Posts Tagged ‘Gifts’

November Show

Posted on: November 12th, 2013 by ssteinruck No Comments

Last weekend I showcased my Personalized Gifts & Decor at an open house, and it was a great success! Thank you to my pal Kelly for hosting, and to my mom and sister for being there too. Julie (my lil sis!) even had a table of her own bag collections for sale. I'll be featuring her in a post soon!

It was a holiday weekend, so I know a lot of people were away. If you missed it or need to take another look, I will have open studio hours this Friday and Saturday from 9-1. (By "studio" I mean my dining room.) If you're local, feel free to stop by and look through this season's items - lots of gift ideas for everyone on your list!

Here are pics from the show...

Custom Signs on Canvas, Wood, or Slate

Barnwood signs, hooks, and vases

Customize these magnet boards with names or monograms. Fabric magnet boards can be any size with a fabric of your choice! My kids have these instead of cork boards - I'd much rather step on a stray magnet than a fallen thumbtack!

Designer clothespins with magnetic strip on the back. Perfect for teacher appreciation gifts!

Lots of choices for teacher gifts - custom clipboards & post-it note holders, glass magnets, binder clips, magnetic clothespins & matching desk sets too!

These gift baskets are perfect for anyone's desk! These include a tissue pocket, note cards, binder clips, coaster, magnet board, glass magnets, and pen holder...all in an adorable wire basket with a chalkboard label. Gift baskets can be totally customized to suit your needs!

Choose your design and add an initial to make an easy gift for any occasion! Do a set using a map of a favorite spot too!

Personalized glass ornaments and handmade knit ornaments.

I do silhouettes and all kinds of vinyl lettering and designs. Laptop skins, monogram on your car window or phone, words on your wall, buckets, jars, trays - you name it!

Cute tins and wire baskets! I can personalize it and create a great gift basket!

Great for labeling baskets,  dishes at potlucks, place cards at holiday meals or weddings! These chalkboard clips can stand up on their own too!

Decorative baskets and bottles. Four shapes of paperweights to customize too!

I can personalize these paperweights with quotes, monograms, maps, or pictures.

Custom made hair accessories for the princesses in your life! I can also make you a bow holder to coordinate with her bedroom!

Personalized snack bags and tissue pockets return this year. A new item - a travel toiletry roll - can also be monogrammed! Perfect for toothbrushes - throw it in the wash when you get home! No more messy wet baggies!

Our clearance sale of all our knit hats and baby blankets - not taking orders for these, but still have a few left in stock!

See anything you like? Don't forget to stop by my studio later this week. You can always contact me with questions or orders as well. Thanks! I'm off to create lots of custom items for some of my favorite people!

 

 

 

Kids Silhouettes

Posted on: June 11th, 2013 by ssteinruck 1 Comment

What's more classic than the silhouette of a child? I figured out how to make my own with my Silhouette Cameo, and decided that both Grandmothers needed a set of grandkid silhouettes. The key is a good picture on a light background so it's easy to trace around. So I had each of them stand in front of the closed blinds. It probably would have been even better on a solid white backdrop set up with appropriate lighting, but "ain't nobody got time for that!"

In the Silhouette software, there is a Trace Tool. But I found it not to work as well for a photo. So I zoomed way in and used the draw tool, and went point by point around the edges until it was completely traced. This takes some time, especially if you have lots of details, like curls. You can totally "cheat" too - if someone's hair is messed up or you need a space between the ponytail and the neck (like on Girly's.) Once the silhouette is traced, you can use fill color to make it black (or any other color) if you just want to print it on paper. Or you can have the Silhouette Cameo cut it out on whatever color vinyl you have - I went with classic black.

My first set I did on little plexiglass squares that I drilled a hole in to make it an ornament. They were a big hit, and I'm pretty sure these ornaments are up year round at Nana's house.

For Mother's Day, I made a set for my mom. I found these cute plates at Walmart and just stuck the vinyl silhouette right on there.

It makes a great personalized gift that also captures the sweet profile of a child. I've also seen silhouettes of pets too, but I'm not sure I could get my four legged friend to sit still for a photo shoot! These are also available in my Shop - I just need a good profile picture on a white background. If you can get your pet to sit still, I'll do them too!

Fort Kit

Posted on: March 27th, 2013 by ssteinruck No Comments

Kids birthday parties. Lots of fun. But honestly, getting a present for one of my kids - especially my son -  to bring to a friend's birthday party stresses me out. Maybe because I feel like these kids have everything already. Maybe because I feel like my choices in the store are...well...crap. In my opinion the only toy worth anything anymore are the tried and true Legos. But the sets that these 9 and 10 year olds would want cost a pretty penny that I don't have to spend on gifts. And most of my son's friends are as obsessed with interested in Legos as he is, so they have plenty.

Second to Legos for Bud is building forts with the couch cushions and every other blessed pillow, blanket, and sheet he can find. So when I saw DIY Fort Kits on Pinterest, I thought I'd give it a try. How nice would it be if his forts were made with sheets meant for forts? And, when he's done, they all go back into a pillowcase bag. I really don't care if they're folded or not!

And, what a great birthday gift!

Trying to be thrifty, I stopped by Good Will and hit the jackpot. Two twin flat sheets and a pillowcase. All for under $5. At Walmart I found some clothespins, clothesline rope, and a flashlight also under $5. I did spring for bungie cords ($5) to round out the kit. I found a little white pouch in my stash to hold the clothespins. The rope ends would fray, so I burned the ends a little with a lighter I use for ribbon. I washed the sheets and pillowcase, which would be the "bag". Then I cut strips from old white tshirt for ties and sewed them around the edges of the sheets. I put a little drawstring around the opening of the pillowcase. To finish I made a little tag and laminated it. Boom. Done. For under $15.

If Bud is invited to your son's birthday, I've just spoiled the surprise of his gift. I may even do a girly version for the girls!

About Susan

Susan I am a stay-at-home mom with three great kids, a fabulous husband, a cat, and a dog. I enjoy making things (but not cooking), painting, rearranging furniture (that one is genetic), organizing, purging, and most things DIY. Thanks for stopping by! More »