Gifts for Kids
Thursday, November 13th, 2008
Hi, everyone! Welcome back to another Hybrid Thursday! This is the time of year that I start gearing up for Christmas. I try to get all my shopping and cards done by the first of December so I can just enjoy the month. My kids always like to give gifts to their friends, but I like to try to find something that’s not going to break the bank, and I always think it’s fun if they can help make the gift. So, today I thought I would share some ideas with you of inexpensive hybrid gifts you can make with your kids.
Candy bars are something I like to keep on hand during the holidays in case one of my kids needs a last minute gift. They are generally liked by kids (at least mine!), and if you add a custom wrapper to them, they are super cute. These are some I put together using the Holly Jolly kit by Andilynn Designs. This is a perfect holiday kit . . . the papers and elements are gorgeous!
These “candy coins” were another fun gift we did last year. These are rolls of coins wrapped in cute paper (Holly Jolly kit again!) and cellophane with ribbon tied around the ends. Anything in a roll would work . . . Life Savers, Rolos, etc. Super easy to make!
Another inexpensive gift is a customized magnet board. For the one shown below, I bought an unfinished frame at my local craft store (around $4) and a sheet of metal for the inside. The metal was less than $2 and came as a 12”x12” sheet that I cut down to 8”x10” to fit the frame. I used papers from Britt-ish Designs. I made this for a nephew who has flames painted on the wall in his room, so I was excited to find this flame in the Motor Mania kit to personalize it! I glued the blue paper down to the frame with a glue stick. You could also use Mod Podge or something similar to seal it, but I just left it as is for this one. The foam letter stickers used to spell the name came from the dollar spot at Target. The magnets are made from clear flat marbles. I used Tacky glue (which dries clear) to glue them to the paper I printed out, then when they were dry, I cut around the gem and glued them to magnets.
These next gifts are altered composition books (which I bought at Target for less than $1). I actually made these for some birthdays this month. These are so simple to make. I measured the cover of the composition book, created a Photoshop document the same size, printed it, and glued it to the book with a glue stick. Easy, cute, and cheap! I also made a little container to go along with my niece’s. It’s just an empty, clean baking powder tin. I think it’s the perfect size for her to use for pencils, crayons, or trinkets.
Okay, last but not least are the gifts my kids are going to give this year to their friends. These are matchbook-style notebooks that measure 4”x5.25” when closed. We made three different ones to give: Tic-Tac-Toe, Lines and Dots, and a sketch pad. The last one is filled with blank paper and has the child’s initial on the front, the other two are filled with grids to play the games. My older son will be able to help me with the folding and stapling, and I’ll have my younger son help with the gluing. I think it’s going to be fun to work with them to put these together.
Digital supplies for matchbooks from Dirty Feet Designs.
I hope you can get some use out of these ideas, and I would love to see any hybrid gift ideas you have!
