Birthday Gift + Gift Box - Product Mash Up

Hi everyone!

I needed to create a gift box for the upcoming 16th birthday of my niece. And what better way to celebrate, then pairing up some of my favorite brands and favorite products to craft the perfect, one of a kind gift box.

...and yes, I said sixteen!!!

I cannot believe it!

As one of the most important people in my life, I have handmade her everything she has ever asked for, not asked for, and even merely said she liked. She loves getting handmade 'everything' from her favorite designer aunt, so I can't help but spoil her.

So this birthday is special, she is working so hard towards getting her drivers license. What better gift then a customized key chain for those truck keys!

Blue Moon Beads Made Me line has this key ring combo, and you simply add some of their monogram stickers. I also attached a Wish charm from the Blue Moon Beads Mantra Me line, and then finished off with a pink leather tassel I had on hand.

Leaving enough space for her to add any other special charms she wants to carry with her daily.

Next gift is a necklace, made with the Blue Moon Beads Mantra Me line. The Chain comes designed like this, I simply added this tassel and Enjoy The Journey Ring.

For the final jewelry gift, I made her a silver bangle bracelet. Again, from the Blue Moon Beads Mantra Me line. I made it simple by just attaching the Have Courage plaque.

Making each piece with meaning and encouragement, as she has such a bright future ahead of her.

 Now, onto the packaging!

With a DCWV Gift Box, some Mod Podge and your favorite printed papers, you can create a fully custom box!

I used this beautiful sheet from the DCWV Neon Daydream stack.

Tied the box close with some textured May Arts Ribbon.

I easily made some tags with the Fiskars Tag Punch. Added this cute metallic gold American Crafts Diamond rub-on to the tag. Layered the paper tag with a round Hampton Arts Wood Tag, which I made pink with a few dabs of the Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry Distress Ink, and added some Tim Holtz Liquid Pearls Gold dots to.

My favorite part??

The initial charm, made with Epiphany Square Tool and Square Charm Accessory.

I simply drew a 'j' on black paper, traced the cut area, added the bubble cap and cut! Then, used Loctite to secure it inside the charm, and you have a personalized charm! So easy!

And there it is...

a finished, one of a kind, custom box for a soon-to-be sixteen year old!!

If you made it all the way to the end of this long blog, THANK YOU!!

I hope I have inspired you to create something today! 

Reclaimed Window Family Frame

Reclaimed Window - Family Frame

My brother has the most amazing family-in-law! They are so generous and welcoming and I am so lucky they treat me like family as well.

Unfortunately, about 7 months ago, their home was partially destroyed by smoke and was unlivable. They lost almost everything in the house, and had to tear the house apart and redo everything. 

I was able to take their family pictures last winter, and I thought it would be a heart-felt Christmas gift to make them some new home decor, and include all of their beautiful faces. Not that they need to be reminded, but this is a daily reminder that people you love are the most important things in life, not material items. 

I was able to get my hands on this beautiful old window, added a new coat of paint and distressed it.

I added some beautiful, and perfectly stated, DCWV Wall Transfers.

I loved this 'DCWV Life Is Sweet' transfer, so I put it front and center, as the main focus for the frame.

I printed out a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot, and secured them to some fiber board with ModPodge. I screwed some hooks into the frame and hung the images on them. This way, as the family grows, they can replace them with new pictures.

For the rest of the wording and the leafy decals, I used the DCWV Remember To Cherish, DCWV Winter Garden Peel & Stick Wall Accents, and the DCWV Swirly Branches Peel & Stick Wall Accents. They all coordinated so well!

 [ Some products used on this project were provided to me for review by DCWV, but all comments, ideas and images are my own ] 

Extra Large Holiday Bows

If you have a large gift to wrap this season, don't spend too much money on a pre-made bow from the store!

Make your own (and have a full stack left over!)

The DCWV 16x20 Premium Stack is perfect for making extra large, incredible, gift bows.

I found this tutorial online for a large gift bow, and come to find out.... a single page of the DCWV 16x20 stack is the perfect size for a single bow! Think of how many you could make with a single stack!!

I decorated the paper first. I then distressed and crumpled the paper I made for my dad's bow.

I also made glitter gift tags from metal tags.

For my mom's bow, I did not distress the paper. I spritzed with paint for some color.

You can make each bow unique!

I would love to post a picture of these adorable bows on my large Christmas gifts,... but they are a surprise (it's not Christmas yet)So please use your imagination!

 [ Some products used on this project were provided to me for review by DCWV, but all comments, ideas and images are my own ]