Brown Paper Wrapping Paper

Wrapping PaperTo a stranger, it might not be the cutest present under the tree, but to a grandma, grandpa, mommy, daddy, aunt, uncle, or other loved one, it’s the cutest one there is. This Christmas, use brown packing paper as wrapping paper and let your little one color all over it! Best wrapping paper ever! Plus, your kiddos have fun ‘helping’ you wrap presents :).

Heck, I think this would make cute wrapping paper even without the doodles! Use a calligraphy pen to write the ‘To’ and ‘From’ right on the paper. You could also add some Bible verses to it. Finish the present off with some twine wrapped around it tied in a cute little bow. Adorable!

What wrapping ideas do you have?

Welcome Gift

Whenever someone moves into our neighborhood, I try to welcome them with some goodies. My go-to goody was Rice Krispie treats, but these are only good the day you make them. If the new neighbors weren’t home the day I made them, I ended up eating them all myself. Not good :/. Plus, you never know who may have allergies or other food restrictions. I decided to rethink my welcome gift and opt for something practical yet relatively inexpensive. After searching the Internet for a while, here’s what I came up with:

Welcome Gift

I wrapped a bottle of dish soap and a sponge in a kitchen towel, tied a cute little ribbon around it, and added a note welcoming the new neighbors to the neighborhood. You could even spice it up a bit by adding a fabric flower to the ribbon. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s practical and helps your new neighbors feel welcomed (which I would have loved when we moved to a new neighborhood!).

Back to School: College Student Gift Baskets

August means back-to-school! If you’re looking for something to give a college student, a gift basket is a great option.

Some family members of mine are going off to college, and I wanted to give them a practical gift as they start this exciting time in their life. I opted for gift baskets because who doesn’t like a gift basket??? Plus, I really enjoy making them :). I scoured the internet for ideas of what to include in the baskets and came up with some ideas of my own as well.

I’ll share with you the items I included in the two gift baskets below. One is for a commuter college student, and the other is for a college student moving out on her own for the first time.

Gift baskets are so simple and also allow you to be creative! Buy a basket or storage container of some sort, cover the bottom with some crumpled up tissue paper, and start filling it with all the goodies!

Commuter College Student Gift Basket

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DIY Personalized Ornate Frame

I have been looking all over for my inspiration picture and can’t seem to find it anywhere on my computer! Ugh. I guess I’ll just have to show you the final products by themselves.

Here are the personalized ornate frames I made for a couple individuals:

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Here’s how to make it…   Continue reading »

Open for Business

July marks the first month of owning an Etsy shop!

Click here or ‘Shop’ at the top of this page to see items for sale and/or visit my Etsy shop.

After the craft festival later this year, I’ll add more items to my shop. For now, though, the large majority of items I make have to be saved for the festival.

Any tips on being a successful Etsy shop owner?

 

For Sale

Recently, I began selling some of my crafts at a local store. I’m so excited! I hope to have an Etsy shop soon…we’ll see. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks to see if I’ve opened one :). Below are some of the items I took to the local store – chalkboards, chicken wire frames, earring and necklace holders, and ‘I love you because…’ dry erase frames.

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Here are some other items I’ve made…

Do you have any business tips for me???

Good Company Always Welcome

My dad and I are participating (for the first time!) in a craft festival. We were just approved today to have our own craft booth. I’m so excited :)! Our main items for sale are upcycled windows and frames. So, my task this summer is to rummage for items we can use for crafting.

On my first major rummaging adventure last weekend, I found a gold mine of old windows. I bought 9 of them for $33.00 (that’s just $3.67 each).

Here is one window I created and plan to sell at the festival. The problem – I have no idea how much to ask  for it :/.

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Below are step-by-step instructions, along with pictures of the process. Continue reading »

DIY Bulletin Board #2

Today I finished the second bulletin board I began on the same day I completed this similar project.

My husband and I needed a place to put our lists – shopping lists, grocery lists, to-do lists, etc. Here was my solution:

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DIY Bulletin Board

I finally had some time to be creative today. I started a couple projects and actually finished one of them. Yay!

(UPDATE: I finished the second project as well! Check it out here.)

I recently revamped my office (see that whole process here, here, and here). I finished the accent wall, but had nothing on any of the other walls. Given this is an office, I thought a bulletin board would be practical. The ones you find at the store are usually plain and ugly, so I made my own!

Here are the supplies/before picture:

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DIY Chalkboard

Picture frames are coming out of my ears, so I decided to get creative for my friend’s bridal shower. For her shower, I’m in charge of prizes! I’m so excited! 🙂 Using Pinterest as my inspiration, this is what I created:

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