Katie the Scrapbook Lady

25 great gifts to make

I’ve been blogging about gift giving all week now and I have quite the collection of ideas:

• for the photo fan
• for the memory keeper
• for creative fun

and now today’s post will bring the tally up to a total of 100 gift ideas!

 

Great gifts to make:

 

1. Reindeeer Bark. This simple treat is always a big hit and everyone asks for the recipe. You can even customize it for other holidays by using different colors of candy.
2. Chocolate dipped fortune cookies with a note saying “We are FORTUNATE to have you as friends!” This is fun for the whole family to work on.
3. Herb butter. Especially nice with a loaf of artisan bread. Very easy and makes an impressive gift.
4. Reindeer Noses treat bags (free download from Kate Hadfield). So very cute!
5. Reindeer Cookies. I love the combination of a peanut butter cookie and chocolate covered pretzels. Yum!
6. Something you’ve canned or preserved. I made homemade pickle relish last year and gave it away to several friends just for a random gift. Everyone loved it! I’m always thrilled to receive a jar of homemade jam or a special salsa. Even better if some bread or chips are given on the side.
7. Sweet spice rack full of sprinkles. I blogged about this a few years ago and I still love the idea. Now I’ve even found an empty test tube stand on amazon if you can’t find one at Target. Or you could go full-on scientific and order something like this from a laboratory supply place. The test tubes are just glass, so I can’t see why you couldn’t use them for food.
8. Mason jar sewing kit. Why is everything so much cuter in a mason jar?
9. Bread in a bottle. Love the look of layered treats and recipes in bottles. They are easy to put together and make a nice gift.
10. Frozen cookie dough. Anyone can give me a gift of cookie dough at any time. Seriously!
11. Button art. Love the idea of this – would be great for monograms or simple shapes.
12. Tangle-free headphones – easy to just add some flair to a pair of headphones!
13. Crafty containers covered with scrapbook paper. I *might* have some scrapbook paper here somewhere. lol! Great way to use old containers and cans.
14. Sew an easy project like a patchwork bag, or a pillowcase.
15. Knit or crochet some simple dishcloths. My daughter made several cloths a few years ago for gifts and everyone treasured them!
16. Pant leg camping bag (with roasting sticks) – what a great idea for someone who loves the outdoors!
17. Photo calendar – read Steph’s post on The Daily Digi for great product links. You can also make easy calendars with companies such as Kinkos or Office Max. Minted makes some really beautiful calendars.
18. Photo mosaic print. I love photo mosaics and the easiest way to make them is to use Big Huge Labs mosaic maker. I’ve also written about several other ways to make beautiful mosaics, so be sure to check out this post.
19. A scrapbook or photobook. I always give our families scrapbook pages each year for a holiday gift. Of course, I think scrapbooks make a wonderful gift!
20. Homemade sugar scrub. Easy to make and fun to customize with your favorite scent.
21. Homemade bath salt. Another super easy gift!
22. Bookmarks from ribbons and charms (or even old earrings). I just love these! Lots of possibilities – even for boys with the right accessories.
23. A special quote or piece of word art. Use a photo editing program or a cutting machine to illustrate a favorite quote. You can also find several free printables on Eighteen25 that would be perfect for framing.
24. Family Guess Who game. LOVE this idea! Guess Who is one of our favorite games and it would be super fun to have a personalized version.
25. Slideshow. Put together a slideshow using some special photos. They really aren’t difficult to do, it just takes some time to go through all the pictures you want to use and decide on music. I use Windows Live Movie Maker for all of my slideshows. It’s a great program and it’s free!

 

Happy gift giving!

