Mayfly

I've been feeling the same way about gifts. I've already begun purchasing some gifts for Christmas as I see stuff on Etsy. And I've been knitting in my sleep - actually I wish I could figure out a way to do that. Love the model too! He looks adorable even if it's a girly apron for his cousin.

Your little model is ADORABLE!

gosh he is going to be such a handsome young man! i am partial to blondes, of course :^)

such a cute apron! I am going to try and make T. an art smock for his one-day-of-school class, from a pre-loved vinyl tablecloth. we shall see how my Necchi likes it...

such a good idea about the gifts, funny I've been having exactly the same thoughts. picked up some library books today with ideas for handmade Christmas gifts for kids, and they were quite nice. We'll at least do this for the kids in our clan, and for the grown-ups the Artiste usually does paintings, anyway.

Super cute apron. Yes - we started dreaming up ways to change the holidays too this weekend. It is sometimes hard to downsize the gift giving unless the recipients are on board too. Know what I mean? But I agree - I want to make many gifts this year and thanks for the reminder to get in gear now!

J is one handsome guy! The apron is cute, as always!
Handmade gifts are definately the best. I already have my christmas "to do" list going. The boys can get "man aprons"...ya know, the tool kind or the artist kind...;-) with a transformer in the pocket, of course.

i totally agree! i'm always in pink-plastic shock after my princess' birthday party. the best gift she got this year really made me think. it was art supplies, but repackaged in a target wine box (cyllindrical). very cool, and a great idea! so, maybe for those 6yo boys, you could do some repackaging, at least. toys in stencilled pouch or something? art supplies? book in little book bag? stencilled t-shirt? i'm lucky as my 6yo is a girl! book totes and headbands for everyone! :)

I would love to do this, but unfortunately the recipients of my gifts aren't too interested, I don't think. This is the reason I love swapping with fellow crafters - I know that they understand all that went into it. My feelings have been hurt too many times in the past.
I just hate, hate, hate giving a gift for the sake of giving a gift. I'd rather not give anything at all.

Your images and words blend in perfect harmony. Your photos are stunning, such clarity and depth of view.

first off let me say that J is going to break every single five year old girl's heart today at school, good night he is so cute! i hope you had a relaxing weekend nonetheless and that this morning went smoothly!

i had planned on doing homemade gifts last year but got very sick and was very pregnant and it all got crossed off the list. so that is my goal again this year. we shall see...oh and the gift got tossed onto the pile friday. harumph...

The apron is darling. She'll love it!

I have been trying to make most of my gifts (or at least part of the gift) for the past few months...it has gone over well with the little girls and the t-shirt I made my 5 year-old nephew was well received, too. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can keep up the momentum through the fall.

I've been making most of my gifts for the last few years. It is definitely a challenge. Little boys are so difficult to craft for especially!

That apron is adorable! And the model even more so.
I love your plan, I try to make all my presents too.

the apron is
wonderful...
but
i love love love
the photo!!!

What a great model! The apron is lovely. I agree with you about the handmade gifts option as opposed to store bought ones. The past few birthdays I have made aprons and bags. Although I did get stuck on a 7 year old boys big day and opted for store bought! Its very tricky that one. Your boy is such a cutie :)

As the mother of a boy, I know he would love a bag to carry his cars in. And I want to make a manly art smock for my nephew. Maybe you could combine the apron and the bag and make like a roll up pouch with pockets for cars(like they make for knitting needles)?

You are so right about handmade gifts! I am suprised that people get so overwhelmed getting a simple handmade tote, but I guess it is very rare these days that people take the time to make something with there hands, a real GIFT with the reciever in mind. Some boys DO like handmade stuff. I made this little bag for a boy and he took it everywhere (it was before I got my digicam, sorry):
http://community.webshots.com/photo/1518520053059744476rNbDCx

What a wonderful sentiment. Definitely has me thinking about my gift giving.

There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also, Keep working ,great job!