Gift 19: Frame

This frame is so cute, and can be done two ways. The first requires sewing and the instructions can be found here.

The other way is almost too easy: get a frame, cut a piece of notebook paper to fit the frame, and you're done. To add the words, simply write on it with a dry erase marker! This gift can also be used to jot down lists, quotes, jokes, messages, etc. Christmas time? Write "Merry Christmas" on it! Want to tell your husband you love him? Write "I love you [insert husband's name here]". The possibilities are endless.

Gift 18: Crayon Art

Crayon art is so cute. This website will tell you how to do it, but they only do the easy and dull one. There are soooo many things that can be done with this simple melting crayon technique...

1) The Simple Rainbow

While this is cool, it is too simple!

2) Make a Circle

So much better! Arranging your crayons in a circle gives the art more symmetry that our eyes find appealing. Plus it's really cool.

3) 3D Objects

Now, turn your art upside down, and what do you get? Stems! Just glue on some silk flowers and your art is SO much more creative! Adding 3D objects makes your art pop.

4) Adding Embellishments and Creative Use of Color

Adding embellishments, such as the girl added in these, makes the art take life. Instead of just crayons, you have rain, stage lights, and tree branches. It adds a whole other dimension of meaning to simple melted crayons.

My favorite is obviously the last one, but they are all really neat.

P.S. Some sites tell you to take the paper off the crayons. I say no way. Keeping the paper on helps keep the crayons from looking crushed and gross.

See? This is gross looking. DON'T TAKE THE PAPER OFF.

Gift 17: Bottle Cap Wind Chime

I guess I just like wind chimes. Sorry guys. But you gotta admit this is adorable. Sadly I couldn't find instructions that did this the way I like, so once again, here are my own:

1) You will need: bottle caps, jump rings, chains, head pins, hammer, nails, and a piece of metal with lots of holes in it, like an old shower head.

2) Using your hammer and nails, punch two holes in the bottle cap. Punch the hole on the edge that you screw it onto bottles, not the flat part.

3) Take your head pins and put the end without the head in the hole to where when you make the loop, it will stick out from the cap. Then string them together using jump rings.

4) Attach them to the metal with jump rings.

5) Attach the chains to the metal, and hang!

Gift 16: Chalkboard Necklace

Cute, isn't it? I love this little necklace. The website gives GREAT instructions, so you'll have no trouble doing it.

I plan to make this for my cousin this year. And now that I think about it, this would be a precious gift to give a teacher! Score!

Gift 15: Wind Chime

I LOVE THIS. This vintage wind chime is absolutely beautiful. Once again, it's only pictures, no instructions, but I tried it and here are the instructions I came up with:

1) You will need: pretty vintage plate with holes around the edges, fishing line, beads and ribbon to match your plate, vintage silverware, and a drill.

2) Drill holes in the handles of your silverware (look at the picture). Then tie fishing line to them.

3) On the rest of the line, string beads at varying increments, tying knots above and below each section of beads.

4) After you have enough beads strung, tie the line to the bottom of the plate.

5) Take more fishing line and string beads on it. Tie it to the top of your plate, and tie off the ends. Tie a ribbon to the beads, and hang!

I hope these instructions are helpful. I strongly suggest looking at the pictures! It really helps.

Gift 14: Yardstick Crafts

Vintage yardsticks and rulers are very popular right now and can be found at flea markets for very cheap. So it is no surprise that there are all sorts of craft instructions on the web. I've consolidated a few just for you lovelies. Here are my favorites:

1) Yardstick box

2) Yardstick Table Top

3) Yardstick Shelf

4) Yardstick Frames

I sadly couldn't find anything but pictures for this one, but I'm sure it isn't too hard to figure out.

5) Yardstick Coat Hanger

And there you have it, 5 simple and cheap gifts to make!

Gift 13: Hoop Art

A great way to make a personal gift. This embroidery hoop art is easy to make and so colorful!!! There aren't instructions on the website, just pictures, so here are the instructions:

1) First get the necessary supplies: hoop of your preferred size, fabric, ribbon, rick-rack, buttons, thread, etc. To make it quickly, I suggest using a sewing machine to do the ribbon.

2) Cut a piece of fabric big enough to fit in the hoop you have chosen.

3) Sew the ribbon on in any order. Use lots of different kinds for best results.

4) Sew on buttons. Or embroider words onto it like done here.

5) If you want, tie a ribbon to the top so it can be hung. And there you have it! Cute and easy!

Gift 12: Wall Hooks

WARNING: This next project is freaking adorable.

I introduce to you... The mismatched wall hook! First of all, finding the parts to this project would be super fun. Who doesn't enjoy wandering around antique malls and hardware stores? Cuz I love it.

So what you need for this project: wood, hooks, and screws. That's about it. She gives a pretty good explanation of how to do it, so I'll leave that part to her and just give her some publicity :)

Ugh just think how CUTE this would look with a slew of vintage and flowered scarves on it!!! I can hardly bear it.

Gift 11: Silhouette Jewelry

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS. I have always loved silhouettes, whether it be in photography or in a frame, so this is an especially good gift to give me. Just so ya know.

There are so many personal aspects that can be emphasized in this project. It can be given to grandmas, mothers, daughters, sisters, spouses, children, best friends, anyone! There is something special about having a necklace with the silhouettes of all the people you love.

For your girl friends, I suggest the necklace. Make a silhouette of all her friends and it will be an instant success!

