A Year of Homemade Gifts

Have you ever read the book, "The Five Love Languages"?  Well, one of my love languages is gifts.  I love to receive gifts!  Now, I'm not asking for huge, expensive gifts, I really just love the thought and the meaning behind gifts.  Not only do I love to get gifts, but I love to give gifts.   I love it so much that I usually stress myself out trying to find the perfect gifts.  The hardest person to buy for is my husband!  I can spend countless hours searching and searching for a gift that is useful but meaningful.   I always breathed a sigh of relief after all gift giving occasions are over because I feel like I can relax for a few months.

Last year, my husband lost his job, so we were limited on the funds.  We decided that we would do a year of homemade gifts for each other.  Yes, we could spend a little money, but instead of spending $50 or so on a gift that is never used or ends up in the yard sale pile, we decided to take the time to make a gift for each other for each holiday or gift giving occasion.

I won't lie to you, this was difficult in the beginning.  Trying to come up with ideas that I could do while making sure it didn't end up being a picture drawn with crayons!  Some gifts were successful, others not so much!  But I realized each gift was a little bit easier to create.  And surprisingly, we both enjoyed the gifts more and remember what each of us did for the other person more than any gift that was given during our relationship!!

I would highly recommend trying this with your spouse or significant other.  It may seem hard at first, but I found myself not able to wait to give my husband gifts at times because I was so excited to see his expressions!

In order to get some ideas, I scoured the internet and of course, Pinterest for some inspiration.  There are definitely some great website out there that can give you a lot of creative and inexpensive ideas for homemade gifts.

Here are some of the gifts that I did over the past year as well as a few from my husband to get you started.

Mother's Day (from my husband):  A handmade card and fresh picked flowers arranged in a vase from our garden waiting for me when I woke up.  He also made a wonderful dinner for me that night.

Father's Day:  framed artwork with assistance from our boys.  I had my oldest son color a piece of white paper with different colors.  On another piece of paper, I used my silhouette machine to cut out We love (heart) Daddy.  I then glued the cut paper over the white paper and framed the picture.  The frame still sits on my husbands night stand!

Anniversary:  Instead of gifts, we took the money we would spend and went out for a nice dinner and ice cream!

Christmas:  I actually did a few gifts for my husband, but the total cost was less than $10.00!  First, I made a love note journal.  One thing my husband and I did a lot while were dating was writing emails back and forth (we had a long distance relationship for about 4 months).  I absolutely loved getting emails from him and hearing his thoughts without me interrupting.  So the love note journal was perfect for us!  I bought a small notebook (you can actually see it in the above picture!) and wrote a love note to my husband on the first page.  The goal is then to pass the book back and forth to each other with a new note in it for the other person!  You can do this as much or as little as you want, but it's a great way to keep those love notes going while living in the same house!

One of the other homemade projects was a Date of the Month Club.   I made up a list of about 15 date ideas and gave him a calendar with the list.  He then was able to choose what dates he wanted to do and when he wanted to do them.  So, my job now is to plan these dates.  Most of the dates were no cost or a low cost which made them even more appealing.  Need help with planning?  Love, Actually is a great blog with many ideas for dates.

So what did my husband make me?  He made me a great planner for the upcoming year.  But not only did he make a planner, he spent time looking up when we did certain activities, and put them in the planner on that date.  For example, you know when you get a calendar and it says Christmas.  He put on events like Our first date in 2005 or birth of our 1st son in 2008.  It is so fun to go through the days and remember back on some of our dates and events that happened since we have been together.

Valentine's Day:  My husband's gift to me:  He bought me 2 beautiful roses and 2 specialty chocolate bars that I was craving!  He also woke me up to join him for a breakfast for 2 before he left for work and the kids woke up.  He made pancakes and bacon and it was very enjoyable to have breakfast with him even though one of our sons was up soon after we sat down!

