Gift it good.

And thus concludes our fun little series:

I hope you've been inspired.  I hope you've been pinning like mad.  I hope you haven't gotten sick and tired of homemade gifts already, gosh dang it.

I also hope you realize that now's the time to start those Christmas presents.  Take it from the girl who first created this:

Start your presents now, people.  Now.  You don't want to be that crazy lady up until 3 am on Christmas Eve trying to put the finishing touches on just ONE MORE gift when you've already busted your way through 20 in the last day and a half - which resulted in glue gun burns you don't even want to know where, tape attached in awkward areas that can't be reached and more thread in your hair than hair - and still have to wrap them all (garbage bags and duct tape it is!) as you insanely rock back and forth after your 16th cup of hot cocoa, sarcastically mutter-singing "we WISH you a merry Christmas..." under your breath so as not to wake the peacefully and unwittingly sleeping HUSBAND and children above. Not that I have any kind of personal experience with this or anything...

And now that I've already made a long story longer, let's cut to the chase.  
Firstly, and foremost, I would like to thank the insane amount of people who helped with this month's festivities.  You are gifting rock stars with amazing blogs to boot.  Thanks!  (Now, go check them out in their natural habitat, will you?)
Second, and also foremost, I think I deserve a small break, don't you?  This series stuff is hard work.  Do you know how long a round up takes to put together??  Man.  I love doing them.  But they can be a pain in the butt.  Anyway, postings will be sparse for a teensy bit.
Finally, here's a summation of all the amazingness you've seen here this month.  It's a long summary.  So maybe it's a longary.  In any case, you'll find everything here.  With links.  I try to be helpful like that.

***

1. 30 Stellar Teacher & Neighbor Gifts - a roundup for those special people in our lives.

2. Birthday Gifts for Guys, Gals & Littles - 30 birthday gifts ideas for absolutely anyone.

3. 50 "I do"-able Gifts - awesome wedding gifts of all types that will suit any kind of couple.

4. 101 Baby Approved Presents - your go-to source for all gifts of the baby variety - toys, blankets, clothes, and stuff for mama too.

5. 50 Rock Your Socks Christmas Presents - holiday and winter themed ideas for any person on your list.

1. Three "Anyone" Gifts - Jamie from C.R.A.F.T  

2. Playtime Present - Susan from crafterhours

3. A Reel-y Fun Gift Basket - Jill from Hi! It's Jilly

4. Sweet and Simple Mini Pouch - Ashley from Cherished Bliss

5. A Family Game - Lisa from Grey Luster Girl

6. Personalized Gifts Made Easy - Melanie of Bear Rabbit Bear Crafts

7. "La Gelateria" - Sophie from Cirque Du Bebe

8. Back to School - Steph from Crafting in the Rain

9. Start the School Year Right - Fawnda from Fireflies and Jellybeans

10. Framed - April from Cup of Delight

11. LOVEly Wall Art - Terra from Mama Says Sew

12. Amazing Inspiration - Liz from Simple Simon and Co.

13. Gussied Up Notebook - Melissa from Melly Sews

14. "Go-To" Gifts - Mandy from Sugarbee Crafts

15. Categorized Top 5 - Julie from Vibrant Designs
16. Gifts for Any Nuptials - BJ Mama from For What It's Worth... Or Not.

17. A MOM Gift- Kim from A Girl and a Glue Gun

1. Make No Mistake - a teacher gift
2. Fort in a Bag - great gift for kids
3. GAK kit - another fun one for kids
4. Pedicure in a Jar - the gift of pampering 
5. Catalogue of Love - a cute and sentimental gift for a wedding or anniversary
6. "B is for Book" Bag - a baby gift for a book themed shower.  (But really, perfect for almost anyone who can read.  Or might one day read.)

1. Dessert of the Month Coupon Book
2. Cake in a Jar
3. Latte Gift Kit
4. Single Serving Brownies To Go

***

And because I've made a gift or two in the past...
(regular disclaimers apply, i.e. some of these posts are ancient, some of these posts were created in the dead of winter when the sun literally doesn't shine here which means quite a few of these posts contain really horrible pictures.  If that offends you, I'm sorry.)

