gift ideas — pleasure in simple things

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holiday theme 2016

November

For someone that normally has a holiday theme chosen well over 6 months before December, this year is very different for me. I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted for 2016’s holiday theme until recently. Once the start of November happened, I decided I needed to choose a theme, quick! Every year, so much of my holiday planning is tied into my chosen theme and this year I started November with no plans!

Initial mugs always make great gifts on their own or filled with sweets or a succulent. This one from Terrain is a beauty!

What did I decide? A typography theme! At first, I thought I might call my theme “to the letter,”, but I really didn’t want to leave out the numbers! Then I thought maybe I should go with “by the numbers,“ but that would leave out the letters! Typography might not sound as cute, but it includes both numbers and letters!

The glasses I adore from Mark and Graham…perfect to use on my holiday table!

When I start thinking about all the possibilities using a typography theme, it really puts my creative spirit into overdrive! Here is some of my initial brainstorming. We shall see how it plays out!

Williams-Sonoma’s initial doormat makes a great gift and is right on theme!

Wrapping Ideas

Initial key chain or luggage tag as package tag
Book pages as wrapping
Number gift tags using rubber stamps
House numbers tied to packages

See what I mean? So much to work with! Remember the DIY wire gift tags I made into words a couple years back? Click here to see them.

4lovecustomgifts on Etsy makes wonderful custom initial or name signs like this one!

Gift Ideas

Initial doormat
Initial necklace
House number or last name sign
Sign using coordinates of a place with special meaning
Personalized stationary
Monogrammed items
Initialed items
Initial wine bottle stopper with bottle and opener
Gifts with personalized zip codes

Initial necklaces may have been around for a while, but there are always some different choices to give as gifts. I love this one made by nest on Etsy!

Gift ideas are super easy to come up with using a typography theme! And I have made some gifts in the past that would work well…remember the zip code tray, the zip code pillows, or the embellished mason jar. (Click on the names to see the tutorials.)

Tabletop

Number/letter sparklers
Number glasses for desserts
Initial cheese tray

This William-Sonoma cheese tray is just perfect for a typography themed Christmas!

These beautiful gold numbers and letters I found at Paper Source are sparklers, but I won’t actually be using them as sparklers in my holiday decor…I just love the way they look! Maybe I will spell out Joy and place them in a dessert or use them at individual place settings.

I also have tons of ideas for my holiday tabletop with my new theme! I really want to serve dessert in these really cool glasses with numbers that I found. My traditional holiday rosemary shortbreads can be cut with alphabet and/or number cookie cutters!

Home Décor/Tree

Initial ornaments
Ornaments made from book pages
An initial wreath

If you would rather not make your own initial wreath, Ballard Designs has them ready made!

The tree and home décor is fun to think about. I will definitely make an initial wreath for my front door this year and ornaments will be fun to create…remember when I made the animals from book pages? Or, the Ikea heart with script? (Click on them to see the DIYs.) I am sure I can come up with some new ones! If you would rather purchase ornaments, there are always great initial ones at Anthropologie as well as some of the other stores during the holiday season.

A great initial ornament from Pottery Barn if you would rather purchase an initial ornament over making one.

Well, that is the start of holiday theme 2016! Do you use a theme for your holiday? I hope I inspired you to start thinking about one…what will you come up with for this year?

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Note: The product photos shown here were taken from the respective websites.

Comments Off on holiday theme 2016 | diy, food & festivities, gift ideas, holiday

happy mother’s day

May

It’s Mother’s Day weekend. I was in a gift shop yesterday and I was amazed at those that buy something for their mom just to buy something. That is so not in the spirit of Mother’s Day! Mother’s Day is about recognizing a very special person. There is nothing wrong with buying a gift to give to that special person. But, not knowing what your mom might like as a gift leads me to believe a better gift would be time spent with mom!

For Friday field trip today, I thought I would share three previous projects that might help you come up with a more personal gift for mom this Mother’s Day.

First, a cool sentimental gift. Make a sachet using a family heirloom! See the full post by clicking here.

Second, a fun recipe that can be served in a teacup. A great way to spend time with Mom is to avoid the crowded restaurants, and serve up something homemade. Click here for the recipe for this crème brulee.

And, third…the old stand-by…flowers! IF your mom is into flowers – after all, you should know! But, skip the overpriced cliché roses and give a potted plant personalized to your mom’s taste. It’s so much more fun to receive something that can be planted in the ground and enjoyed all season!

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day surrounded by those you love. Thanks for stopping by. Love you mom! :)

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

2 comments » | diy, garden, gift ideas, holiday

pencil love

February

I have a love for pencils. I can’t help it. I prefer old school notebook and pencil over a keyboard any day. And, I certainly wouldn’t give up my beautiful Kate Spade organizer for the electronic phone version! I love the aesthetics and the feel of a good organizer and I would never reduce all my painstakingly made plans to lifeless little boxes on the calendar of my android!

Pencil inspiration for the next generation! The wonderful children’s book by Allan Ahlberg.

For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing a little pencil love!

cool erasers from CW Pencil Enterprise in NYC

Some really cool erasers from CW Pencil Enterprise in New York City. A ‘must visit’ for any pencil lover!

I enjoy both using pencils and giving pencils! Some of my past pencil gifts have included some DIY fringed pencils that are perfect for Valentine’s Day (click here for the link),

customized ‘beachy’ pencils (click here for diy),

and personalized pencils for book lovers (click here for diy).

I love giving pencils with customized printing. They are so fun to create and it is a fun challenge to contain a message to a limited number of letters!

