About time.

Ok, ok.  As promised, I'm done with the DIY gift posts now.  It dragged on and on, but I hope you stuck with it and got some AWESOME ideas for the now approaching all too quickly holiday season.  (yikes)

If you need a quick reference back to all things Gift it. 2014, here's your wrap up!

1. 5 Favorite Handmade Gifts for Kids - Red Ted Art

2. Stud Earring Holder - Young and Crafty Sisters

3. 5 Grandparent Gift Ideas - Hi! It's Jilly!

4. Fat Quarter Doll Quilt Tutorial - Simple Simon and Company

5. Birthday Sack Lunch - A Girl and a Glue Gun

6. 8 Gifts for Gadget Lovers - Melly Sews

1. Personalized Recipe Book

2. Gift Wrap Cut-Outs

3. Friendship Bracelet Kit

4. Top Secret Spy Kit

5. Easy Peasy Art and Photo Display

6. Pretend Play Dr. Kit

7. Light Up Reclaimed Wood Wall Art

8. Mini Photo Block Necklace

9. Underwater Superheroes (Superhero Inspired Rashguards)

1. Giant Stuffed Drinking Jar

2. Encourage-mints

3. Lemonade Basket Teacher Gift

4. Best Pop Gift

1. 30 Gifts Parents Will Love - 

10 Must-Make Gifts For Mother's Day, 

10 Fabulous Gifts For Father's Day, 

5 Fantastic Gifts for Grandma, 

5 Super Fun Gifts For Grandpa

2. 100 "Newbie" Gifts - 

25 A+ Gifts for Teacher, 

25 Highschool Graduation Gifts, 

25 Friendly New Neighbor Gifts, 

25 Lovely Housewarming Gifts

3. 50 Great Giftwrap Ideas (+ 6 Awesome Sources)

4. 20 Cute and Clever Gifts for Cat-Lovers!

5. 30 Lover-ly Gifts - 

10 Valentine's Gifts (for anyone and everyone), 

10 Wedding Gifts (they'll love to use), 

10 Anniversary Gifts (for those you love)

6. 113 Awesome, DIY Baby Gifts!

There you have it!  Gift it. 2014!  That's exactly 362 gift ideas for you to make for every kind of occasion you could imagine! Also, don't forget that most of these come with free printable gift tags, etc., just click on the post and scroll to the end. Now get cracking!  We've got gifts to make!

If you don't know what this series was all about, read the explanation here.

Also, you can see even more ideas:

Gift it. 2013

Gift it. 2012

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

Well, hello again. And another gift.

Whew!  Life is INSANE, am I right??  I totally didn't mean to take that much time off... which is how it always goes, isn't it?  Actually, I totally didn't mean to take ANY time off, it was a complete accident.  Then Labor Day happened, and school started, and my kids are crazy hooligans... and well, I'm sure you have crazy lives and can relate to those accidental "life happens" moments.

In any case, I totally left you hanging with the gift it series!!!  Remember that?  You can see the deets here, and look through all of last months posts for awesome gift ideas from guest bloggers, etc.

We left off with the reclaimed wood light up wall art for a wedding gift.

And since I have several gift posts left to share (from my unplanned time off) I've decided to go ahead and show you, instead of just ending gift it suddenly and unexpectedly.

Yea!

So today's gift is perfect for mom's day, a birthday, or for Grandma's for Christmas!

You've seen those cute DIY photo cubes, right?  Like this one from all Parenting:

(For which you can find the tutorial here.)

It's not really a new idea for parent or grandparent gifts... and I really wanted to give it a new twist.  As I brainstormed, I happened upon some small wood cubes I had in my stash - intended for something completely different that I hadn't gotten around to yet.

