Fast Father's Day Gift with Heart

Finding that perfect gift for Pop can be tricky. What do you get the guy who has everything? You can’t go wrong with a gift card, but some feel they lack that heartfelt touch... until now. Here’s an idea that combines the ease of gift cards with the heartfelt touch of a handmade gift. 
It’s an envelope mini album!  


Attach several small envelopes (you can even use the envelopes that come with the gift cards) together using scrapbook adhesive. Decorate the envelopes, and fill each individual pocket with a gift card to one of Pop’s favorite shops. 


This is a Valentine’s Day gift I made for Cor this year. He actually carries it with him, so you’ll have to excuse it’s worn exterior. 
I filled the first envelope with a special love note to my sweet, but you can just as easily fill it with some special words for dear old dad. 
This project can double as your greeting card. Simply fill the inside of envelope #1 with a special sentiment.



I wrote a little poem for each of the remaining panels. The words are clues to the gift card contained within that envelope. 
Cor love coffee beverages, so his first card was to Starbucks--an affordable option.
The sentiment reads: "To show you that I love you a lot, let's start the fun with something hot!"
Another cost-effective choice, I included a card to Cor's favorite fast food restaurant, In n Out. Yum!
The sentiment reads: "The way to a man's heart is the tum, and this surprise I know you'll find num."  
Who doesn't love iTunes? Cor used his to purchase apps, but this is  also a nice choice for the music-lover dad.
The sentiment reads: "To the cutest tech geek I've ever known, here's something to use with your iPhone."
Include a gift card for something you can do with your dad. I went with a movie card for Cor, as we love seeing flicks.
The sentiment reads: "I love time spent with you, Romeo; let's take a night to enjoy the show."
If it's in your budget, include a bigger ticket item in your last envelope. Cor loves shoes more than I do, so I knew Foot Locker was an ideal choice for him.
The sentiment reads: "Last but not least, one more special treat; a card just for those beautiful feet."

Get the Kids in on the Fun!
Here’s an idea! Do you have more than one child. Have each child decorate an envelope, and then hook them all together. That would make this extra personal and special. 
This project can come together in minutes, and it will make for a fun shopping spree for the man who means so much to you. For a quick how-to on connecting the envelopes in a slightly different fashion, you can watch my very first Studio 5 segment (don't judge me; I was a rookie), where I demo a similar project I created for Christmas. 





Happy Father’s Day weekend to all the fabulous papas out there!

Fun with Felt: A Mini Album


When was the last time you felt like doing something a little different with your crafting? For me, it was back in July when Studio 5 asked me to create a mini album from felt. They saw the idea on scrapbooker Elizabeth Kartchner’s blog and fell in love with it, as did I, so I naturally jumped at the chance to play with this forgiving crafting medium. Since today is Grandparents Day, I thought I’d share the outcome of my felt adventures today.


I went with a generational theme, including photos of my great-grandma (Don’t you just love her attire?


My grandma...


My mama...



Me...



And a blank space, where I hope to eventually include pictures of my own little girl.



Plus a few shots of us together, again with a few blank pages that I hope to fill in as the generations continue to grow.


I originally created this book as a gift for my mom, but I fell in love with it and decided I want to be selfish and keep it just for me, so I’m in the process of making a second one for Schmom. It really is that easy to make. I don’t even mind making a duplicate. Hooray for felt!



Have you ever played with this textured medium? If so, I’d love to hear about what you created. If not, I hope you’ll give it a try. This Grandparents Day seems like as good a time as any. :)



Speaking of Grandparents Day, there’s a beautiful assortment of grandparent-themed scrapbook pages on the Creating Keepsakes blog today, including a generational one by me, which was inspired by this very book. I hope you have a minute to check them out.



A very happy day to all of the loving grandparents of the world! If you’re anything like my amazing grandparents were, you make the world a wonderfully imaginative, fun, and caring place. Thank you!



For more on how this little book is made, you can watch this television segment I did, which includes helpful felt pointers, shopping tips, and more! (And you can see more of my Studio 5 segments on the Creating Keepsakes website.)