Category Archives: Gift ideas

Up-cycling Broken Pottery Planter

Posted in Decor, Gift ideas by

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I love finding new ways to use things.  I picked up these broken mugs from a beach in California that has TONS of washed up pottery and china from an old manufacturer called Tepco China Company.  I decided to turn them into a succulent planter.

I started by gluing pieces onto a piece of used fence board, using E6000 glue.  I had to “piece” them together in order to create space for plants.

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I purchased 2″ pots of succulents at the local nursery and planted them in the mugs.  Because the planting areas were pieced together, there were plenty of areas for water drainage.

It turned out really cool!  A great gift for a friend of mine!

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Happy Planting!

“Wonder what I will come up with next?”…

Simple Pop-Up Card…

Posted in Gift ideas, St. Patrick's Day by

Happy President’s Day weekend!  Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and my creative brain is thinking about what comes next.  St. Patrick’s Day!  A day that doesn’t get as much publicity, but is still an important day.  This is a great day to tell special people in our lives how “LUCKY” we are to know them.

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That being said, I took this opportunity to make a few pop-up cards for some special people in my life and wanted to share how EASY it is to create them.

Supplies needed: 8.5×11″ green & white card stock, glue stick, scissors, & shamrocks (I purchased these at The Dollar Tree)

 

To begin, fold an 8.5×11″ piece of white card stock in half.  Make 2 cuts on the folded edge approx 2″ apart, each cut being about 1″ in length.  Unfold the paper, push the “cut” area inside, so that it creates a “pop-up” cube inside the card.

 

Fold a green 8.5×11″ piece of card stock in half and glue it to the outside of the white piece of paper, see above.

 

Glue (or you can use glue dots) the top of the shamrock to the pop-up cube inside the card.

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Glue a second shamrock on the front of the card.  DONE!!!  It’s that simple!!!

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Now you can make pop-up cards for all the special people in your life.  Be sure to write inside how “LUCKY” you are to have them in your life!

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Happy card making!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

Painted Jars With Initials & Knobs

Posted in Decor, Gift ideas, Organization, painting by

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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I love re-purposing jars!  I am constantly washing them & scraping off the labels.  Once I save up enough, I start dreaming of a creative way to use them.  Usually I am creating some sort of gift for the teachers & friends in my life.

For this craft, I painted jars and added fun knobs.  These look great as home decor.  They can bring a unique element to a book case, or be used to store something.  I have cotton balls stored in a jar in the bathroom.

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Since I made these with the intention of gift giving, I decided to personalize them.  Prior to painting, I attached a sticker with the person’s initial.  I purchased the initial stickers at Hobby Lobby.  This gave each jar a little extra dimension.  After the paint dried, I “roughed” them up with a light sand paper.  This helped the initial become more prominent.

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In order to attach the fun knobs, I needed to drill holes in the lids.  I started by painting the lids colors that looked good with the paint color.  I kept it simple and painted lids black, white, silver, & gold.  After the paint dried, I used a drill to create the holes.

Once the holes were drilled, I attached the knobs.  I found fun inexpensive knobs at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, & Lowes.

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I tied coordinating colored ribbon around the rim, just because it looked cute.

These jars were so fun to create & people enjoyed receiving them.  They especially liked that they were personalized.

Happy creating!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

Valentine’s Day Jar Decorations…

Posted in Gift ideas, Valentine's Day by

February is almost here.  I can’t believe how quickly January has blown by!  It seems like just yesterday, we were preparing for Christmas.

In preparation for February, I have started making Valentine’s Day gifts for my daughter’s teachers.  I love making gifts for teachers!  They are one of the most under appreciated people in our children’s lives.  They have so much influence on the minds & emotions of our future leaders, yet many parents take them for granted.  I am always proud to shower them with EXTRA LOVE!

Supplies needed are: Glass jars, paint, foam paint brushes, ribbon, twine, heart charms, keys, & 3-D heart stickers.

I have been saving glass jars for years, and they always come in handy when I am ready to create something.  For this project, I used several Bertolli pasta sauce jars.  These jars are great because they have character to them.

