May 20 2010
Thought this little free download would make an adorable wedding shower gift. It is that time of year, and now you have an affordable option.
One of my daily reads, Making This Home, shows how to include a cute “heart” clip with the “honey dew” list.
Mar 18 2010
My hubby and I were so fortunate to have the support of family and friends as we adjusted to parenthood. A friend coordinated 6 weeks of meals for us through a cool site, MealBaby.
How does this relate to simplifying?
I believe anytime we can serve others during a time of need, then our focus is on people rather than things. For me, simplifying is about having more time for those I care about rather than my time being caught up in taking care of too much stuff. I also love the ease of coordination that MealBaby affords. Oftentimes we aren’t sure how best we can help (and not add six lasagnas to someones freezer in one week). This site allows everyone to sign-up for a date and even include the dish they plan to bring. There are other similar sites out there like Take Them A Meal. These sites are great planning resources and they make a very meaningful, useful, and affordable gift for someone.
Thanks to everyone who supported us during our sleep-deprived early days of parenthood. We look forward to returning the favor!
Jan 26 2010
In preparation for Valentine’s Day, spring birthdays, Mother’s Day, or a little girl’s birthday party, I loved this idea by maya*made to create flowers from upcycled paper (particularly, old sewing patterns or maps).
Jan 22 2010
Haiti has been on all of our minds and hearts this last week. Crafting a Green World shared a good list of ways to support the relief efforts in Haiti by buying handmade.
Dec 19 2009
Can’t think of what to get that last person on your list? Empapers.com offers this great printable 8.5×11 size calendar that you can pull together in no time. Or, prepare for 2010 by printing it off for yourself!
Dec 17 2009
I don’t have my own kids quite yet, but what I’ve learned from watching the kids of family and friends is that they don’t need much to be entertained. Give them a cardboard box, tupperware, pots with a wooden spoon, or some scrap paper and crayons and they’re set!
I love making gifts for the kiddos in my life, including these jumbo crayons made for a neice and nephew (each with their own doodle book or one-of-a-kind coloring book), treasure boxes full of marbles and bubbles and such, and a handmade tutu for my niece. This Christmas I created a “Rainy Day Creative Box” for my 6-year old cousin. Using what I already had on hand, I filled a box full of goodies for her to “make” to her heart’s content.
I added a personalized message to the pink box top and filled it with:
Dec 16 2009
I’ve been blessed by a few baby showers in the last month and wanted to make some quick thank you notes. For one shower, I used some buttons that I had from this baby announcement project. A simple shape and design was all I needed for a sweet “thank you!”.
For another, I had some scrapbook paper that had been used as placements at a friend’s baby shower. I simply cut the 12×12 paper into squares, folded into a triangle, punched a hole in the corner and threaded a satin ribbon for closure. These were perfect for my work colleagues, as no envelopes were necessary! I used some of the paper scraps to make additional versions where I used special scissors to add a scalloped edge and a ribbon bow.
Dec 15 2009
Need some more free ideas for handmade gift tags? Create Studio featured her paint chip tags this week and they’re adorable!
Dec 15 2009
Every year after Christmas I take my scissors to all of the Christmas greetings we received. I save the photos, adorning our refrigerator with family and friends with growing children. Then, I cut the cards with any potential use for Christmas crafting and gift tag-making.
With those that make a nice square or rectangle, I don’t make it any more complicated. With those with writing on the back, I just add some cardstock backing for re-use. Each one gets a hole-punched to string a ribbon.
The pieces that don’t make great gift tags on their own can be fashioned into shapes for tags or greeting cards - in the shape of simple trees or ornaments, for example.
This is a great project to plan for post-Christmas, once all your decor is put away and life slows down in January. Set aside an evening, in front of the television, or with your kids, to plan early for next year. And you’ll have plenty of tags on hand for the Christmas season that don’t require a dime.
Dec 11 2009
Here’s a fun stocking stuffer that will keep your little ones busy and that also do good.
Recycled Lego Brick Crayons by SquareHip
Benefitting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
