DIY Christmas Stocking

Christmas is quickly approaching, and we’re trying to get in all our Christmas crafts and DIYs over here! I’ve been wanting to make some personalized stockings for each family member and decided to do it this year.

They’re pretty simple and fun to make. You can customize them and use virtually any theme you want. Do you want to create your own personalized family Christmas stockings? Then look no further. Let me show you how to make them!

What You’ll Need

• Old stocking
• Pattern fabric
• Solid colored fabric
• Thread
• Ribbon
• Sewing machine
• Cutting tools

OLD STOCKING
You will need an old stocking to use as a size pattern for your new stocking.

PATTERN FABRIC
You will need enough pattern fabric for about half an inch to 1 inch tracing on the sides of your old stocking twice. One side of mine came out to about 12×17 in (and you will need two of these). I have gotten fabric at Jo Ann’s, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and online. I chose to use fleece fabric for our stockings because they are stronger, but you can use any fabric you wish.

SOLID COLORED FABRIC
You will need enough solid-colored fabric for the top piece of your stocking that folds over. I measured my old stocking top, then doubled it. Mine came out to 16×5 in. I used fleece for mine, but you can use any type of fabric you wish.

THREAD
Grab some colored thread that matches your fabric. This is for sewing around the edges.

RIBBON
You’ll need a matching ribbon to hang the stocking. I like to use 1 in. ribbon because you don’t have to hem it. I used silky ribbon.

SEWING MACHINE
For sewing everything together.

CUTTING TOOLS
You’ll need all your preferred items for cutting fabric.
1) A cutting board or table
2) Scissors or a rotary cutter
3) Measuring tools such as a measuring mat, ruler, etc.
4) A fabric pen or pencil to mark the fabric if you use one

Let’s Get Started

STEP #1
Lay your old stocking on top of your pattern fabric and cut about half an inch to 1 inch around the edge of the old stocking.

STEP #2
Lay the piece you just cut from the pattern fabric onto the pattern fabric again with right sides together and cut a second piece.

STEP #3
Measure the top fabric of the old stocking that folds over and double it. Mine came out to 16×5 in. Next, cut a piece of the solid-colored fabric in the size you just measured.

STEP #4
Cut a 7-inch piece of ribbon.

STEP #5
Pin the two pieces of the pattern fabric with right sides together. Sew along the sides, leaving the top open.

STEP #6
Fold the solid-colored fabric in half and pin it with the right sides together. Sew the short end together, leaving the long sides open.

STEP #7
Turn the pattern fabric stocking right side out. Keep the top of the stocking inside out. Line up the two pieces with the seam of the top lined up with the side seam on the long stocking side (not the curved side). Pin both pieces together all the way around.

STEP #8
Fold the ribbon in half and pin it to the right of the long seam – this will place it in the back left corner of the stocking for hanging. Put the majority of the ribbon on the inside of the fabric and place the edges of the ribbon in line (or slightly taller) than the fabric edges.

STEP #9
Sew both fabric pieces and ribbon together where the pins are.

STEP #10
Fold the solid-colored fabric/top of the stocking and sew for hemming. If you use fleece fabric, you don’t need to hem because it doesn’t fray, but if you use another type, you will need to make sure to hem the edge of the fabric. I chose to hem mine because it was a little longer than I wanted. I hemmed mine 1 inch.

STEP #11
Fold down the solid-colored fabric to create the top of the stocking.

And voila! You now have your own keepsake family stocking. Happy creating!

Baby’s 1st Christmas Photo Ideas

This season is so wonderful for many reasons! I mean, who doesn’t love all the sights, sounds, and spirit of Christmas? And if you have a new little one at home this year, who doesn’t want to do all the things to make it extra special?

There is something about having a new baby that makes this time of year even more wonderful. Christmas as a mom feels extra magical. For both of my kids’ first Christmases, I took many Christmas-themed photos to remember them by.

If you have a new baby who is celebrating their first Christmas or if you are expecting one sometime before next Christmas — I have collected this list of the cutest Christmas-themed baby photos to help you capture their first Christmas. Enjoy!