And the lightbulb went on.  What if you wore your photo cube around your neck?  Cute!

to make your mini cubes, you'll need:

small wood cubes (mine were 3/4" and I got them at Hobby Lobby for $2.99)

a drill with a very small drill bit

craft paint

photos of your kids printed on photo paper (more on that later)

mod podge, matte or glossy

a paint brush

1. Gather your cubes.  This necklace can be made a few different ways, depending on the number of kids you want to show on the cube and how many cubes you want on the necklace.  I made two different versions, both of which you can see below - one with only one cube and a different person on each side and one with a cube for each person.  So, gather the appropriate number for the necklace you're making.
2. Drill a very tiny hole through the cubes from top to bottom.
3. Paint your cubes.  I decided to make a few necklaces without photos, just to show how versatile the project is and I painted these cubes in fun geometric patterns using tape for straight lines.  Let them dry completely.
4. Size and print your photos.  The cubes are 3/4", so size your photos to just smaller than this in order to leave a border of color around each picture.  Then print them off or use your favorite photo print place.  Closeups work best.
5. Cut out your photos.   For my 3-block necklace I used 4 photos of each of my kids - so I needed 12 photos total.
6. For my 1-block necklace, I needed 4 photos - 1 of each kid and one of the whole family together.  
So for each block you use, you'll need 4 photos sized just under 3/4" square.
7. Using your brush, spread some mod podge on one side (NOT the top or bottom with the holes).
8. Carefully lay your photo on the block, straighten it, then push it down into place with your fingertips.  Mod podge will squeeze out the sides, just wipe it away with your fingers.  You'll likely need to re-straighten the photo after pushing it down.  Do this to every side of the blocks, leaving the top and bottom photo-free.  
9. Let the mod podge dry.
10. Apply a very thin layer of mod podge over each photo, careful to smooth out any lines.

Now that you've made your mini cubes, we can turn them into necklaces!
You'll need:

(disclaimer: I'm not a DIY jewelry officiando by any means.  I just made it up as I went.)

1. Begin by placing a clear seed bead on your straight headpin.
2. Slide your photo block on.
3. Slide a clear seed bead on.
4. Use the handle of the paint brush to make a perfectly round curve in the end of the headpin.  Just bend it around the paintbrush handle with the pliers twice.
5. Slide the block off of the paint brush.
6. Use the pliers to squeeze the wire circle you've created shut tight.
7. Measure how long you'd like your chain and cut with the wire cutters.
8. Place a jump ring through the wire circle, then
9. through the very middle link of the length of chain.  Squeeze the jump ring shut tightly with the pliers.
10. Attach a large jump ring to one end of chain and a lobster clasp to the other end of chain with the pliers.

Ta-da!

To make the 3-cube necklace, you simply slide on a clear seed bead between each block, and the rest is exactly the same.  Make sure you purchase headpins that are long enough, or you may have to twist two headpins together to get the length you need!  Personal experience and all...

I wanted to add some leather to the little geometric wood block necklace.

1. Slide your blocks on the headpin - seed bead, block, seed bead, block, etc. - and finish it off with a curl using the same method as above.
2. Cut 3 strands of leather, all the same length.  Braid them together.
3. Double knot the ends of the braid.  Add a jump ring to each knot.  Attach a short length of chain to each side with the jump rings.  On one chain, add a large jump ring to the end, and on the other chain add a lobster clasp to the end.
4. Using a jump ring, connect your wood blocks to the center of the braided leather.

You can also add different wooden beads for interest, or knot a single piece of leather.

And there you have it!  How to use those little wooden blocks for 4 different versions of a modern, fun necklace!

My favorite part is that the blocks spin, so it's like four necklaces in one since any of the four sides could face out!

I'm partial to the photo block version, myself, but if you're not the "wear your kids around your neck" kind, the other version is cute as well.

Maybe I'm just partial to those adorable little faces...

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

A blast back to my elementary school years...

Here's a variation on an idea I found long ago... you've probably seen it around pinterest.  Ezra was invited to a birthday party for a good friend and I thought this would be perfect for her creative little fingers!

I think I love this gift idea so much because I absolutely adored making friendship bracelets when I was in 5th grade.  All the time.  I constantly had these things pinned to my pants.

