Gifts from the Heart – From Kids to Parents and Grandparents
Handmade gifts from the heart are treasures that will always be cherished by parents, grandparents, and those who have a special connection with kids. Here are some fun and affordable ideas to make these memories.
Add a memory page to scrapbooks
Create a memory page to add to a loved one’s scrapbook. Buy a package of blank scrapbook pages and choose a theme. Make each page special with stickers, markers, colored pencils, construction paper, photos, magazine pictures, and fun descriptions to fit the theme.
Create coupons for tasks
Create coupons for tasks you can do, such as a free evening of babysitting, a week of taking out the trash, pet sitting, lawn mowing, ironing, or anything else. Use materials from the memory page project to make your coupons unique.
Shape decorative soaps with cookie cutters
Grate bars of plain white soap, mix with water and food coloring, and knead until the mixture forms a stiff dough. Flatten it out on a sheet of waxed paper and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. You can press small leaves or flowers into the soaps before they dry.
Make a personalized placemat or one-of-a-kind poster
Look for images of the recipient’s favorite celebrity, sports figure, or hobby in magazines or print them out from the internet. Assemble several of these and glue onto a large sheet of construction paper. Overlap the images to create a collage or spread them apart and write details about each image in the margins. Office supply stores can laminate the result for a personalized, glossy, one-of-a-kind poster or placemat.
Design bookmarks
Cut colored paper into 2” x 7” strips and add designs with colored pencils and markers. Find out your gift recipient’s favorite author, artist, or historical figure. Then look the person up in a book of quotations. Select a quote, type, or write it out, and add it to the bookmark. Laminate it for protection.
Make a photo magnet for the fridge
Cut a piece of cardboard from a cereal box to match the size of your photo. Glue it to the back of your photo for support. Glue a small magnet to the cardboard and you’ve just made a photo magnet for the fridge.
Fashion a colorful pin with beads and safety pins
Buy a package of large safety pins and a small bag of multi-colored beads. Open one safety pin. Then dangle several more safety pins from it through the eye at the bottom of those pins. Then thread colored beads onto the dangling safety pins. The more color and whimsey, the better.
Check out this article for more craft ideas!
Posted in: Art & Music, Frugal Families
Comment Policy: All viewpoints are welcome, but comments should remain relevant. Personal attacks, profanity, and aggressive behavior are not allowed. No spam, advertising, or promoting of products/services. Please, only use your real name and limit the amount of links submitted in your comment.
You Might Also Like...
Innovative Arts Programming Enhances Siskiyou County K-12 Education
“Art has an incredible ability to engage children to want to be in school. Students look forward to it, to expressing themselves. It’s hands on, its’ creative, it’s fun,” says […]
A Piano Tuning Duo
Tuning In — A Lifetime Relationship with Pianos for Don and Nathan Townley After majoring in percussion at San Jose State University, Don Townley earned a teaching credential in music. […]
Arts Education – It’s for All of Us
The mention of “art in school” conjures a sensory kaleidoscope of paste, tempura, clay and happy children in colorfully-splotched smocks. True, kids love to paint, mold and goop up almost […]
Ballet: A Fairytale Friendship
Jake Bevens wasn’t very interested in ballet at a young age; he favored his activities in gymnastics instead. But when one of his coaches insisted that he try ballet to […]
Practice Makes Perfect: Tips to Help a Child Practice More Effectively at the Piano
As the old joke goes, the way to Carnegie Hall is “practice, practice, practice.” Yet, establishing and enforcing a practice schedule is likely to be one of the biggest challenges […]
Where Adventure, Dreams and Inspiration Begin – Update on Raven and the Unicorn Performing Art Center
It’s been an exciting year for the Raven and the Unicorn, a proposed 800-seat theater designed specifically for child-centered performing arts programs and educational opportunities. The theater is still on […]