A Cute DIY Gift for Your Child

My daughter is getting ready to turn six, and she has slept with a little stuffed doggie since she was only a couple of months old. When she started talking, we used to play with it and make little barking noises like, "Ruff! Ruff!" Because of that, we ended up calling it Ruffy, and she (it's a girl doggie) has been a staple in our life ever since.

She's my daughter's special lovey, and luckily I was able to buy not one, but two identical back ups from ebay. I don't always remember to rotate them out like I should, though, so the stuffing is a little less fluffy in one than in the other two. So far she hasn't noticed, though.

Each Christmas, I make a photo calendar for my husband and the grandparents using Shutterfly. There are quite a few online services out there like this, and I have used others in the past. I really like Shutterfly's designs best, though, and their service and quality is top notch. If you enjoy scrapbooking, this Karen Foster blank calendar is a great option - you can print your own photos and build around them.

This year, I decided to make a calendar for my daughter with Ruffy, and it will be a special gift from Ruffy herself. I have been posing the stuffed animal once a month in order to capture the "secret life" of the stuffed animal - all the fun things she does when my daughter is a school or otherwise not around.

Here is a preview of the shot I took last December when our Christmas tree was up:

The best part is that I'm not using any special equipment to do it - just my iPhone to take the photos, then I enhance them with Picfx and Instagram. I love the way they're turning out. I have been using a few doll props and seasonal decorations for each photo - things she would otherwise never see Ruffy do or wear.

I'm so excited about the calendar, I really can't wait to see her face when she opens her gift from Ruffy!

How to Make a Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive Light Box

If you sell small things online, you could probably benefit from a light box in which to take your pictures. By using a light box and a free web-based photo editing site, you'll get pictures that are clean, crisp, and eye-catching to prospective buyers.

It really doesn't take much to make a simple light box. I used a cardboard box, cut the front panel along the right and left sides so that it is open to the front, and covered it loosely with white fabric (I used muslin, but you could use any smooth fabric).

A quick peek under the hood reveals...

It's a USPS flat rate box, which are available free (Free!) from the U.S. postal service. I love these boxes for shipping - this is one of the smartest things that has come out of the postal service in years. And in this case, the large sized box makes a perfect light box for me.

I topped off my cheap and easy light box with a small halogen desk lamp.

I think my husband originally purchased it from IKEA, but any small lamp would do. This lamp works well because the halogen is nice and bright, and the light is targeted and shines straight down into the box.

Once you take your pictures, you can use free online editing sites to crop and adjust the photos to look better. I love the Fotofuze site for this - it's easy to turn photos like this:

Into this:

I love how Fotofuze removes everything but the item and its shadow. It's also super easy to use! It's designed to work with Etsy, but it's easy to download the modified photo and then upload it to any other site, not just Etsy. Best of all, it's free! There are other free photo editing sites out there, but in my experience, Fotofuze is the easiest way to remove anything in the background as long as the background is white or black.

How to Make Your Own Photo Mat

Do you ever find a great frame and it's close, but not quite the dimensions you need for your photos and prints? A pre-made photo mat would take care of the uneven edges for you, but even the cheap mats can get pricey. Making your own with traditional materials can get tricky if you don't measure and cut just right. Instead, you can make a quick and easy custom photo mat that will look great and be ready in minutes, with no special tools or equipment.

What You'l Need:
-Frame
-Picture(s)
-Ribbon
-Scotch Tape
-Scissors

First, start with your pictures and frame. This frame and mat looked good, but the pictures were slightly smaller than the pre-cut openings.

 I happened to have some narrow blue velvet ribbon that would not only even out the photo edges, but give the frame a nice little splash of color.

I cut four pieces of ribbon for each opening and taped them in place. The lengths don't have to be exact, as long as the exposed edges look uniform.

There you have it! It looks much better, and only took a few minutes. 

This also works if you don't have any mat at all - I used a wider ribbon for a situation like this:

Using your own ribbon allows you to be more creative, too. You can layer them for added color and texture, or use ribbon with printed designs to match your decor. The possibilities are endless!

Make Your Own Doodle Frame

In the never-ending search for new Grandparent gifts, I came across a Doodlebook Photo Frame and thought it was a cute idea. If you want to make your own as a gift (or for yourself), you can by following these easy steps!