This guy is so easy to whip up, and there are so many different things you could do with it.  Here is what I used:

A few cute little clip on charms. (butterfly, flip flop, heart)
thick card stock cut into small rectangles
small scissors (I actually used manicure scissors)
safety pins
a large rubberband
embroidery floss of different colors
small clipboard
friendship bracelet booklet
plastic floss organizer

All you have to do is put it together!

1. Decorate the rectangle cards with washi tape.  Because you have to use washi tape for everything.

2. Wrap the floss around the cards.  (I was running late, unfortunately, and I didn't get to wrap all the floss, so I just separated it out into the sections and put the empty cards in one spot so she could do it herself.)

3. Put the pins in one section, the charms in another,

4. the scissors in the long section and the cards in another.

5. Separate the floss by color.

6. Gratuitous photo.  So pretty!

7. Make a label for the top.  Use your computer if you want, but I just made one by hand.  I used double sided tape to stick it to scrapbook paper.  I put packing tape over the whole thing so it would stay put and so it wouldn't smudge or tear or anything.

8. Place the clipboard on top.  I stuck a little bunch of floss all ready to be made into a bracelet in it.

9. Put the booklet on top.

10. Secure it all together with the rubber band.

Ta-da!

 And I couldn't help this second gratuitous shot.  I'm not sure why.  I just like the lighting.  Or something.  Maybe I'm weird.

If you're wondering, this makes an excellent gift for a creative little guy, too.  I gave one to my nephew.  I included key chain rings instead of charms so he can make keychains or bracelets.

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

You'll never believe it.

I crocheted.

Yup.  You read that right.  I crocheted.  

I bet you thought yarn was over with.  A thing of the past.  I couldn't help it.  I had to show you what I made for my sister's birthday.

Long ago, my mom taught me a single crochet stitch, so I could make a (very simple) afghan for a Christmas present.  I'm not sure how many times I asked for help, but it was a ridiculous amount and she pretty much did the whole thing for me - she started it out, chained the first row, finished it off, and blocked it since I didn't know how to do any of that.  What did I do?  Made unnecessary knots and asked for help, basically.

I was inspired to break out the old crochet hook during the 3 + weeks of Yarn it All! though.  
I made Lise the 

Which is the same kind of crochet necklace I'm sure you've seen before.  Basically you just chain a very very very long piece of yarn.  Just chain one on, again and again.  For like 20 feet.  (No, really, that's not an exaggeration).  

Then I did that again with a different color, but only did about 10-12 feet.  Then I wrapped them up and kind of twisted them as I laid them together (it took more time to figure out how best to do that than to crochet the darn thing. I undid it like 20 times.)  

Then I just wrapped yarn around the part where the ends came together.  I did use a little hot glue to secure the ends and the knot.

Essentially, I used Mandi's tutorial from year one of Yarn it All!  which you can find here.  So awesome.  As are all of her other crochet tutorials from that series, and now I want to make every one of them.

No, it's not perfect.  But still.  I crocheted something.  Feels pretty good.

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

It's a {yarn} WRAP.

I hope you've had as much fun with Yarn it All! 2014 as I have!  There's so much yarn inspiration with this edition of the yarn series, it'll keep you busy for loooong time.  Hopefully at least until next early spring when we do it all again!

In case you need an easy reference to all these awesome yarn projects, I've gathered them all together in one convenient location: here!  Let's wrap it all up with an awesome yarn bow!

Lace Knit Baby Bonnet from Melly Sews

Baby Headbands from Lanas de Ana

Boot Cuffs (and other favorite free patterns) from Try to Keep Up

Mini Easter Baskets from Cherished Bliss

Crochet Collar T Shirt Upcycle from Grey Luster Girl

Fabric and Yarn Gift Wrap from Just Make Stuff

Yarn Bracelets from A Girl And A Glue Gun

State String Art from Young and Crafty Sisters

Yarn Crafting and Sewing Projects from Simple Simon and Co.

