Matching Blankets and Other Snuggly Gift Ideas

I've had quilts and blankets on the brain lately as I've been gathering supplies and planning for the quilts I'm making my kids for Christmas.  I don't have those ready to show off to you yet, but I did want to share the quilt I made for Firecracker a couple years ago.

She needed a "big girl" quilt big enough for her toddler bed, so while I was at it, I used some scraps and made her a matching doll blanket.  She loved it.  Now that Sweet Pea is sleeping in the toddler bed, she needs her own quilt...and Firecracker now needs a quilt large enough for her twin bed...which is why everyone is getting new quilts for Christmas...if I can get them done.  (Firecracker is quite attached to this one, so passing it down to Sweet Pea is not an option.)

Anyway, Sweet Pea was kind enough to model for us how fun it is to have matching blankets.  (No children were actually forced to take a real nap for this picture.)

So they can read together...

...and snuggle together...

And obviously this idea has been around for ages, because this is a baby blanket and matching doll blanket that someone crocheted for me when I was a baby...

...and Sweet Pea loves to play with them too.

I'm hoping to have some progress to show you on the kids' quilts soon.  I've been pinning some fun quilts on Pinterest if you care to take a peak.  I've more or less chosen the design for each of them.

And in case you're trying to think of good gifts for the little people in your life, here are a few suggestions of things that have helped make Sweet Pea's life a little more cozy.

Our kids love their Front Facing Bookshelves, and they're still one of my favorite projects.  They can be made cheaply and easily even if you don't have a lot of woodworking skill.  You can see my tutorial here.

That sweet stuffed Kitty was a gift from Grandma last Christmas...made from Great-Grandma's old bathrobe.  You can read more about it here.

Books are always great to give to little kiddos.  Our shelves are overflowing with them, and we still love new ones.  I've found thrift stores to be great places to pick up books.  After a little searching through the shelves, I can nearly always find great titles, and even hard-bound books.  You can find lots of book suggestions on my Children's book page here.

Snug pajamas are still fun little ones.  You can read more about the Doggie pajamas Sweet Pea is wearing here.
Or for an even easier option, you can see my post about making coordinating flannel pajamas in a little over 30 minutes here.

And last, but not least, even young children appreciate beautiful art.  Sweet Pea absolutely loves the picture of the little girl and the Savior that's hanging next to her bed.  She says that's it's her and Jesus.

The girl is actually the artist's granddaughter, and if you're interested in purchasing a print for a special little girl in your life or seeing Shirleen's many other beautiful paintings, you can go here to Shirleen Bland's Art Studio to order.

But for now, I've been a good girl and cleaned the house thoroughly enough to steam clean the carpets...so I'm headed off to reward myself with a little more nativity painting to see if I can perfect my technique...

I'm linking to: