Gifts for a Stitcher, Sad News

Probably the best gift for a stitcher would be a gift certificate to her or his favorite needlework shop. Stitchers can be hard to buy for. They tend to have a lot of “stash,” unless they are beginners -- “stash” is a term for supplies. We are always running out of some things, but even an experienced needle worker, on going through another needle worker’s stash, might not be able to ascertain what is missing or in short supply, because stash is a very individual thing. Of course if you find a catalog page pinned to your pillow and a certain gadget pictured thereon is circled in red, you just might be able to interpret that as a hint.

This has become a difficult Christmas season for me. My mother had a stroke early last week and has been moved from the hospital to a hospice house. She is ninety-one, and so has had a good long run, but it is still very sad. I went down to Ft. Myers for a few days to see her and she recognized me, but was unable to speak. She does not seem to be in any pain, though they are keeping her sedated against anxiety. Other family members are gathering to say goodbye. I ask you to keep a good thought for Marie Pulver. Thank you.

The Perfect Gift For Any Scrapbooker or Crafter

(That's the window over my sink. I love decorating the house, and I especially like small unexpected touches like this. The only problem? Those berries are toxic to dogs. Do be sure that whatever you use to brighten your home is safe for your pets.)

This week the Blog Sisters promised to share their ideas of perfect gifts for crafters. I know that a few were covered last week in our Last Minute Gift marathon, and some of you might have read my suggestion for a massage. I hope so! I know people worry about modesty, but I have to tell you that massage therapists can work around any concerns you have. And the results are soooo worthwhile. Treat yourself, why don't you? You deserve it.

In addition to massages, here are a few gifts I know any crafter would enjoy:

1. A Gift Certificate. Yes, no matter how many supplies I have, I still run short. Besides, there's always a new product or a new tool or consumables (glue, paint, etc.) that I need to re-stock. So buying the crafty person on your list a gift certificate is a great way to encourage his/her hobby. On Saturday, I signed books at Scrapbooks Plus! a darling store in Chantilly, Virginia. While I was there, two people came in and bought gift certificates for a loved one. Now those are the kind of Santa's helpers that we need more of!

2. A Glue Glider. I bought myself the new Glue Glider Pro from Glue Arts. Go to http://www.gluearts.com/ to see one. These look like those big packing tape dispensers on handles, but the tape is craft friendly. I get so sick of running out of glue tape, or having dispensers gum up, or having empty dispensers that are difficult to refill. My new dispenser is hot pink, so I'll be able to find it easily. I can't wait to use it!

3. A Crafty Mystery. Honestly, you can't craft 24-7. At least, it's tough to craft and drive or craft and travel. I can't figure out a way to bring my supplies with as I fly to visit my family. Not with airlines charging extra for luggage. Not with scissors being comfiscated by TSA. So when I can't craft, I enjoy reading about crafts. Did you know that the Killer Hobbies blog sisters have 84 books to our credit? Yes, and there's a reason. We're good at what we do. (By the way, if you wanted a signed copy of either Paper, Scissors, Death or Cut, Crop & Die, call Scrapbooks Plus! at 703-263-9503. Debbie has a few copies left.

Here's a pleasant bonus: You can order any book online TODAY and know your gift will be in your mailbox in time for the holidays. Amazon and Barnes & Noble have this down, folks. (I bet Debbie at Scrapbooks Plus! can get a signed book to you in time, too.)

Need a gift for someone whose vision isn't what it used to be? I'm proud to announce that Cut, Crop & Die has just been released in a large print version. In fact, I'm happy to play Santa's elf today. Just send in a comment about this post, and I'll choose two lucky commenters to each win a copy of Cut, Crop & Die. I'll announce the winners on Tuesday. (Be sure to watch for my announcement, as I'll need your postal address to get the book to you.)

NOTE: Due to the overwhelming number of comments offering to improve our sex lives through cheap prescriptions filled over the Internet, we're now sending all our blog comments through a moderation process. Your comment won't show up as quickly as it did before, but we also won't be tolerating foreign languages saying goodness knows what, ads for drugs or sex tapes featuring incest. (Ugh.) Call me cranky, but I was getting sick and tired of cleaning these comments from our blog! I don't know what sort of idiot orders drugs from a whack-o advertisement spammed onto a blog, but ... I suppose anything is possible! Okay, rant over. Return to my normally happy self ;)

How to Make Wine Charms

by Guest Blogger Mary Ellen Hughes

Many thanks to the Killer Hobbies authors for inviting me to guest blog. I’ve been reading their terrific tips all week (when I should be writing) and loving them.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m the author of the Craft Corner mystery series that began with Wreath of Deception and continued with String of Lies, then Paper-thin Alibi. The stories revolve around Jo McAllister who owns an arts and crafts shop and, in between investigating murders, gives classes on various crafts.

