We’ve found a great way to reuse the kids’ clothing, DIY Stockings. Have the kids help you go through their ripped and stained clothing to design the look of your stockings. Then have them help you search for embellishment options. Odd fabric scraps, buttons, beads, patches, lace, ribbon, and appliqués made from other clothing all work beautifully as decoration.

These stockings were made using one pair of holey jeans (size 7 kids), a couple of toddler t-shirt fronts, a brown sheet and some old lace. I’m working on one made with an Asian Silk Kimono Robe. Delicate fabrics (such as the silk from the robe) may require special handling. I use pinking shears to cut and am lining the front and back of the stocking with white fabric from an old bed skirt (the eyelet part of the skirt will become new petticoats for under my daughter’s dresses).

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If you are one of the millions of people around the globe celebrating Christmas this holiday season, you may be wondering what Santa is going to be filling stockings with.

Some people look for small gifts to put in stockings, while small in size they often aren’t small in price (jewelry, video games, gift cards). Others find stockings stuffed full of candy on Christmas morning.

The best gifts to fill a stocking with are small, fun and purposeful. To that end, we like to find:

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