Wrapped in Lights

This is a classic! Wrap/place Christmas lights around your little one and light them up. I still love taking these photos with my kids even now that they are older.

First Christmas Outfit

Buy a Baby’s 1st Christmas outfit/shirt and take pictures of them in it. You could make something on your own or find something online at Etsy or even in stores like Walmart.

Special Christmas Dress/Outfit

For my daughter’s first Christmas, I got her a special Southern Belle-style Christmas dress. She wore it to the Christmas Eve service, and we took family photos with her in it. For my son, I got him a little baby suit.

Christmas PJs

What is a classic Christmas family photo without some Christmas PJs? You could buy some cute ones in-store, online, or even make your own. I always make homemade PJs for us every year.

Under the Tree

Another of my favorites is photos of the baby lying under the Christmas tree. If they’re younger, you could lay them on the tree skirt, and if they’re older, they can sit beside it. I love to have the camera lying under it and take a shot from above with branches in it. So cute!

In a Stocking

If your baby is little, get a giant stocking and put them inside it. I did some photos like this with both my kids and loved them.

In a Santa Hat

Get a tiny baby Santa hat for your little one, or even an oversized one that is crooked; it's adorable. You could even do a cute-themed one. For my son, I got him a Rudolph hat for his first Christmas.

Hot Chocolate Bath

Similar to a milk bath but with chocolate milk. Fill a sink with chocolate milk and add marshmallows and other hot chocolate accessories.

Christmas Sink

Put baby in a sink and fill it with Christmas-themed items like plastic ornaments or peppermint, candy canes, fake snow, etc.

First Christmas Sweets Taste

Give baby their first taste of sweets with a Christmas treat like a candy cane, gingerbread, or Christmas cookie — and snap away.

Baby as a Christmas Cookie

A cute trend lately that I love is taking a photo from above holding a Christmas cookie above the baby’s body (so that it looks like the baby is the cookie). The common ones I’ve seen are a snowman or gingerbread man cookie.

Inside a Christmas Present

Place baby inside a Christmas present and take some photos.

Christmas DIY Projects

I love doing Christmas-themed DIY projects with my kids every year, and I always make sure to take photos of them.

Candy Cane Heart

Place two candy canes in the shape of a heart beside or over the baby.

Mistletoe Kisses

Hold up some Mistletoe and kiss the baby. You can do it with both parents kissing the baby’s cheeks or just yourself. This is one of my favorites!

Baby’s First Christmas Item

If you have a special Baby’s First Christmas item, take a photo of the baby with the said item. I’ve done it with ornaments and stockings.

Picture with Santa

What would Baby’s first Christmas be without a photo with Santa? It is a classic, whether the baby is crying or not.

I just love taking Baby’s 1st Christmas photos! It seems to make the season that much more special! There are so many cool ideas out there! Do you have a favorite Baby’s 1st Christmas photo idea? Let me know in the comments below!

Christmas Bucket List Activities

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year! It is so magical, and I love the spirit of the holidays. It’s no secret that I’m not a big winter or cold weather fan, but Christmas makes it all bearable to me. There are so many fun activities to do for the Christmas season.

Are you looking for some Christmas activity ideas to do this year with your family? Then look no further. I have compiled this list of festive Christmas activities to add to your Christmas Bucket List!

Decorate for Christmas

Break out the winter and holiday décor. Think lights, garland, snowflakes, and Santa. Change out your garden flag and door wreath. Switch your mantle décor to Christmas items, hang up the stockings, set up/decorate your Christmas tree, and put out the festive hand towels.

Make a Christmas Craft

Craft time is always a great activity to do something new. Search Pinterest and find some fun Christmas DIY crafts to make. I personally love doing Christmas-themed hand and footprint crafts each year with my kids.

Make a Christmas Treat

Christmas cookies are a must for our family! You could also make a gingerbread house. Get creative and have fun with your festive baking!

Read Christmas Stories

We love reading Christmas books/stories during the holiday season. The nativity story in the Bible is another must for us.

