Season of Handmade Giving

With the growing popularity of Pinterest, a website designed for you to create virtual bulletin boards of your favorite internet finds with back links to the picture's original URL, gift-giving and decorating has made a shift into the world of DIY (do it yourself).  I LOVE making gifts for people, which is kind of how Kidspired Creations got started.  I find it is (1) cheaper if you just make something yourself and it (2) means a little bit more to the person when you put a little time and energy into making their gift.

Now if you feel you are not the crafty type, do NOT be afraid to take a small step into the DIY world!  You, too, can be crafty I promise!!!  For the next few posts I will show you some past DIY gifts that my sister and I have made.  Some are more difficult than others, but think about ways that you can adapt this to your crafting style.  When I see a new DIY craft, I first like to look at what materials are needed and try to tweak the project a bit so I can work with what I already have... to save money and a trip to the store, of course.

I recently walked around my mom's house and took pictures of the decor my sister and I have made for her over the years.  She LOVES when we make her gifts... and most often requests home-made gifts from us... and like a typical mom proudly displays them on her walls.

DIY Picture Matte

You can purchase a blank picture matte of any size from any craft store (hint: some frames come with white ones already).  Stores like Hobby Lobby will custom cut the matte for you if your frame is not a standard size.  Hand the paint and brush over to your kids and let them paint away!  For my mom's mattes I gave my kids 3 colors that I knew would match my mom's decor.

DIY Clothesline Frame

My sister found this beautiful old frame that has been in the family for a while.  She removed the backing and created horizontal "clotheslines" out of wire by using small nails or staples on either side of the frame and tying the wire between them.  She then printed her favorite pictures from my parent's wedding, my wedding, and her wedding. 

DIY Necklace Holder

Handy women of the world UNITE!  Super simple if you know how to work a drill and a bolt cutter.  This particular plaque came from Hobby Lobby.  Dab some paint on it and to make it a little more rustic, gently sand the edges to make the natural wood color show through.  These knobs came from Hobby Lobby and World Market.  Drill a hole through your plaque, screw in your knobs and use a bolt cutter to cut the excess screws so they don't stick out the back.

Shadow Box for 3D Memories

I purchased this shadow box at Hobby Lobby to display my sister's and my Christening gowns.  I screwed a little hook into the top to hang the gown from and used double sided tape for the hat, bib and shoes.  If you find a good frame sale, this is a super cheap project!

DIY Decorative Hooks

Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Joann's each sell different types of unfinished wood products that are just waiting for you to add a personal touch.  This plaque came with the knobs already attached so all you need to do is paint!

DIY Family Tree

This one is so easy a child can do it!  I painted a simple tree on a 11x14 canvas and my 4-year-old son made the leaves with his finger prints.  I then added our family names, a birdhouse - a special way my family likes to remember my dad, and my parent's wedding anniversary date.

An Original Painting

My mom requested a Casey original to hang above her bed.  Now I am not the best painter of landscapes or anything realistic, really... I try to stick to kidspired doodles and polka dots ;-)  However, I did try my hand at a swamp landscape for my mom and she and I both love how it turned out!  It doesn't matter how good you are at painting, try a simple design or pattern to put on a canvas and you might impress yourself!  I think I need a lot more practice, and maybe some painting lessons, before I'm ready to hit art galleries!

Coffee Table Picture Top

This personalized project is only semi-DIY.  This coffee table has been in my family for a few generations.  Over the years, it has acquired some not-so-pretty kicks and water spots from not using coasters.  My sister and I decided to finally make this sore sight a fun conversation piece!  First I printed out pictures of my boys, my mom's grandchildren.  I took the pictures to the Hobby Lobby framing department and gave them the dimensions of the table and all of my pictures.  In just an hour they had cut a custom matte with openings for all the pictures that fit perfectly inside my mom's coffee table.  My sister then went to a glass store and had glass cut to fit the table.  It looks AMAZING in her living room!

Stay tuned for more DIY projects that made great Christmas presents for my family and friends!

P.S. I would LOVE for you to follow me on Pinterest:  username KidspiredCre8!  And feel free to "pin" any of the pictures you see on my blog, just please make sure that it links back here and not to a generic search engine.  Thanks!!!