Santa Doll Makeover

Well, it's officially the Christmas season, which means sparkling snow, pretty twinkle lights, cookie baking, and holiday crafting.

To kick off this December, I thought I would share this DIY gift that I had fun making for my mom a few years ago. She likes to collect Santa dolls to display in her home at Christmastime, so I came up with the idea to design and make her a custom doll. I ended up buying a Ken doll and modifying it to look like Santa Claus. See below for my work-in-progress pictures and the end results.

BEFORE

Barbie in the Pink Shoes Prince Siegfried Doll

This particular doll worked well because I could use the boots in the final Santa outfit.

I used permanent markers to add some wrinkles and rosy cheeks to the face.

I sewed batting scraps around the body of the doll to plump him up a bit. I then designed and knit a miniature winter sweater, and also sewed him a pair of pants and hat from fabric scraps.

I glued strips of white specialty fur yarn to the face to create the eyebrows and hair, and knit a small block with the yarn to create the beard.

AFTER

Happy December!

Niki

And don't forget... My Christmas coloring book is for sale on Amazon!

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New Etsy Shop and Free Pattern

I opened up a shop on etsy.com today. I've posted some sweaters for 11.5-inch dolls (I hope to post other types of items in the future). You can visit the shop here. These miniature sweaters were very fun to create. They are all designed and handknit by myself.

Most of the sweaters are knit using size 10 crochet thread and sock knitting needles. I like using the crochet thread because it is relatively inexpensive, comes in a wide array of colors, and is readily available from any store that sells craft supplies.

Here is a free pattern for a basic sweater, for those who would like to try making one yourself!

**UPDATE - 2015** The miniature sweater knitting pattern has been revised. View/Download the new pattern here:
VIEW
DOWNLOAD
A gift tag template for creating a Christmas ornament from this sweater can be found on my Templates and Patterns page. Additional sweater patterns are available for sale in my Etsy shop.

Niki Knits: Baby Vests (with free pattern)

As I revealed previously, I am currently pregnant with my first child, a girl. I am due in December, and my husband and I are so excited.

In my return to crafting, I've once again been bitten by the knitting bug. This is in large part due to the fact that now I have a new area to explore: baby clothes. And not just for my own little angel... There has been a small baby boom recently in my circle of friends, so there are a few other little ones on the way that I have been busy making gifts for as well.

Much of the appeal of making baby clothes (besides the obvious adorableness) is similar to why I like making doll clothes. They are fun to design and execute, and the small scale keeps projects relatively quick and easy, which suits my short attention span. (Case in point: my adult-size fisherman cable sweater that I've been working on for probably 5+ years...not to mention all the other projects I've abandoned altogether because I got bored with them.)

I started out my baby…

DIY Birchbox Nail Polish Rack

I have become a bit of a beauty product junkie lately. I have a growing stash of foundations, lip balms, lotions, face creams, and everything in between. It's getting quite ridiculous, especially considering that I'm not a particularly heavy makeup wearer. And really, there's only so many products you can use at one time. But everything's just so pretty. :)

Birchbox and similar services, such as My Glam, are great for people like me. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Birchbox, it is a subscription service that sends you four or five samples, many from high-end brands, every month. It's a fun way to try out new products and brands without investing in all sorts of full-size items that end up going to waste. And once in a while, you find something you really like. Some of my favorite things that I've discovered through Birchbox are Nars illuminator and Zoya nail polish.

Birchbox's packaging is very well done. The samples come wrapped in bright pink tis…

Niki Jin Crafts

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