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25 great gifts for creative fun

I think gift giving should be fun, don’t you? I love to give presents that will inspire creativity and bring continued enjoyment. Here are 25 great ideas:

 

1. Mess – The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes by Keri Smith. This is one of my favorite gift ideas for creative people. I wrote an entire post about the fun my daughter and I had with this book. It would be a great present for anyone who needs some creative fun in their life!
2. Tape It & Make It: 101 Duct Tape Activities by Richela Fabian Morgan. My daughter is crazy about duct tape and she has made some wonderful duct tape pens in the past that I need to blog about soon. She collects duct tape and always wants to the latest pattern. Needless to say, this book was a big win in her book! Super fun gift for kids and teens or anyone who loves crafting.
3. How about a big bundle of duct tape for crafting? (perfect paired with the book above). We’ve tested and tried several brands of duct tape and have come to the conclusion that DUCK brand is the very best for craft use. And they have so many fun designs! We buy most of ours at Target or the craft store. You can also order online.
4. Silhouette Cameo cutter. I did a lot of research on different cutting machines and I really feel like Silhouette is the best one out there. I love that you don’t have to buy cartridges and there are so many resources available to make the most out of this machine! I ordered one of these last spring and it became a running joke on The Digi Show that I was never going to unpack the box or even turn the thing on. I’ll admit that it took me 6 months to get around to it but my daughter finally took charge and got it up and running. Yes, it’s that easy! She cut out some fun cobwebs and decorations for Halloween and she has all sorts of future plans. My brother is excited to come and use it to help him with his wedding cake final (he’s a culinary student). I’m planning to make some vinyl word art for our guest room. If you really want to see someone who uses a Silhouette well, check out Christine Newman’s (List Girl) blog. She is always creating the most awesome stuff! This would really be a fantastic gift for the ultimate crafter and/or paper scrapper!
5. Martha Stewart scoring board and envelope tool. This is a cool little tool that makes it so easy to give a crisp, clean look to your paper projects. I love the decorative things you can do with it!
6. Craft Hope by Jade Sims. This wonderful book is all about crafting for a good cause and it really touched my heart. Each project is designed with at least one charitable cause in mind. A pillowcase dress for a children’s shelter in Mexico. Quilts for homeless children in the United States. Newborn caps for babies in Haiti. Great creative ideas with a bigger purpose in mind and $1 of each purchase is donated to Global Impact.
7. A container full of craft supplies. This can be customized for any age, just fill with crafty goodies! Some suggestions include: craft paints & brushes, pom poms, fabric scraps, crayons, colored pencils, pads of paper, ribbons, foam shapes, glue sticks, popsicle sticks, googly eyes, yarn, pipe cleaners, craft scissors, punches, and whatever else seems fun!
8. An iPad. You might be thinking “how is that creative?”, but I have to tell you that everyone in our family has found a lot of creativity because of the iPad! I love all the great apps you can download and you can play games, watch movies, and play with photos. Oh, and you can also do boring work stuff on it too, but I mainly use mine for fun!
9. Sensu Brush stylus. Peppermint is the one who told me about this one on The Digi Show (can’t seem to find the episode #) and I ordered one for my Mother-in-Law and another one for my daughter. Now I want one too! This is such a neat stylus and you can uncap it and use it like a real paintbrush right on your iPad or other tablet device. Here’s a link to some apps that are fun to use with this type of stylus.
10. Craft store gift card. Nothing better than having some moohlah to spend on creative fun! Look for a nearby Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Joann’s, or any type of crafty establishment and purchase a gift card to give.
11. Fat Quarters. I happen to adore little bundles of fabric and I have quite the collection of them. You can use them for all sorts of projects…or just let them sit on a shelf forever. lol! It makes for good conversation when you hubby comes in and says something like “tell me again what all of these are for?” You can buy them at any fabric shop or even order online. I pin a lot of fat quarter project ideas on my Sew Fun board on Pinterest if you need some tips for how to use these.
12. Embroider Everything Workshop. This is a beginner’s guide to all sorts of stitchery, but I also think more advanced users would enjoy it as well. Very nice and quite comprehensive, with well photographed examples.
13. Embroidery Floss. Great for stitchery (nice when paired with the book above) and also useful for many other types of crafting. I personally love DMC brand and I still have an organizer full of floss that my Mom gave me my senior year in high school.
14. Alicia Paulson’s Embroidery Companion would make a lovely gift book. So many pretty projects! I love her blog.
15. Pillowcases stamped for embroidery. This is a great project for anyone who loves to embroider. I was lucky enough to get some hand embroidered pillowcases as a wedding gift from my husband’s grandmother. I would love to make some of my own.
16. Teeny Tiny Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec is a super fun book for tiny little knitting projects. My daughter loves to knit and this is one of her favorite books and blogs.
17. Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. This is another one of my daughter’s favorites. So many cute projects in this book!
18. The Family Dinner by Laurie David. This was one of my favorite books I read this year. It’s technically a cookbook, but it’s more like an interesting read from someone famous (Larry David’s wife) who has tried her best to keep the family strong through dinner rituals.
19. Food Fest 365 by Yvan D. Lemoine. This is right up my alley! I love fun little holidays and I love celebrating them with food. My kids have also enjoyed looking through this book and we plan to try out some of the celebrations in the coming year.
20. iTunes gift card – can be used for music, apps, books, and more. The recipient can pick out what inspires them!
21. Corel Painter 12. I’m thinking of asking Santa for this now that the price has dropped so much. I have used Corel Painter 4 in the past and I’m intrigued to try this newer version out since it looks so cool. I think my daughter would also enjoy it. I love creating stuff on my computer.
22. City Doors puzzle. We love puzzles around here and this one was one of our favorites to work on. Puzzles are good for the brain!
23. Fabric markers + something to color on. I gave my nieces some fabric markers and t-shirts for their birthday and they were a big hit! I think fabric markers would make a great gift for any age group. Just include something to color on with them like a tote bag, a pillowcase, an apron, a t-shirt, or even socks. Everyone should get to have some crazy fun sometimes!
24. Play-doh. Yes, I’m being serious! Santa brings us some play-doh every year and it’s one of my favorite traditions. Try it!
25. A really big box of crayons. A box of fresh crayons can make anyone feel creative!