My gift to him: I took the evening shift for his gift.  After our boys were asleep and all chores were complete, we relaxed together in the quiet of the evening.  I lit a few candles for a more romantic feel.  During the day, I had prepared with making homemade chocolates and picking up some sparkling cider.  We relaxed on the couch enjoying our chocolates and cider and just enjoyed the company of each other.

Husband's Birthday:  This is one of my most favorite gifts that I had made for him.  I made him a scrapbook full of pictures and letters from friends and family.  I made the scrapbook with a digital scrapbook software, but this can also be made with paper and scissors.   Click here to see my Birthday Scrapbook post.


All in all, it was a great year of gifts.  Some where gifts that took more time and energy, and others were the most important gift to us, time spent with each other.

This past year taught us that it's not about the type of gift that you receive but it really is the meaning behind the gift.  I am like every other woman out there that enjoys her fair share of jewelry and flowers, but I truthfully, feel more satisfied and loved by the gifts that my husband took time out of his busy schedule to make then the ones that he bought last minute to just have a gift!


I encourage you to try this for one year!  You may hate it, but you just might learn some new things about each other too!!

I'm ready for another year!!

Blessings,

A Birthday Scrapbook

If you read my post about a year of homemade gifts, you will know that one of the gifts to my husband was a birthday scrapbook.   I wanted to do something special for him this year and since he had a challenging year, I wanted to give him something that made him feel loved and special.

Truthfully, when I started this project I had no clue what I was going to do.  In retrospect, I realize that I should have started a lot earlier since he never got the finished product until 2 weeks after his birthday, but it's the thought that counts, right??

I started out by sending out emails and Facebook requests to as many people as possible that somehow knew my husband.  Of course, I had to do some "detective" work and log in to his email to get some of his contacts, but there are no secrets in marriage!  I asked for all acquaintances to send a memory that they have with him or to just write a birthday message/letter to him.    I would recommend that you send out a lot!!  I sent out about 100 requests and got 20 in return.  You may have to do a lot of leg work to get some letters back, but it is completely worth it in the end.

Once I had all of the letters back, I got to work making a scrapbook.  I use a digital scrapbook software, but this can also be done with the traditional scrapbook as well.    I grouped all of the letters together according to their relationship with my husband.  I then got pictures that coordinated with those letters (college, growing up, etc).

I was then able to put a 20 page scrapbook together.  Some pages were full of pictures of him growing up or us being together and other pages were full of memories and letter from friends and family.

Here are a few examples of the pages in the book.

Once all of the pages were complete, I then had all of them made into a hard-covered photo book.  Unfortunately, the photo book took a few weeks to be delivered, but I did have a back up plan.  I took all the pages and saved them as pictures and then made them in to DVD movie for him to at least see on his birthday!

This was a very fun gift to make.  It was great for me to hear from all of his family and friends, especially those I never met.  It is a time consuming gift, but it is well worth it when it is finished!

Blessings,

Cake Decorating

Ever since I was a pre-teen, I have loved to decorate cakes.  I wasn't great at it at first, but I just loved the image that came out as you added different color icings.   Here is the picture of my very first cake using a Wilton Cabbage Patch Doll cake pan!  

After I became a mom, I decided that I wanted to learn more about cake decorating so that I could make birthday cakes for my son.  I took an online class and learned how to make different cakes and use different Wilton tips for various designs.  

Using the decorating tips always seemed natural to me because I have decorated cakes for years; however, I realized that many people don't have decorating tips handy when they need to decorate a few cupcakes for a class party or birthday party.  

I did some research online and found some ideas and together with my knowledge of decorating tip openings, I was able to replicate the tips using ONLY a Ziploc bag.  However, I will warn you that these designs are not as pristine as they would be using a metal tip that has a factory made opening, but for a once in awhile project, using a Ziploc bag is the perfect solution.

