how to make gifting actually happen

Gifting is, like, a big deal.  Everybody's doing it.  Some people might give modest gifts to everyone they know.  Others might present their close friends with lavish, expensive surprises.  From having observed the gifting culture at my school, I know that it is sometimes frowned upon to not participate in all this gifting.  I've been caught empty handed after receiving colorfully-wrapped packages, having nothing but an old lollipop to give in return.

First of all, I don't have the money to buy everyone I know what they've always wanted.  I don't think that's the point of the holiday season, anyway.  It is nice to have a little something prepared, though.  Even though I hopped on the gifting bandwagon a little late this year, I still came up with some prototypes for next year - along with a more realistic concept of how much time it takes to become a prepared, gift-ready ninja.

Two months in advance
Step 1: acknowledge that you want to give gifts.

Step 2: make a list of everyone you want to give gifts to.

Step 3: separate that list into 2 categories - people you are going to give something cute and casual to (your friends and relatives), and people you are going to spend extra time on (your mom)

Step 4: brainstorrrm!!! Are you going to make your gifts by hand (very fun, very time-consuming) or are you going to buy them?

Potential store-bought gifts for everyone:

- mini deodorant

- mini soap

- tinsel

- candles 

- chocolate

- glitter

- stickers

- stationery

- cute beanie baby

Potential homemade gifts for everyone(ish):

Tutorial here.

Estimated time per bracelet: 1-2 hrs

Reserve 1-2 days for every bracelet you intend to make.

Inspired by this guy, Ryan Conners.

Materials I used:

- brown polymer clay

- acrylic paint (many colors)

- clear glaze

- cardstock paper

- scissors

- small knife

- rolling pin

Process:

Design your ornament shape on cardstock paper.  Cut out to make a template.  After kneading (and mixing, if necessary) your polymer clay, roll out a thin layer with a rolling pin.  Lay the template down on the clay and cut around the edges with a butter knife (or smaller tool, if you have one).  Bake the clay.  When cooled, paint on details.  When dry, paint on glaze.  Let dry overnight.

Estimated time per ornament: 20 min

Set aside 2-3 days for mass-producing ornaments

I used the America's Test Kitchen recipe, which was fairly pleasing.  Here is this mom's take on the recipe.

Estimated time per batch: 2 hrs

Set aside 2-3 days for mass-producing cookie plates (keep in mind: these do not keep for a long time in the fridge)

Now go and enjoy the REST OF THE YEAR!  This article may not be useful to you now now, but it will be useful to you sooner than you think! (hint hint)

holiday gift guide: cootie catchers

          

Wow!  It's winter!  How did that happen?  

A brief update on me: In addition to being a person in high school, I am in fact a senior in high school.  I have been learning how the college application process works (very "survival" worthy), along with learning to drive.  Woop!  Normal things!  I figured my crafty drive had ceased two summers ago, but many crafty schemes have since accumulated in the depths of my brain.  Why not keep sharing them?

Why now?  To be honest, I received a lovely comment encouraging me to continue!  Thanks, Ashley!

 

These cootie catchers are great to print out and share with yo friends.  I selected only the juiciest of dares, most intriguing of fortunes, and most puzzling of would-you-rathers.  What's the best thing about these cootie catchers?

You can color them in!  Isn't that fun?  

In case you forgot how to fold a cootie catcher, here's how:

They're perfect stocking stuffers, in my opinion.  Have your whole family asking each other which they would rather: being hairy all over or being completely bald?  You can stuff one away in your back pocket during holiday gatherings, then whip it out during awkward conversation.  The possibilities are endless.

Have fun! 

~*in the moment*~ bookmarks

I felt like reading, probably because there was harder work to be done.  It was beautiful, mid-afternoon.  How could I be expected to do my chores in such conditions?  I would read.  

Franny and Zooey conveniently rested on the family bookshelf.  I had never read it before, which was even more convenient.  My hand gripped its glossy surface as I proceeded to the couch.  That's when I was walloped with a mind-twisting obstacle: what would I use as a bookmark?  Glancing once more at the book, I took in its sparse, vintage cover.  It was a pretty book.  I wanted a pretty bookmark - one that gave me the same cozy feeling the book did.  

And so, in five minutes, I had one ready.

You, too, can compose a bookmark of equal sentiment and easiness.  Here is what you will need:

Use scissors (not featured above) to cut your card stock in the shape of a bookmark.  Mine is exactly 5 .5 inches by 2.1 inches, but do whatever fits your needs.  For instance, consider the size of your book.  Larger books require larger bookmarks, while tiny books suit bookmarks the size of a baby's thumb.  

Apply smaller clippings to your bookmark with glue or tape.  These clippings should further reflect the mood you are in, your beliefs, or the theme of the book you will read.  

You can use stickers, old birthday cards from an age you no longer associate with, magazine cutouts, and especially old wrapping paper.  These will act as the vessels of your inspiration, creativity, and motivation.  Cherish them.  

No go and enjoy reading!

tokens of appreciation, part 3

Every now and then I have a friend who goes off on vacation for a very long time.  Like, a month.  Or two months.  If I'm lucky, I get their address.  Thus begins the creation of a super cool keepsake, a pick-me-up, a moment of bonding between chums.  COLLAGE CARDSSSSS!!!

