I’m Back….

Not that you knew I was gone. If I had been really organised I could have scheduled posts for while I was away, but I wasn’t, so I didn’t.

Not that much has really been happening. I made a really awesome gift for one of Little Princesses friends who had a birthday party last weekend, but I forgot to take a photo of it. Due to the feedback from other parents at the party, I believe I will be making more in future, so next time I will take a photo. It was an idea I got from here, to make a build-a-fort kit. Mine was slightly different, but along the same lines. Great idea, fairly cheap to put together and a huge hit with parents and kids.

I received a pay-it-forward gift from Angela at Mummyzilla. This gift was a bit unexpected, because I had totally forgotten I had signed up for this pay it forward, so it was a nice surprise.

She sent me this Labyrinth square, which could be used for lots of things, but I think I am going to turn it into a cushion. I’ve never seen anything like this, and I think it’s a fantastic idea. It also is a great gift to post, which makes me think that I am thinking too big for the pay it forward gifts I still owe ( I haven’t forgotten about you Kelly, Amaranta and Sandandstarfish).

So, I have just spent the last week down in Napier, but didn’t really do anything blogworthy. Only made it to one opshop, and it was a dud. Since getting back I have been desperately trying to think of ideas for gifts to make for crafty friends whose birthdays are coming up next month. My first idea was based on this link, which I found through Pinterest.

I really like this colour combination, grey and mustard yellow, but I’m just not sure about giving something like this as a gift. Just because I like it, doesn’t mean someone else will. So I need your feedback, is a scarf an ok gift to give to someone you don’t really know that well? Do you like these colours together? Would you wear a scarf like this?

The next idea was based on pictures I’ve seen all over blogland, and has been on my mental to-do list for ages, Butterfly Specimen Art. I got a Cuttlebug (YAY!!) in the weekend, with a set of dies which include two butterflies, a bee and a dragonfly.

I love how it turned out. I haven’t decided who to give this one to yet, but I am planning to make another one, maybe with bees or dragonflies, I just need to find another frame. Preferably one I don’t have to spray paint, because spray painting is messy! This one was made with stuff I had lying around; an old frame that was a little bit chippy, I just gave it a coat of coffee cream spray paint; a sheet of vintage music; and the butterflies were cut from scraps of scrapbooking papers from my stash.

The only other gift idea I have is some felted soaps, which may be given as a thank you gift rather than a birthday gift. If you’ve got some brilliant ideas for handmade gifts that are fairly cheap and not too difficult, please share. I love making gifts for people, but thinking of new ideas every year is the hard part. Unfortunately, most of the people I make gifts for are from the craft group I go to, so I can’t make the same thing for everyone.