I included directions in the books for the crafts Jo focused on in each book, such as an original wreath, beaded key chain, and paper-lined gift boxes, and photos of each finished project are on my website http://www.maryellenhughes.com/

But I couldn’t include all the projects I would have liked to, so now’s my chance to offer readers another simple but fun project to do, something that a crafty friend of mine, Karlene Hicks, came up with when I was writing String of Lies: Wine Charms!

All you need are plain earring hoops that are available in craft stores in packs of 10-60 or so; then pick up seed beads, charms, small decorative buttons, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Choose a theme for each set of six or eight wine charms and select charms that fit that theme.
Add a few beads and a charm to each hoop so that they can swirl around the hoop loosely.

Here are some theme suggestions:
- Animals
- Celestial (sun, moon, stars, etc.)
- Garden insects (dragonflies, ladybugs, butterflies, etc.)
- Wine & food
- Nautical
- Sea life (dolphins, whales, starfish, seahorses, shells, etc.)
- Flowers/Butterflies in different colors
- Letters or initials or word charms (Live, Love, Laugh, Inspire, and more...)

Remember not to include duplicates in any set because the whole point is to differentiate one glass from another. Place the wine charms in a gift box to match your theme, similar to the ones I give directions for in Paper-thin Alibi, and you have a custom-made gift!

Enjoy impressing your guests with your special wine charms, or delighting your hostess with a unique hostess gift. Have a great summer, everyone!

Happy Holidays!

1. For last minute homemade gift ideas, go to http://joannaslan.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-handmade-holidays.html

You'll see how to make a personalized stationery set, an easy crocheted scarf, a memory jar, holiday cards, the I-Pod purses, and a cool notepad.

2. I'm posting this early--and I won't be checking in until late on Monday because our family is volunteering at a local food bank.

3. I love holiday newsletters! It's so fun to catch up. So, here's a slightly abbreviated version of what my family sent out this year:

The 2008 Slant on the Slans!

Michael graduated from high school this fall. We took him and his girlfriend Emily on a two-week vacation in late August at Kiawah Island before dropping him off college. He’s loving it! He’s doing very, very well in his engineering studies, and we’re so pleased that at least one of us isn’t freezing this winter. When he’s not in class, Mike has been jammin’ on his guitar at area hot-spots with his residence hall advisor, Miles.

David’s business continues to hum along, although the plunging economy has caused a few sputters! Steinway Piano Gallery still does very well, thanks in part to the fabulous group of people we have working with us. At night, David plays online poker, and he’s learning to deal with short stacks. (These are not pancakes. Trust me.)

Joanna’s new mystery Paper, Scissors, Death debuted in September and quickly sold out of the initial print run. The reviews are fabulous. She keeps getting asked if it’s a true story, so the answer is, “My husband was alive when I left the house.” You can see that book and the second one in the series (Cut, Crop & Die) at Amazon.com

Our dogs are fine. Vicky ignores all of us, as royalty is wont to do. Rafferty keeps peeing on the holiday lights on the lawn and shorting them out. Great entertainment, that.

We’re spending several days this holiday season volunteering at a local food bank. How blessed we are that we are able to give rather than be on the receiving end. No matter how bleak the economy looks, we have so much to be thankful for. (Yes, Virginia, sentences do, on occasion, end with prepositions.)

May you all have a happy, healthy and blessed holiday--and may we all enjoy renewed prosperity.

Love, Joanna

Gifts Made By Hand with Love

Handmade.

No longer a perjorative, today this word marks a turning point in our culture. A silent revolution. A change of heart. A slow turning away from quick and the commonplace. A detour whereby we take up knitting needles and glue bottles as a way of proclaiming, “Despite the turmoil of our times, despite a world in which I hold so little sway, I am important because I can create.”

