Susan R. Opel
The Christmas music is on. You’re drinking hot chocolate and imagining cozy evenings by the sparkling Christmas tree, and you’re crafting up a holiday storm preparing for the most magical time of year. You’ve labored over the design of your handmade Christmas cards and a torrent of festive product litters your creative space. What to do? What to do?
Get busy creating some pretty gift bags, fabulous gift boxes, and a few cute gift card holders so that when the shopping is done, you’ve got a thoughtful handmade way to present your gift!
Holiday Cards & More: Volume 6 has 18 whole pages with a variety of gift wrapping ideas for everyone on your list.
Check out this pretty gift bag from Kazan Clark. I’m usually quite the traditionalist, but I can’t help but love this soft color palette, the intricate snowflake, and the gathering of cream colored buttons. All it took were a few crafting supplies to make this simple kraft gift bag lovely and elegant.
Kazan lives in Denver, so snow just makes sense, right?
Next up is a fabby little gift box by Kasia Curry. What teen girl wouldn’t puffy heart a funky necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings in this stylish little container? You had me at zebra striped star with bling, Kasia!
You don't even need a ton of holiday product to make cute holiday gift wrap!
And finally, to make gift card holders shine, you can do something gorgeous like Ashley Harris did. The lace, the pearls, the pretty stick pin, and that green satin ribbon (that seems to dance at the bottom) quite frankly make my heart sing.
Make a gift card more meaningful with a handmade holder in the recipient's style!
Speaking of gift giving, we’d love to give three of YOU a gift for being such enthusiastic readers and blog followers. Leave a comment telling us the best Christmas gift you ever GAVE and we’ll randomly choose three winners of Holiday Cards & More Volume 6! Comments must be received by 5 PM MDT on Friday evening.
Make sure to hop on over to our Facebook page later today! We’ll be giving away three prizes to The Spawn of True Scrap (an online LIVE class with 17 instructors, virtual make and takes, and tons of inspiration and fun) courtesy of True Scrap and its founder Lain Ehmann and friends, including Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Jennifer McGuire!
P.S. I think it’s time to announce some winners, don’t you?! If you see your name below, send me an email at CSmith@papercraftsmag.com with your name and address, and I can get your goodies mailed out to you! Congratulations!
Snowmen in September: Go-to Gals Blog Hop winner:
Toni Storie (Sept. 28 @ 4:27 PM)
FREE Holiday Sentiments winner:
Jennifer Scull (Sept. 29 @ 11:06 AM)
12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop winner:
Lori B. (Sept. 30 @ 2:01 PM)
World Card Making Day: A Goodbye Gift winner:
Ashley R. (Oct. 2 @ 4:56 PM)
Holiday Cards & More: Gifts Galore winner:
Karen from Ontario (Oct. 3 @ 5:00 AM)
Holiday Cards & More: Easy, Peasy Christmas Décor winner:
Carolyn G. (Oct. 5 @ 2:24 AM)
One year I managed to obtain a photo of my Dad’s father (he had no photos of him) and I had a copy made and framed it for him for Christmas. He loved it!
My mothers parents were both orphaned when they were young. She had absolutely no history at all of her families. I spent quite a while looking for them online and at local research organizations. I managed to find her father’s mothers side of the family (quite a feat, since the orphanage my grandfather was in had burned down and all of the records were lost). I tracked them all the way back to the 1600′s in Ireland. I created my very first scrapbook with that information, and I gave it to my mom on her 50th birthday. Honestly, that was the best gift (other than the gift of life to my sons) that I have ever given.
LOVE Kazan’s gift bag! The other two projects are super cute too!
It would probably have to be the scrapbook I made my mom for Christmas about 5 years ago…She had participated in decorating this old plantation house that is lite by candlelight and people come every year to sign the guestbook and see the old house and eat some cookies (yum!). Anyway, I took pictures of the whole event and made her a scrapbook and she couldn’t believe it! She was thrilled. And I was happy to make her happy on Christmas (probably one of her most favorite days). Thanks for sharing.
Katie B.
Probably a needle felted wall “painting” that I made a few years ago. I think the recipient really liked it.
I think the best best christmas present I ever gave was a 12 X 12 scrapbook calendar for my mother in law with all of her kids’ and grand children’s birthdays and special dates in it. I thought it was good cause I worked really hard on it.:)
A huge framed scrapbook page of my grandsons for my daughter in law.
What lovely holiday projects. I think the best gift I gave was a few years ago when I worked for a couple of months putting together an 8 x 8 scrapbook for my parents…..they loved it!!
I gave my husband ‘Band Hero’, my friends think it’s hilarious that (at our age) he sits there and plays the guitar and I’m on the drums! You are *never* too old for fun!
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Many years ago, I handmade a baby quilt for my niece’s first Christmas. The one and only quilt I ever made. Imagine my surprize when more than 20 years later she sent me a photograph of her first born child sleeping on the very same quilt. So nice to know that the quilt survived all these years and I believe is much loved and used.
My VERY first mini album that I made for father’s Day to give to my dad!!! He LOVES it and it still sits out on the piano top for everyone to see and enjoy looking back at the memories!! THANKS for the chance to win and have a FABULOUS WEEK!! =)
Love all three of those projects featured today. Great ideas. (we even had snow yesterday here on the coast so it’s really got me thinking of Christmas and wintry projects)
My favourite gift giving experience was the year my little brother, who was about 12 and I was about 14, decided to pool our summer savings together and give our parents a rocking chair. It was a big deal since we couldn’t drive and had to have it delivered with out our parents finding out and let me tell you, it’s not easy to hide a rocker! We even made sure to find a ribbon to tie on it. We sent our parents to bed early and then set it up. They were so surprised (or were really good at pretending!) the next morning.
