I always struggle with gifts for my husband, father, and father-in-law. Men are usually just harder to buy for: they already have everything they need, and when they need something, they just go buy it. All the men in my life do appreciate it when my daughter makes them something, though, so I always try to find something cute that she can do herself (with maybe just a little help from me).
- Fabric paint (I used Scribbles. It looks and works great and they last forever!)
- Plain t-shirt (pre-washed)
- Chalk
- Cardboard or newspaper
First, place the cardboard or newspaper inside the shirt. This will prevent the paint from soaking through to the back.
Spread the t-shirt flat, then give your child the chalk, and let him or her draw a picture of the recipient.
It doesn't have to be perfect - my daughter got frustrated because the chalk kept "skipping" on the fabric. I explained to her that we'd smooth it all out with the paint, and the chalk would wash away so it wouldn't really matter in the long run. Also, the chalk is great because you can just rub away any errors and re-do them until it looks they way they want it to look!
Once the picture is finished, I asked my daughter to write "Granddaddy" underneath, but obviously, your child can write anything he or she would like! I also think it would be cute to have a picture of "Ganddaddy and me", but my daughter just wanted to draw her Granddaddy.
Next, you can paint over the chalk with the fabric paint. Older kids can do this themselves, but my daughter is still a little young, and I worried about her accidentally smearing it with her arm and hand. She told me which colors she wanted to use, and I filled in the picture and letters.
She wanted to use glitter paint for the gray hair, which I thought was a nice touch. Let the paint dry completely (according to the label), then wash and dry the shirt. All the chalk will be gone, and your child's design will really look great!
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I recently made bath teas to give as gifts. I made quite a few and plan to use them for a Grandmother gift for Mother's Day, Thank You gifts for a few friends, and Teacher's Gifts for Teacher's Appreciation Day (more Scent-sational Teacher gifts).
These were really easy to make, and I tested one out in the bath and it was very relaxing!
What You'll Need:
-Tea mix (from this recipe - I used dried lavender and jasmine oil for my scented ingredients)
-Scissors, thread, and needle OR stapler
-Coffee filters
-Fabric paint (optional)
-Printable business cards (optional, for tags / labels)
Making the tea bags is pretty straightforward. First, place some of the "tea" into the center of a coffee filter. I learned quickly that less is more - if it is overfilled, the assembly is harder. Roughly 1 tablespoon worked well for me.
Make sure the tea is in the center of the filter, and start folding the sides inward.
Fold the top together. I also added a piece of embroidery floss so that the recipient can hang it from the faucet if she wishes, so that the warm water will flow through it.
Staple the top together.
Then fold the top and add one more staple (I just did this for a cleaner look and to make it more secure).
I then used the fabric paint to decorate them. I used flowers and other little symbols, but you could also include monogrammed initials, the recipient's name, or short messages such as #1 Grandma.
It was a fun project, and my work room still smells great! I think I'll save a few for myself.
I recently made some bath teas to give as gifts (more about that later), and I found myself in need of containers for them. Rather than using a ziploc bag or something similar, I thought I'd reuse a few plastic containers from our cabinet to create something pretty (and airtight!).
What You'll Need:
-Plastic container
-Paint (I used spray flat enamel for the white and tinted wall paint for the border)
-Ribbon or other decorations
-Sharpie / Marker
-Glue
This was what I started with - it once held cheese. It isn't recyclable in this area, so it feels good to dress it up and use it for something nice.
All you have to do is paint the lid, glue on your bow or other decorations, then write the recipient's name on the lid using the marker. I chose the font I mentioned in this post to fancy it up.
That's it! I filled it up, gave it, and the recipient loved it!
If you find yourself looking for a simple, handmade holiday gift that your children can help make, a painted Angel plate is a great choice!
What You'll Need:
-Plain White Plate (I found these at the Dollar Tree)
-Drinking Glasses (again, these holiday glasses were purchased at the Dollar Tree)
-Folk Art Acrylic Paints (you will need a background color and white)
-Tulip Brand Dimensional Paints (you will need gold and white or clear)
-Strands of Holiday Decorations (Found at the Dollar Tree)
-Thin Cardboard (not pictured)
-Tissue paper (not pictured)
-Glue (not pictured)
To start, paint the top of the plate in whatever color you prefer. We chose a pretty shade of blue, and my four-year-old did a great job of painting (as usual).
Let the background paint dry completely. Then, paint your child's hands(palm side) in white, and ask him or her to make an angel on the plate by placing the thumbs together, then holding the fingers on each hand together, and pressing his or her hands to the plate. This is what it will look like:
Use your dimensional paint to add the angel's halo, name, the year, and any other details you wish. We added stars and a squiggly line around the edge to give the plate a decorative border. Let the dimensional paint dry.
The plate would make a great gift as it is now, or you can continue if you wanted to make it a pedestal plate. To do so, all you need to do is glue the glass onto the bottom center of the plate. I prefer Quick Grip Glue.
Place your holiday strands and tissue paper into the middle of the glass. The tissue paper will make the decorations more visible. Allow the glue to dry.
When the glue is dry, turn the plate right side up, then trace the bottom of the glass onto the cardboard. Cut out the circle, then place the circle up into the inverted glass. This will help to hold the Christmas decorations in the glass.
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.
Here is another great use for the voice recordable modules from the last post: an easy-to-make felt Christmas ornament with a recorded greeting inside it.
What you'll need: -Felt pieces large enough for the front and back of the ornament. I just used 2 green triangles and a small brown rectangle to make a tree. -Fabric glue or craft glue (I prefer Quick Grip Glue) -Buttons, beads, ribbon, or other decorative items -Fiberfill -Voice Recordable Module (10 sec) - Available on Ebay -Needle and thread
Putting your ornament together is pretty simple. My daughter helped pick out a few pretty buttons and ribbon, and she recorded the greeting on the module. We glued the decorations on the front of the ornament and let them dry.
