Weekend Awareness: Create and Personalize

I have always loved giving gifts.  As I've gotten a little older, I particularly recognize the joy of finding just the right thing...the thing that says, "I know you." 

These days, time and resources don't always allow for me to shop to my heart's content.  But I'm reminding myself that, if I can commit the time and some creative juices, I can still find so much joy in gift-giving...in finding different ways to say, "I know you."

Last weekend we went to my cousin's wedding.  She and her husband didn't need anything...in fact, I'm sure they now have two of most everything.  While a nice gift certificate for dinner out would have probably come to mind for me three or four years ago, I needed to get a little more creative.

Building on the "binder" I made to keep our Christmas cards, I decided to make something to allow my cousin and her new hubby to organize the wedding wishes they got.

Their invitation came in the most beautiful velvet-embossed envelope.  I found an acrylic decal that reads, "To Love and Laughter and Happily Ever After," which I framed in the velvet embossing.  I found coordinating paper and card stock to make the cover.  I used metal numbers threaded between ribbon to denote their wedding day.  And I used the ribbon from their invitation as an accent on one of the binder rings.

I was feeling so creative, I decided to make their card, too.

A simple "tie the knot" sentiment out of twine, on handmade cream paper, on brown card stock.

I hope they love it, and I hope it shows, "I know you."

This weekend, we were invited to a fourth birthday celebration for a sweet friend.  The party had a pirate theme.

I don't know much about four-year old boys...so I can't say the game we bought exactly says "I know you"...although it did look so very cool.  So I decided to exercise some personalization in the wrapping.

I crumpled craft paper and drew a treasure map on it.  I broke the twine out again to tie the card, which read: "Happy birthday...hope it's ARGH-uably the best yet!"

And I remembered a cool pile o' bones I'd seen on Pinterest, made from pretzel sticks and mini marshmallows. 

I got a black bin, drew some crossbones to adorn the front, and this was a little bonus "...from the bone yard."  I love the way the gifts looked!

 

This weekend, I'm reminding myself of the joy I get in doing things for others, and in creating.  I was later going to bed a couple of nights in doing these little projects, but the satisfaction I got...and what I hope was the satisfaction from our friends and family...does this mama's soul good.