Ok, its down to the wire...only three days til Christmas...
you're thinking, "I don't have time to glue paper on to tin cans...
or wrap up a bunch of weeds and make it look pretty...I am out of time and ideas!"
Quick and easy - here you go...
Let the present be the packaging...
Find a container - put stuff inside - tie it up - done!
These two metal lunchboxes - great examples...and what to put inside...findings from the dollar store...
For the gardener - garden gloves, twine or string to tie up plants, lotion to soothe hard-working hands
For the office geek - favorite pens, post-it notes, clips and magnets
Once you have everything inside the container, tie it up with a length of ribbon made from torn fabric...lightweight cotton or linen tears the easiest...I like the frayed edge that results...
my favorite to use...old white linen tablecloths that are stained beyond use...the fabric is lovely and once torn into strips, you don't even notice the stains...
Got a lone napkin or handkerchief? Wrap it around two rolls of first aid paper tape from the dollar store as a gift for the artist in your life...the tape is ideal for making your own printed washi tape...details here...
So - no metal lunchboxes hanging around or orphaned napkins...ok, did you have take-out this past weekend...go rescue the containers...or pick up a few at a restaurant supply store...or better yet...beg at a local eatery if you can buy a few...
Same idea - put stuff inside...close it up...slap on a tag or some ribbon...done!
more ideas from the dollar store...
For the teenager - lip balm, nail polish, hair ties...
For the cook - dish towels, a kitchen gadget or two, maybe a couple of votive candle holders for those romantic dinners...
Still stuck for ideas...how about a gift of time...which is the most appreciated gift of all...baby-sit for an afternoon or evening, cook a special dinner, offer to run errands...take the dog for a hike...giving your time and your attention to a family member or friend can be the best gift...write it out on a slip of paper...and stick it into any random container...
fill it with love....wrap it up with bells and string...you're good to go...
and ready for the holidays...
Holiday production is underway...
I have three gift shows I'm doing before the end of the year so its a little crazy around the studio...
I've been busy creating with the vintage blue ticking I picked up last fall in Yakima...made a new slipcover for the living room ottoman, have some pillows underway...
The leftover scraps seemed perfectly paired with old french book pages...and of course, putting a bird on it makes any creation just right...
I constructed these simple sachets...two squares of ticking topped with a square of french text and finished with an image of a vintage bird printed on vellum.
I didn't see any need to finish the edges; the soft torn edge of the ticking adds to the casual nature...embellished with a pearl button and a linen string for hanging...stacked up in a pile, hung on a hook...or even displayed as an ornament on a tree...
and the bonus part...
they are filled with lavender for a heavenly scent...
ah yes...let the holidays begin...the calming scent of lavender will keep the frenzy at a lull...
Joining the Vintage Inspiration Party over at Knick of Time...
because who doesn't need an extra dose of inspiration!
Today is the last Monday of the year...and the last of the easy projects from my Simple 6 series...inspired ideas for simple gifts to make by hand and give from the heart.
I know that Christmas is over (and hope that yours was everything you wanted it to be) but this idea is perfect for after Christmas...or as a New Year's activity...
I'm a believer in sending mail...through the postal service...
actual greetings that arrive at your doorstep...and brighten your day...
The holidays usually means gifts...and I believe in the reciprocal gesture of thank you...so why not send out thank you notes...made from something you have around the house...recycled stationery made from magazines...
I am a magazine whore, so I have no shortage of raw material for this project...the envelopes will be made from inspiring magazine pictures...so I perused my stack and had a bevy of images torn out of the mags in no time...
I had a simple paper template to determine whether or not the chosen image would work or not...a downloadable copy of the template I used is included at the end of this post...
Step 1 : As I began positioning the template to trace around the image, I discovered that I could only guess on placement...and then I had a eureka moment!
Step 2 : Why not cut out a portion of the inside rectangle so I could see how the image would look on the completed envelope...brilliant!
Step 3: After tracing around the template, I cut out the envelope...
Step 4: And begin folding...
Step 5: I found my brayer helpful in getting a crisp fold...a bone folder would work just as well...
Step 6: The completed envelope...a small amount of gluestick is used on the flipside to adhere the bottom flap to the side flaps...
I was on a roll...and made several sets of envelopes...finding a theme among the images I chose...the monthly design magazine, WSJ, had beautiful photos to use...
Don't have any magazines handy? how about leftover wrapping paper...or your 2013 wall calendar...or paper bags...
After the envelopes were complete, I cut a single flat card for each envelope, using leftover card stock...a quick embellishment of washi tape added an extra flourish on the white cards...
When mailing these envelopes, you might want to use a white address label on the front...and you can use a sticker or a dab of gluestick to seal the envelope before mailing...
the striped cards are perfect for sending a sweet note through the mail...
an aside...my newest pen love...these fine tip Sharpies...in gray! my fave!