I hope I have inspired a little pencil love today! :)

Check out my Facebook page today to read more about these amazing carved pencil tip sculptures by artist Dalton Ghetti!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on pencil love | diy, gift ideas, inspiration

zip code catch-all tray

April

I have been wanting to make something using a zip code for quite some time. I don’t think 90210 is the only zip code worth embracing…the zip code from wherever you call home is the perfect one to display! Or, a place you dream about visiting (should I look up the zips from the locales with the best beaches?…) Anyway, this time I am using the zip code from my daughter’s home away from home…aka school.

It is an easy DIY project…I will guide you through the steps…

If you follow my procedure, you will need the following items:

a clear glass plate (I purchased mine at Target)
Con-Tact adhesive paper in clear
Krylon looking glass spray paint
a clear coat of some type (I used a spray)
a clean spray bottle
a computer printer

The first thing I did was to figure out how I would get the zip code onto the glass. I decided to print it onto clear Con-Tact adhesive paper so that I could easily adhere it to the glass. I picked out a font called Stohr Numbers on www.dafont.com. Once you have the image you want to use, you will need to print it out in reverse image…to do this, either indicate the proper setting on the print settings of your printer or, you can use a graphics software. You need to do this so that the sticky part of the Con-Tact paper is on the front of the numbers because you will be adhering it to the underside of the glass.

To accomplish this, I used clear Con-Tact paper (I love this product – I use it for so many things!). I simply cut a piece of the Con-Tact adhesive paper and hand-fed it through my computer printer. I used a scissors to trim closely around the numbers. You can cut out the numbers individually, but I chose not to because I wanted to keep the spacing between the numbers exact.

I peeled off the backing of the Con-Tact paper and positioned the numbers where I wanted them, affixing them to the underside of the glass by rubbing firmly. I scratched up the letters a little bit…just so they looked a little distressed.

Now, I just needed to create the mercury glass effect. You have probably seen items created with the Krylon looking glass spray paint – it seems to be one of the hot craft items right now…with good reason! It is so cool! It creates a mirror effect on glass. This is created by spraying five thin coats of spray on the underside of the glass.

But, I did not just want a mirror effect…I wanted a mercury glass look…that is where the spray bottle comes in.

Put a little bit of clean tap water into the spray bottle and adjust the nozzle to a fine mist. Then, read the instructions on the Krylon paint.

Before you start your spray painting, spray a fine mist of water on the underside of the piece. Immediately spray your first coat of looking glass spray paint, following the directions on the can. I sprayed a fine mist of water onto the paint after each coat for the first three coats. After three coats were completed, I blotted (not rubbed) the back of the piece to absorb the water so that the mottling would receive two fine coats of the paint. I guess everyone develops their own technique after trying this product, but I like the depth created by this method.

After the paint was dry, I sprayed a clear coat on the underside of the piece to protect the paint from scratching.

That was it! I finally got my zip code tray and I think it is a perfect place to drop off car keys!

I hope you enjoyed this DIY for a zip code mercury glass tray…what zip code will you choose to display?

Thanks so much for visiting, Jackie

I am sharing at Coastal Charm, The Shabby Nest, Craftberry Bush, A Pinch of Joy, Craftionary, and Common Ground.

6 comments » | diy, gift ideas

5 great ways to use sea glass

July

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.”
—Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Okay, after spending countless hours searching for sea glass, you are pleased with your collection this season. Are you tempted to add it to that one big jar you have in some nondescript location? Don’t do it! There are better ways to put these beautiful treasures on display. Here are five great and easy ways to use your favorite pieces of sea glass…no drill, glue, or special talent required. (Be sure to click on the photo collages below to see the sea glass treasures full screen.)

IN YOUR GARDEN Sea glass looks great as a decorative touch in your garden. It gives a fresh look to a birdbath or garden container. It is also a neat way to finish off a potted plant by covering the top of the soil. Maybe the thank you gift for the weekend you spent at your friend’s beach house is a plant finished off with the treasures you collected while visiting.

ON A SHELF A great way to display favorite pieces in your home is on a shelf, bookcase, or coffee table. Just use a couple favorite pieces to highlight them as special, or group them by color for some great impact. They look wonderful used in combination with other natural items like driftwood or a bird’s nest. A unique piece can look great under a small dome on your mantle.

AS A VASE FILLER Using sea glass to fill a vase is always a great way to bring the beach into your home. Pieces can be used in a vase with fresh flowers or to anchor a candle in a jar. Putting pieces in a mason jar and adding an old nostalgic black and white beach photo is a great addition to a summer mantle. If you have a large collection, filling a glass lamp is another option. I like to use a filled vase to serve skewered summer appetizers or desserts.

MAKE AN EASY AIR FRESHENER Gather some pieces of sea glass into a small dish or teacup to use as an air freshener. Just add your choice of fragance oil. I found some really great oils at a local herb store, but most craft stores also carry it. You can pick a floral scent or something reminiscent of the sea and surf. Yard sales or Goodwill stores are great sources for pretty dishes that are sure to sell for under a dollar. Or, use that odd teacup you haven’t been able to throw away.

TO CREATE WRAPPING PAPER Take a photo of some pieces of your collection. Get a color print of it on your home printer or at the local copy center to use as wrapping paper. An easy way to add the beauty of the sea to a gift. Use raffia or pretty sea-colored ribbon and tie on a shell to complete the look. Use your new giftwrap for any occasion. It is a great departure from the giftwrap typically used for the holidays..using it brings recollections of warm memories of the sand and sea no matter how cold it may be outside :)