Have a Christmas Movie Marathon

I am obsessed with Christmas movies! There, I said it. And anyone who knows me knows this is 100% accurate. Hallmark is my go-to year-round but especially at Christmas! I could watch Christmas movies all year (and sometimes I do). I sometimes have daily Christmas movie marathons all winter.

Play Christmas Games

Whenever my family gets together, we love to play games. This year we got a Grinch game for the kids, and they love it. Break out some fun Christmas-themed games and make a game night out of it.

Listen to Christmas Music

Who doesn’t love Christmas music? It always makes me happy. Crank it up and sing along!

Do Random Acts of Kindness

Christmas time is such a special time for so many reasons, but one that I love is the spirit of giving it brings. This season is all about giving for me. I love doing little random acts of kindness for family, friends, and strangers. You could pay for someone’s coffee behind you, leave a sweet note for someone, etc. There are so many things you could do to brighten someone’s day.

Have a Snow Day

If you have snow around the holidays, take the time to get out and enjoy it! Build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make a snow angel, go sledding, catch a snowflake on your tongue, make snow cream, and/or make an igloo.

See Christmas Lights

A highlight of my Christmas season every year is driving around and seeing the Christmas lights. I mean, is there really anything more magical than twinkling Christmas lights at night? My kids get so excited seeing all the lights, and this year we’re also attending some light shows too.

Drink Hot Chocolate

If there is cold weather, it wouldn’t be Christmas without hot chocolate. This has been a go-to drink for me for years. I don’t drink coffee, but I love my hot chocolate! There are so many cool flavor options now that help make it more festive.

Kiss Under the Mistletoe

I always wanted to kiss under the mistletoe growing up. It is a classic in Christmas movies — you know, that awkward do we or don’t we kiss when a couple is caught underneath it. A couple of years ago, I bought my own mistletoe, and I hang it in my living room every year now. I love that I have a special someone to kiss underneath it now. But it doesn’t have to be a significant other; it can be a child or another loved one too.

Recreate Your Christmas Traditions

Every family has their own Christmas traditions. Some of ours I did as a kid, and some we have created new for our family. Every year we make sure to accomplish these items on our Christmas to-do list. A couple of our favorites are doing The Giving Manger, painting tree ornaments, and making homemade Christmas PJs.

Take Christmas Pictures

They don’t have to be professional family photos; they can be simple candid moments you capture at home, but I promise you will not want to miss out on the beautiful family memories in picture form each year.

Attend a Christmas Parade or Festival

We love going to our local Christmas parades and boat flotillas each year. If there is a parade or festival near you, check it out!

Attend a Christmas Eve Service

We always try to attend a Christmas Eve service at church every year. It’s a great reminder on the night before Christmas of the true meaning of the season.

If you’re looking for some more Christmas and some generic winter activities, then check out my Winter Bucket List Activities. What are your favorite Christmas activities? Let me know in the comments below. Merry Christmas!

DIY Child Car Seat Poncho

It’s cold out, and your child needs to wear a big coat. But safety guidelines say not to wear a big coat while in their car seat. So what do you do? You dress your child in their coat to walk to the car, take it off before they climb into their seat (still in the cold air), and then repeat it all again at your destination. Or you run them to the car without a jacket and hurry to buckle them in while they’re cold.

Either way, they’re cold, and you still have to cover them with a coat or a blanket in the car anyway. It’s this exact hassle that drove me to make my kids some car seat ponchos.

The fleece fabric is warm and cozy, and it’s easy for them to pop over their head so it doesn't interfere with buckles. They can wear it to and from the car, or you can keep it in the car to put on in their car seat. And if they get too warm, they can take it off or move it around.

These ponchos are easy to make and a lifesaver for the winter struggles of keeping your kids warm and also safe. I wanted to pass along this simple guide so you can make your own or pass it along to a friend who might want it!

What You’ll Need

• 1-yard pattern fleece fabric
• 1-yard solid fleece fabric
• Rib cuffing fabric
• Child’s shirt
• Thread
• Tissue paper
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Cutting tools

1-YARD PATTERN FLEECE FABRIC
You will need patterned fleece fabric for the top of the poncho. I used exactly 1 yard for my 4- and 3-year-old kids, and they were plenty big enough. You can use less if you want to for a smaller child and more for a bigger child.

