simple gift

I'm a sucker for marketing gimmicks. Call me crazy, but I thought this football inspired Dr. Pepper was the cutest thing ever. I, of course, HAD to buy one for my hubby. Not becuase he loves football (go Cougs!), but possibly becuase he has a secret (very secret) love for Dr. Pepper. And I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to surprise him when he opened his lunch at work.
You'll notice I didn't go all out on a cutesy tag -- I've learned that cutesy is great, but not necessary with my husband. He loves the sentiment more than anything and he isn't likely to gush about all the work that goes into the tag. When you open the tag it says "Hope you have an absolute BALL at work today!! We love you!" I know, totally cheesy right? Sometimes though, a dollar soda and a handmade tag are just the trick to show someone you love them :D (got the soda at Walmart btw)

Personalized game

I saw THIS tutorial for a personalized family version of Yahtzee and decided to give it a try. It wasn't that hard at all, and the directions she gives are perfectly detailed and so helpful. It made a fun gift for my game-playing sil.

quiet bag

My neighbor Nycole showed me this CUTE quiet bag she made for her son. She bought the bag at Roberts for $1.50 (go her!) and it is made of felt. She used clip art as the template for her letters and cute little scripture-reading boy. The bag isn't very wide and is perfect for holding little books, crayons and other items for church.

Homemade crayons

So I finally tried out that homemade crayon tutorial that I posted on here months ago. It was a fun project though I definitely got sick of peeling the wrappers off of crayons!

Here is the before picture:
Notice my crayons did not cover the whole pan. This turned out to be a problem because the edges were too thin, so make sure you have enough crayons to cover the pan.

This is after they baked in the oven at 350 for a few minutes:
It was so liquidy all of the colors were shifting and swirling like crazy when I jiggled the pan as I pulled it out of the oven.

I let it cool for a bit until it was soft but pliable. I used my cookie cutter to make the shapes:

Once it was completely cool I used a spatula to start popping them out. As you can see I have a lot of left over crayon. I wonder how it will work to just remelt them and make some more?

Finished product:
I think I'm going to keep these in my church bag. Crayons are much more novel this way :)

homemade hairbow holder

My niece celebrated her 2-year birthday this weekend. Rather than try to figure out what toy she didn't already have, or what outfit her mom would like, I decided to make something useful:) I have been meaning to make a cutesy hairbow holder for awhile so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I simply bought two pre-painted wood pieces (in this case I found the butterflies at the craft section at Walmart), a yard of ribbon and some hot glue. I glued the ribbon to the back of one of the butterflies and fashioned a nail-hanger from some extra ribbon, which I then glued to the back top of the butterfly. Then I simply glued the butterflies together, back to back. Throw on some cute hairbows and you're set! Easy huh?

A few of my favorite things ...

So I had a few spare moments today so I decided to browse the Better Homes and Gardens website for some fresh craft ideas. I'm on a craft kick lately... well, a finding crafts kick ... the "doing" part still has yet to happen.
Here are my favorites from my web searching:

I love these adorable flowers. I've seen this idea used as a Valentine but I think they look SO FUN as a centerpiece! This would be great at a children's birthday party because they could double as favors. Granted I think what I really really love is simply the color scheme. I'm addicted to oranges, pinks and yellows combined .... think Rainbow Sherbet or a sunset. Anytime I see a craft in those colors I instantly love it ... so consider me biased.
Here is the link.

Ok... once again the project is in orange so I'm biased from the start. I actually just love the combination of pictures and craft paper. Usually when I see these letters they are done up in just paper, so adding the pictures makes it really unique. I think this would be a fun decoration even in a living room. Spell "HOME" and add family pictures.
Here is the link.
If you've been a blog follower for awhile you know I also love homemade wall art. I don't care how many times I see an example where they paste scrapbook paper on canvas I still LOVE it. Someday I will have more than one available wall and I will do this. I'm afraid I will go overboard and do it in every single room ....
Here is the link.
How cute are these valentines? So simple too! A little paper, a teeny bit of treats and a whole lot of matches left over.
Here is the link.
These just looked pretty to me. I think votives are one of the most versatile ways to decorate -- just check out Martha Stewart, she has a billion ways to dress up glass votives. I love them all.
Here is the link.
Remember what I said about decorating with candles? HOW COOL IS THIS??? You could use this idea for any color themed celebration. I really adore this idea. Someday, when I have an unlimited budget (ha) I'm going to buy a million votives and sprinkles in every color. Maybe not.
Here is the link.

calender o' love

My friend gave me the neatest gift!! My very own February calendar made of wood blocks, paint and some festive scrapbook paper.