My usual collage cards are not complex.  In the past, I've made thank-you notes that look like this:

Simply find an emotional photograph (ANYWHERE) and paste it stylishly to the front corner of your folded card stock.  Add "thank you so much" or "thanks a lot" or just "thanks."  Apply this same concept to other scenarios.

Before I got all fancy, I considered thanking my friend for her little card-from-far-away with my usual method.  Then, I got to thinking.

With a simple base, one could add ANYTHING to these green hills!  

And so, the birth of "What Zoe Thinks Vermont Looks Like."  This year, my friend is off to an intense 6-week dance camp in Vermont, which (lets be honest) sounds a little mysterious... a little whimsical.  Why Vermont?  Is it the land of dancers?  The land of rolling green hills, perhaps?  

So yeah.

Collage cards.

Tips:

1. Squirt tacky glue into a dish and paint it onto your scraps with a paintbrush.  It's way stickier than other glues.  

2. Allow paper to hang over the edge of your card as you apply it.  You can trim the edges when you're done. 

3. Take a photo of your potential collage before you glue everything down, so you have something to act as a reference when actually gluing.

tokens of appreciation, part 2

A friend of mine has a soft spot for Disney fairy movies.  My usual response to her enthusiasm is, "eh, fairy movies are for babies, right?"  I'm actually not this cruel in person, but the whole tinker bell thing has remained a distant Disneyland memory.  I recall my five-year-old self, feeling woozy after many hours of draining sunlight, unicorn lollipops, and overwhelming simulation rides.  Tinker bell wings got me through it.  *EMOTION*

I agreed to see a fairy movie with her, though, because I was curious.  She gave me this card before viewing Walt Disney's Tinker Bell.  It reads,

Dear Zoe,

You are cordially invited to your very first fairy film gala.  May you have a magical evening!

Pleasantly, (my buddy)

I was super pumped to see the movie after reading her little note.  How charming!  Tinker Bell, it turns out, was as restorative as eating s'mores by an evening campfire.  Simple, but joyful to watch.  The animation was buttery and smooth and made me forget about stupid age restrictions.  Besides, behind every children's movie is a message worth receiving.  Those kids hafta get something out of it.   In Tinker Bell's case, it was that we should all accept ourselves for who we are, and use our OWN skills to bring good into the world, not other people's.

what.

Alright, so how about a little back story on this here photo/collage?  You see, each morning I flip through magazines while eating breakfast.  Sometimes I flip through catalogs, which I find especially satisfying.  There's something magnificent about reading a paragraph on why you should buy this particular swimsuit, or why these shoes are so perfect for the season.  That, and the photography - some catalogs have great photography.

So after years of doing this, I've gradually started itching to make catalogs of my own.  Why not describe my on pair of imaginary pants?

Have I bored you?
Take THIS!

This is the result of one of my cravings to make catalog spreads, only I didn't add the words.  I cut-and-pasted images from around the web to form Amy Poehler and Carrie Brownstein's Day at the Beach.  "Beach Fun."  I could have added words, but I think we can all agree it's weird enough already.

tokens of appreciation, part 1

When three of my (somewhat shy) friends chose to get out there and try out for the school play, I was amazed by their bravery.  I mean, pretending to be another person... in front of someone... enthusiastically?  That sounds really scary.  I wanted them to know how cool a thing they had just done was, and did so by making these cards of Adoration.  

Sure, it's got my face on it, but it also has theirs!  This was simply the most straightforward way for me to tell them I thought they were brave.  When I'm brave, I want someone to point it out.  I DEMAND IT.  I don't demand it.  But I'm just saying it's a nice thing to do.

The back looks like this.  They're around 2x3 inches, on card stock.  I used colorful markers like these.  You can get the little cards, pre-cut (also know as "Artist Trading Cards"!!!) at any art store.

When you've made a few, just hand them to your friends whenever convenient.  They're very portable.  You can even make some blank ones to hand out spur-of-the-moment, in case you witness an act of bravery first hand.  

Also -- are you worried you won't be able to draw a little chibi version of yourself?  I've even gone so far as to make a teeny tutorial on that, because I really want to be an advocate for these cards.  If all else fails, though, just make something up.  It's not about the art, it's about the APPRECIATION, people.  

clay foods, and you

If you've taken a good long look at my diagram above, you now know that tiny clay models of food are irresistible.  Part of their excitability comes in making them.  There are polymer clay food cookbooks in bookstores.  There is also a huge DIY culture that surrounds their making.  

I got wrapped up in this trend when I was in seventh grade, when I saw my first tutorial video on Youtube.  It went something like this:

"So today we're going to be making this very cute tiny hamburger out of polymer clay..." in a nasally, pre-pubescent girl voice.  I could listen to those things for hours, until a drool formed on my lips and I fell into a sleep-like state.

I made my own tutorial as a form of re-visiting this old past time, and found myself making more and more cupcakes after I was done with the first forty-eight.  Just kidding, I've only made nine.  They make great charms.  I recommend slipping them into the pockets of that cute boy/girl at school, which will guarantee you their love.

** bake polymer clay (found at Michael's, in little squares) at 275 degrees for 15 minutes