum gift shop. The journaling cards are Project Life 3x4 White Cards with the same washi tape. The sticker on the Weinermobile picture is a color coding label from the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery collection.

We also dressed up as hot dogs and drove an old timey vehicle, which certainly needed to be included as well. We also happened upon some really awesome graffiti when we drove through a market in downtown Detroit, and I really liked the colors it added to the layout. For this insert, I used 

Becky Higgins Design H, which is half the size of a normal page. Again, the same World Market washi tape makes an appearance.

For the last page, which covered our discovery of Chick Inn drive in restaurant (yum), and the insanely huge pile of recycling we amassed while getting our house ready for parental inspection, I used Becky Higgins Design A (and that pesky green washi tape.)

So, this past week was pretty photo heavy, and I've decided that's OK. If I have to get into several binders per year, whatever, I'd rather have all the memories anyhow - isn't that what this is all about? Plus, I make my own rules. I also got to share my Project Life album with my family when they came to visit, and even though I've only been doing the project for a month, they had a lot of fun looking at it and remembering things that had happened only recently - it's pretty funny how short our attention spans are nowadays, and the little details we tend to forget. I don't expect to have quite so huge of a Christmas spread. We aren't going anywhere, and our fun activities are spread out throughout the month, so I'm glad I got to do a spread this big for our first big holiday in the new house.

DIY Advent Calendar Roundup

Growing up Jewish, I never really had any experience with the Advent Calendar. To this day, I don't know the story behind it, and I assume it is just a device that gives me a small present each day while counting down to my birthday, which so happens to fall on December 25th. Occasionally, when I was a kid, a friend would show me a little cardboard box with a Christmas illustration on it, and each day they would punch a hole in it and get chocolate of questionable age along with a vaguely religious holiday sentiment.

As for my house, we had an 8-pocket present holder that had a mini-present for each night of Chanukah, and no, we never got socks, but thanks for asking. Now, people seem to be taking Advent Calendars to the next level. Not only are the presents getting a bit more interesting, but people are getting pretty crafty with the packaging as well - a treat, I presume, more for the crafter than the minor child recipient. So, in honor of my birthday month, here are some Advent Calendars you can make yourself to count down to my special day.

Magnetic Holiday Advent Calendar DIY

 I like this one because it appeals to my OCD side - all the same, neatly in a row, and nicely coordinated colors. Plus, it will go right on the fridge and each one is the perfect size for a handful of jelly beans. Or skittles. Or chocolate chips...

Tutorial available at Twig and Thistle

DIY Mini Tree Advent Calendar

I'd probably forget about the presents with this one, and just pretend I was a giant amongst a teeny, tiny forest. But, if you're one of those folks who likes to have a train going around their Christmas Tree, this might be a good option for some added foliage.

Tutorial available at Apartment Therapy

Modern DIY Advent Calendar

This one has an interesting modern look to it. Is it a piece of art? Is it an advent calendar? Is someone really confused as to in what order numbers go? This is definitely the hipster art school kid option. No colors, straight lines, and you have to tilt your head for it to make sense.

Tutorial available at Creature Comforts

DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Advent Calendar 

I'm confused...are you supposed to be able to see the gifts? Again, my first thought is filling the buckets with different kinds of candy. Can you tell we finally topped off the Halloween candy bowl today? I'm really jonesing for a Hershey's bar. Anyways, this is another cute option, and you can re-use it year after year. 

Tutorial available at The Feminist Housewife

Free Printable DIY Christmas Calendar

I'm a sucker for a good printable. And these are some good sized boxes too. You could put one, two, maybe even three Reese's cups in one of these puppies. Another problem I have with anything black and white is that I really want to color it in, which you can do because it is yours and you make the rules. Don't color outside the lines though, or you're on the Naughty List.

Printables and Tutorial available at Hey Look

DIY Gingerbread Advent Calendar 

A calendar I can eat? Sold. But I'm renaming it the fat-vent calendar. I never was a gingerbread fan, so maybe we make it out of sugar cookies.

Recipe available at Butcher, Baker

DIY Hanging Chalkboard Advent Calendar

I like the idea that you can hang this from the mantle, or from a tree. I'm not so sure about gravity + tasty treats in a box with a lid, but I'm pretty sure you could throw some washi tape on it and be fine. Washi tape is gonna replace duct tape as the world's fix-it-all. Or, maybe just in the craft world.

Tutorial available at Hank and Hunt

DIY Advent Tree

This year will be my fourth with a Christmas tree, and every year I freak out because there is a tree in my house. Sure, for a lot of folks it's no big deal, but for this Jewish girl, trees live outside no matter the season. I'm always giving my tree the side-eye, expecting a squirrel to jump out of it a la Christmas Vacation. To the point - this tree might be less frightening to your Jewish friends who like the indoors, and it can double as a Christmas tree to put gifts under for those who don't have room for a tree in their apartment.

Tutorial available at A Beautiful Mess

DIY Silhouette Advent Calendar

I like the silver color scheme here - it's got a very vintage holiday look. Also, when the holiday is over, you can use the frame to hang mini Instagram photos, or regular non-hipster photos.

Example and link to kit available at Better After

Free Printable Modern DIY Triangle Advent Calendar

This one is super bright and colorful, and doesn't scream Christmas at me. And, as I said before, I love a good printable. Again, a fabulous option to make your Jewish friends feel comfortable. You could even stop at 8 with this one, and make it for Chanukah...I guess you could do the same with all of these, now that I mention it. Oh well. Chanukah really needs better decorations.

Tutorial and Printables available at Minnieco