I imagine that most everyone has seen a calendar like this, where you position the blocks to show the correct date (the blocks have different numbers on each side). This turned out so cute. I would love to make one for each month!


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homemade gift

My sister made these pretty ornaments for another sister this past Christmas. These pictures turned out really lame -- I HATE taking still-lifes of crafts. Sorry :)
The ornament base is simply a clear acrylic stamp base. You can find them at Michaels in the DOLLAR section! Sweet huh? (If you don't know what I'm talking about just head to Michaels. They are about 1/2 inch thick and are used to mount those clear plastic stamps that are popular right now).
All she did was take some double-sided sticky paper, cut it down to size, stuck it on the back of the acrylic stamp base and then stuck on her picture (sized to 2x2 and printed on a regular printer). To hide the back where she attached the ribbon she simply glued on some cute scrapbook paper.
This would be an awesome Super Saturday craft -- very inexpensive and easy to make. If you had any talent in graphic design I think you could make a very pretty 2x2 saying (something traditional like "Families are Forever") and then use that instead of pictures.

Doesn't get much easier than this...

My sister made these super cute valentines for a Visiting Teaching swap that I am in. I love the simplicity of paper covered Hershey's nuggets. It really is the easiest paper craft ever -- but look what a difference it makes to look at them wrapped up in pretty paper :)
I'll be giving some to my husband this year -- minus the cutesy clear box. He will love them just as much in a clear cello bag :D

Valentines anyone?

There are a TON of paper craft ideas out there that could easily be transformed into a sweet valentine for a friend :)
Here are some of my favorites -- cheesy valentine sayings included.
(All pictures are courtesy of the sites I link to)

Valentine Treat

I think these are absolutely adorable -- and so easy!! These cute little treats are actually individually wrapped lifesavers. These would be great for a class valentine exchange.

Strawberry treat

I really like 3D projects. This one holds a few small treats. You could easily do a line like "Valentine, you're Berry Sweet" Also, the link has the template you can download to make them yourself. If you have Cricut DS software there is a cut file you can download :)

Party Hats


Ok, so I realize these are supposed to be witches hats. I was thinking they would make adorable party hats -- think party favors -- or in this case, Valentines. How about putting a saying (on the bottom) like, "Hats off to you Valentine," or "Valentine, you're the life of the party"

Treat Bag

These cute little bags would be incredibly simple to transform into a valentine. All of the instructions are on the link. If you happen to have Cricut DS software I have a cut file for a bag like this with a window in the shape of a heart :D

Chocolate Holder

I really like this 3D box -- the perfect size to hold three Ghiradelli chocolates -- yum! The instructions are kind of involved so it would make a great Valentine for a close friend or family member.

Christmas decorations (fabric strips light garland and ornament ball wreath)

Here are two home decorating crafts for your viewing enjoyment :) The first is a strand of lights, made by my mom. She simply cut strips of Christmas fabric 1 1/2 inches wide and about 6 1/2 inches long. She then knotted the strips of fabric along the light strand as shown below:

I love this garland and use it every year to line the entrance from my kitchen to my living room. One year I put it on the tree and it looked so pretty when I plugged the lights in :) It is a really simple project -- especially if you already have leftover fabric sitting around your house. I think my mom used about 5 or so different fabrics. You could get so many different effects with this depending on the type of fabric you use.
Next is the ornament ball wreath I made this year. I had made a similar version in years past but it involved a lot of glue and a straw wreath. It was a mess. This year I followed a Martha Stewart tutorial which involved wire and a wire frame wreath. SO MUCH PRETTIER. It does take quite a few balls so I would recommend catching a sale or an after-Christmas deal. I also reccomend using plastic balls so you don't have to worry about them breaking! Mine are glass but I've glued them in place once they are wired on so I'm hoping we won't have any fall and break this year. Also, if one does break, you can always simply wire a new ball into place.
Here is the link for the tutorial.