 

I have one more gift giving guide post coming tomorrow. By the time I’m done, I will have shared 100 gift ideas!

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25 great gifts for memory keepers

Continuing on with my gift-giving guide series, I have 25 more fun ideas to share today! You can find yesterday’s post here for photography related gifts. Today’s picks are for the memory keeper!

 

 

1. Adobe Photoshop Elements 11. Even if you aren’t a digital scrapbooker, you will still get a lot of use out of this fabulous program. You can edit photos, add word art and fun details, and also create digital scrapbook pages. I especially love this newest update to PSE and I find it the easiest to use version that has ever been released. You can read my review here. Amazon has a great deal, or you can also find it at Costco for a great price.
2. The Daily Digi gift membership. Ok, I’m totally biased about the site because I’m a team member and a writer there, but seriously people…there is no other deal like this one around! You get over $50 worth of digital scrapbooking supplies each month AND an e-book full of awesome tips and tricks AND exclusive collaborative kits every few months to thank you for being a member. All of this for only $7.50 a month (or less for members). Why on earth would you pass this up? This would make a great gift!
3. Smash Books & accessories from K & Company. My daughter loves her Smash Book and I think they make is so easy to keep memories in a fun & creative way. I talked about Smash Books and their blog in the pick section of Episode 57 of The Digi Show. Great gift for all ages!
4. Becky Higgins Project Life system – binders (although you can use any 12x12 ring binder), page protectors, & fun inserts. Think of this as a photo album that can be as fun as a scrapbook. You simply slip in the photos and add any journaling cards and accents you want to. There are so many ways to use Project Life! Check out Becky’s blog for great examples from her creative team. You can order the supplies through Becky’s site or by searching on Amazon. This is a great gift idea for someone who enjoys paper scrapping, especially in a simplified way. For digital scrapbookers, consider #5 below.
5. Becky Higgins Project Life for digital scrapbookers. Check out my post at The Daily Digi about how I discovered that I really enjoy a digital approach to Project Life. There are many pieces that will make great gifts for digi scrappers; a 12x12 ring album, 12x12 page protectors, a variety of other size page protectors, & digital Project Life products.
6. Scrapbook Albums – my favorites are from We R Memory Keepers. I like the 12x12 ring binder for my December Daily album and I use the 8x8 post bound for all my other albums – but they only make 8x8 ring binders now. The rings are a lot easier to manage, but I wish they still made the post bound. You can often find these in local scrapbook stores, or online at Amazon. Throw in a pack or two of page protectors to make the gift extra special.
7. Adhesive – these are a paper scrapper’s best friend, and even a digi gal like me still needs to have some on hand. My favorite adhesive is Scotch Adhesive Roller and I love that you can get refills for it. Fun for a stocking-stuffer, or you can put some in a gift basket with a few other tools and supplies.
8. Fiskars 12 inch portable paper trimmer – this is my favorite paper trimmer. Great for paper scrappers, but everyone can use one of these in their house. Just ask my hubby who is always borrowing mine.
9. Scotch Precision Ultra Edge Scissors. My favorite scissors. You can read my full review here.
