Wait, it's February?

I am here to alert you that we have wrapped up the first month of 2011. Where the heck has the time gone? Well, let's see: traveling, wrapping, creating, eating, more eating, family time, knocking out to-do lists  celebrating etc. I am tired from just writing that. But before I move forward, I want to remind all of you of my very ambitious goal for December and gift giving - make all of my gifts! Well... it is virtually impossible to make every single gift, but, I did manage to make 4 gifts for my close family members and a friend who pretty much is family. I found it to be extremely rewarding and fun, not to mention right in line with wanting to keep things cheap. I'd love to keep the tradition going.

Earring holder for my little sister Poopy:
I had heard my sister complain a few too many times that she had lost an earring in the tornado valley she calls her room. So I went practical for her gift. I found this lovely gem of a frame at my favorite antique shop in the West Bottoms: http://www.goodjujukc.com/.  The frame came as pictured, in a green that I adore. All I had to do was purchase replacement window screen material and staple it to the frame. Easy breezy.
Total cost: $16


Silly Dear Dormat for a good friend and step father:
I spotted this silliness on one of my favorite blogs and couldn't wait to create my very own, semi redneck, gift. http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/12/a-really-simple-holiday-welcome-mat/ Side note: it's not easy to find a natural grass mat in Kansas City. I first settled with a pair of striped mats only to realize, after the first one, that the spray paint was not going to cover as well as I had hoped. A visit to a hardware store in Columbia made my second attempt far more successful.
Total cost: Under $20 (aside from spray paint and tape I needed to purchase anyway)


Weird tree ball wreath for my madre:
Before I had moved into my roommates gnome home I had never seen these strange "balls" (I continue to forget their actual name). They are semi annoying, but turn out to make a pretty freaking sweet wreath. Creating this guy was not an easy task, and my hands took a beating. I hot glued each ball to a tooth pick and stabbed it into the wreath. Next time around I will need to find a better way of getting these little guys on the foam wreath. Also i'd suggest doing it as a team, went far faster when once my sister popped into help. Patty loved it! Yes, she is my mother so she'll love everything I make, but it really was stunning on their red door.
Total Cost: Balls free (Yes I smiled when I typed that), wreath $7


All gifts are pictured below. Happy to send further instructions.

Christmas 2010, uber successful!

mmmmmat

I like pretty, and during my search for a new yoga ma, I found pretty. The bad news is that pretty is more expensive than plain (of course). So, while shopping at Target, right after the New Year I found two mats that screamed pretty with twenty dollar price tags. I also found a plain chrome mat for nine dollars. If you know anything about me, I am not plain, so how could I settle for a plain yoga mat? To make the mat my own, I visited my lovely library of fonts and chose the perfect M. I chose to paint the M with a bright green spray paint I had used for a few of my Christmas projects.  Bam! I now have a personalized yoga mat. No girl name Emily is going to mistake it for hers for sure.

Total cost for the project: $9 + materials I already had vs. $20... feels good.

Tip: Shopping right after the New Year for workout gear is ideal. Specials galore!

Bonus Tip: Spray paint and I are still in at the beginning of our friendship and I have now learned that the spray somehow dusts far beyond what one can imagine. My grey mat is now dusted in light green beyond the painters tape. So lesson learned - cover all areas you don't want painted.