 Supplies needed:

Ziploc Bags

Tape

Scissors

Icing (homemade or store-bought) Food Coloring (optional) Decorations (optional)

Preparation:  

Take a 1" piece of tape and wrap it around the corner of the Ziploc bag that you will be using to decorate.  This keeps this portion of the bag sturdier for better control of the icing when decorating.

Swirl Design

Cut one slit through the middle of the taped corner. Open the bag and re-fold it to cut another slit. Once both slits are cut the taped corner should be cut into a “X”

Carefully spoon your icing into the bag and work it down in the corner of the bag.  

Starting at the outer edge of the cupcake, start circling around the cupcake forming a peak as you go. You can do as small or as big of a peak as you would like.

You can then decorate this with sprinkles, candies, chocolate chips or whatever else you would desire. Or you can leave it as is.

Rose

Cut your Ziploc bag the same way as you would for the swirl. Start at the middle of the cupcake and form circles until you reach the outside of the cupcake circle. (Keep the circling flat on the cupcake!)

Open Swirl

Cut the corner off of your taped corner of the bag. The larger the cut, the larger the swirl.

Starting at the outer edge of the cupcake, make circles on top of each other to make a peak.

Decorate with toppings.

Sunflower/Leaves

Cut out a small triangle at the taped tip of the bag.

Holding the tip in the same direction as pictured below. 

Squeeze the bag and release while pulling away.  This will make your petal or leaf shape.

To make a sunflower, continue this in a circle around the cupcake. Make 2 circles of sunflower petals. The middle can be an Oreo cookie, chocolate chips, or fill it in with brown icing using the open tip cut.

To make leaves, squeeze the icing with more pressure as you pull the tip away from the cake, release when you are ready to make the tip of the leaf. 

Again, if you are looking for a more precise shape of the icing this technique would not be ideal, however, if your kids want to decorate cakes or you just need a quick icing bag for one project, this would be perfect.

Click here for a printable version.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Jungle Themed Baby Shower

I absolutely love hosting parties.  I love the ability to be able to be creative and crafty without overspending my budget!  I feel like I could just spend hours searching for ideas to match the theme of the party.

I had the opportunity to host my sister's baby shower last summer and it was a Safari/Jungle Themed Shower.  My creativity went into overdrive!  I did buy some pre-made decorations such as the banner and table cloths to match the theme, but then I made centerpieces and the cake to match.

For the centerpieces, I purchased beer glasses at the dollar store and hot glued an animal print ribbon around the top.  I used a matching button to cover where the ribbon ended.  I then hot glued wood jungle animals to the bottom of the glass.  On the day of the shower, I sent my poor husband out in the rain to cut multiple types of lilies from our garden to match the decor.

The shower was planned for the late morning, so I planned brunch food.  The food wasn't completely jungle themed, although, we did have a nice monkey cake!!  The table was full of bagels, crackers, breads, fruit, cheese, and french toast casserole.  We also served some hot dishes as well.

The cake was served later, but it was a safari themed cake with 4 different flavors.  I personally made the cake which cut down on the cost considerably!

One of the activities for the guests was to write a message to the baby on a piece of fabric with fabric markers.  There was 4 different coordinating fabrics that matched the baby's nursery as well as a 5th fabric with monkeys on it.  The 4 basic fabrics were used for messages.  After the shower, the fabric squares was then made into a quilt for a keepsake for the baby.

We also played 2 different games.  One game was a matching game of animal names.  One side had a list of baby animal names and the other column was a list of adult animal names.  Click here for the website I used for the answers.

The second game was a little more interactive and LOUD!  I created 20 different baby-related activities to perform.  Some of the activities included diapering a baby, putting together a baby bottle, reciting a lullaby, and answering trivia questions.  Each of these activities were put on a slip of paper and inserted inside a balloon.  The balloon was then blown up and tossed on to the floor.  Each guest selected a balloon and had to pop the balloon to find their activity.  It was a great game for laughs and fun!