Feeling conflicted!

I have found SO many great homemade gift ideas lately (thanks to blog surfing). The only problem is that I'm trying to finish the gifts I have already started, yet I want to take time to blog about these too! I seriously need more hours in the day. In the meantime, I will blog. And feel conflicted. Because I really really need to get some Christmas gifts finished!

These are to fun to wait! Here goes:

My daughter LOVEs play food. She can play pretend for hours with some play food and plastic utensils. I know she has a ton of plastic food toys but I couldn't help but fall in love with these FELT foodies. I think they are so cute!!! The picture and MORE ideas come from this blog. Check it out -- the felt Pop Tarts are so adorable :)

It all makes me want to buy THIS book -- oh and a sewing machine too :)



Next super fabulous idea:
Please tell me you love these crate slip covers as much as I do??? You know those cheapo plastic crates you buy at Walmart?? Look how beautiful they look with a slipcover! I can picture these in every room of my house with fabric to match. Love them. And hey, it can't be that hard right?
Picture and tutorial courtesy THIS BLOG.

Check out this fun idea:

I think these chef hats are so fun! My daughter and son love to cook with me and these would be such a special gift for them -- you know, if I could sew.
Here is the BLOG where she is selling the pattern for all you cooking and sewing gurus!

LOVE THESE

I'm all about cutesy treat gifts. I am in LOVE with these printable candy wrappers from Rachel Ray. It doesn't get easier than this :

Picture courtesy How about Orange.

Thankful gift

I have a friend who is incredibly talented when it comes to gift giving. She LOVES to create small gifts and treats and I am always amazed at the wonderful things she comes up with!
Today she gave me this adorable gift:




A Thanksgiving pot holder filled with hand dipped pretzels and a poem. I love this gift for it's simplicity. Chocolate dipped pretzels are easy to do, yet look so fancy and gourmet when you are done. They also taste delicious -- she dipped hers in caramel, nuts, chocolate and then swirled some white chocolate on top. Yum!
I loved the poem so much that I'm going to post it here on the blog:

"Thank You, God, for Everything"
Thank You, God, for everything
the big things and the small,
For “every good gift comes from God”
the giver of them all
And all too often we accept
without any thanks or praise
The gifts God sends as blessings
each day in many ways,
And so at this Thanksgiving time
we offer up a prayer
To thank You, God, for giving us
a lot more than our share...
First, thank You for the little things
that often come our way,
The things we take for granted
but don’t mention when we pray,
The unexpected courtesy,
the thoughtful, kindly deed,
A hand reached out to help us
in the time of sudden need...
Oh, make us more aware, dear God,
of little daily graces
That come to us with “sweet surprise”
from never-dreamed-of-places
Then, thank You for the “Miracles”
we are much too blind to see,
And give us new awareness
of our many gifts from Thee,
And help us to remember
the Key to Life and Living
Is to make each prayer a Prayer of Thanks
and every day Thanksgiving.
By Helen Steiner Rice

This was such a lovely gift and such a neat way to show someone that you are grateful for them! I also love that this gift could easily be turned into a Christmas gift -- just change the poem and find a festive pot holder.

In case you are like me and absolutely love chocolate dipped pretzels, here is a recipe and instructions to help you on your way :

(instructions courtesy THIS LINK)

Ingredients
10 ounces pretzel sticks (Pretzel RODS)
12 ounces milk chocolate chips (or melting disks)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
candy sprinkles (optional)
miniature M&M chocolate candies (optional)
mini Reese's pieces (optional)
chopped peanuts (optional)

Directions
1Melt milk chocolate chips in double boiler or in microwave (be careful not to burn in the micro).2If you are using the white chocolate, wait until later before melting unless you can keep it over warm water.3Dip each pretzel rod about 2/3 of the way up in chocolate.4Lay on wax paper lined baking sheets, lining up the rods but leave a bit of space between them.5Allow to set a little, but not completely dry (while waiting, make sure your white chocolate is ready).6Dip a fork into the white chocolate and drizzle over the milk chocolate by gently swishing the fork back and forth over the rods but not touching them.7Place your sprinkles or candies on a paper plate and roll each pretzel rod in desired topping (or just sprinkle on).8Lay back on wax paper to set completely

