White Elephants!

My family does a White Elephant Gift Exchange every year instead of a buy for everybody exchange. It tends to be loads of fun, with the recycling of favorite gifts from previous years (ex. a framed photo of a family friend holding up lottery tickets. It pops up each year with new tickets!). There is the occasional dud, but more often than not everyone is satisfied.

Last year, Artum, a relative made a last minute White Elephant. It was rather primitive elephant with newspaper paper mache body, toilet paper tube legs and a sock trunk. But it was insanely cute and a hit (even before the $50 gift card was revealed). Artum promised to build a better elephant for this year and challenged us to come up with something similar.
This year at Thanksgiving he reminded me, and he seemed rather disappointed that I already had purchased White Elephant gifts and that I wouldn't be making a White Elephant. After I got home, I tried to think of ideas that wouldn't intrude on Artum's original Elephant.
So long story longer... These are my White Elephants.




First, I found a cute elephant face stencil using a search on Google Images. Then, I bought a pack of 36x36 White Felt at Michaels and it provided me with just enough Felt to make two 10x12 Gift Totes. I used a 10 x 12 gift bag from the Dollar Store as my template.

This was my first attempt at applique and if you don't look too closely you won't spot my mess-ups.

All ready to be stuffed with presents!

I made each one slightly different. One has wider shorter straps, and the other has exposed seams. I found some red buttons in my Grandmother's collection (because White Elephants are albinos, right?) for the eyes.

Did I do good? I'm hoping yes, so that these are able to be re-used and will become a regular fixture at future Christmases.