Create a Pillow That you can Color

When I was younger if you asked me what I wanted to be when I got older, I would have told you that I wanted to work as a professional colorer. I don't know if it's a thing, but I'm fairly certain I got the idea when I was at Disneyland one time peeking in on the illustrators as they worked. That ship sailed, but the adult coloring phase hit and I rekindled my love of coloring. 

I shared a round up of free coloring pages last year and have continued to enjoy coloring and thought that I would take it one step further and create a fun image to color on fabric. I have a step by step tutorial for you to follow so that you can create a pillow {or t-shirt, tote bag or whatever}to color for yourself or it would make a great gift idea for you to give.

I started out with an image that had great white space. I measured the area that I wanted the image to go on and increased the size of my owl to fit that space. I mirrored the image and used my Silhouette to cut it out using heat transfer vinyl. It took me some time, but I weeded the image as best as I could. You may need to use a special weeding tool to help you get the really small spaces. 

Heat up your iron and iron on your image following the instructions on your heat transfer vinyl. Follow this tutorial on how to cut and use heat transfer vinyl like a pro.

Peel back the plastic layer from your transfer and you will have your image transferred on to your pillow.

These Tulip Fabric Markers make a great addition to the gift {or for you} so that you can color in all the great white spaces.

The best part about putting an image on a pillow is that it sits so nicely and comfortably on your lap.

We are actually going to wrap this one up and give it as a gift.

dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

0

Easy to Make Customized Wedding Date Pillows-a personalized gift idea

We've started off wedding season with a bang here at our house. It's been a real honor to get to spend the day witnessing and celebrating the union of couples that are made stronger because they are together. It's also been fun creating and crafting some fun wedding date pillows. It's a fun and easy gift to make for the happy couple and it will take you under an hour.

It all started with a trip to Ikea. I found these blank pillow covers for $4 and the down pillow inserts were less than $5, making the gift cost under $10 to make. You will notice that I only used the grey cover for one of them. I will explain how I created the other one. Just in case you don't have an Ikea store close by. The white pillow cover will be making it's debut in another post you aren't going to want to miss!

I spend a lot of time looking at the couple's wedding invitation. The font they use on the invite is probably one they hand selected, and if it wasn't, it was something that drew their eye in.

This couple used their initials in their engagement photo shoot so I did the same thing when I designed this in my Silhouette software and cut out my heat transfer vinyl. If you need a tutorial on how to cut and use heat transfer vinyl, you can find one here.

Reverse and weed the image and then iron it on.

I also looked at the couples wedding registry. They had selected grey in a few of their items, which is why I went with this grey pillow cover.

I had decided to use the white pillow cover for another project, but I did have this dark grey king size pillowcase on hand. I cut it down to size {15 1/2x 15 1/2} to cover a pillow form that I had bought at a craft store.

I sewed up the edges, leaving one edge open, and ironed on the heat transfer vinyl before I inserted the pillow form and sewed the pillow shut.

For this pillow, I actually purchased a design in the Silhouette store. It was far easier for me to do that than it was for me to design the whole image myself, though it's totally possible for you to do in the Silhouette designer software. Usually, I end up googling my friend Melissa's blog {Silhouette School} and following a tutorial of hers. She's a genius.

It doesn't take long, but creating these personalized gifts are fun and the couple will treasure them long after their wedding day. Plus also, they like it when you slip in a check too. dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

0

25 free or inexpensive things you can give your mom on Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner. As a mom of three kids that are growing up far too fast, I thought that I would make a list of the top 25 free or inexpensive gifts that you can give your mom on Mother's Day. I promise you, these are all under $10 so they will fit into any budget.  

Honestly, what I had in mind when I wrote this are things that I would appreciate getting from my own kids. Long gone are the days when their teachers helped them create a sweet card or created me an art project in class. My kids are on their own now. This is the perfect list for a teenager or a young twenty something to keep in mind, so make sure you share it with them.

