Pretty Wrappings: Not Just for Presents

This craft is super easy and you only need two supplies—t-shirts and transfers. I absolutely love cute these. I think I’ve made more shirts for people than any other craft on my list because it’s something they can use and it doesn’t take too much time to make—no art skills required!

One of the things I really love about this project is that you don’t have to make a t-shirt. This can be done with any cotton object like a canvas bag, apron, hat or pillow case (You can get these at a craft store). I once made a canvas bag for my grandma and used a picture of all of us. I’ve made shirts for movie openings and for halloween costumes. There really is no end to what you can do with this project.

You only need the two things for the gift but you also need a computer with an ink jet printer. It’s important when you get the transfers to read the back; it’ll say what type material you can use the transfers on and the finished feel of the transfer. Some are softer than others but are more expensive. Others are for dark material. Just read the instructions. :)

The great thing is you can pick up the transfers in the office supply area at discount stores so you don’t have to venture into a craft store if you don’t have one. The great thing about the transfers is they have software which will "flip" or "mirror" the image. The image has to print backwards, like a mirror image, so when you iron it onto the object it's facing the right direction. Make sense? Okay, here are the instructions.

One of a Kind T-Shirts:

Materials and Supplies:

~ T-Shirt

~ Iron on transfers

~ Computer with ink jet printer

~ Scissors

~ Iron

~ Pillow case

Directions:

1. Plan out what you what to use. Truly, the sky is the limit for this. But this is where I must insist not to use any picture that is copyrighted or isn’t your property. And if you quote someone, make sure to include their name. :)

Family pictures really are amazing. But how about a twist? Maybe pictures of everyone at a certain age or with the grandparents. If you have the time, take pictures of each of the kids or grandkids. Depending on how many you have, have them hold up a letter or word in the picture so they spell something out.

Do a collage of the best memories of your time together. Your first date, your first Christmas tree, you first house.

Do you have a funny saying that only the two of you understand?

Remember, it doesn’t have to be a t-shirt. Maybe a new apron with little gingerbread men for holiday time. Or a catch all bag to take to church on Sunday.

2. Follow the instructions on the package—really, I couldn’t explain it any better than they do. :)

Extra idea?

If you’re worried they’ll never wear your beautiful creation out in public, gift it with a super warm and soft pair of pajama bottoms.

These are so easy to make, maybe make them two!

If you’re making them a bag of some sort, pre-pack it with whatever they may need for its purpose. Chapstick, gum, notepad, pen. Plus, you can make it extra special with tomorrow’s fun craft!

Frosted Window Panes and Candle Jars

Candles make great gifts that last a long while and fill the home with yummy scents. But they usually aren’t very pretty. That’s easy to fix!

Coming in a variety of shapes, sizes and smells, and price points, candles can be as unique as the giftee. You can use any candle at any cost for this project so long as it is a glass jar candle with a sticker label and not with the ink stamped onto the glass (Yankee Candles, Kroger’s and Walmart all have sticker type labels).

The material that you use for this project is called vellum.

vellum (the frosty snowflake part)

If you’re not familiar with vellum, no worries. It has actually undergone quite a change from its early years as calfskin to the translucent (think frosty) to opaque paper we use today. Scrapbook and hobby stores have a great variety of colors and textures that you can buy in single sheets (8.5” x 11”) and fit perfectly in an inkjet printer.

Vellum Candle:

Materials and Supplies:

~Glass Jar Candle

~Sheet of 8.5” x 11” Vellum

~Scissors

~Ruler

~Glue stick, Elmers glue or clear tape

~Computer with Printer

~Ribbon (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel the sticker off of the glass jar. If there is any residue left over, remove with Goof-Off, Goo-Gone or rubbing alcohol.

2. Measure the height of the jar. This can be tricky if the jar starts to curve near the top and bottom. You want to measure just the straightest part of the jar. Then subtract about 1/2” (or 1/4” from top and bottom).

3. Measure the circumference of the jar. If you want the vellum to go all the way around with one seam, you’ll need a jar that’s less than 11”. You can take a piece of copy paper with you candle shopping to measure (that won’t look too weird!). If you don’t mind seams, your candle can be bigger

4. Figure out what to print on the vellum. You will do this in a Word document so you can change the font type, color, and size. You may need to orient the document “landscape” if your candle is wider than 8.5”. Make sure the font size doesn’t exceed the height you measured in step 2 (use the ruler at the side of the document guide to check).

Ideas:

Word definitions (i.e.: love, light, warmth, peace, harmony, joy)

Quote

We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our

adventure to discover our own special light. ~Mary Dunbar

When you possess light within, you see it externally. ~Anaïs Nin

Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what

may never happen. Keep in the light. ~Benjamin Franklin

Date

Initials or Monogram

You can do images too! There are loads of free images online that you can use and print onto the vellum or even family pictures. Just make sure you give the ink enough time to dry before trying to work with it.

4. Print onto the vellum. Let dry. To be safe, I let mine dry about 10 minutes.

5. Lightly draw out the dimension you need to cut out. I use scissors with vellum and go slowly because xacto-knives never cut it correctly.

6. Glue the vellum onto the jar using your glue of choice. Try to be clean because it will show through (you can secure it just at the seam).

7. Add a ribbon, tie a bow. This doesn’t have to be permanent but adds a nice element.

Don’t want to do a candle? Use a regular glass jar or drinking glass and fill it with candy, cinnamon sticks, or cocoa mix.

Don’t have a printer? Vellum comes with sparkles, glitter and patterns, too! Grab a cheap bottle of metallic paint and use a Q-Tip to paint on a monogram or your own pattern of polka dots or stripes. You can even paint a wintery scene!

Extra gift idea? Gift your candle with one of those warming plates that they sell all over (Hobby Lobby and Michael’s sell them cheap) with extra bottles of scents that your giftee can add in when the smell-‘ems are gone from the candle.