Hula Girl Costume

Yarn Valance

Yarn Printing

Monogram Lamp Shades (2 Ways)

Carrot Sunburst

Yarn Flip Flops (3 Ways)

44 FREE awesome crochet and knitting patterns 

Fun and Unique Yarn Uses, Techniques, Storage and Parties

15 Crafts with Yarn (Wreaths and Patterns) from Hi! It's Jilly!

Don't forget to check out all the awesome ideas from our link party!

Yarn it All! Link party

Yarn it All! Link Party Features

Special thanks to all our guest post-ers and Call Her Happy for providing our awesome giveaway!  Go check out her etsy shop and all her super cute mini embroidery hoop necklaces.

 And that's a {yarn} WRAP!  Until next year...

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

Give the gift of etsy.

Before I introduce this big old gifty round-up (which was supposed to go up yesterday, sorry) let me begin by making it perfectly clear that I was in NO WAY COMPENSATED for this post by ANYONE at all.  I didn't get money or gift cards.  I didn't receive products to review.  I didn't even get a pat on the back.  I would accept chocolate cake for services rendered, but as of now that hasn't happened either.
ALSO, I really can't speak to the business practices of these shops.  I feel they're on the up and up.  Most of them have all thumbs ups.  But I also haven't PERSONALLY ordered from most of them.  

Ok, all of that said, I wanted to give you a little break.  Yes, I know you have great intentions of handmaking every single gift you give for every occasion this year - especially Christmas.  But I also know you have a long list of gift recipients.  And maybe - maybe - you might not get to everything on your list.  And maybe that's ok.  If you still want to give something handmade, etsy is the place to go!  You can find just about anything you could possibly want on etsy, and much of it is unique, one of a kind, quality, charming, hand made stuff.  So if you just can't make it yourself, etsy it!  

Here're a bunch of shops I found and a run down of what you'll see in each one.  

Foxy Vida - Chic diaper bags, wets bags with changing pads, diaper clutch wristlets, along with wallets and such.

Gifts Define - Tons of adorable felt creations in many themes.  Mobiles, wall art, name banners, oversized and mini stuffed animals, cupcake toppers, ornaments in birds, owls, woodland creatures, under sea creatures, safari, and more!  Adorable for baby's nursery.

mimishop - Adorable itty-bitty sewn fabric and wood teething rattle rings, rattles, pacifier clips, and musical animals.

Sasa's Handcrafts - Super cute crochet baby booties, baby girl tunics, cardigans, sweaters, blankies, hats, clothing sets and more!

RaeGun - Very cute ruffle diaper covers, retro rufflers, swing tops, and sets for baby.  Also, Halloween costumes for baby.

The Posh Pea Boutique - Very cute bibs, burp cloths, chenille or minky blankets and appliquéd onesies in the most amazing selection of fabrics.  You can buy them in various sets and quantities and even pick your own patterns and fabric for some.

bells and whistles - Cute and durable machine sewn ARTOTES (art kits).  Made in bright colors and two different sizes - mini tote and travel bag - with 8 pleats for crayons, markers, or pencils and separate pockets for other art supplies.

Indie Bambino - Tons of wooden toys and games, Waldorf style.  Most of them customizable with names.  Bowling sets, rainbow peg dolls, teethers, hand kites, color sorting games, pirate treasure, balls,  building blocks, yo-yo's, and memory games, just to name a few custom creations!

Mama Made Them - Handcrafted wooden toys for tots.  Such cute creations that anyone would love.  Cars, boats, firetrucks, and airplanes with little wooden peg dolls.  Also, teethers, keys, and stacking toys.  And tons of little themed play sets: barns with animals, dollhouses, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, a cute playground for peggies, kitchen (with sink, stove and oven) and tool set.  There are also wooden games.  Everything is made to last and has rounded edges.  

Miss Pretty Pretty - Super fun items for imaginative play.  Adorable play teepees made with durable drapery twill, many different styles of felt card table playhouses - homes, pirate ships, markets, underwater and more - with accessories like mail kits or pirate bags.  Felt mermaid tails and crowns.  Felt car mats.  PLUS, patterns for many of the items she sells in case you want to make it yourself.