1. Toddler Button Belt

2. Sock Donuts

3. Backpack Backpack - easy version

4. Felt Food

5. Portable Compact Play Kitchen

6. Paleolith - Toddler Watch

7. Wipe Activity Book

8. No-Sew Busy Book

9. Mr. Magnetic Head

10. Parade in a Box - DIY Instruments

11. Scrubby Bath Puppets

12. Alphabet Mini Puzzles

13. DIY Treasure Chest (and pirate hook)

1. Bleach Scribble Shirt

2. Yarn Pixie Tutu

3. Baby Wardrobe Set

4. Handwarmer Hat (from a sweater)

5. Easiest Skirt Ever

6. Sloppy Joe's Shoes (and the Girlified version, too)

7. Simple Cowboy Dress Up

8. Easy Tiered Ruffle Skirt

9. Ruffle Bottomed Pillowcase Top

10. Little Man Sweater Vest

1. Mix and Match Foot and Hair Accessories
2. Cabochon Charm Bracelet
3. Hair Bling in a Jar
4. No-Sew Zipper Flower Headband
5. Flamenco Dress (or check out the maternity version!)
6. No-Sew Fabric Roses
7. Funky Chunky Earrings
8. Farewell Summer Wreath
9. Twisted Yarn Necklace
10. Petite Amie Bow
11. Rolled Rose Bib Necklace
12. Embroidered Button Garden
13. Piles of Thanks Wreath
14. The Svelte Belt
15. Reading Wreath
16. Glass Photo Charms
17. 10 Second No-Sew Headbands
18. Stained Glass Tray
19. T-Shirt Necklace

1. Glowing Globe Nightlight
2. Duct Tape Notebook
3. Monogrammed Keychains
4. Monogrammed Water Bottles

1. Sunshine in a Box
2. Milk and Cookies

1. Framed Bank
2. Burlap Picnic Blanket Tote
3. Cookie Tin Photo Album
4. 30 Sucks, Blows and Shows Cake
5. Antiqued Photo Tile
6. Fabric Covered Mini Notebook
7. Handprint Heart Trivets
8. Photo Box: A Year in Portraits
9. Velvet Lined Hidden Treasure Book
10. Fancified Journal and Matching Pen

PHEW!  (And now that you're completely overwhelmed with gift ideas...)

I don't know if you realize it (probably not, because you aren't as nerdy as I am) but that's... (counts on fingers...) wait a minute... (counts on fingers again...) wow, yeah, that's right... 
that's over 350 handmade gift ideas.   In one spot.  Just for you.  Gosh, I must really love you guys.

Now go do it.  Get off your duff.  Stop making excuses.
*
"When a problem comes along
You must gift it. 
Before the cream sets out too long
You must gift it.
When something's goin' wrong
You must gift it.
So gift it.  Gift it good."

*PLEASE refer to my introductory post to this series on the subject of DEVO and these beloved lyrics.  It really does apply.  I promise.  Also, please note that bolded items have been altered from the original lyrics.

Bam.  How's THAT for a finale?

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

Thinking outside the box.

This year, my brother IL had the brilliant idea to create a google doc to which we could all add our Christmas lists.  This would come in handy for those of us who aren't really around all the time (i.e. me and mr) and can't keep up with what everyone's into/needs/wants.

I'll just come out and say it.  mr's mom's list was pretty sparse.  I think it was something like running socks and photos of the kids.  And since I was almost certain someone else was getting her running socks, I decided to go with photos of the kids.  But I certainly couldn't just mail her some pictures... that wouldn't do at all.  I started to think about how it was the end of another year, and how hard it was for mr's parents to miss out on watching bug and mini grow and change throughout the year.  Thus, the idea was born:

Oh, I know.  It's not actually a novel idea.  But I thought it was a good way to both showcase some photos and include her in the kids' year.  It's a brag book.  But in a box.  So it's a Brag Box.  Yeah.

Anyway.  Obviously, you could make one of these anytime, not just for Christmas, for any year you want to highlight.  You could make one for each kid every year and they could watch themselves change and grow up when they get older.  In any case, the idea is very simple, but I thought I'd show you my execution to give you some ideas.