1-YARD SOLID FLEECE FABRIC
If you want to double layer your poncho (for extra warmth), you’ll need 1 yard of solid fleece fabric for the under part of the poncho.

RIB CUFFING FABRIC
You’ll need some rib cuffing for the neckline of the poncho.

CHILD’S SHIRT
You’ll need a current shirt of your child’s to measure for the neckline.

THREAD
Grab some colored thread that matches your rib cuffing fabric and/or the fabric. This is for sewing the cuffing to the fabric.

TISSUE PAPER
One piece of tissue paper. This is for ease while sewing the rib cuffing.

PINS
You’ll need fabric pins to hold the fabric in place for sewing.

SEWING MACHINE
For sewing everything together.

CUTTING TOOLS
You’ll need all your preferred items for cutting fabric.
1) A cutting board or table
2) Scissors or a rotary cutter
3) Measuring tools such as a measuring mat, ruler, etc.
4) A fabric pen or pencil to mark the fabric if you use one

Let’s Get Started

STEP #1
Trim the selvage edges off of the pattern fleece fabric. Or cut fabric to 1 yard/the desired length.

STEP #2
Fold the pattern fleece fabric in half and use a bowl/round object to trace the bottom fabric corners. Cut edges along trace lines to round edges.

STEP #3
Keep pattern fleece fabric folded in half with edges lined up. Measure on the folded side and mark the middle of the fabric.

STEP #4
Lay your child’s current shirt on top of the fabric, lining up the middle of the neck hole with the middle of the fabric. Trace the neckline of the shirt hole onto the fleece fabric.

STEP #5
Test the fleece neck hole on your child to make sure it’s big enough. Cut it bigger, if needed.

STEP #6
Repeat steps 1-5 with the solid fleece fabric.

STEP #7
Measure around the whole neck hole circle on the fleece fabric.

STEP #8
Cut the rib cuffing to the length of the neck hole you just measured + add a little extra for your seam allowance.

STEP #9
Cut the rib cuffing to the height of how tall you want it to be x2. For example, I did 2 inches in height, so it would be about 1 inch on the finished product. My rib cuffing was already pre-cut to that length, so I left it, but normally I would also add a little extra for seam allowance.

STEP #10
Fold the rib cuffing in half lengthwise and pin the opening.

STEP #11
Sew the pinned part of the rib cuffing together.

STEP #12
Fold the rib cuffing in half lengthwise, and pin it together.

STEP #13
Sew the rib cuffing together where it’s pinned. The rib cuffing can jam the sewing machine, so I sewed the cuffing to a piece of tissue paper. Then pull the tissue paper off afterward.

STEP #14
Line up the neckline holes of the solid fleece fabric with the pattern fleece fabric on the top right side up.

STEP #15
Mark the middle of the front and back and two sides of the rib cuffing neckline with a pin.

STEP #16
Mark the middles and sides of the neckline holes with pins.

STEP #17
Line up the rib cuffing and fleece fabric pin markers in the same places, with edges lining up. The rib cuffing won’t lay flat on the fleece because it’s smaller and supposed to stretch.

STEP #18

Sew the rib cuffing to both pieces of fleece fabric starting at one of the pins. As you sew, pull the rib cuffing to stretch so it ends up lying flat between each pin. Do not pull the fleece because it will stretch.

STEP #19

Sew just below the rib cuffing on the fleece fabric, including the seam you just sewed into the back of it to help hold it in place.

STEP #20 (OPTIONAL)
Fleece does not need to be hemmed as it doesn’t fray. But you can sew your two pieces of fleece fabric together if you wish. You could also tie them together like with the no-sew fleece blanket. I used what fabric I had at home for our solid pieces, so they were slightly smaller than the top pieces. Because of this, I left them free and didn’t sew the two pieces together.

And ta-da, you have your own child car seat poncho! If you live in a warmer area or don’t want the poncho to be as thick, you can simply follow these steps with one layer of fleece fabric instead of two. Have fun with it and keep your little ones safe at the same time! Happy creating!