NOTON - A cute and quirky little shop with crocheted storybook finger puppets, textile necklaces, knitted backpacks, sewn pajama pillows, and more.

Stella Murals - Glow in the dark large transparent posters that charge easily with LED lights and glow all night long.  They come with poster strips to hang them.  There are also glow in the dark bed canopies.  (my son would love this!)

anhaicabagworks - Handwaxed canvas bicycle bags and backpacks in a variety of shapes, sizes and neutral colors.  Very handy and these look durable and classic.

handmade by emy - Very fun ties and bowties of different styles for men, boys and babies.  There is any color gingham, lots of solids and a large choice of patterns/prints.

MoJo's Cozy Toes - Ridiculously awesome handmade fleece slippers.  Tons of designs for guys - mustaches, pac-man, #1 Dad, simple monogram.  Lots of colors and choices.  They also have some fleece slippers for babies, kids and women, sachet bags and aromatherapy eye pillows.

ilovebagshop - Handcrafted leather briefcases/camera bags.  There are also some more feminine bags, but lots of options for guys messenger style bags as well.

quinonesless - Unique cuff links made from metal or metal and clear resin for the sports fanatic, superhero obsessed, hardcore nerd, or those with specific hobbies (like fishing or cars).  Really affordable.

solidmfgco - Handcrafted wood and leather goods.  They have a variety of simple and tasteful accessories like cuffs, belts, wallets, and key rings.  They also make wooden iphone holders, candle holders, camp stools, end tables and baseball bats.

astash - Really unique accessories and some decor with a beachy/natural theme.  Bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings, rings, and cuffs made using a combination of felted items, crochet, sea glass, and beach stone.

cheep! cheep! - Cute, kitschy, accessories and jewelry made mostly from buttons with some enameled metal.

daily accessoriez - Scarves galore!  Soft, lightweight cotton/polyester scarves, infinity scarves, and crinkle scarves in tons of awesome prints.  Lightweight lace trimmed scarves and knit or crocheted scarves as well.  They even have some unique winter scarves and cowls and headwraps.  Awesome selection at nice prices with tons of fun prints, patterns and colors.

KUKLAStudio - Gorgeous oxidized wire and glass resin earrings.  All unique and handcrafted.

Tippy Thai - Seriously awesome selection of bags for mainly women.  There are so many styles and colors it's impossible to NOT find something you love.  Messenger bags, over the shoulder purses, cross body purses, backpacks, or one shoulder packs.  Simple shoulder bags, girly girl ruffly shoulder bags, bags with bows, pleats, skinny pleats, buckles, rings, buttons or just plain and classic.  Tote bags, bag organizers for the inside of your bags, yoga bags... simple or ornate, girly, trendy or understated, lots and lots of colors... it's pretty much amazing.

Eye Poetry - seriously gorgeous photography.  Broken down into categories, there are landscapes, nature/animals, paris, travel (which has a lot of architecture), and vintage feeling (which is my favorite with a lot of carnival shots).  You can buy prints of the photos in lots of different sizes.  Many of the photos are available as iphone cases.  There are several calendars and some photo collection options where you can buy some of the photos as a set.

Simple and Serene - Eye catching hand lettered and designed quote posters.  Can choose from a variety of print sizes.  Mainly in black and white, some sepia toned and others in subdued colors.  Some are shaped word art, most are simple text.  There are some that come in sets and several greeting card options as well.

The Dreamy Giraffe - Prints of acrylic paintings for nursery, craft room or kitchen decor.  Prints of quotes and graphic art.  Very cute.

Beneath the Bark at 825 - Very cool rustic wood frames for lots of things - clip on photo frames that are easy to change out, themed frames, frames for photo strips, memo boards, house number frames, wood chalkboard place cards, etc.  Lots of different themes, colors, sizes and styles.  Fun decor idea for just about anyone.

miwoodcrafts - Birch wood crafts - mainly candle holders.  There are a lot of wedding themed ideas like a unity candle holder and the birch log wedding table card holder.  The candle holders are my favorite, and the log tea light holder is also really pretty.

