This Little Project

DIY Nativity Costumes: DONKEY and CAMEL

I have been working on Nativity Costumes for our family over the past three years. Each year we have one or two more "official costumes" instead of just whatever we can find to make it work.

The Nativity is what Christmas is all about for our family. Each year we read the story as a family and act it out with the kids at least once. It's a Christmas Eve tradition.

All of the costumes are a EASY to make but I find that I don't have time to make them all during such a busy time of year. So I am pacing myself and in another year or so we'll have a nice set ;)

And since this is what Christmas is about for us, it's worth it to me to make the effort to make the costumes for us to use each year.

Plus, the kids LOVE IT!

This past year I added a donkey costume and a camel costume.

I try to make the costumes work for a variety of sizes. Our little ones will grow up :)

Plus, sometimes we switch up parts and Mom and Dad wear it instead of the kids.

Here is the Donkey Costume:

I made it in the same way that I made the sheep costumes the year before

(like a hooded bath towel).

There is very little sewing to these costumes, so a beginner can easily make them. I like using fleece so I don't have to hem anything. The body of the donkey is one big rectangle piece. The head is a rectangle of fleece sewn to the middle of the body. I sewed some ears on each side and a mane and tail to the middle of the "back" of the donkey.

Then I just used some black felt for feet, eyes, and a nose.

I was actually just using scraps from another {little project} for the donkey, which is why it's not straight across the bottom ;)

Kay when she was 4 years old.

For the camel I used the same idea, just different colored fleece. You can stuff something inside the back for the hump(s).

I love how versatile this pattern is. Not to mention how cute everyone looks in them!

Well be able to use them for years to come :)

For sheep, see this link

For the Angel, look here:

And for Wisemen go here

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas!

click here fore more handmade fun!

DIY Nativity Costume: Angel (and swaddling clothes)

Some of the best projects for me are the ones I can get done in a snap. This Nativity Angel costume is that kind of {little project}.

I made our Angel Nativity Costume from a white sheet. You can use an old one you have on hand. I've also come across lots of sheets at the thrift store that are fun to cut up. With the leftover sheet I cut strips for "swaddling clothes" to use with a baby doll.

To make

{This Little Project}

I just:

1- Laid a white sheet on the floor,

2- Doubled it over (so there would be a font and a back)

3- Had my son lay down on top of the sheet.

4- Cut the white sheet around him with scissors (plus extra so there is growing room too).

5- Pinned the edges.

6- Sewed around all the edges except the neck and the bottom.

7- Turned it inside out so the seam is inside now.

8- Tried it on.

9- Added a gold belt to give it some shape.

Done!

Baby's Here!

We have been snuggling sweet {little} baby M for about a week now and loving every minute!

Jay, Kay, and Ellie are in love with baby M too and that is such a beautiful thing to watch.

(I get asked if those are their real names. No, but we do have the alphabetical order thing: J, K, L, M in real life :)

I don't blog that often about homeschooling. So if you didn't know already, yes, we are a homeschool family. And it's times like this that I love homeschooling extra!

Not having to bundle up a brand new baby to take everyone to school is such a blessing!

Having a new {little} one at home and four kids 6 and under is an adventure that we are all enjoying. Everyone is smitten with baby M and our routines are holding us together with Hubby's help, of course!

And school hasn't totally been neglected. Here's our {little} nativity that we've been making out of air dry clay this week:

Kay already drew the face on Mary :)

We've been enjoying the Magic School Bus movies recently. Did you know that all the entire series were released onto DVD? We love checking them out at the library. Jay built this bridge after watching the one about structures. He's been testing all kinds of cargo on it.

Jay read today about worms growing again after being cut in half. Today happens to be a nice day and he and Ellie headed outside to look for worms and try it out. This kind of learning can be a little hard on me. He's such a {little} scientist and has to learn somehow...I guess.

Mostly though, we're doing a lot of baby watching. It's a full time job :)

I have some Christmas projects to share with you, and hopefully I'll get to that. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas and make a {little} something for someone you love :)

Handmade Holidays Gift Ideas

Below is a list of some of my favorite {little} handmade gift ideas.

There is just something extra special about a gift that is made with your own hands just for that special someone. It shares a {little} more of your heart.

Check out the list and make a {little} something for someone you love :)

How to make a Button Bracelet