Gift in a Jar - "For your Mistletoes"

I needed an idea for a co-worker Xmas gift, and thought this gift would be perfect.

The materials needed are quite flexible. I will tell you what I used. A mason jar (Target, $2.19), a 4-in-1 foot scrub tool (Marshalls, $3.99), Neutrogena foot cream 2 oz (Target, $4), Essie nail polish - color of your choice (Kohl's, $6 with 30% off), Toenail clipper (Target, $1), Cotton balls (I had some laying around the house), a few scraps of cardstock, some sort of ribbon/decorative string, & a printed out paper that reads "for your mistletoes".

I like to print out a few different fonts & sizes because I never know what will look right until I am almost done with the project. 

In total, I spent about $15 on these items, with the largest cost being the nail polish. I am a huge Essie advocate, but going with a cheaper brand would bring the price down significantly. 

If you don't have a corner rounding punch tool, I highly recommend one. Once I got mine I had no idea how I ever crafted/scrapbooked without it!

I used some scraps of paper that I had to create this little gift tag. Since I only had a triangle piece of the snowflake paper left, I made do with a funky layout of patterned cardstock and plain cardstock. I matched the color to the nail polish in an attempt to be more festive. I wrote a little note on the back of the tag wishing the recipient a Merry Christmas, etc. 

In the end, the 4-in-1 scrub tool ended up too big for the jar. I feel like it actually brought more depth to the gift by leaving it sticking out like this. I put the screw top on the jar, but I left off the center cover so the scrubber could pop out. I reused some paper ribbon that was on a gift I'd already received. Overall I was very pleased with how simple this gift was and how well it turned out. 

Happy Christmas gifting!


P.S. Happy birthday Molly!

Penguin Gift Tags

I always put a lot of thought into wrapping presents. I love how they all look under the tree. This year I decided to make my own gift tags rather than buying them. I found this idea on pinterest, but I put my own spin on it.

Materials needed: cardstock in black & white (you can use another color other than black to switch it up a little), orange cardstock or construction paper, scissors, glue or double stick tape, ribbon & a hole punch.

 If you can't tell, I am not the best cutter. This seems like a trivial skill, but in this project I suppose it plays a big role. I think that despite my mediocre cutting skills, my gift tags still turned out alright. I don't think anyone will be inspecting the tags as they are unwrapping their presents Christmas morning.

The first thing I did was make template cut outs so I could trace them again & again to make multiple tags. I arbitrarily drew an oval shape on my black cardstock and cut it out. I did the same with white, making sure it was slightly smaller. Next I cut out 2 small hearts and a triangle shape for the nose.

I laid the pieces in the way I planned to glue them to assure they were the right size. Once I determined they were a good fit, I used them as stencils for the next set of pieces. 

Switch it up a bit by using different colors besides black to make your penguins. 

 I did not use the hearts and triangle nose pieces as stencils since they were so small. I cut each of these free-hand (it's not that hard!). I used double stick tape to attach the white pieces to the black or pink (or any other color you choose) back pieces and I used a dot of Elmer's glue to attach the feet & nose pieces. Then I used a fine tip black Sharpie to dot on the eyes.

The last step is to punch a hole in the top of the penguin and add a ribbon. I chose a Christmas-y looking red & white striped ribbon. I think yarn would also look really cute and work well for this.

The final product!

You can either write on the penguin's stomach or on the back (use a metallic sharpie for the black penguins) to address who the gift is for. I think these will be a perfect addition to all my gifts this year.

Happy Christmas wrapping!