Ms Amanda Jayne - Such a cute plethora of crocheted coffee cup cozies portraying different adorable animals - but that's just the beginning.  There are also crocheted animal beanies, fingerless gloves, bobby pins, and rings for adults, as well as lots of hats and mittens for kids.  There are unique themed scarves and infinity scarves as well as crochet appliqued fabric mini gift bags and crocheted flower rings.

Felt Magical - pdf sewing patterns for felt plushies.  Sets that can be made into mobiles, plush animals and puppets.  Handsewing and great for beginners.

The Cottage Mama - Very cute PDF and Printed patterns for children's clothing that has a vintage flair. There are dresses, tunics, rompers, pants, jackets and skirts.  All very kid-friendly, for lots of things for girls and some for boys, too.

Magic With Hook and Needles - pdf crochet patterns of adorable purses, animals, dolls, coasters, hats and more.  Very cute and unique items that look adorable in the bright colors she uses.

Sugar Pie Chic - Lots of fun apron PDF patterns for women.  Full aprons, half aprons, ruffly and straight!  There are also patterns for a felt dollhouse and the "petticoat tote" and "tutu tote".

Gulf Coast Cottage - pdf sewing patterns for a variety of different felt play sets.  Vegetables, pizza, breakfast, seafood, tea sets, and all kinds of food.  There are also kits for castles, mermaids, dinosaurs, and more.  Kits for pretend play, like doctor and baker and larger plush animals.  Very cute felt toys for kids.

Wilsons Designs to Sew and Color - pdf sewing patterns for unique plush animals (like inchworms, foxes and sharks with zipper mouths!) along with printable phonics or kitchen themed coloring books.

Dime Store Buddy - great source for colored baker's twine in different amounts and paper chevron bags.

Gift Wrap So Pretty - Very cute customizable supplies.  Kraft bags in plain, striped and polka dotted, translucent or mini-sized.  Also, brown kraft tape and circle stickers.  Patterned twist ties in polka dots and stripes of different colors.  White paper bags with colored polka dots and cute, bright pillow boxes. There are also several blank tag options.

giftaholic - WARNING: there's a lot of stuff here and it's easy to get lost for a while!  Basically, they have everything you need to wrap a gift, and they also have everything you need to make your own gift wrap and tags.  So you'll find papers of all kinds, patterned wax paper, gift wrap, adhesive paper, etc.  You'll also find adhesive fabric, adhesive fabric tape, washi tape, patterned masking tape, adhesive lace tape, and other decorative tapes.  You'll find stamps, stamp pads, stickers, decals, and the like - vintage and current.  Blank envelopes, pouches, bags, gift wrap collections sold in bunches.  Blank tags, postcards, notecards, vintage cards, and special pens.  Don't worry if you're overwhelmed.

Peach Blossom UK - Such pretty things here!  First off, there are lots of basics like brown paper bags with dots, kraft wrapping paper, kraft gift boxes, etc.  They also have other paper and glassine bag options - like white paper bags with bright stripes, dots or chevron, or plain white.  There are lots of options for twine - baker's twine in lots of colors, colored cotton twine, natural string and grosgrain ribbon.  There are colorful packaging tags, cute doilies, mini wood clothespins, hessian fabric, and small muslin gift bags.  There's even a smattering of photo-booth props on sticks!

Sycamore Street Press - Not only do they have super cute hand-drawn printed gift wrap, tags and greeting cards, they are also loaded with prints to buy for home/nursery decor and some cute baby momento books and such.

It's a lot of info, folks, I know it.  But hopefully this can be a resource for you when you're looking for handmade gifts and can't muster it up yourself.  

Let me know if you've got an etsy shop you want me to post about (a favorite, or one you own yourself!)

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