One year, I gave my fiance a scrapbook for that year of every trip or special memory that we shared together. He loved it! I’ve made a few more for him since then and I know he enjoys going back thru them and remembering all those special moments!
I love that snowflake bag! So cute! Best gift I ever gave? When my oldest son was 3 years old he only wanted a Kermit the Frog and there were none to be found. I went to a zillion different stores and finally found one. That child was THRILLED with that frog and to this day, Kermit sits on a shelf in his art studio.
My mom was in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery. I’d been working on a scrapbook of her daughters and grandchildren for quite some time but hadn’t finished it. When I got the emergency call I grabbed a few of my supplies and the album, hopped on a plane and finished it in a tiny hotel room (with virtually no table space). She loved it! We enlarged a few of the photos and hung them on her walls (with the nurses permission) as her cheering squad so that she would know that we were always with her and wanted her to get better. She passed a year later but my stepfather still cherishes that album.
one year i gave my dil a mother & child cross stitch project. it took me several months to make it, but it was worth it.
One Christmas our youngest son wasn’t able to come home for Christmas. He was 27 years old, but still my baby. I found his old blankie and the stuffed doggie he always drug around when he was little, washed and repaired them (the doggie’s head was falling off!), boxed them up and mailed them to him. I included a note telling him that since we couldn’t be with him we were sending these little comforts to him. I think we both cried. He hasn’t missed being with us for Christmas since.
The best present I ever gave was a ping pong table–our teenage son actually enjoyed playing it with us!
My 3 sisters and I (scattered across the country) put together a photo book of us and our families for our parents and grandmothers. They LOVE them, show them to everyone, and have mentioned that they’d like that to become a tradition each year!
I made recipe books for my nieces as wedding gifts which included recipes from family members. One was a copy of a hand written one from my great grand mother. I giving one to my daughter for Christmas.
Two years ago I made a canvas with a family photo of all of us on a cruise that had been my father-in-law’s dream vacation. Great memories, I’ll never forget the look on my in-law’s faces when they saw it:-)
I made a scrapbook page of my sister in laws wedding, just a single page and framed it….she loved it, it still has a place on her wall.
The best Christmas gifts I ever gave were canvas wall arts for each of my parents. My father’s had a photograph of his mother at age standing between her parents. I also included the strand of pearls my grandmother gave me for my high school graduation. My mother’s had a photograph of her parents and their bridal party taken in 1904. I included house keys from the old homestead. On the back of each canvas, I adhered an envelope that housed the family history. Both gifts were “the best ever received” said both of my parents. They are both gone now and I have the wall arts, which I will gift to my daughter this Christmas.
One of my favorites were…I had our family photo done for our church bulletin….I put it in a pretty frame and give it to my mother for Christmas…..she cried….and cried…..not knowing why…..I ask…..she had never gotten a family photo of us….I never though she wanted one….until now ….I know why….I would love to have a family photo of my children with their family…..
One of my favorite gifts that I gave was one to my Mother. She loves Boyds Bears. So I found a very big (3′ tall) bear by Boyds. It was so cute and dressed up. She loved it and, of course, it started a trend. Now she has 4 of these big cuties. Love your magazine and all the great cards and ideas! Thanks.
Snow flakes…..luv em’, not one the same, I’m not ready for winter tho!!!!
Luv your cards!
We surprised our son with a car payment a couple of years ago–he LOVED it. It was a last minute gift, but perfect.
Love Kasia’s bag…it’s so fun! The best Christmas present I ever gave was to give my husband permission to buy a 1950s Gibson guitar on Christmas Eve a few years ago. (He came up with this answer.)
Can’t choose which one is my fave. I LOVE all! Great projects!
Love ALL of the projects featured today! Hmm, the best Christmas gift I ever gave would have to be my sons that were both born in December. =0)
so thrilled to see my name as a chosen winner! thank you so much!
one year I gave matching note cards and recipe pages in books to all of the women in our family. they asked for them as repeat gifts for several years after that. other than that, my sons were excited the year we gave them a PS2 and games!
I made each of my daughters a cookbook of family recipes & their favorite foods growing up. I included photos of family members throughout the pages. They still use the books & enjoy looking at the pictures as they cook! It is especially meaningful now that their grandparents & greatgrandparents are no longer here. It keeps their spirit alive.
I love the Gift card holder it’s so sweet !!
Best gift I ever gave was a quilt it was my 1st one I ever made to my neice is quite happy sleeping under it seeing her bedroom is in the basement and it gets super cold up north
I’d have to say the best gift I ever gave was a crystal vase that had a tulip etched into it. I gave it to my mom, and she loved it—it’s in her bathroom every day…
I’d have to say giving our son a truck for HS graduation is probably the winner!
I think that the best gift I’ve ever given to anyone is 8 place settings of china, and 8 crystal glasses. She loved it!!
my sister & I created a photo book for our parents with the grandkids’ pics- we’d had a photo shoot without them knowing- and keeping it all a surprise was tough- but so worth it! We knew our parents would love it- and they did!!!
I’d have to say the best gift I ever gave was to my youngest son. He talked about playing Parchessi at school one day and loved it, I was amazed because I have fond memories of playing that game with my Great-Grandmother when I was young..So I bought the gift for him, and we played almost every day for a couple of weeks. It was great!
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