Basically, you pick a bunch of photos - a few from each month of the year.  Not many, but enough to highlight the achievements, milestones, family moments, etc.  At this point, you could really make any kind of book you wanted to make out of these - like this Pop Up Mini book at Infarrantly Creative.  Or an easy accordion scrapbook.  Whatever.

I decided to use some plastic boxes my sister gave to me.  Lise teaches photography at a high school and used to get her film in these small square boxes.  They are black, have rounded edges and are, well, nothing special.  But that makes them a blank slate and perfect for upcycling into a little photo box.  Remember how I upcycled a cookie tin for my sister?  Same idea.  

So, start by measuring your box and cutting your photos to size and laying them out to get an idea of how many pages you will need.  Then you'll cut rectangles of scrapbook paper just slightly smaller than the width of the box.  Fold the rectangles so that they are an accordion that's the slightly smaller than the height of the box.  You'll most likely need to cut multiple strips of paper, fold them and glue them together to accommodate an entire year's worth of photos.  Then you'll just decorate the accordion with photos and embellishments, making sure to stay on ONE side of the accordion.  Leave the very back page empty of photos.  Glue the last page to the inside bottom of the box and fold the pages all up into the box.  Decorate the lid and the outside and voila!  You've got an accordion photo box brag book thingy.  Or a Photo Box for short.  Basically, a snapshot of someone's year.  

Here's how I put mine all together:

Firstly, I left the top page free of photos and made sure to have a little "tab" or overhang to grip and pull the pages out.  On the tab, I hand stamped "a year of zoe/ezra" in a shabby/distressed feel.  I'm no good at stamping, actually, so when I stamp ANYTHING it's a shabby, distressed feel, regardless.  

From there I just added photos and embellishments in order of the year.  As you pull the photos out, the kids get older.

I hand stamped the month next to one of the photos for that month.  Most months had two or three photos and I just picked one with the most space around it.  I had a lot of fun looking at how much the kids had changed.

I left the back page empty of photos but did use a bit of pattern/color embellishment.  I actually glued the photos on opposite sides of the accordion for Zoe and Ezra's books - on Ezra's you can see the the page that folds down onto the bottom has the photos on it, while Zoe's is actually on the other side.  They both looked fine, but I think I liked how Zoe's turned out better.

Then I just decorated the inside of the lid and then the outside of the box.  At the last moment, I had to attach something to keep the lid shut because all the embellishments made the darn photo accordions too thick... So I just put a loop of ribbon on the lid and glued a hair elastic around a brad on the bottom.  

You can slip the elastic through the loop of ribbon and then back over the brads.

Other tips:
I used hot glue for EVERYTHING that adheres to the actual plastic box.  That's some kind of scrapbooking blasphemy, I know, and I will probably be struck down for it, but it was quick and easy - though very, very hot.  Ouch.
I used double sided tape for all of the photos - archival quality and photo safe.  Take that scrapbooking police.
Other embellishments include brads (duh), ric rac - I love that stuff, small safety pins in a variety of colors, paper clips in a variety of colors, and the usual.  My favorite items to use to embellish a page?  Paper clips, safety pins, and small strips of contrasting paper layered, woven and glued in unique ways.  Cheap, I tell you, cheap.
Be careful not to overdo it on the embellishments, or you - like me - will not be able to close the boxes.  When you get to that point, think fast.
Did you notice I let their names slip?  Yeah.  I realized you'd probably all figured it out after this post anyway, so the cat's out of the bag now.  I'll probably still use their nicknames out of habit.  But no more blurred out names in the photos, so that's cool.
What, you think this is a lame Christmas present?  Are you telling me you'd rather get socks??

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

Scrapping Pumpkins - with Kellystar

I've recently "met" (virtually anyway) Kelly of KellyStar's All Things Crafty.  Kelly specializes in paper crafts and makes lovely projects such as a paper leaf and wire autumn tree wall hanging, cards for all occasions, holiday home decor stuffs, personalized wipe boards, party decorations, and much much much more.  She also scrapbooks.  Something I used to do a whole lot and don't so much anymore.  But I may just get inspired by this super pumpkin-y layout Kelly threw together for our Pumpkinspiration Week!

