Wasn’t able to fit in all the homemade gifts in that last post. I’ve been pre-washing all the clothing and sheets we were gifted and wow there’s a lot of stuff. This post is solely dedicated to the handmade gifts lovingly made by my good friend Leslie.

First, she made a double sided UCLA fleece blanket. Hubby was ecstatic about the UCLA print. After all, UCLA is near and dear to his heart. Plus, the blanket is SOOOO soft!! (We know it’s intended for the baby, but we just may steal this for ourselves instead haha)

The underside of the blanket:

And a matching baby hat to go with it! Too bad it doesn’t fit Hubby’s head. I would have made him wear it all over the house… haha!

And then a very pretty nursing cover for me. I love the print!!

And lastly, this is not really homemade, but I appreciate it just the same – Hello Kitty socks! For my hospital stay!

Thoughtful, handmade, personal. We love it. Thanks Les!!

Because this blog is on crafterly things, how could I not show of some of the wonderfully handcrafted baby items recently gifted to me?? Because I understand how much time and love it takes to make a handmade item, it means so much more to me. Here are a couple of handmade things I love:

A handspun, handknit, and handsewn Baby Surprise Jacket!

It’s reversible too, with a very cool lining. I absolutely love the colors:

Complete with Cheri’s etsy shop label (so professional and clean looking too! So impressive!):

(Visit her etsy shop here for all things children’s apparel, handspun yarn, and other gifts: Enchanted)

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And then there is a quilt that was put together by my high school friend Karen:

Aren’t the colors gorgeous?! I am so in love with this blanket, I know it will be one of my favorites. I was so touched by all the time and effort she put into this. And it has a yellow fleece underside:

And another delightful label lovingly placed at the edge:

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Lastly, handsewn baby leg warmers by Esther! Aren’t they adorable??

And just for kicks, I always love the gifts given by other fellow moms, who are always thinking practically.

Love the handwritten note on top. Thanks Esther! =)

Have you guys seen Amy Karol’s (of Angry Chicken) new book? I preordered it on Amazon awhile back, and it just arrived this week:

I love love love this sewing book. It has a ton of fun projects, and here are just a few to wet your palate (click on thumbnail for a close-up):

Of course, these are just some of the pictures of the projects I really liked. There are also pillow patterns, an easy quilt, table runners, placemats, teapot cozy, dog collars, you name it. Lots of fun stuff. And not only does it have fun and easy patterns, a good third of this book has tutorials for beginning sewers – from basic tools to fabric know-how to basic hand sewing techniques. The way she writes is very organized, detailed, and practical. LOVE it.

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And on a totally different note, I’ve made my very first few pieces of jewelry (with real pearls and swarovski crystals). I proudly showed my hubby my creations, and he launched into a whole discussion on how I can totally make money from this and he proceeded to give me a very detailed business plan and approach. I took a step back and said, WHOA there fella, this is just my first couple of bracelets/earrings! Who knows what will happen? But I’m flattered that he supports my crafts/creativity 110%, and thinks I have alot of talent.

Of course, I have to practice learning how to photography jewelry properly. It’s so much harder than photographing a simple knit or sewing project! No handheld snapshots, this definately needs a tripod, as my hand isn’t steady enough.