At the end of the shower, each guest received a jungle-themed favor.  The favor was 3 Oreo cookies, each one dipped in coordinating colored chocolate (green, white, and brown) and then placed inside a small Ziploc bag.  I then made tags out of animal print and green paper to cover over the Ziploc part of the bag.  Holes were punched through the paper and plastic bag and the baggies were tied with animal print ribbon.

The party was a huge success and the mother-to-be was showered with love by family and friends!!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Growth Board

When I had my first son, I wanted to start documenting his growth, but I didn't want to start marking the wall because I wanted to be able to keep the measurements if we ever moved to another home.   We actually did end up moving, and it was the best decision I made to make my own growth chart.  There are so many versions of growth charts out there, but I wanted to make one that matched the decor of his room (at the time) and that wasn't expensive.

There are so many ways to make this growth board, so just let your imagination and creativity run wild!!

What you need for this project:

6' wood board (I use pine)

Paint

Plastic tape measure

Scrapbook paper

8- Chip Board Animals (or ones to match your theme)

Letters (stickers, vinyl, stencils, etc)

Coordinating Ribbon

Hot glue

Mod Podge

To start this project, be sure that you pick a nice piece of wood that is not bowed or has many knots.  Once you select your wood,  you will want to paint the board at least 2 coats on the front and back.  I used left over paint that we used for the baby's nursery, however, you could use an acrylic paint or pick up a small container of paint from your local home improvement store.

While the paint is drying, select your papers that you will want to use on the board.  I usually try to find a book of scrapbook papers that match my theme so all of the papers are coordinating. 

Select the papers that you want to use and cut 14- 4"x6" pieces.  

Prior to gluing the the papers to the board, arrange the papers on the left side of the board until you are happy with the pattern and design.  Remember that some of the papers will have a wood design on them, so be sure to organize the papers accordingly.

When you are satisfied with the design, glue each page to the board using paper mod podge.  You will want to overlap the pages slightly to avoid the board peeking through each page.  Once all papers are glued to the board, apply a coat of mod podge on top of the papers to seal them to the board.

Now it is time to attach the tape measure.  Start the tape measure at the bottom of the board and line it up along the right side of the paper border.  I have attached the tape measure with mod podge and also with hot glue.  I would personally recommend using hot glue for a quicker and stronger attachment, but either medium works well.  After the glue is dry, apply another coat of mod podge to seal the tape measure and papers together.  

Once dry, measure two pieces of ribbon to wrap around the board with a small overlap at the back of the board.  Using hot glue, attach ribbon to the bottom of the board and at the top of the paper border.  Be sure to cover up the end of the tape measure with the ribbon.

Make letters with either vinyl, paper, or paint with stencils to spell out a saying or quote that you want on top of the board.    I like to use See Me Grow or using a name.  I then attach one of the wood designs above the ribbon with hot glue.

Now it is time to attach the remaining wood designs.   Again, place them on the board prior to gluing in order to arrange them in a way that you like.  Place the designs on every other paper as some of the designs may cross over to another paper.  Once you are happy with the design, attach the designs with hot glue.

Allow the entire board to dry for 24 hours prior to use in order to allow the glues to dry and harden.  You can then either attach the board to the wall or just let it sit against a wall.  

Now you have a growth board that can move with you and matches your baby's nursery!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Paper Mache Wedding Cake

I am always trying to find creative ways to give a gift to someone.  I think it is virtually impossible for me to give someone just a gift card!  When I was planning my sister's bridal shower, I was trying to come up with ideas for a centerpiece and a creative gift.  I decided to make a wedding cake out of stacking paper mache boxes.    I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but it actually worked out perfectly!

Here is what you need for this project:

4 tiered stacking boxes (round or square)

White acrylic paint

White 3-dimensional paint

Ribbon (one thick, one medium, and one thin for flower arrangements)

Coordinating artificial flowers

hot glue

green flower tape

To get started, paint each box with the white acrylic paint.  Although optional, I painted the inside of the boxes as well since I used it as multiple gift boxes.  Each box took about 2-3 coats of white paint for an even color.   Once the paint dried, I then took the white 3-dimensional paint to make designs on the box.  For this project, I alternated the design with dots and swirls.   You can be creative here and design each cake with scroll work or even copy an image of the wedding cake selected for the wedding.   Be sure to avoid the bottom area where the ribbon will go around the box.  