So lets start the new year off right...lets have a little giveaway...leave me a comment and I'll put your name in a hat...and draw out 5 names...each to receive one of the recycled stationery sets I made...deadline is midnight Friday, January 3 to enter...make sure that if your profile doesn't link to your email that you include it as part of your comment...otherwise I have no way to get in touch with you if you win!
I hope you've enjoyed my Simple 6 series...a link to the other five projects are on my blog sidebar...and these projects aren't limited to the holidays...be inspired to create whenever you need a simple gift throughout the year...
right click on envelope template to save it to your computer and then print it out...I used cardstock for printing to make a sturdy template...
It's Monday...two days before Christmas...down to the wire now...just in time, I have another Simple 6 project...another tutorial in my series of easy projects for holiday gifts...
Today uses something that you don't even need to search for...no scrounging through drawers or pulling out a glue stick...its as easy as can be...because the main ingredient is TIME...
The best present we can give is a gift of time...I don't know about you, but I never seem to have enough of it...
and to receive a gift of time would be most welcome. It might be in the form of a chore that never gets done...
or assistance with a project...or attention to a personal need...or a chance to have some fun...
Dream up some ideas...make up some certificates...embellish them if you like...put them in a fancy envelope...here's a couple that I created...I printed them up on the backside of old factory time cards,
but any kind of cardstock would work...
And to make it even easier, I've included a template for you to print out, write in the details...done!
If you right-click on the photo of the template, you can then download the image onto your computer for printing...
Ok, one more thing crossed off the list...
Need more easy gift ideas...the previous Simple 6 projects are listed on the right sidebar of my blog...
just click on each photo for the complete tutorial...
Check back next Monday for the 6th (and last!) project in the series...a little after-Christmas idea...
Once again...Monday...
and the countdown to Christmas continues...
Here's another Simple 6 project...another tutorial in my ongoing series...where I provide inspiration and information to make simple gifts to give this holiday season...because the best gifts are made by hand and given from the heart...
Today I start with metal bookends...these I snagged from the Southern Man's library...
They will be the basis for a simple easel to display a favorite photo...or a special holiday card...or a menu on a buffet table...or reminder notes on your desk...or whatever other purpose you can imagine...this project is very versatile!
Since the bookends are steel, all you need is a magnet to hold a photo in place...I'm going to make mine from covered buttons...
Covered button kits are common at sewing/craft stores...
I often find partial packets at yard sales...
I snapped the metal shank off of the back of the button assembly so that the back will be flat and flush to glue a small magnet...
I gathered up a selection of complementary fabric scraps...lighter weight fabrics worked best for making these covered buttons...
Buttons complete...
flip them over and glue on a magnet...
Add a holiday memory...
or highlight the joy of the season...
Need more last minute, quick inspiration...check out the first three tutorials in my Simple 6 series...
from composition notebooks to art journals
from old socks and recycled jars to holiday candles
from lone handkerchiefs to fragrant sachets
Its Monday...
its the holidays...
its time for another simple gift idea...
my weekly holiday installment of 6 easy projects you can make with your hands and give from your heart...
Sometimes you just need a little something to share with someone...might be a small gift exchange with girlfriends...or a simple thank you for a special favor...these easy sachets are the answer...
Start with a handkerchief...might be a pretty vintage one with embroidery...might be a fun floral pattern...or even something lacy...
Gather up the sachet makings...here are lavender buds that I collected at the end of summer from the lavender plants in my garden...
I made a mixture of lavender with a few rosemary leaves and a bit of buckwheat hulls...the buckwheat hulls add a little more heft to the mixture without detracting from the lavender and rosemary scent. Don't have buckwheat hulls...throw in a few lentils...
I used about 1/2 cup of mixture for this sachet...
Gather up the four corners of the handkerchief and wrap it up tight, bound with a pretty ribbon...
For an added bonus...I put the sachet into an orphaned tea cup...I use single tea cups all the time to organize stray bits on my desk top and my bedroom dresser top...there never seems to be any shortage of single tea cups at Goodwill...usually for less than $1.00...
Looking for a more rustic, junker look...use a stray napkin...this one is quite festive with its red strip...how about a mixture of cedar chips with dried orange peel and a few cloves or a cinnamon stick...tied up with jute twine and a rusted jingle bell...
We're definitely into the low key Christmas this year...simple gifts are on the list...
want some other ideas for easy, simple gifts to make with items you most likely have right at hand...
click here to check out art journals made from composition notebooks
and click here to get the lowdown on making great candles from old socks and recycled jars...
what else can you do with vintage finds...linking up to Knick of Time Vintage Inspiration Party...