10. External Hard Drive – great for anyone who stores a lot of digital photos (and also digi scrap supplies). I’ve had the great luck with this Seagate model (1 TB size) and I have 2 of them. I also have a 500 GB size and also would recommend that (read my review)  if you don’t want to spend as much. If you can swing the price though, definitely get the 1 TB!
11. Artful Blogging – This magazine (that seems more like a book) is one of my favorites and it’s so inspiring to see all the different ways people can approach blogging. I believe blogging is a great form of memory keeping and an issue (or even a subscription) would make a lovely gift. I’ve seen them on sale at Barnes & Noble, or you can order online.
12. Art Journaling magazine – this is another Stampington & Co. publication and it looks like a great resource. I’ve been feeling interested in art journaling lately so I’d love to get a few copies of this for myself. Again, Barnes & Noble or online ordering for this one.
13. Keepsake box or shadow frame – I love being able to put memories on display! I think this keepsake box from Pottery Barn is just beautiful. You can also find shadow box frames at most craft stores. There are also some nice ones on Amazon.
14. Easy change photo frames – I especially love these frames from Pottery Barn because it’s quick & easy to change the photos.
15. Laura Childs scrapbooking mysteries. I love these fun books and I’ve read every one of them! They would make great gifts for a scrapbooker who enjoys reading.
16. Big Picture Classes gift certificate – give the gift of learning! I love taking online classes to improve my creativity. Here’s a list of classes that I’ve taken and recommend.
17. Jessica Sprague classes or gift certificate – I’ve learned so much from the classes I’ve taken at this site!
18. Persnickety Prints gift certificate. They do an amazing job with their prints! I use them for all my digital scrapbook layouts and I’m always very impressed with the quality. (I like to order my layouts in matte finish)
19. Put together a jar of fun – this inexpensive idea will be a big hit with someone who loves to make and keep special memories.
20. Put together a jar of memories – what a clever and unique way to display memories for a special event or person! There are several great ideas in this post.
21. Pre-planned and/or pre-paid activities or dates. This is such a great idea! I did something like this for my husband last year and he said it was one of his most favorite presents he ever received. Memory keepers also love to make memories, so this is sure to be appreciated!
22. Memory Logbook – From Log Your Memory. Check out my post about these from my latest blog tour.
23. Washi tape – this Japanese decorative tape is all the rage for scrapbooking and card making. What a fun idea for stocking-stuffers!
24. Blank journal or notebook – for jotting down sketches and ideas. I love moleskine notebooks!
25. USB flash drives – give some of these as gifts so the memory keeper can share their photos with friends and family. We are always passing these around at the end of family vacations and gatherings. The more GB, the better!

 

I’ll be back tomorrow with another fun gift guide!

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25 great gifts for Photography & Photo fans

It’s a tradition of mine to do a gift-giving guide on my blog each year and it’s one of my favorite things to do. I really love to figure out gifts for people and I think I’m actually pretty good at it. I had so many favorite ideas this year, that I’m splitting them up into 4 posts. You might recognize some of them from past years, but they are all gifts that I truly recommend. You might want to bookmark or pin this post for future reference – and it’s always helpful to send it to someone who is your own personal Santa. Everyone needs a little help now and then!

For the photography & photo fan:

 

 

