Summer Snack Pack

The kids and I made this for Father's Day for my husband. Filled with their favorite snacks, who wouldn't love this totable treat? It's a great idea for a birthday, especially for a guy that is hard to find a gift for. Ours started with Izze soda bottles that were filled with peanut M&Ms, cashews and pistachio nuts. {I considered trying to convince my husband that HIS favorite snacks had been changed to something easier to get into the spout of the bottles. Hopefully your guy loves sunflower seeds or something small like that.}

When the treats are gone, the cardboard carrier can have a second life as a plasticware caddy for a summer party, or maybe some pencils and markers in your craft room . . . . hmm . . .

I got this idea from Kristine McKay. You can check out this and other ideas on her blog HERE. Enjoy!

Lunch Bag Makeover

One thing that really seems to ring true with crafters is, "It's the little things that bless our lives the most." I have a lot of fun taking something pretty ordinary and making it more special.

I raided my collection of lunch and party bags and added some simple stamping to make these daily treat containers for my nine year-old's first adventure at summer camp. I wanted her to feel special and have a little treat and a note, so she knew her family was thinking of her every day.

This is a great idea for the first day of school, a birthday, or any day that you want a kiddo to feel special. It's not just for kids either! A little something extra written or stamped on a spouse's lunch bag would certainly make them feel special. Any small item given as a thank you or a favor in a lunch bag will seem even more thoughtful with a small sentiment and some decoration.

My mom gave me this great little book from Focus on the Family that has tear-out pages with encouraging messages for kids. I wrote a little something extra on the pages that I tucked in my camper's bags and making your own unique notes on computer stationery would be pretty simple.

Here are some of the same bags dolled up a little more for my daughter's "Spa" birthday sleepover.

My favorite sources for lunch bags are the dollar store, Big Lots!, and Target, which carries plain bags in red, white & blue.

If you like this idea, you might like these:

Semi Hand Stamped Gift Bags

or

Boo Your Own Kids Bags

Featured in the New Catty from The Angel Company

I was so so tickled to design projects with the new "Valentine" set from TAC's 2010 Inspiration Book & Catalogue. It's a cute set and it can actually be used as an all-occasion set by leaving off the word "Valentine".

This envelope treat was featured on an Inspiring Idea Project Card that can be clipped out of the catalogue and it's a fun and inexpensive treat to give as a favor or for any holiday. Kids love the Pixy Stix that are tucked inside and you can whip up a bunch of these in a hurry.

You can grab a catalog for the full instructions, but all you really need is a corner rounder and a circle punch.

You'll also notice that the project in the catalogue is a different version, featuring the Lilly Anna Collection. For both versions, I colored the frog with Copic markers. They are so fun!

Sweet Gift: Homemade Sugar Scrub

There isn't an occasion I can think of that would NOT be a perfect time to give a gal this sweet little gift. We made them for teachers, neighbors, mothers, aunts, grandmas and they all LOVED them. The best part was that the kids helped.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup white and/or brown sugar

1 cup vegetable or almond oil

1 or 2 drops essential oil

1 or 2 drops vitamin E oil

(I bought the oils at a natural food store for about $15.) Combine all the ingredients and transfer to airtight containers.

Here is what I printed on the tags:

Homemade Sugar Scrub

Contains: white & brown sugars; vitamin E, almond and orange oils. Directions: Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. If desired, add a small amount of hand soap before throughly rinsing.

Containers:

I got small screw top containers at The Container Store. I also found some larger canning jars at Wal-Mart and used the little disposable cups from the party store to give out small dollops of scrub as gifts at school for the gals who work in the office etc. This would make a very inexpensive and thoughtful party favor for a volunteer appreciation event or a tea party.

Other Gift Ideas:

This is the perfect hostess gift for any occasion. {Just think of how pretty you could package it for the holidays.} I wrapped a container of scrub with a pretty hand towel and added a satin bow as a gift for a friend who is a gardener. A small container of scrub with a bottle of nail polish would be a great gift for a babysitter that the kids could help you make.

If you decide to try this idea, please leave a comment or link to a photo. I'd love to hear who you would give this sugar scrub to!

Christmas {in July} - Cookie Kits

It's so fun to think about Christmas in the middle of summer. It seems to have a cooling effect. Well, there's that and the fact that I was going through photos of things I have crafted but hadn't gotten around to posting AND SOME WERE THIS OLD! But I'm going to choose to think of it as early for next year.

Frozen cookie dough (or the delicious frozen pastries the kids sell for fund raisers) is a great gift around the holidays. We gave these to neighbors. The dough is wrapped with a festive hand towel, a pot holder and a pretty bow. I found the towels, pot

holders and jingle bells at the dollar store, so they were very inexpensive to throw together.

The tags are made from Sizzix shapes and embossing plates. I love how festive they look and they even jingled as I walked up to the neighbors' doors. {I did have to store the whole package in the freezer before I was ready to

deliver them, though.} I hope this gives you a good idea for the holidays, even though they seem far away right now. It would also be a great gift to welcome new neighbors at any time of year!

Summer Salutations

Hello Crafting Friends,

I've had an overwhelming number of inquiries about my absence here, so I thought I would post a note to say "hello" and confirm that I'm still very much alive and thriving.

Long story short, I have been

Savoring Spring and Summer!

I have been doing a little bit of this . . .

and lots of this:

and this:

BUT, I have been doing some crafting as well, so I'll try to post some of the fun things I have been doing soon . . . . .

Until then, thanks so much for asking about me. It's nice to be missed!