For the grandma with twenty billion grand-kids, I would suggest the bracelet :P

Gift 10: Glass Tile Pendant

This is a bit trickier than some of the other crafts I've posted about, but not by much. The hardest part is probably obtaining the materials. But once you do, problem solved! These necklaces are so adorable.

Some things I would like to add to this woman's craft:

1) You can use photographs to give the pendant a personalized touch.
2) Also, try artwork of your own.
3) Add other things to the necklace, like charms and beads on eye pins or head pins.
4) Try finding different sizes.
5) Make a charm bracelet out of them!!! SO CUTE!
6) Scrabble tiles, anyone? :)

Gift 9: Embellished Journal

So, I am going to alter this a bit and add my own twist to this sticky and tricky glue project.

First of all, when you click on the link, you have to scroll a bit til you find the article.

Second of all, this lady does this to a canvas and then hangs it on her wall. We, however, will be doing this to a plain journal cover. So, go find a plain journal. I'll wait.

Alright, good job. Now do what she does, except to you journal. You can use puffy paint of any color, or even craft glue if you still want white. Once the paint dries, brush over it with Mod Podge (if you used paint) to keep in from wearing as badly. If you used glue, find some sort of sealant that can be used (I have little knowledge in this area, unfortunately). And there ya have it! Simple gift!

Gift 8: Recycled Key Pendants

Sorry, my internet has been down for the past few days. I've been dying without it. So here are all the posts I woulda posted.

This cute key project isn't exactly a step-by-step how-to, but it is so self-explanatory you don't really need instructions (But if you do, tell me and I will help your poor little soul). Just look at the pictures and use them as inspiration! I mean, really all you need are keys, old jewelry, and a chain of some sort to hang it on. So get workin'! This is simple stuff!

See? Tell me these aren't adorable? HA! YOU CAN'T! I win.

Gift 7: Scrabble Tile Coasters

This craft has a lot of potential for being fun. I mean, who doesn't like to screw around and spell funny stuff with Scrabble tiles? So instead of spelling actual words, or even words that relate to drinks, make up new words, or use fun four letter words like "plop", "dork", "loop", and "garfunkle". Okay, so maybe that last one isn't four letters, but you could split it up! Like "garf", "unkl" and "eeee". Yeah, nevermind, don't do that. But do have fun with it!

These coasters are good ideas for the womenfolk in your life, like your grandma or aunt. Maybe even your mom. Or... Your professor who is currently failing you. It's always good to suck up to teachers! :P They would also be fun little things to make for yourself and bring to college. (College has been on my mind lately, unfortunately.)

Enjoy!

Gift 6: Bird Wall Art

This adorable and very very cheap craft will only take a few minutes. Simply paint a cheap frame from Goodwill, tear out a page from an old dictionary, and draw birds on it. Voilá. See? You don't even need to look at the website. But just in case, here it is.

I personally like the heart-shaped frame better. Or maybe it's because the frame is blue. Who knows?

Gift 5: Dry Erase and Paint Chip Calender

This is seriously one of the easiest gifts to make. All you need is a picture frame of a slightly large size and paint chips.

And let's face it, we all have stashes of paint chips lying around, hidden in shoe boxes and closets. Who can resist them? I mean, you walk in to Home Depot and wander around, seeing nothing but dull tools and wood, when suddenly you find yourself in the paint aisle. The drastic change from dull to colorful is too much for you to bear, and you immediately run over to the pain chips and take sixty or so. AND THEY'RE FREE!!! Could it be any better?! (Okay, maybe it's just me, I admit it. But whatever.)

So, for the busy worker in your life, be it your mother, uncle, or sister in college, this cheap and chic little calendar is sure to be their favorite gift the receive all year. That sounded amazingly like an infomercial.

One of the best parts is that since it's glass, you can write on it with a dry erase marker, so there will never be a need to buy a calendar again! Yay!

Gift 4: Light Bulb Vases

This is ingenious. Light bulbs as vases? Who came up with this? They are so creative! I love water and light together, so I can hang these in a window to catch sunlight. Lovely. Like little drops of water! I hope you're good with a saw :P

I really like the second one. So, now I guess I'll have to wait for some light bulbs to go out... I don't think I'm that patient... Oh well.

Gift 3: Spoon Rings

Oh, the wonderful spoon ring! These little lovelies were quite popular in the 70s and are starting to become a hot item once more (I REALLY WANT ONE). Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to find instructions that included pictures (cuz I mean let's face it, we don't really READ the directions, we just look at the pictures!), so I scoured Google for a few nice ones.

So first you obviously cut off the actual spoon part. I assume this can be done with forks as well. There are two main styles:

The wrap spoon ring...

And then the normal spoon ring. It connects to form one smooth, continuous ring. I can't decide which I like best, to be honest. (ISN'T THIS A WONDERFUL RING???)

Gift 2: T-shirt Ring

Ah, yet another chic and easy gift to make. I really like this simple idea. Check out this site for instructions and more pictures! I'm thinking I would use a color other than green. Leaves are green, not flowers. Get it right people.

I'm thinking I would replace the felt band with an actual metal one that adjusts. It would work just as well and be a little nicer looking. Just a thought :)

Gift 1: Messenger Bag

December 1st! It's time to begin our 25 Days of Christmas handmade gifts countdown! I hope you all had great Thanksgivings, by the way.

Our first gift is a messenger bag. And it is SO. CUTE. I want this. Please make it for me. And then mail it to me. Pwease? :) Haha I'm sure I'll get around to making it eventually. Oh well.

See? precious, isn't it?? And I love me some ruffles!

Just so you know, I actually plan to make this. So when I do, I'll post the end product. Fingers crossed, haha.