Gifts Galore! {DIY Dare}

I love making holiday gifts! Once again, I owe this to my crafty mom. Every year she had my sister and I make Christmas tree ornaments as gifts for our teachers. And not just our current year's teacher, but all our previous teachers and specials teachers. We had our own little sweatshop operation going. Last year, one of my former teachers (yup, I'm nerdy enough to exchange holiday cards with a few of my old teachers) sent me two of the ornaments I had created for her.

I still love crafting some simple gifts for the current teachers I work with, and other neighbors, friends and family. Although I have branched out (pun intended) a bit from the ornament theme...well expect for last year.

This year I created two different gifts.

The first is really just a Leigh-bellishment. I used the same technique over the summer to make a gift for a friend.

You can add a design to a candle by stamping on white tissue paper, then using a heat gun to melt the paper into the candle.

I added some interesting detail and texture with raffia and beads.

A few tips- this does not work well with colored candles, be sure to buy a few practice candles, soften the wax a bit before sticking the tissue paper to the candle, hold the head at least 6 inches away & move in a slow circular pattern, attach the paper over the course of a few melting sessions so wax doesn't over melt, and use your fingers to rub out any winkles/bumps and to soften the edges of the melted wax. 

I'll be making about a dozen of these candles over the next few weeks. 

My second gift takes a bit more time to make but will last a lot longer. I'm making multiple sets (snack and sandwich size) of fabric ziplock bags. 

The set of bags will be paired with a jar gift of cookie mix, expect instead of jars I'll be using glasslock containers. I think they are more useful and reusable.


Go take a peek at what the others created. I've got plenty of inspiration for next year!