What You'll Need:

-Frame (any size you'd like - I used one for a 4"x6" photo)
-Cardboard
-Plain white paper
-Glue
-Scissors
-Utility knife
-2 Paper clips or binder clips

I picked up a couple of cheap, ugly frames at a thrift store for $1 each. They have blue denim on the front, but it really doesn't matter how ugly they are, because they'll soon be covered. I liked these because they have a flat front, so they provide a nice surface for the pad of paper.

To start, use one piece of paper to make a pattern of the front of the frame. Use this pattern to cut the cardboard to fit the front border of the frame.

Next, cut the paper to the size of the frame and line it up neatly so that the top edges are straight.

Now, lay it down flat on a surface that won't be damaged by the utility knife. Using the cardboard as a guide, gently cut away the inside opening through the stack of paper. It's best to take your time during the step and apply a gentle, even pressure with the knife. If you rush or press too hard, the paper is more likely to tear or have rough edges.

Next, line the top edge of the stack of paper, and clip them all tightly together with your clips. Use a thin, even layer of glue along the top edge to create a pad of paper in the shape of the front of the frame. Lean the pad against something so that it remains upright, and let it dry.

Once the glue is dry, glue the cardboard to the front of the frame. Most any glue would probably work, but I like Quick Grip glue.

Finally, glue the paper to the cardboard by gluing the back page to the cardboard. You can decorate the front page however you'd like.

My daughter added her own, special decorations, and we placed a copy of her annual photo with Santa inside the frame before we wrapped them for her grandparents. Now, whenever she visits, she can redecorate the frame simply by removing the top sheet and coloring the next clean sheet.

Print Your Own Board Book or Photo Book - At Home!

Are you looking for a unique gift idea that you can make yourself? My 4-year-old daughter went through a phase a couple of years ago in which she constantly replied, "I can't" to most any request. It frustrated me to no end, so I wrote her a little book about how nothing good ever happens when you think you can't.

I wrote the words and drew some fairly crude, but colorful, pictures using her colored pencils. I cut out the pictures and used my scanner to place them on the pages and save them as a JPG file. Given my target audience, though, I think it turned out nice. It was a big hit with her!

I have since printed more of these books to give as gifts to her friends. It makes a nice, personalized gift that will be appreciated for years. You can use these steps to make a book for anyone of any age. If you've ever wanted to give a parent or grandparent a personalized photo book, you can use this technique to print your own photos and put them together into a book!

What You'll Need:

• Your book's content in JPG format
• Self-adhesive, glossy photo quality paper such as Invent It! Project Paper or LD Glossy Inkjet Photo Sticker Paper
• Ink-jet printer
• A child's board book that you no longer need (If you don't have one, they can be picked up inexpensively at thrift stores and yard sales)
• Scissors

1. Create your book and save the pages as JPG files. You can do this through a variety of methods:

• Write your words and pictures by hand and scan the pages using a scanner 
• Use software such as Powerpoint to create pages with words and your photos by saving the slides in JPG format
• Use software such as Microsoft Paint to create pages with words and pictures
• Use existing digital photos that are already in JPG format, then print any words separately in a word processing program (like Microsoft Word). You can then trim them and attach them separately to your pages.

I'm sure there are other methods that I have missed, but the important thing is to create your content so you can print your pages. Don't worry if the book you create has more pages than your board book. Also, don't forget to create a front and back cover with your book's title and any other information about you and your book!

2. Print your pages using whatever method you normally use to print photos. First, print one test page on regular paper to make sure the dimensions are correct for your board book. Adjust as needed, then reprint on regular paper until it's just right. That way, you won't need to worry about wasting the Invent It Project Paper.

3. Once the dimensions fit your pages, put the Invent It Project Paper in your printer and print out your pages. Let the ink dry completely on your pages before handling them. Trim any excess from your pages (but keep what you trim), peel backing from the Project Paper, and place the adhesive printed page to your board book.

The only tricky parts are making sure each page is centered and making sure there aren't any air bubbles. I like to start in one corner and then gently press it down as I go across.

4. If your board book has too many pages, use your scissors to cut out the extra pages by using your scissors to cut the paper on the inside of the book's spine.

Then you can use the extra strips of paper to cover the exposed inner-spine to strengthen the smaller book. Be sure to press the paper down into the crevices.

5. Now you can attach your remaining pages to finish your book.

There you have it! You no longer need to pay to have your photo books printed for Grandparent gifts, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or birthdays. You can just create and print your own. Plus, gifts are always extra special when you make them yourself.

If you're giving the book as a gift from your child, you can even leave a couple of extra pages in the middle or at the end, then let your child hand write his or her message using markers, and add his or her own drawings!