I know it seems like everyone in the craft blog world has been ready for Christmas since September. And maybe that really is the case, but I have to say I sincerely hope not. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'd just hate to be the only one who is STILL not finished. And by not finished I mean: not finished making gifts, not finished baking, not even finished decorating...
Although I have been playing Christmas music since November, so that counts, right?
Anyway, if you, like me are a professional procrastinator (remember this?) OR if you, like me, always remember that one last someone that your brain somehow filtered out of the gift giving list, I've got some easy shmeezy gifts for you. Really. Easy shmeezy. We're talking like an hour or less here. Want to see them?
We'll start out with the easiest of the easy. It takes very little time, effort, materials or skill - that's always nice. I present to you:
You need:
a tile
acrylic craft paint
paint pen
clear enamel sealer
felt
picture hanger
hot glue gun
1. Take a tile. It can be any style, any size (as long as your kid's hand fit on it), any color, anything you want. These tiles came from my stash I got over a year ago at the thrift store - a big old box that boiled down to about 5 cents a tile. Couldn't pass it up. I like the natural colors and the little bit of texture on the tiles.
Now, let your child pick out his/her favorite color. Pour out the acrylic craft paint and smoosh his/her hand around in it.
Then print the hand on the tile - fingers close together, but not touching, thumb to the inside, fingers pointing out at a slight angle. If you are doing only one child per tile, you can print both hands on one heart - I used one of bug's hands and one of mini's hands to make one heart per tile.
Then you'll have to take a break to give the kids a bath. Hey, I said it was EASY, not CLEAN. Next, you'll take your paint pens - the kind that's for fabric (NOT puffy paint. Paint PENS.) Write your child's name across the handprint heart. Finish off with a message.
Let it all dry. Once it's dry, spray it down with a clear enamel sealer.
2. Flip the tile over and put a double layer of felt on the back. Cut it to fit, edge to edge. Just hot glue it down.
3. Take a picture hanger triangle thing and glue it on the back. I tried super glue, Gorilla Glue, and hot glue and in a humongous surprise to me the hot glue worked best. That stuff just sticks like magic to felt.
4. Admire your handy work! You now have a trivet to gift! You can hang it on the wall with the picture hanger, you could place it on an easel, you can put it under your hot pots, sky's the limit!
5. Huh. Look at that. The mystery is revealed...
I think these are perfect for aunts, uncles, grandparents, godparents, you name it! I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, so I won't tell you who these are for.
NEXT UP, easy shmeezy gifts for the girly girl. TWO different types of bows!
We'll start with the easier of the two.
(I looked that up on some French Teaching blog thing and apparently it means "little girlfriend" bow. I think. Correct me if they were wrong.)
You'll need this:
a smallish rectangle of felt
a slightly smaller rectangle of felt in a different color
a very small, skinny rectangle of felt in the first color
an alligator clip
hot glue
scissors
a tiny scrap of felt in matching color
1. First, you'll take the two bigger rectangles and round the corners, so they are more like ovals.
2. Take the larger of the two and squish it at the center so the edges are squished to the back and the middle part is also squished to the back.
3. This is what that rectangle looks like from the back.
4. Now, take the smaller one and squish it so the edges are pinched up to the front. Put this smaller rectangle in the squished in middle part of the bigger one.
5. Wrap the small, skinny rectangle around the two ovals in the middle, making sure they stay pinched the right way. Make sure the ends of the skinny rectangle are both wrapped to the back of the ovals.
6. Put some hot glue on the ends of the skinny strip and glue them down in the back.
You're done with the actual bow, so let's put it on the clip!
7. Cut a tiny scrap of felt that's the same length as the flat straight part of the clip and just a little wider.
8. While squeezing the clip open, hot glue the top of it to the back of the bow.
9. Place the scrap piece of felt on top of this, so you are sandwiching the top of the clip between the scrap and the bow. Hot glue around the edges of the scrap.
10. They are so easy and pretty addicting... so make about 5 more.
Or you could change it up and put three ovals together!
And here's the last one for the night. Still easy, and you have your choice of two different methods of construction.
You'll need this:
A bit of knit (I used part of a sleeve from a cut up shirt. That seam in the middle? Totally doesn't matter. It just needs to be a rectangle.)
A yo-yo. (Don't know how to make a yo-yo? See here.)
A button (covered, patterned, whatever. It needs to go in the center of the yo-yo so keep that in mind when choosing a size.)
needle and thread
alligator clip
hot glue
And I bring you the:
1. Start by threading your rectangle of knit onto the needle and thread. You can choose to use the rectangle the long way or short way (we'll discuss this at the end). Just start at the bottom in the middle and squinch your knit onto the needle kind of accordion fold style.
2. So this all the way through the rectangle and pull your thread tight. (Make sure it's knotted at the end).
3. Now, take your needle and go back down into the middle of the fabric from the top, right next to where you came out of the top the first time.
4. Thread your needle through the fabric in the same manner as before all the way to the bottom. Pull your needle out and pull the thread tight.
Then repeat this going from the bottom to the top, and then from the top to the bottom at least one more time.
5. Finish this off and keep it tightly cinched up by knotting the thread into the fabric.
7. Go back through the middle of the bow, from front to back and pull the thread tight.
Repeat this a few times.
8. Add your button on top of the yo-yo, centered. Pull your needle from back to front, making sure to come through one of the button holes.
9. Go back through the second buttonhole from front to back.
Repeat this a few times until the button and the yo-yo are both secure on the bow.
10. flatten each side of your "accordion fold" bow down and trim the very edges - if necessary.
Attach the alligator clip as you did with the above "petite Amie" bow. Just hot glue the top of the clip to the back and then put a little piece of knit over that, sandwiching the clip top.
11. These are kind of addictive as well.
Wait, wait. That's not all. Do you want to see the even easier version of this project? It's the version I usually use, but for all you bow purists out there, I thought I'd show the "correct" version first.
Squinch up your rectangle in the middle, accordion fold style. Hot glue a small strip of knit around this to hold the bow in it's shape.
Hot glue the yo-yo in the middle.
Hot glue the button in the middle of that.
Hot glue the clip to the back.
Trim.
Done.
See? Easy.
Now. If you don't have girls to craft for, or relative of the persuasion who would like little itty bitty handprints (come on, who doesn't like little handprints??) don't worry. I've got two more easy "only takes a few minutes" ideas coming up tomorrow. Yea!
*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!
Well when you capitalize it like that it makes it look like the name of this really awesome blogger I know. ;) Super cute bows Kim!!
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