Homemade Little/Big Gifts - Page 2

nauadpi · #1 10-19-2004, 03:00 PM

Let me see.. what all did I make over the years...

Cork boards are great... again you just buy a cork board at walmart or michael's or where ever... and you use paint pens to decorate it...

Someone already mentioned door hangers...

pillows have been mentioned as well...

Photo albums are great... You buy a really cheep ugly photo album... then you cover it in batting (the stuff used in quilts that you can buy at walmart or any place that sells sewing stuff)... then you cover it with cloth... to attach the cloth and batting just use a hot glue gun.. they work wonders... then do the iron on letters on the outside of that... it looks really nice and fun...

bucket... just use a paint pen to write letters on it... then you can put all the other gifts inside of it...

I draw pictures for presents... so if you can draw that is great... and then you just put it in a dollar store frame...

For a pin box I usually would pick up a wooden box from any craft place (walmart, michael's, etc)... then I would paint the outside, and write letters on it with a paint pen... then on the inside I would take some cotton balls or scrap fabric and place it in the bottom of the box...then take a piece of cloth and cover the cottom balls/scrap fabric and hot glue it in... it makes a great pillow to attach the pin to so they really can't loose it...

Another thing is picking up a travel coffee mug that has an area on the outside to put pictures in... then you can go on the computer and print up a design or pictures and slip it in... I did a fun design with a picture of a lion and our letters...

KSUViolet06 · #2 10-19-2004, 03:10 PM

When I got my Kappa Phi little (spring 2003), I gave her a hand painted pillow. You can purchase blank white pillows at craft stores like Jo-Ann's, Michaels, or Pat Catan's.

You decorate them with glitter pens and/or fabric paint. I wrote: " KF *hearts* Erin" on one side, and painted some flowers on the other side.

bekibug · #3 10-19-2004, 09:17 PM

I'm making my little a throw pillow with the AZD crest on it. I already got the crest done; it's crosstiched, and let me tell you, those griffins are beasts to do! I'm going to do the back out of light blue silk dupioni and embroider "To Kristine from Becky" on it, with "Lil Sis" and "Big Sis" under our names. I've just got to get my mom to get the silk now and help me put it all together and it'll be awesome!

BTW- co-sign on the paint pens. Signs for pep rallies, gifts for Rosebuddies, everything gets done with those things.

BetteDavisEyes · #4 10-19-2004, 10:18 PM

Umm...Is it bad that I bought some things? I am definitely making her a tote bag, pillow, & clipboard. I am sewing them by hand & decorating them myself but other items I just bought. That's not bad is it?

tunatartare · #5 10-19-2004, 10:32 PM

LOL, not at all. I bought a lot of my little's gifts. She's Irish and is really hardcore into Irish pride and Big/Lil week was right before St. Patrick's Day so I got her so much Irish stuff. I love doing arts and crafts and making stuff, but around the time I took my little, I was so swamped and I just didn't have the time to make things that I bought a lot of her stuff.

preciousjeni · #6 10-19-2004, 10:43 PM

If I had hundreds of dollars you KNOW I'd be buyin' up the stores!!

BGanchor · #7 10-20-2004, 06:56 PM

I havnt taken a little yet but i am here soon and i have a few good ideas.
My favorite thing that I've done was a blanket that I made for my two best friends in another sorority. I took two pieces of fleece, in gold and navy (their colors) 3 feet of each. Then i went up to the embroidery/sports store that makes like the letter jackets and had them cut out the greek letters. They are sticky on the back but not sticky enough, so I sewed them my hand onto the gold. then i layed the gold on top of the navy and made cuts in3 or four inches, 1 inch apart around the edges. The you take those peices and knot them and they make and amazing fleece blanket!! It sounds like a lot of work but it really isnt at all!!

One more thing, i know everyone has given good ideas for crafts, but what about good saying to put on things? My personal favorite was when my big painted "You light up my life little one" on a candle for me. any others?

KSUViolet06 · #8 10-20-2004, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BetteDavisEyes
Umm...Is it bad that I bought some things? I am definitely making her a tote bag, pillow, & clipboard. I am sewing them by hand & decorating them myself but other items I just bought. That's not bad is it?