Homemade gift ideas

Ok, I definetly have a bias. I have a thing for homemade gifts. I'm finally old enough -- haha -- to realize that Christmas is NOT all about presents. I personally do not want to spend my whole Christmas season in the store! I hope I don't sound like a grinch ;) One of my favorite ways to celebrate the Christmas season is to create homemade gifts. Some years I simply make small gifts for neighbors, and other years I make, rather than buy, gifts for family. I would LOVE to hear ideas from everyone on homemade gifts that you enjoy! In fact, I need ideas for THIS year!

Here is a couple quickies to get your brain juices flowing:
These are some hot chocolate buckets made by this gal. I really like these because hot chocolate is inexpensive but everyone loves it. This is another example of a small gift made GREAT thanks to beautiful presentation! Gifts like these would be great for the office or for neighbors.



This is such a fun and simple headband that would be great for children or adults. If you are good at sewing this would be really easy to whip up! This type of gift makes me think it would be great to give to a sister, college roommates or even a cute set for your little girl. I don't have sewing instructions, but here is the website where the cute creation came from.

Also, I think specialty chocolates look so beautiful at the store. Making special treats is perfect for the holidays. There are truffles, dipped pretzel sticks, homemade nut clusters, ect. Here is a recipe for chocolate covered marshmallows (yum...)

Dipped Marshmallows

• Need:
• 1 bag large
• marshmallows
• (1 cup) milk
• chocolate chips
• (2 tsp.) vegetable oil
• Assorted sprinkles colored sugar
• coconut
• crushed nuts

Melt chocolate chips and oil together over low heat (about 1 min. in microwave). Have your child dip each marshmallow into the chocolate (so about half of it is covered), then dip and roll in the sprinkles. Place on a cookie sheet to harden. Give away as gifts (if you know anyone who actually might enjoy eating something like this!) or enjoy yourselves.

Also, if you like doing those creative neighbor/office gifts here is a huge ol' list courtesty of this website.

• A mug, a packet of instant soup and a card saying, "For a souper friend."
• A box of muffin mix with the saying, "You're getting muffin for Christmas!"
• A two-liter bottle of soda pop with a tag, "Pop, pop, fizz, fizz, oh what a great neighbor you is," or "The rest of the neighbors love you, and soda we," or "May your Christmas be merry and Sprite," or "We're soda-lighted to have you as neighbors."
• Flavored popcorn with the saying, "Just poppin' in to say Merry Christmas," or "It may sound corny, but we wish you a Merry Christmas!"
• A vegetable peeler with the tag, "Here's hoping your Christmas is appealing."
• A box of Ho-Ho cupcakes with the card, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas."
• A box of Ding Dongs with the tag, "Merry Christmas from the Ding Dongs next door!"
• A can of nuts with the card, "From the nuts next door" or "From your nutty neighbors."
• Homemade spice blends, such as cajun, Italian, Tex-Mex, cinnamon-sugar, etc. with a card, "Seasonings Greetings" and suggestions or recipes for using it.
• A bag of potpourri with the saying, "Scenting you holiday greetings!"
• Scented soap and a washcloth in holiday motif with the greeting, "We wash you a Merry Christmas!"
• Ice cream with a note, "Have a cool yule!"
• Candle and book of matches, "To a matchless friend, may your Christmas be bright."
• Bubble gum or bubble bath, "May your holidays bubble over with fun!"
• Mints, "We 'mint' to wish you a Merry Christmas!"
• Snickers candy bar, "Don't snicker — just be glad you got something!"
• Cookie dough, "Here's a little extra dough for Christmas."
• A jar of jam, "Hoping your Christmas is jam-packed with cheer."
• Veggies and dip, "Dip into the holidays and a healthy New Year!"
• A bag of dried pasta, "Have a pasta-tively happy holiday!"
• A hunk of cheese and grater, "To a grate neighbor from your cheesy friends next door."
• A basket with cocoa mixes or bath items, with a poem, "When you feel like a basket case, take a break . . . and slow your pace."
• Hershey's Kisses, "Merry Kiss-mas."
• Oven mitt filled with treats, "We have to ad-mitt you're a great neighbor!"
• Frozen cookie dough with cookie cutters, "We've done the mixing, now you can cut up in the kitchen."
• Bag or box of Whoppers, "Have a "whopper" of a Christmas."
• Jolly Ranchers candies, "Have a holly jolly Christmas."
• Chex Party Mix, "Santa always Chex his list."
• Joy brand dishwashing soap, "Here's wishing joy to someone who really sparkles."
• Juice pitcher filled with candy canes, "We pitcher you raising a little cane during the holidays."
• Measuring cup or spoons, "Wishing you a joy beyond measure!"
• Oranges (or a chocolate orange), "Orange you glad we're friends."
• Homemade divinity, "May your holiday be divine."
• Homemade fudge, "Let's fudge a little on the calories and enjoy the holiday season!"
• Cinnamon rolls, "Here's a sweet treat rolled up with warm holiday wishes! Merry Christmas!"
• Cheese ball and crackers, "We don't mean to sound cheesy, we just hope you have a ball this season!"
• A candle, "May your days be happy, your heart be light, your Christmas merry and the New Year bright!!! "

