Christmas Prep 2017 - Only 10 Months To Go!

Yep, you heard me right.  Two months have already gone by since Christmas and although there is still plenty of time to get things done I know how quickly that time will pass.  For me, it is important to work on Christmas all year because I like to make the majority of my gifts.  This year is no exception.

So what have I been doing since the last time I checked in?  Not a lot, or so I thought until I started writing this post.  Turns out I actually have accomplished quite a bit.  Yaaaay!  ☺

In January my focus was to restock the gift wrap supplies as economically as possible and I think I pulled that off nicely.  I added four new rolls of gift wrap, a large package of tissue wrap and a new roll of tape.  I also made some self stick gift tags using a sheet of address labels and my computer.  We are all set in the gift wrapping department!

Three new skeins of yarn for $3.97

Since then I have been focusing on collecting supplies and taking inventory of what I already have.  At a couple of thrift stores I purchased three pajama patterns and a robe pattern.  At another thrift store I bought three nice new skeins of yarn all in complimentary colors and one matches another skein I already had in my yarn bag.  I'm pretty sure I have enough yarn for a gift I have in mind.  👍

Fun flannel

I took a quick inventory of what I already had in my stash of fabric and notions and then made a list of what I would need.  Using a coupon paired with a sale I was able to get flannel fabric for pajama pants.  A week later I returned to pick up a half dozen 100% cotton knit T-shirts ($2.50 each) all in extra large sizes for another gift project I have planned.  Needless to say my project pile in my sewing area has grown.  

He is so cute!

I've managed to complete two gifts, one for a friend and one for a co-worker by buying a couple things on clearance and one item at a thrift store.  Total spent on those two gifts was just over $5 but neither one seems cheap.  In fact, quite the contrary.  And that is important to me.

These were 12¢ each!  And two are new and uncut!

At JC Penney I used a coupon and picked up several pair of socks that were on sale.  The coupon gave me an extra $10 OFF so the socks ended up costing half the sales price.  That made me super happy.  Thirteen pair of good quality socks for $9.99!  I also picked up my first stocking stuffer for FREE using a coupon at Bath & Body Works for a free small bottle of hand lotion.

Brand new and uncut

I went through my gift shelf in my bedroom closet and organized everything into a bankers box for now.  I have a few nice things left to use, but not a lot so I'll be restocking and stashing things in there throughout the year.

Next up is to get busy and get started on a couple of those gift projects I have in mind and hopefully get them completed in the next month.  I'll let you know how that works out.

Anybody else working on Christmas gifts right now?