1. A digital photo frame. I still think this is one of the best gifts ever! Make it even more special by including a SD card full of special photos. I love my Aluratek frame, but you can find good ones almost anywhere these days. I suggest going with a bigger frame to maximize the viewing space.
2. Scott Kelby boxed set of photography books. I put Scott’s books on my list every year because I think they are fabulous! I have books 1-3 and I want to get book 4. Any of them would make a great gift for any level of photographer.
3. Une Bobine – A charging cord for your phone that can bend into a tripod. I want one!
4. A beautiful camera bag. I love Jo Totes Millie, but they have all sorts of pretty ones. Epiphanie also makes some fabulous camera bags and they even have some for men. These are all nice choices because they don’t scream “I’m a camera bag!” – they just look like a nice purse or bag.
5. Camera bag inserts – custom made on Etsy. Steph has talked about hers on The Digi Show and she loves it. I love the idea that they can turn any bag, or even a backpack, into a camera bag!
6. Black Rapid camera strap. This is my very favorite camera strap! It’s so comfortable and it’s very easy to access your camera. I’ve talked about this on The Digi Show several times.
7. A Joey pouch (or 2) to go with the Black Rapid strap. I have one of them to keep an extra battery and sd card on hand. Love it!
8. Lisa Leonard camera necklace. I was given this as a gift a few years ago and it still makes me happy to wear it. She makes very high quality jewelry.
9. Adobe Lightroom. This is by far my very favorite way to edit photos. Lightroom is an amazing program and Amazon has it for an incredible price right now!
10. Lightroom book by Scott Kelby – great for someone who wants some step-by-step help and extra tips for Lightroom.
11. SD cards – photographers always need these! I like cards with a lot of capacity. Great for gifts or stocking stuffers.
12. Custom flash cards from Pinhole Press. I’m totally in love with these! I want some and I even already know my ABC’s. lol! Very creative and fun!
13. Fuzzy-wuzzy camera case from Photojojo. I got one last Christmas and it is just the cutest thing! Perfect for my point and shoot camera.
14. Canon Point & Shoot camera – I L-O-V-E mine (Canon S95) and my mom has a model that is a little less expensive (Canon SX230) and it’s fabulous also!
15. Magnetic Photo Rope – perfect for people in dorms/apartments because you can display a bunch of pictures in a small space with only one nail or tack. I have a few of these and I think they are super fun.
16. Wall Decals from Pinhole Press – Ok, I’m seriously excited about these! They come in Large, Medium, and Small sets and they are re-positionable and require no nails or anything. These are on my list for sure!
17. Camera cookie cutters – Santa brought these for me last Christmas and I’m a little embarrassed to say I haven’t used them yet. But, that’s just because I haven’t done much baking this past year. I still think they are really cute!
18. Create Great iPhone Photos book – Many people are mainly using their phones for their main camera these days. Any iPhone user would be sure to love this fun book of tips and ideas. You can read my full amazon review here.
19. iGo Charger – Perfect for the photographer who uses a smart phone because they will be able to carry extra power around with them. They work with usb cords and when you are charging your device, you are also charging up an extra battery pack to keep on hand. I use mine all the time!
20. App gift card & a list of your favorite photography apps – Give an iTunes gift card (or find one for other phones if needed) and include a list of photography apps they might enjoy. Need help? Here are some of my very favorites: Instagram (free), Photo 365, Snapseed, Dynamic Light, Incredibooth, Notica, Trip Journal, Hipstamatic, Flickit Pro,
21. Vintage camera pencil sharpener – I just think this is fun!
22. Gorillapod – I have one for my DSLR, and one for my point and shoot. I’d love to get one for my phone also. These are so useful!
23. Something Blue photo magnets – These are the best out there. They are sturdy and they turn out great. I’ve made dozens of them for friends and family.
24. Camera Lens bracelets – stylish and creative!
25. A gift membership for a Flickr Pro account. In case you haven’t heard…I think Flickr is like the best thing evah!

 

I’ll be back tomorrow with 25 gift ideas for memory keepers. See you then!

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Simple Wedding Gift + Card

We get invited to a lot of weddings, especially at this time of year. We know a lot of young people and we know a lot of parents of young people, so that means a lot of wedding invites. I’ve rotated through a lot of gift ideas over the years and I’ve also tried to shop from gift registries at times. I’ve finally settled on what I think is the perfect gift for all newlyweds and it’s something that is really easy for me to have on hand.

I’ve never met anyone who couldn’t use a little help with a grocery store bill. It’s expensive to set up house. For that matter, it’s expensive to keep a house going! So I keep a few grocery store gift cards on hand and when  wedding comes up, I put the gift card inside a home printed card. I use Bazill cardstock (my favorite!) and a word art piece from the Sweetie Pie kit by Shabby Princess. It’s a simple and sweet message, and everyone seems to really appreciate it.

 

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