Creating Keepsakes Blog

Weekly Warm-up: Ideas for Mom, Deals and Winning Names!

 As any mother will likely tell you, handmade gifts from the kids are the stuff that melt mothers’ hearts. So, I’m going to dedicate this week’s warm-up to a few quick and easy gifts you can make for your Mother Dearest or anyone on your gift-recipient list. Like so many of the things I do, these projects are quick, easy and affordable. Let’s begin!

Bitty Pails

I love little buckets, both because they serve many purposes and because they’re just so darn cute. To make my projects, I used a few bitty pails from Target’s dollar section, some rub-ons and a hole punch (the Crop-a-Dile from We R easily punches through metal).
Note: If you don’t have a Target in your area, you can find bitty buckets online.

Votives

Okay, so maybe the idea of a candlelit dinner isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mother’s Day, but this idea may change that. Turn small buckets into votive holders and line them up on your dinner (or brunch table). I used the swirl design of my rub-ons (from Glitz Designs) to guide my hole punching. The candle light will come shining through in fun and interesting ways.

Candy Containers

Fill these tiny containers with Mom’s favorite treat. Like me, my mama loves bubblegum, so I filled my bucket with pink gumballs. Any small candy will do the trick, or you can go a healthier route and fill your containers with non-edible goodies (flower seeds, jewelry, tickets, an SD card loaded with photos, etc.)

Get the Kids Involved

To prove just how easy this project is, I had my young niece help me create. Here are some of her awesome designs.

Let’s Make a Deal

If buckets aren’t really your thing or you simply want to explore your options, I also have a few sales and freebies for you to check out.

Shutterfly

Create all sorts of unique gifts for mom on the Shutterfly website. There’s a big sale going on between now and this Wednesday. Plus, you can get free shipping on orders of $50 or more by entering the promo code SHIP50 when you check out.

Serif

Our friends at Serif sent over a hot tip on where you can get a free Mother’s Day digi kit, good for making specials layouts for Mom or creating a unique greeting card to brighten up her day. Check out DaisyTrail for details.

You don’t need to wait for a designated holiday to honor the people you care about. I hope these ideas will inspire you to share a bit of yourself with the others through the gift of a handmade surprise.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Speaking of sharing gifts, let’s get to our lucky winners. I have the happy job of announcing winners in today’s post for a number of giveaways hosted last week. Thanks to random.org, I have those names to share with you now. Drum roll, please…

Weekly Warm-up: Add a Little Spring to Your Designs

The winner of my springtime giveaway is…

• Jingle: “COLOR! That is my favorite way to add spring to my layouts! I like to use bright, cheery colors and lots of them!”

An Insider’s Look: CK’s May Issue

The winners of Maurianne’s look-inside giveaway are…

• Kimmie: “Camera fun and the stamping ideas. I think I always forget to use my stamps.”
• Christine Dibble: “I love using colorful ribbon scraps to make sun rays.”
• Linda E.: “I always find inspiration on every page of CK but if I had to pick just one article it would be Design Cheat Sheets. I loved the combination of sketches, tips and comments by former Hall of Famers.”

Special Guest Blogger: Jennifer McGuire

The winners of Jennifer’s flower grab bags are…

• PamK: “I love the beaded one. But they are both so simple that even I could do them lol. I usually use punches and dress them up.”
• Giovana: “Wonderful tutorials. I really like both techniques and I will definitely give them a try. God bless.”
• Paola Norman: “I love all of Jennifer tips and techniques I visit her wonderful blog on a daily basis and love it!
  My fav. flower technique is the folded flower. Thanks and have a great day!”
• Alli: “Jennifer always has great techniques! I think the beaded flower is so cute, but I don’t have the patience to make them myself. Thanks for the fun giveaway!”
• Jennifer Larson: “Not a technique, but I love to work flowers onto my pages, even though I have two boys. It’s a challenge for me.”

To Claim Your Prize

Please email us at letters@creatingkeepsakes.com with “Blog Winner” in the subject line. Include your name and mailing address, as well as the post you won with, and we’ll get your prizes sent out.

Congrats to all of our winners and thanks to all who participated. We l-o-v-e reading your comments (giveaway or no giveaway) and always appreciate you taking the time to share.

Enjoy the week ahead!

Megan Hoeppner, Creative Editor