That's probably enough ideas for today. After all, it IS only November 1st :)

More small gifts ...

I love this adorable idea from Chick'nScratch! These adorable little paper purses hold a Kit Kat inside! What a fun and simple gift for friends! It would be so easy to transform these for any occasion too.
Here is the linkyloo.

What's today??

I love this idea for a fun (and pretty simple) calendar! This looks like something you could easily make yourself out of wood without directions.
The great thing about this project is that it can easily be customized for any style -- manly for your husband's office, or girly for your craft room.
If you have a Cricut you could even cut your own vinyl letters so you don't have to do any stenciling (which I'm really not good at!).
The directions (as well as a "manly" example) can be found HERE. (photo and directions courtesy of Canon).

Ways to say "Thanks"

I love paper crafts and I love simple projects that can be used as a "Thank You" gift. I have to bring a treat once a month for church as a reward for sisters who did the assigned reading before class, so I am always looking for simple inexpensive paper crafts.
I used this idea on Sunday and made a very simplified version of this project using paper I had on hand. I still think it turned out cute, though I used KoolAid over Crystal Light. I hate Crystal Light. Splenda taste makes me want to barf. Just thought I'd share.

Here is the link.




While this crafters' style doesn't necessarily match mine, I still love the adorable idea of using CD slips as cookie envelopes! I have a ton of those things (and I'm pretty sure they're cheap anyway), and this would be a really cute way to use them. Now if only my cookies looked as perfectly flat and round as hers ....
Ok, maybe I'll buy the cookies :) Here is the LINK.

Picture perfect

Here is a fun photo craft I found the other day:






A personalized photo cube that you can print on your own computer. I've been meaning to print one and then mail it to long distance family. I think it would be something fun and different to receive in the mail -- not to mention a fun way to display some up-to-date photos :)

Here is the link, check it out!

More lovin ...

So, after my last post about dating, I decided to share this great gift idea from my sister!! (Btw, so far the only people who have contributed have been my sisters!! C'mon ladies, I know you're all craft-divas so share share! Even if it is a link for something you think is cool but have never done :)

My sister is into wine glasses -- I don't blame her, they're pretty and using them makes any dinner seem more special. She took her interest for wine glasses and turned it into a personalized gift for her fiancee (now hubby).

Using some simple rub-ons (that can be purchased at any craft store) she was able to personalize the glasses with sweet sentiments. To help the staying-power of the rub-ons she used a light coat of clear nail polish to seal them on. Inside each glass are slips of paper on which she wrote 50 different things she loved about her spouse. He loves to read them, and they have a beautiful set of wine glasses handy for special occasions requiring sparkling cider ;)
If you want to improvise you could write date-night ideas on the slips and take turns drawing an idea out to spice things up for your weekly date. The ideas are endless.
THanks for sharing Chelsee!