Let's Stamp Stationary!

Project two is a hand made stationary set

which is an excellent gift for

teachers, friends, birthdays, as a special thank you

or just to have on hand for those unexpected occasions.

Here's what you'll need to get started:

• Stamps (2 or 3)
• Stamp Pads
• Plain Solid Colored Stationary (Cards and Envelopes)
• Add-on Stamps/Stamp Pad (optional)

Choose a design or theme and coordinate it with the stamp pad color.

First, we've done a birthday stamp on a red stamp pad.


Carefully line the stamp up with a straight edge and press down firmly.


Now you have handmade birthday cards to have on hand
or give as a gift as part of a set, as we've done.

Next we've chosen a flower design.



Again, press the stamp down firmly once you have chosen your desired spot.

For the flower design, we chose a dark green stamp pad.

Part two of our set is completed with all-occasion note cards!

Now, on to the envelopes...

We purchased this "snail mail" stamp at the dollar store, matched it

with the dark green stamp and placed it on the back of the envelope.

For some of the envelopes we placed the stamp over the envelope seam.

Others were placed on the flap.

The envelope stamping adds an extra little something to our set.

After tying it with a piece of pretty ribbon,

we've added a small stamp pad and

a set of four mini-stamps purchase from the

dollar store to allow the recipient to

further personalize their hand-written notes.

The set is packaged together in a clear, decorative bag,

which was also purchased from the dollar store.

This set includes 5 all-occasion cards,

5 birthday cards, ten snail-mail envelopes,

4 stamps and a stamp pad in our red bag.

Here's a breakdown of what we spent:

• $7.00 Set of 40 white notes cards & envelopes (Walmart)
• $3.00 Two stamps + stamp kit set (Dollar Tree)
• $3.00 Two ink pads (Target clearance)
• $1.00 Miscellaneous wrapping materials (Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby clearance)

Total cost of 4 sets of stationary: $14.00

Cost of each gift: $3.50

This gift idea is very easy, fast and economical. We recommend doing the sets

ahead and packaging them for occasions possibly forgotten

or those that simply sneak up on you!

Another option is to design your own note cards

and use it as a "signature" when sending

hand written notes for all occasions. In business and in life,

individuality is always a good thing!

Happy stamping...

Make a Magnificent Magnet Set!

Project one is an amazing magnet set that is so inexpensive and so easy it's almost too good to be true...

...but it's not!

Here's all you need to complete the project:

Scissors

Glue

magazine, newspaper, scrap paper, etc.

Accent Gems

Magnets

Here's what you do:

When you've gathered all the necessary materials,

choose your print and place the accent gem on the paper to see what your magnet will look like.

Cover the back of the accent gem with stick glue and place it carefully on the paper.

Carefully cut off the excess paper to make a circle on the back of the accent gem.

Don't worry too much about what the back looks like, because it will be covered by the magnet.

Once the cutting is complete, you're ready to glue on the magnets.

Be sure to choose magnets heavy enough for your gems.

Our multi-purpose glue was actually purchased at the dollar store!

Carefully glue the magnets in the center of the back of each gem.

When complete, allow to dry overnight before adhering to a magnetic surface.

Metal boxes of all kinds are an excellent way to package your magnets.

We have chosen a metal cigar box to display and package our floral magnet set.

When packaging the magnets,

you can cover the box facing with printed paper and/or a note, as shown above.

It is important, when presenting a hand made gift,

that you share its origin with the recipient.

Be crafty and proud!

When wrapping our gift, we chose the simple, classic white butcher paper, adorned with dollar store ribbon and one of our magnets from the set of ten.

These are some other sets we made and believe that while a set of ten is a nice gift,

the sets of five shown above make great add-on gifts to either something purchased

or a complete set of handmade items!

Above, from left to right, we have a bridal set (kisses, life, believe, bliss & love birds), the around the world set (kangaroo, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Great Wall and English country house) and fabric patterns (stripes, plaid, lace, animal print) for our fashion friend.

No matter what patterns and pictures you choose, keep the recipient in mind when making the gift (that's how you include the love!) and be sure they know it was made specifically for them.

Here's a breakdown of what we spent on this project:

• $2.00 Two Bags of ~30 Decorative Gems (Dollar Tree)
• $6.00 50 Round Magnets (Walmart)
• $1.00 Multi-purpose Glue (Dollar Tree)
• $.50 Glue Stick (Target)
• $1.00 Miscellaneous Wrapping Materials

Total Cost of 50 Magnets (with leftover materials): $10.50

Five gifts of ten magnets = $2.10 per gift

Happy Gifting!

You may wonder why...

...two classy Southern ladies would spend their time developing and writing a blog but the fact is, for us, art is paramount. Life and art are synonymous and reflect all the things we love about living: our families and friends, animals and flowers, rainbows and stars. In America, we have become so cemented in materialism that we decided to break the mold and make rather than buy all our Christmas gifts for 2009. Our goal is to make 30 gifts for under $300! Follow our progress and learn to customize and personalize items for your friends, family and acquaintances. They will appreciate the one-of-a-kind gift and you'll reap financial, personal rewards for giving your time and love in such a distinct way. The first project is already complete so get ready for fun art projects, incredible adventures of bargain shopping and the secret to any gift given...packaging! Stay tuned...