Apparently, I really do steal all of my ideas.

You know that fun series 30 Handmade Days does every summer - Funner in the Summer? With all the great boredom busters?  I saw this gift idea over there, and you probably did too.  It's from Li'l Luna.  And yet again, it's a great idea for those boys out there!  (and adaptable for most girls, too!)

It's a:

So, instead of making the GAK for the recipient, you're giving them everything they need to make it themselves!  Not only is it super fun and cute, but it's also really creative, and helps THEM be creative too!  My sister and sister IL are both super crafty, creative people, and have done an awesome job instilling that love in their kids.  My nephew will sit down and do crafts with his mom for HOURS.  So I thought this would be really fun for them to do together.


The kit Li'l Luna put together is a bit smaller and less extensive.  It doesn't include ALL of the ingredients needed for the GAK.  Since I was positive my family members do not keep Borax on-hand, I decided to just give them EVERYTHING they would need.  (Plus, the cutest carrier I could find at the dollar store was bigger than necessary, so I had to fill it up!  I included enough ingredients to make TWO GAKs!


Here's what I did:


I got these little plastic, airtight boxes at Walmart.  They went really well with the color scheme of the present (which is blue, green and red, my nephew's favorite colors).  I measured out enough borax into one box to make one "serving" of GAK.  Then I measured out enough water into one blue box to make one "serving".  I put green washi tape over the lids to help hold them closed (though I don't think they need it) and to add some cuteness.  Then I stacked them in one section of the carrier.

Just behind that, I included a large bottle of green food coloring and the directions for making the GAK.  I made my own recipe card on card stock, then I covered it in contact paper - you know, so as you make the GAK and spill stuff all over and play with the GAK the recipe card will still stay nice and clean and wipeable.  I put a little washi tape on the food coloring bottle too.  But that's just because I'm obsessed with washi tape.  Had I been thinking I would have also included red food coloring, so he could make two different colors, but apparently I wasn't thinking.

In the opposite side, the long side, I included enough glue for two GAKs and two airtight containers - red with blue lids to fit the color scheme.  Did you notice the washi tape on the glue, too?  What?  It ties everything together, come on.  I found the airtight containers at Walmart in the baby department - in the "feeding" aisle with all the bottles and sippy cups and snack containers and stuff.  They were pricier than a dollar, but I got 6 containers and they matched AND they were the right size.  

Then I just added a little washi tape to the top of the container and tied some matching green ribbons onto the handle.

I added the label to the front of the container with matching ribbons.  You can kind of see through the label to the note that we wrote on the other side - the label did double duty as our birthday card, too.

I think he really liked it.  K hasn't gotten hers yet - her birthday isn't until November - but I have a feeling that girl will drive her parents nuts with the contents!  

*Be sure to check the right sidebar for all the fun parties I link to!