1. Frame a photo of you and your mom together. You can find cheap frames at the dollar store or Goodwill.2. Help your mom with a project. Set aside time to help her do something she's always wanted to do. My mom isn't the most computer savvy, so I helped her make her first photo book. Then I watched her do her second. She's since made several on her own and appreciated the hands on tutorial. 3. Create a photo book. Chatbooks are super easy and only cost $8. You are limited by the amount of pages, so it's best to keep it to a theme {grandkids, recent trip, etc...}.4. Create a gift basket with your mom's favorite candy. You don't need to go all out, just pick a few items you know she loves. Everything looks better in a basket or tied up in a cello bag.5. Spend the day with her. Let your mom pick the destination and then go along for the ride. Even if it might not be your choice for the day, do your best to act like it is.6. Cut some flowers and make an arrangement. You don't need to buy an expensive bouquet {sometimes the best flowers are those you find on the side of the road}, simply put them in a ball jar or take grocery store flowers and rewrap them in brown kraft paper.

source: wedding party

7. Your local big box store often has great plants. Simply find a pot at a thrift shop and you have a great inexpensive house plant.8. There are so many creative people out there creating free printables. Simply print and frame them at home for a handmade gift. You can find lots of free printables on my printable Pinterest board.9. If your mom is crafty, consider putting together a basket with some goodies to DIY from the craft store. Don't forget to use your 50% off coupon!10. Moms love personalized and handmade gifts. These hand stamped necklaces and bracelets cost under $5 to make and can be done in under 20  minutes. 11. Stick to a color palate or theme. For under $10 you can fill a box of sunshine like this from HappyMoneySaver.com. 

12. Give your mom her favorite drink. It could be tea or coffee or maybe it's wine, regardless, just knowing that you know what her favorite is will be treasured.

13. Shop your mom's favorite store. Most likely you will find something in your budget {or get inspiration for something that is in your budget at another store} that she will love.

14. Write a note. Write down your favorite memory with your mom or write a line or two about what you appreciate about her. It doesn't take much and is sure to be appreciated.

15. Create a play list. If your mom is a music lover, she might enjoy the hand selected tunes you have picked for her.

16. Wash and clean her car for her. It won't cost you anything if you do it yourself and the time you spend on it will be greatly appreciated.

17. Make a journal or a notebook for her. You can use scrapbook paper or if you sew, you could cover an existing notebook. Both will cost you less than $5.

18. Make her a dinner. I cook nearly every day of the year so it's nice to have one day when I'm not expected to cook. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but cooking for your mom would be a really sweet gesture.

19. Look around for free events in your area that you think she would like and offer to take her to one. There might be a concert in the park coming up in a few weeks, planning that with her and making the time to go would make her beyond happy.

20. Take on a project that your mom hates. Heck, you may hate it too, but doing it will make her forever grateful. 

21. Do something active together. Go on a bike ride our scout out a local hike.

22. Rent a movie and pop some popcorn and enjoy an evening together. Make sure it's her choice, not yours!

23. Set up a tripod and snap a family picture. You don't need to hire a photographer, just taking the time to be in a picture together that she can share with others will have her beaming. 

24. Visit a local attraction or museum together. Many libraries offer free admission to local museums, all you have to do is check out a pass. Some local attractions are free. Set aside the time to go with your mom.

25. Call her. Like on the phone with your voice. You may not live close enough to your mom to spend the day with her. Simply calling to let her know that you remembered is priceless.

source: Pavan Trikutam

So there you have it. 25 free or inexpensive ways to show your mom that you care this Mother's Day. Let me know if I missed any. I would love to hear from you.dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

0

Hand stamped muslin swaddle blanket

I don't know what it is but I love a good handmade baby gift. I've enjoyed crafting and creating baby gifts for as long as I can remember.  Babies are just so small and fresh and new and there is so much excitement about their impending arrival. It's fun to dream and remember all at the same time! The older I get, the less and less baby gifts I seem to be making for friends and family members. It's just sort of that season as we wait for them all to grow {which is exciting too!}, but thankfully, my youngest son has young teachers and sometimes I get to craft some hand made baby items for them. 

This time though, I wanted my 10 year old son to do most of the crafting for one of his favorite teachers. It's nice to have a gift handmade by a parent. It's even more special if it's created by a student don't you think? 

I could not be more excited about how well this hand stamped swaddle blanket turned out. If my 10 year old can make it, I know you can too!

 Come find out how!



Things in baby land change through the years don't they? One thing that hasn't changed is how much babies love to be swaddled. One thing that has changed is how these swaddle blankets look. Muslin swaddle blankets are all the rage now and look so sweet on those babes who need a lightweight blanket to keep them all snug as a bug. If you don't want to make one, these are pretty sweet.