This week the owner of a local independent scrapbook store told me her business was doing well. In fact, she says it's never been better! And I’m not surprised. This is the era of the handmade, the homemade, the presents wrestled into being by love, skill and creativity.

And I am not immune! I’m focusing on handmade gifts for this holiday. I’m not interested in spending a lot of money. I am interested in turning back the tide of mass-produced, ordinary and meaningless THINGs which seem to be overwhelming my family. I am thrilled to think that my little fingers can produce unique items that by their very existence proclaim, “I love you.”

Here are some simple, heart-felt gift ideas:

I-Pod Purses--From a Goodwill or thrift store buy an all-wool sweater of a color you like. Throw it in the washer, soak it in hot water, and run it through the dryer until it becomes a soft and pliant felt. (The finished fabric will be about 2/3 the original size.) Cut a pattern of newspaper, 14” long and 4 ½” wide. Pin it to your felt and cut. On another piece of paper, draw a letter (the initial of the person for whom you are making the gift), thicken it up, and cut it out of felt. Add stitching with embroidery thread. Sew the initial onto the bag. Add a button and button hole (stitch around it with pink embroidery floss). See the photo for placement. Blanket stitch the sides together, and blanket stitch the flap. Add ribbon handles.

Memory Jar—Find an empty jar or plastic canister with a lid. (You can buy an inexpensive jar from Walmart). Create a “label” out of attractive scrapbook paper. Add sticker lettering to create your recipient’s name. (You might also add a saying like, “Beautiful Memories.”) On your computer or by hand, write down happy memories. (They’ll read: “Remember the time we took a walk by the beach and saw the turtles hatching? Remember the time we slid down the hill on flattened boxes?”) Put the memories in the jar.

I’ll share some more ideas next week! Meanwhile, to hear more about how crafts have become the revolutionary icon of the next generation, go to

http://www.wpr.org/book/081214a.cfm

Great Gifts for Scrapbookers and Papercrafters

If you have a scrapbooker or papercrafter on your gift list, you might be baffled about what to get her. Here are some great ideas:

1. Paper: I’m a charter member of the “she who dies with the most paper wins” club. However, one sheet of several patterns never works well. Instead, buy a “slab” of paper or a package with a variety of co-ordinating papers. That way the crafter will have enough to do a project. Do be careful, however. Some kits promise hundreds of pieces, most of which are garbage. Look at the back of the package to see what it contains. You want a good mix of embellishments and paper.

2. Letter Stickers: You can NEVER have too many or enough! No matter how they look, or what color, letter stickers are essential to almost every project. A great idea is to buy two packages. That way your crafter will have enough for those pesky words like “proofreading” or “bookkeeping.”

3. Ribbon: The trend is lots of ribbons in all sorts of colors. Choose a color family or two and buy a variety—solids, patterns, stripes. Don’t go thicker than ½ inch width.

4. Stamps: I would say “rubber stamps” but the new clear ones aren’t rubber. (Who knows WHAT they are.) Right now, the coolest stamps are alphabets in foam. Also hot are any clear stamps with a doodling style and journaling stamps (stamps with lines on them where you can write your story. These are products that can be used over and over.

5. A Cricut or a QuicKutz System: This is the next step up from letter stickers. With these you make your own letters. The equipment is expensive, but worth it. If she already has either of these, give her a Cricut cartridge with another alphabet or cool shapes like tags or a QuicKutz font.

6. Storage Systems: I particularly like Cropper Hopper’s paper storage containers which are like magazine holders. You can see all your paper, take them off the shelf and easily find what you’re looking for. Also their "page planners" are cool. You can put all the pieces of a page or two in one and keep your stuff together. Make sure everything is sized for 12" x 12" paper, otherwise the containers will be too small.

7. Canon Selphy: This is a unit that allows you to download photos from the memory card and print them. It’s very convenient, quick and economical.

8. A Subscription: Keep the ideas coming all year long. I give a lot of subscriptions as gifts because I think they are a monthly reminder of my love. The top three scrapbooking magazines are (in no particular order): Scrapbooks, Etc.; Memory Makers; and Creative Keepsakes.

Now, where should you go to buy all this? I suggest Archivers. (The Canon Elphy might be best purchased at Best Buy.) Right now if you make a $50 purchase at Archivers, you get a pad of holiday paper FREE. (Yeah, I meant to make it in today, but the weather turned nasty. I'll see you there tomorrow! Of course I need more PAPER!)