Christmas Crafts in August

Last week was HOT! We have one week out of every year that is not absolutely perfect weather and last week was that week! Being so close to the beach, I don't have any air conditioning so hot, sweaty and grumpy pretty much defined the week. For some strange reason, in spite of this weather I am really feeling Christmasy right now. I am in the mood for the holiday season and wish it weren't four whole months away! Boo.

I have been looking at homemade stockings on Pinterest and got inspired to make some. I really like the simple look of burlap and happened to have leftover burlap from my makeshift light fixture that I made for my outdoor space here so I took several different patterns and ideas from Pinterest and made my own version. Mine have a lace cuff and I put a brooch in the corner that I found from Michaels and hung wooden initials that I painted with red glitter (also from Michaels) from the brooch. It is nice because they can be personalized but easily changed. Since I seem to have a new roommate every few years, the flexibility is nice. I also like the combination of the burlap, lace, and glitter. It gives a lot of dimension to a simple pattern.

Here is the final result:

Unfortunately, I don't really have a "how to" here, so if you want to make your own stocking, you will have to google patterns. I really just made my own pattern by tracing a stocking that I already had onto a paper bag and using that. I used a fabric the same color as burlap as a liner and then used and off white fabric as a liner for the lace. Then I stared at all of the pieces for a long time as I figured out which way everything needed to be for me to sew it all together (not as easy as it looks, when things need to be turned upside down and inside out it gets confusing) But all in all, it was an easy project, I did it all in one afternoon. And it was fun, I love being crafty! Now I just have to wait four more months for christmas. Patience...