Once the design is done, set the boxes aside to dry completely.    The 3D paint does take awhile to dry and can be difficult to work with if it is not completely dry (I am speaking from experience!).   While the boxes are drying, it is time to make the floral pieces.  Again, use your creativity to make an arrangement that matches the decor and style.  I used white roses and periwinkle with silver ribbon to match the wedding colors.   Each small arrangment had 2 roses with few flowers of periwinkle and fern leaves mixed in.  After the arrangement is put together, wrap the bottom stems with green flower tape to keep it together.  I then tied a small bow with the silver ribbon and hot glued it to the front of the arrangement.

You want to make a small arrangement for the bottom layers of your "cake."  To make the large arrangement for the top of the cake, I glue the flowers directly on to the lid of the top box.   Again I used a mixture of large open roses, periwinkle and fern leaves and glued them into an arrangement with a few silver ribbon curls.

Once everything is made, it is time to put it all together.  For the top 3 boxes, I used the medium width ribbon and the large ribbon for the bottom box.  Carefully wrap your ribbon around the bottom of the box and cut off the ribbon after a small overlap at the back of the box.  Using hot glue, carefully apply the ribbon to the box.  Repeat with each box.  

Once all of the ribbon has been applied, stack the boxes on top of each other and place the small flower arrangements on the boxes where you would like them to be.  Once you like the look of the "cake," hot glue each arrangement to the ribbon on the box.

Once everything has dried, your gift cake is done!  This can be used in so many different ways.  For my purpose, it was used as a centerpiece on the gift table, but I also filled each box with gifts for the bride.  After the shower, the boxes can then be used to store keepsakes from the wedding.

Blessings,

Stackable Box Snowman

I absolutely love the winter time.  One of my favorite decorations to have around the house is snowmen.  There are so many designs and cute faces on all of the decorations.  I wanted to have a snowman decoration that I could have in my home for the entire winter season and not just for Christmas time.

I made this stackable box snowman which was very easy and inexpensive, and it has held up for several years with kids playing with it as well.

Here is how you can make your own snowman!

Supplies:

Stackable paper mache boxes (4)

Acrylic craft paint (White, Black, Orange)

Extreme Glitter Paint

Glamour Dust

Fleece

Buttons (3)

Small cone styrofoam

Black Pom-Poms

Ribbon

The biggest part of this project is painting each paper mache box in the white acrylic paint.  I painted the lower three boxes with 3 coats to get a bright white color.  While the last coat was wet, I covered each box in the glamour dust by sprinkling it on the wet paint.  I used a dry paint brush to spread out any areas of concentrated glitter.

While the white boxes were drying, I painted 2 coats of black on the top box for the hat.  Once dried, I used the extreme glitter paint in silver and painted one coat on the hat.

I cut a piece of narrow ribbon to wrap around the box just below the lid (the box will sit upside down on the snowman).  I then hot glued the ribbon on to the hat.

Now that the base of the snowman is done, it is time to decorate.   I cut the pointy end of the cone shaped styrofoam to form the nose of the snowman.  This was then painted orange.  

Using hot glue, I glued the pom-poms on for the eyes, glued the orange nose and then drew the mouth with a sharpie marker.  I also glued on each button, one on the middle piece and 2 on the bottom piece. Finally, I wrapped the fleeced around the middle boxes lid and tied it to form a scarf.  The fleece was then hot glued on to the lid.   

Once everything was dry, each box stacked on to each other and the snowman was formed!

This fun snowman has been used for props in pictures, as a decorations, and sometimes a toy!  He has held up well and always puts a wintery touch the house!!

Blessings,