I started by painting the outside of the jars in Valentine’s Day appropriate colors.  I used containers of paint samples, so that I didn’t need to invest a lot of money in paint.  You can find inexpensive paint samples at Target, Lowes or Home Depot.  I used red, pink, lavender, and beige paint.  Once painted, I turned the jars upside down and let them dry for a couple of days.

I had quite a lot of red & beige burlap ribbon left from Christmas, so I decided to try using it.  On the red jars, I stacked both colors of ribbon for added texture.  I only used red ribbon on the other colors of jars.

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I added heart shaped charms that I purchased at Joann’s and keys that I purchased at Michael’s Crafts, attaching them with red, pink, and natural twine.  Very simple to make, yet very festive.

I also had some 3-D heart stickers that I thought would be fun to work with.  I tried several styles, as you can see.

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In all, I created over 35 jars that I will fill with Hershey’s Kisses and Hershey’s Hugs.  I will hand these out in a few weeks, spreading lots of LOVE in the process.  I mean, isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about?  Spreading LOVE?  I think so!!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

 

 

 

Frames with Christmas Balls…

Posted in Christmas, Decor, Gift ideas by

OMG!!!  I had the MOST FUN making these gifts for my kids teachers!  Based on the reactions from the recipients, they REALLY LIKED them also!

I realize this is a Christmas decor/gift idea, but I wanted to post it now so that you could be on the hunt for after Christmas sales on ball ornaments.  Now would be a great time to collect the ornaments and make gifts for Christmas this year.  Be sure to purchase balls with color, not just gold & silver, for the perfect effect.

Supplies needed for this project: frames, ball ornaments, wood initial, ribbon (both thin & wide with wire), spray paint, E6000 glue, short zip ties.

For the frames, you can find old beat up ones at yard sales for quite inexpensive.  I also made several from scrap wood that we had at the house.  Either way, spray paint the frames in fun Christmas colors.  Any kind of spray paint will work, so find the least expensive one you can.

Once the frames are dry, tie THIN ribbon strands around the top piece of wood, letting 7 total strands of ribbon hang all the way to the bottom.  This gives you extra ribbon so you can have the perfect length of each ball dangling.  You will want to mix up the lengths as you create your piece of art.  Next, tie the balls onto the ribbon and adjust the ribbon as necessary to get the appropriate varying lengths.  Be sure to triple knot the ribbon on the balls.  Cut the excess ribbon.

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Paint the wood initial in a coordinating color.  Let dry.  Using E6000, glue the ribbon onto the back of the initial and let glue dry.  You may have a better idea on how to attach the initial to the ribbon.  If so, go for it!  Tie the initial on to the top piece of wood, just as you did with the balls.  Adjust the length of the ribbon as necessary.  Once all of the balls and initial are tied on, slide the ribbon to the center of the wood.

For the bow, use a coordinating wired ribbon and create a large full bow.  For bow making steps, look under the section of gift wrapping in my blog.  Attach the bow to the center of the top piece of wood.

To create a hanger on the back, I used small zip ties that I purchased at The Dollar Tree.  I created a small loop around the back of the ribbon, where it is attached to the frame.  Leave the zip tie loop large enough for a wreath hanger to fit through it.  By attaching the zip tie to the ribbon, it allows the ribbon to be shifted as necessary for centering, to the left or right, along the frame when hanging the frame on the wall.

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You are now ready to hang your frame, or gift it to someone special.

Have fun creating!!!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

Lip Notes…

Posted in Gift ideas by

Do you, or a loved one travel often?  Show them how much you miss them with “Lip Notes”.

How many of you use lipstick?  Of those, how many “blot” after applying?  You can create “Lip Notes” as you blot.  It’s that simple!

Supplies needed are: Sticky notes, Lipstick, and, of course, your lips.

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I create “Lip Notes” every time I apply lipstick.  I collect them in my bathroom cabinet so I am armed and ready each time I travel somewhere without my family.

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Right before leaving on a trip, I secretly hide my “Lip Notes” all over the house for my family to find.  I started doing this when my kids were little so they would know I was thinking about them and sending them kisses while I am away.  I even put notes in their suitcases when they are going on a trip without me.