I was able to find cotton muslin in a few different colors {I settled on grey} at my local Hobby Lobby. I think it was $6.99 a yard but I had my coupon of course to sweeten the deal. I wanted my blanket to be 46x46 inches square, so I got a yard and a half. I pre washed the material and then ironed it and I used my serger to finish the seams. You could also roll the seams and do a straight stitch.

The possibilities are endless as far as stamp designs go, but I knew I wanted to try something simple that wouldn't be discouraging to my 10 year old as he crafted this precious blanket. I stuck with a plus sign {also seen on this project} and since the image was small, I used a sheet of tracing paper and an image on my phone to come up with my design.

To make the stamp, I used a rubber mat, and an exacto knife. I put my tracing paper over the rubber, and used the knife and a straight edge to cut the design out.

Once the design was cut and I had my stamp, I let my son loose! He used Tulip fabric paint that we squeezed onto a paper plate and used a foam brush to apply it to the stamp. He had a wet paper towel near by to wipe his finger tips on so he wouldn't get paint where he didn't want paint.

I didn't do a single one of the stamps. Owen crafted it all!

The stamp worked really well and Owen learned that if he used his brush just right, he could paint in these cool brush lines that would show up in the stamp.

Here is a little recap of how these hand stamp blanket was created.

We were both so happy to work on this project together, but even happier that we could give something Owen worked so hard on to a teacher that worked so very hard with him.

I can't wait to see her sweet little baby boy all wrapped up in this hand stamped muslin swaddle blanket.

What is your favorite thing to make and give for baby gifts? I would love to hear about it!disclaimer: there are affiliate links that are used in this post. 

0

Kids hand painted watercolor cards made into gifts for friends and family members

I know Christmas is over, but we didn't want to spoil the surprise for our friends and family members, so I'm just now sharing them with you. These watercolors are winter heavy, but the same idea can be used anytime of the year to make a special gift for friends and family members.

My 13 year old daughter painted them and I think she did a great job.

Come see what each of them looks like and find out how you can make your own.



 My daughter has some amazing talent. She's unbelievably creative and is a wonderful artist and crafter.  She sat down one afternoon and started painting items we had around the house or things that inspired her, like this red berry wreath

and this forest of trees.

She also created some of her own designs.

I think this one is my favorite!

After she painted the cards, I took them to the local copy shop. I had them color copy each print on cardstock. Then we cut each card down to size and folded them when we got home.Isabella tied each set up with string and they made a lovely gift set. You could take nearly any of your child's art work off to the copy shop and turn their art into a lovely gift don't you think.

0

Easy to sew, easy to give beginners pajama pant kit with free downloadable directions file

My niece is eight and when she asked her mom recently for a sewing kit, my sister in law was at a loss. She wasn't quite sure something like that existed or really what she was looking for, so when I got the questioning text, I messaged back "I got this!".I ended up taking one of my readers favorite tutorials and creating a pajama pants kit that had pre-cut materials inside to make a beginners sewing project. 

I'm sharing with you the file, so that you can create a sewing kit for some of the beginner seamstresses that are in your life.You can download the file here. I've added color pictures so that the directions are easy to follow and can be completed without a seam ripper {fingers crossed}.
All you need to do is to select the fabrics {you will need 7/8 yard for the pants, 1/8 yard for the trim for a size 10 and under} and purchase the elastic and then simply pre-wash the fabric, iron and cut the pattern pieces out. I used a pair of my daughters pajamas that were in her drawer since my niece and my daughter are about the same size. I also ironed the cuff in half before I cut it to make that step easier.

Print off the directions, and add the pattern pieces to a Ziploc bag that you can package and give as a gift. I know this would be perfect for any child learning how to sew!

0

Gift ideas for those that are hard to shop for plus a giveaway!

We all fall into the trap of having someone near and dear to us on our Christmas gift list that we just aren't sure what to buy for them. Instead of getting sucked into the trap of just buying something to buy for them, I've rounded up a few gift ideas for those hard to shop for friends and family.

For the kids

My kids love Lego's. One of my son's favorite gifts last year was a 6 month Pley subscription.  It was not only a gift for him, but a gift for me too!  He would get his pley package in the mail with a new fun Lego creation and would be busy for hours working away. When he was done, we bagged the set up and dropped it off in the mail and a few days later another Lego set would show up at our doorstep. It was the best ever! The best part was that we didn't end up having a ton of new toys taking up space.  You can select a monthly subscription, 3 month subscription, or 6 month subscription.  