It's not bad at all hun! I buy most of my stuff, I just like to get a little crafty at times

wanderersarah · #9 03-09-2005, 09:41 PM

I am all about making cheap gifts, I just got my second little and I'm a little cash strapped so I've been making a lot of cute little things for her.

Since I'm in a local, I can't really buy many ready made products, but I can definitely steal ideas from overpriced greek shops.

I figured out how to make some nifty magnets, like the ones here:

http://www.greekgear.com/soma6.html

You can buy everything you need at Wal-Mart.

Materials:
Clear, flat backed marbles (found in the floral section, $1)
Magnets w/ adhesive backing (found with in crafts, $1-2)
Craft Glue ($1)
Color Print out of letters/flower/mascot

Directions:

1) Create a sheet of letters/flower/mascot to print out.
You can go to microsoft.com and find clip art for this.
I've also found that buddy icons are just about the right size for this, so you could also check out: http://www.geocities.com/sororitybuddyicons/ for pictures to use.

2) Cut out the paper to fit the back of the marble.

3) Spread glue on the back of the marble, affix the picture, let dry.

4) Affix the magnet

It's pretty simple all in all.

Here is a picture of the first batch that I made up, the picture quality is poor, but you'll get the idea:

http://www.geocities.com/wanderer511/magnet3.jpg

SigmaPezY60 · #10 03-18-2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderersarah

I am all about making cheap gifts, I just got my second little and I'm a little cash strapped so I've been making a lot of cute little things for her.

Since I'm in a local, I can't really buy many ready made products, but I can definitely steal ideas from overpriced greek shops.

I figured out how to make some nifty magnets, like the ones here:

http://www.greekgear.com/soma6.html

You can buy everything you need at Wal-Mart.

Materials:
Clear, flat backed marbles (found in the floral section, $1)
Magnets w/ adhesive backing (found with in crafts, $1-2)
Craft Glue ($1)
Color Print out of letters/flower/mascot

Directions:

1) Create a sheet of letters/flower/mascot to print out.
You can go to microsoft.com and find clip art for this.
I've also found that buddy icons are just about the right size for this, so you could also check out: http://www.geocities.com/sororitybuddyicons/ for pictures to use.

2) Cut out the paper to fit the back of the marble.

3) Spread glue on the back of the marble, affix the picture, let dry.

4) Affix the magnet

It's pretty simple all in all.

Here is a picture of the first batch that I made up, the picture quality is poor, but you'll get the idea:

http://www.geocities.com/wanderer511/magnet3.jpg

When I saw that post I was so excited to try it out. At AC Moore I found a 3/4lb bag of the marbles for $1.27 and "Flexible magnet discs" 1/2" diameter by NicoleCrafts with sticky backing..the perfect size for the marble for $.99 for the sheet of 12.

If you put the buddy icons into word, you'll have to make them just a little smaller. And don't worry about the text looking tiny on the paper, the marble magnifies it.

For me it was easier to cut the paper after I glued the marble to the paper.

UofISigKap · #11 03-18-2007, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SigmaPezY60

I love this project and have done it for gifts for my friends who are SKs and for the cheer squad I coached this past year. They look so neat, and people are impressed, but it's such a no headache project. Love it!

aephi alum · #12 03-18-2007, 09:20 PM

When my local first became an AEPhi colony, I cross stitched an AEPhi design.

Here it is:

I made two: one for my big and one for myself. I meant to stitch one for my little, but life got in the way.

Someone wayyyyyy upthread mentioned craftster.org I recently discovered the site - and as a crafty person, I was soon addicted.

SigmaPezY60 · #13 03-20-2007, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aephi alum

When my local first became an AEPhi colony, I cross stitched an AEPhi design.

That's beautiful! I imagine that's the sort of thing that was done in the beginnings of sororities. That will probably be something your sisters cherish most of their lives.

texas*princess · #14 03-09-2005, 10:03 PM

that's so awesome wanderersarah! thanks for sharing!

alphaalpha · #15 03-10-2005, 02:08 AM

I absolutely love to make sugar cookies and cookie cutters for special occasions, or just for fun. I have a really large collection and have a few of my sororities symbols and what not, but i was wondering if any knew of a place that sold greek letter cookie cutters. I have found alphabets so i can cut out letters to spell names but I think that it would be sooo cool to have cookie cutters in the shape of greek letters. Please let me know if anyone has seen this or know of where i could find them.

thanks a bunch,
debbie