Some of my favorite places to hide them are: on the mirror, on their pillows, by their toothbrushes, on the coffee pot, in their lunch boxes, in a clothes drawer, and in their shoes.  Feel free to be creative with your hiding places!

It doesn’t take long to accomplish, but the end result for your family is ever lasting!

Happy Blotting!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

 

Creating Gift Tags From Christmas Cards…

Posted in Christmas, Gift ideas, Gift Wrapping by

Have you ever wondered what you should do with all of the GORGEOUS Christmas cards that you receive?  A few years ago, I decided to save them for a future use.  This year I decided to repurpose them as gift tags.  It’s a simple way to recycle something beautiful.

The items you will need: Used Christmas cards, colorful cardstock, paper cutter, glue stick, hole punch, twine or thin ribbon, embellishments, such as rhinestones, and your imagination!

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This is my favorite paper cutter!  I’ve had it for years and it works great!

I use colorful cardstock quite frequently and I always save the scraps.

To create gift tags, start by cutting the image on the card you would like to save.  Next, cut a piece of cardstock in a coordinating color.  Be sure to cut the cardstock slightly larger than the image, which will leave a “color” border.  Use a glue stick to attach the image to the cardstock.  Embellish with rhinestones, if appropriate.  Punch a hole in the corner, or center it on the gift tag.  Place a ribbon or piece of twine through the hole and you have created a gift tag!

I haven’t punched the holes and added the ribbon with these, but you can see how fun they are.  If you don’t have used Christmas cards, you can also use festive scrapbook paper for the image.

Happy cutting!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

Bling Candle Holders

Posted in Decor, Gift ideas by

I love burning candles at home!  I even love having candles as decoration!  I made these bling candle holders as gifts, but I may need to make one for myself.  They were so unbelievably simple and inexpensive to make!!

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I purchased both the glasses and rhinestone stickers from The Dollar Tree.

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Each row of stickers are connected, so I tore off the rhinestones in strips and stuck them to the glass.  At the end of the strip, I started a new strip until I made it all the way around the glass.  I did this 3 times to create the look shown here.

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So very easy, but pretty darn cool!

Happy sticking!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

Oh So Adorable Clipboards

Posted in Gift ideas by

I am always trying to come up with fun gifts for teachers.  I made several decorated clipboards for teacher appreciation day this year.

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I started with these clipboards I purchased at Office Depot.

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I used Tacky Glue to adhere scrapbook paper on the front & back.  After the glue dried, I brushed on Mod Podge with a foam brush to both sides.

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I then added a band of ribbon, glued on with Tacky Glue and added rhinestones.

I then tied on strips of coordinating ribbons for the final touch.  I tied the ribbon on the front circle and to the rod in the center of the clamp.

I had so much fun choosing the paper and creating these adorable gifts!

On the more masculine ones, I skipped the ribbon and added other accessories.

Some even got additional embellishments, like charms, beads and initial stickers.

I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did!

Happy creating!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

Toilet Paper Roll “Crackers”

Posted in Gift ideas, Valentine's Day by

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These are SO darling!  I have made several versions of these over the years.  I thought I would share how easy they are to create, yet how cute they are.

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I used both decorated tissue paper, solid tissue paper, and paper doilies that I purchased at the Dollar Tree.  Be sure to cut the solid tissue paper wider that the decorative one, so that it will stick out on the ends.

Once the paper is cut, place the decorative paper so that it creates an edge, see picture 1.  Then flip the paper over.  Fill the toilet paper roll with fun stuff!  I have filled them with candy, rings, bracelets, pens, stickers, etc.  Place the toilet paper roll in the center from left to right, and at the far side of the paper, not near the edge you created.

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Carefully roll up the toilet paper roll and tape it at the edge.  Next, roll the toilet paper roll over to the front and tie off the ends with curling ribbon.

Then feel free to add extra decor.  I used stickers to spell out the recipients names.

These make fun gifts for kids, and are an easy craft for kids to make.

Happy rolling!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…