My 10 year old loves his Tinker Crate subscription! Talk about kids learning and not even knowing it! He made so many awesome creations and everything was already in the box, which I love because he can open the box and get right to work using the instructions to create whatever fun creation Tinker Crate has in store for him that month!

My creative daughter loves getting the Doodle Crate! She made her own rubber stamps, created a sculpture and had all kinds of cool supplies to use that we wouldn't have picked up at a craft store otherwise.




From now until the 30th, if you have never used Tinker Crate or Doodle Crate or any of it's affiliates before, you can try them for 60% off!

Today only {BLACK FRIDAY!} you can get 50% off even if you have ordered from any of the Kiwi Crate's before. Such a great deal! Don't think that I'm not ordering a few for gifts myself!

I also compiled this list of creative gift ideas for kids. Not a single thing cost over $20!  Every single item will inspire creativity and keep your kids creating for hours!

For her

In case you missed the list of gift ideas for creative people, you can find it here. You may not be crafty or creative, but someone you are buying for is. This list will be a no fail buying guide for you. Not a single item is over $20!

Buying and giving handmade gifts is one of my favorite things, but I don't always have to be the one hand making all of them.

I recently went to a sale with various crafters in the area and even though all of the items were all mixed together, I still gravitated towards everything that Jillian from JillianMade makes.  If you follow me on Instagram, you will remember how excited I was to order this super awesome cowl scarf. I've also got my eye on a plaid clutch too.  

Personalized gifts are always a hit. I love everything Lisa Leonard does. There are other great shops on Etsy filled with personalized items. 

For him

Games are tons of fun and a good way to get to know your friends and family better.  Bezzerwizer is a fun one for those trivia lovers. Snow lover? A new pair of gloves. Golf fan? A box of balls. Coffee lover? Pick up their favorite roasted beans.

Books are always a great choice.  Why not select one of your favorites.  My husband has really enjoyed Unbroken, The Martian, The Wright Brothers, and The Big Short.

We have several local brewery's and specialty distilleries. Think about treating them to a night out of tasting and then the chance to pick out their favorite growler.

For anyone

Perhaps you have a favorite photo of a friend or family member you could put on a canvas and give them for Christmas. I used Canvas Factory to create this canvas from a recent trip to Africa and lucky for you, they are offering a free 16x20 canvas with free delivery for one of my readers.  Simply comment below on the favorite gift you ever received. I will select one of the comments below randomly on December 5 and will announce the winner on my Facebook page. Make sure you are following or you will miss the announcement.

Sometimes, hard to shop for people are hard to shop for because they really just don't want or need anything. Don't feel obligated to buy them anything! 

Instead of getting your dad another tie he probably doesn't want {or need} maybe you could write him a note about how much you appreciate him or about a special memory that you have had with him and set a date to take him out to coffee.  Maybe your mom isn't very computer savvy but would like to put all of her recent pictures from her trip to Hawaii into a photo book.  You can offer to create a photo book for her. Or print off those pictures from her recent visit with the kids and put them into an album for her.  Here's 50 free prints that can get you started!

I don't know too many people who wouldn't love a Netflix subscription.  This is the perfect gift even if they already have a subscription because it will just add on to the one that they already have and allow them to enjoy streaming their shows and movies without any interruption. 

Consider gifting experiences rather than things. A young family might appreciate a zoo or children's museum membership, a family with older kids might enjoy movie passes and a treat out for ice cream. Last year my brother in law gifted my 16 year old son a trip to go go kart racing and out to lunch. They had a great time together and will remember those experiences far more than whatever widget you struggled to find at the last minute because you couldn't' think of anything!

If you have a friend or family member who is passionate about animals, consider making a donation to a local animal shelter.  Give the gift of time and offer to volunteer for a few hours where they volunteer.  For only $50 you can give the gift of clean water for life for someone in sub Saharan Africa who doesn't have access to clean water. Or consider giving a goat or a chicken to a family in need. Making a donation in a friends name is a great way to support something that is near and dear to their hearts.

Sometimes just giving your time and offering to help with something that is on their to do list, is the best gift of all!  So I want to hear it, what's the best gift you have ever received? Leave a comment below and be entered to win a free 16x20 canvas from The Canvas Factory.

0