Shower Hostess Gift

I was a hostess for a shower about a year and a half ago, and the mother to be made all of us picture frames out of wooden plaques.  It is absolutely beautiful and I love it in my living room.  I also get a compliment on it almost any time someone comes to my house.

So when my favorite girls offered to host a shower for me this pregnancy, I knew I wanted to try to do something similar for them.

I found the plaques at Michael's.  They're a little smaller than what I have, but were also therefore cheaper.  And since this wasn't the only gift I wanted to give them, I opted for that (and a 4x6 still fit on it, so all was good).

I picked up some chalk paint (which I had never used before, but liked...next time I would also get the wax finish to "age" it a little bit) and some burlap ribbon from Michael's as well.  It was all coming together, but I wanted a little more flair.  The buttons came from Hobby Lobby and were just what I was looking for.  The little clips were also a Hobby Lobby find (I love the Spare Parts collection they carry!)

A little hot glue, so sand paper, and a super cute easel (also a Michael's find) made pretty fantastic holders for some pictures of my people!

I paired them with a Leaves candle from Bath and Body Works (my absolute favorite scent they carry and the very definition of Fall in my book).  Of course I used the mess out of some coupons since all of these stores offer great deals with them :)

I love to craft, I love to give gifts, and I love these four girls with every ounce I have.  They're my people and my life is so much better because I have them.  I hope they enjoyed their gifts as much as I did!

Mother's Day gifts

Usually the little gifts we give for Mother's Day are photo based.  I mean, what mama/grandma doesn't like getting precious pictures of their babies?!  Well, this year I was running behind and it snuck up on me (surprise, surprise...), so they were just going to get a little note or call.  But then the lovely ladies at UCreate posted recipes for sugar scrubs, and I knew that's what I wanted to do!

These little mixtures were so easy to whip up--and the combinations are fun and endless!  I added a little extra olive oil (especially to the ones with a white sugar base), just because it was a little too dry for my liking.  I hope they work well and smell good (watch me be remembered for giving a smelly, greasy gift :P )!

I got these little jars from Hobby Lobby along with some little wooden spoons (found them with the scrapbooking stuff).  The labels on the jar are also from good ole Hobby Lobby (on that massive sticker aisle) and I wrote on them with a chalk pen.

I then made a simple little card, punched a hole in the corner, and tied it all up with some ribbon I had on hand.

The card was a quickie, which is just what I needed for this project.  I needed it small to attach to the jar, so I sliced up a 12x12 piece of Very Vanilla into eight pieces of 3x6; folded, each piece gave me a 3x3 card.  I stamped a doily (Delicate Doilies--retired) and the sentiment (Really Good Greetings) using Calypso Coral and Early Espresso ink.  A very simple, one dimensional card, but just enough for this gift!

I liked that it was something different, something pretty, and hopefully something useful.  I hope they enjoy them!

happy crafting and happier gifting!
love, angie