Make sure you cut your felt pieces large enough to accommodate the module, but if you're tight on space, you can trim all the extra wires after you have recorded the greeting you want (and only after you have the greeting you want). To do this, trim off the wires that connect the record button (the red-wired button) and the microphone.
Now, place the module between the two pieces of felt and sew the two pieces together. When you have it nearly sewn together, add some fiberfill to the inside to give it some fluff. Be sure that the play button doesn't get lost inside the ornament - I kept mine at the top so it would be easy for the recipient to press.
Finish sewing the edges, and don't forget to add a ribbon or string at the top so that it can be hung on the tree!
These are great for kids to make, but they would also make a wonderful gift for a loved one who is far away, such as a husband or wife who is overseas during the holidays.
With the Holidays right around the corner, many parents are trying to find fresh ideas to make a custom, personalized gift for friends and relatives. Sure, we have all done our share of crafts with the kids' hand prints and pictures on your home printer. You may have even picked up a recordable greeting card or two to give to your folks. Believe it or not, for only a few dollars each, you can make a keepsake pillow with all three - your child's hand print, a photo chosen by you, and a playable greeting recorded by you.
My daughter and I made these three pillows as Christmas gifts for her father and grandparents. They turned out better than I'd expected, and only took a couple of hours to make (not including the paint drying overnight). My favorite part is the fact that you can press a button in the pillow and hear my daughter tell each recipient, "Merry Christmas" and "I love you." Here is a video of the finished product. Step-by-step instructions can be found after the jump:
What you'll need:
-Fabric pieces large enough for the front and back of the pillow. I used colorful scraps for the front and muslin for the back.
-Fabric paint
-Inkjet Cotton Sheets
-Inkjet printer
-Fiberfill for pillow stuffing (not pictured)
-Voice Recordable Module (10 sec) - Available on Ebay
-Scissors
-Iron
-Paintbrush
-Paper and pen for heart pattern
-You'll also need either a sewing machine or needle and thread
To get started, decide how large you want your heart-shaped pillow to be. Fold a piece of white paper, then draw half of a heart along the fold. Cut your pattern.
Iron your fabric to get all the wrinkles out, then fold it so that you'll be able to use your pattern on it.
Place your pattern with the straight edge along the fold of the fabric, then cut along the curved edges of your pattern.
Next, get out the recordable modules and let your kids record their messages. The good news is that they can keep recording over and over until they get one that all of you like.
A couple of notes about the recordable modules: they're readily available on Ebay and other websites, but they all (unfortunately) appear to ship from overseas*. You'll want to keep this in mind for shipping times and availability - it may take a couple of weeks to receive them. Also, mine didn't come with instructions. To use them, first remove a clear tab from the circuit board (just pull it straight out). This activates the battery connection. To record, press the button connected to the red wire. The button connected to the yellow wire is to play back. The third small round item is the microphone, and your children will want to put it close to their mouths when they speak. They can say anything you'd like (obviously). My daughter just kept it simple and said, "Merry Christmas, Daddy (Grandma, etc.). I love you."
Once you get the recording you want, clip the red-wired button off to avoid accidentally erasing your message. This will be crucial as you handle the module and put it inside your pillow.
You'll also want to somehow label which module is for which pillow, if you're making more than one at a time.
Next, coat your child's hand with fabric paint and let them put hand prints on the pillows.
At this point, replace the plain white paper in your inkjet printer with as many Inkjet Cotton Sheets as you'll need. Print out your pictures onto the cotton sheets. You may want to do a few test prints onto plain white paper first and check the photo sizes on your hearts, to make sure they're the size you'd like.
I then used fabric paint to paint the words, "Little Hands, Big Heart" on the fronts of the pillows.
Both the printed cotton and the fabric paint will need to completely dry before you proceed. Most manufacturers recommend 24 hours, but you will want to follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific products.
Once the paint and photo print are completely dry, you're ready to complete the pillow. Place the hearts onto the fabric you chose for the backs of your pillows, and cut around the edges.
Remove the paper backing from your printed cotton photo and trim the excess cotton away from the photo.
Sew the cotton photo onto the back of the pillow.
Place the fabric pieces right sides together.
Sew them together, leaving an opening about 3 - 4 inches along one edge.
Turn the hearts right side out by pulling the fabric through the openings. Be sure to push the fabric all the way out along the seams so that the heart shape shows well. Get out your fiberfill.
Stuff your pillows with fiberfill.
I can't stress this enough: If you haven't already done it, double check your module one last time to make sure that it hasn't been accidentally erased, and if it's still intact, snip the red-wired button on your module. If you try to stuff it into the pillow intact, your message will surely be erased.
Place the module into your pillow. You'll want to leave the speaker (largest round part) near the fabric, and you'll want the yellow-wired button to be kept to the side. The rest can be placed into the middle, inside the fiberfill, so it will be cushioned. Once most of it is tucked away, place the yellow-wired button in the lower part of the pillow (the bottom of the V in the heart, if you will).
Close the opening in the seam by using your sewing machine or needle and thread.
I then used a foam sticker and pen to mark the button on our pillows, but you could either skip this step and demonstrate it yourself, or use any other temporary method of showing the recipient where to press the button to hear the greeting.
That's it! Obviously, if you wanted to skip any of these steps and, for example, just do the pillow without the greeting, or leave off the photo on the back, it would still be a cute keepsake that anyone would appreciate.
*Heads up American manufacturers! I would have gladly paid more if any American-made modules had been available.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