Love these cute little fabric pumpkins in the corner!

And the texture this little fabric bunting gives.

Here's a list of items used so you can try it out yourself.


Supplies: 
Paper: Bazzill Basics Paper
Patterned Paper: Bella Blvd
Stickers: Pink Paislee
Ribbon: May Arts (vine ribbon), Paper Trey Ink (jute twine)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Other: material scraps, felt, pumpkin foam stamp


Thanks for sharing, Kelly!  Hop on over and visit Kelly at her blog!

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

My name isn't Jill.

BUT, today's post IS from Jill!  


Folks, you are in for a treat.  I am doing my very first ever BLOG SWAP!  Today you get to hear (see?) from the lovely Jill, of Envirocraftiness.  She has a blog full of fun ideas!  And she is a greenie!  (Not greenie like NEW, greenie like environmentally friendly)  One of my favorite things she does on her blog is “What the heck Wednesday?” where she pulls something totally random from her stash and asks everyone what she should create with it.  She’s done some fun things with phone cords!  I’m pretty excited to have her here today.  So, without further ado, here she is, with a very fun "scrappy" project!

Do you have a lot of cds kicking around either from old software/those free AOL cds you used to get in the mail or cds you tried to burn and messed them up in the process like I do?

Excellent! You can make a mini scrapbook album out of them! This is a great project because not only is it repurposing, but mini albums are great for people who are experienced scrapbookers, or those who just want to try it out for the first time!  It's very little commitment, so if it's not your thing you don't have to worry about investing a lot of time or money into it!

Here's how I did it.

Step 1:  PLAN

Decide what you're going to put in your album and figure out how many pages/cds you'll need.

Step 2: PREPARE your cds

Before anything else, you're going to need to put holes in your cds.  If you have easy access to a drill, find a drill bit that's the right size and carefully drill holes into your cds (I'd suggest marking the first one, and then lining the rest up with that one and then marking them from the first one that's drilled)

If you're like me and don't have a drill, you can do this with a hole punch.

First, heat your cd up over a candle

(notice that I've marked where I want the hole)

Then when it's warmed up, use your hole punch to make a hole!

Warming up the cd makes it easier to punch through AND helps to prevent cracking!

Next, cut out whatever colors of scrapbooking paper you like to cover the cds with.  Make sure to pre-punch a hole in them too!

Spread a thin layer of mod podge over the cd and glue your circle of paper on.  Do both sides and let them dry completely.

Trim any overhanging paper, and use some fine grit sand paper to get what you can't trim neatly with scissors!

Step 3: DECORATE

Now it's time to scrap away!!

One thing I did on almost all the pages was ink the edges.  The green really stands out on the yellow here, but take a look at some of the other pages for more of a subtle tone-on-tone effect!

Here's my finished front cover:

First page:  

This was the view from our room at the spa!

We went on both underground tunnel tours - it's rumored Al Capone used to have dealings in the area!

My mommy!

Me!

Journaling about the things we didn't have time to do.

I don't remember what I did that started my mom laughing, but she just kept laughing and I kept snapping! (I'd like to point out that the drink in my mom's hand is the same one from the picture above...we really didn't spend that much time drinking!)

In the end we did leave the casino with more than we went in with! Whoooo!

There you have it.  My mini album of my trip to the spa with my mom.

In this album I used a double sided tape runner to attach pictures and paper to the paper on the cds.  For things like ribbons and chipboard (it's kinda like cardboard) I used glue dots. These things are amazing for sticking down ribbon, buttons, and other 3D things!

I just used one of those binder rings to put it all together.  These little books are great if you have something to scrapbook, but want to keep adding to it (like a child's school years, book of firsts, seasons, etc.)

Like I said earlier, these books are great for beginners or seasoned vets because you can be as fancy or simple as you like.  If you really wanted to make it easy, you could even pick up one of those pre-made scrapbook kits full of coordinating papers and embellishments!  


Thanks so much to Kimberly for having me! This was a lot of fun!  I'd love if you stopped by Envirocraftiness to check out some of the other things I've gotten up to lately!

Thanks Jill!  Now go on over and check her out on her blog.  Don't be shy.  And while your there you can see what I made with this:

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

Better late than never?

Well, here's a project I FINALLY finished, and it only took about 2 years to do!  It’s a little ridiculous.  

I love scrapbooking, I find it therapeutic, but I also have to really be in the mood - there is no instant gratification - it takes a long time to get things just so, and then there’s all the mess... yeesh.  Anyway, I decided to make bug an alphabet book with a small scrapbook I bought at a garage sale for 10 cents back when he was little and just starting to talk.  And I put the finishing touches on last night!

As you will see from most of the photos, it’s now a little out of date!  But I thought it would be fun anyway; every kid likes looking at pictures of their younger self!  

The idea is pretty straightforward.  I decorated the front with his name, 

and put the alphabet on the first page using different stickers and letter embellishments.  Then I went through the alphabet and used familiar objects for each of the letters.  A is for aunts - with pictures of my sister and sister’s IL... B is for bun-bun (his favorite stuffed animal)... C is for cousins... you get the idea.  

All of the scrapping is very simplistic (because, well, it IS just for a two year old, who will probably try to pull it apart anyway).  I printed the pictures off on my computer.  I used very few embellishments and most of them were just free-cut by me.  

The book is held together with a hair elastic 

which is held in place with two extra large brads - both reinforced into place with glue.  


I thought I’d just show off a few of my favorite pages!   

The layout on this one isn't anything special, I just like the subject matter.  He's ALWAYS loved that bunny.

Again, the subject matter.  But also the picture.  My sister took it.  She's a photographer.  (and when she gets her blog up, you better go check her out, yo.) (I can't pull that yo thing off, can I?)

This one is for the first letter of his name.  Once again, I love the picture my sister took.  And the buttons.  The tag says "bumps and bruises" which couldn't be more fitting for a tough guy.

I really like the paper I used and the layering.  The fun little stickers on the happy page remind my of bubbles which I though went really well with the water picture.  (and doesn't he look like mini there??)

Again, nothing super special about these pages, but I do like that ice cream cone I hand cut, with the fun cherry on top that I made by layering a bunch of circles I cut out.

One of my favorites.  I don't own a die cut machine of any kind, but borrowed this from a scrapbook night at Archiver's.  Now I wish I did have one.

Well, first of all, this picture cracks me up.  I can't believe he was ever that small.  I used a heart punch and just layered them over the other paper and used a heart die cut for the big ones.  I couldn't resist the heart button.  Have I mentioned I love buttons?

I just like the idea here... in the pictures he is crawling through a tunnel at the park and I managed to get a sequence of shots.  The stickers are really fun.  Obviously he is "Quicker" now, but I had completed this page a while ago! 

You can't see the detail too well, but I punched out the "peas" with a regular hole punch and then made the pea pod by cutting out a crescent and then slicing a slit down the middle.  I tucked in three circles I hand cut.  I like the repeating polka dot design along the side to reinforce the circle pattern.

OK, this one's obviously no big deal, but don't you just love the pirate paper?  It's so cool!  And I also like the comparison between bug (top) and mini (bottom) around the same age.

This one was all about layering.  I used lots of different patterns and layers of paper.  I cut the giraffe paper along the pattern to give it more texture.  But the best part?  bug sitting in the lion and trying to climb the fence to get into the giraffes.  I guess that has nothing to do with layout, but I still like this page.

Well, there you have it.  bug was a little confused.  Every single page he would point and say, "It's mini!" and I would correct him and say, "no, it's bug as a baby." It took him a while, but I think he finally started to get it.  :)  It doesn't help that they look so much alike in the younger months!

Now I just have to get cracking on bug and mini's baby books.  I have bug's done up through oh.... about the fifth.... HOUR of life.  Not to mention the "family" scrapbook, which seems to show that we just barely celebrated our wedding reception.  I have a long way to go.  

linked:





Simpsonized Crafts (and then some)