Month: October 2015

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Handmade gift of the week: House-warming gift, thank you gift, or hostess gift

As Christmas rapidly approaches, we may find ourselves in a situation where we need to buy a gift for someone we visit or stay with over the holiday season. This gift idea is beautiful and practical, plus it works well for a man or a woman…


This project is from www.kirstycolquhoun.blogspot.com.au

Why we love it:
  • You can completely customise this gift for the recipient, whether they’re a man, woman or a family. 
  • The black and white towel works well for a man or a family, but you could have fun picking a hand towel in a feminine print, or the recipient’s favourite colour. 
  • You can also pick any utensil you think they would find most useful – in wood or another material to suit their existing pots and pans. 
  • You can have fun picking the recipe book too – especially if they have a favourite chef. Or you could choose a new best-selling recipe book they don’t have, or a classic book with timeless recipes. 
  • The towel is a fun, inexpensive way to wrap your gift, and it also protects the book. 
What recipe book would you love to receive as a gift? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…
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Handmade card of the week: This Card Matches your Hair

I’m ashamed to say it took me a couple of moments to ‘get’ this card. I’m sure some people would be offended, but most would probably find this funny…

Image from Etsy store, blingBebe

Why we love it:
  • Insulted or not – you have to admit it’s pretty funny (and clever!)
  • It would be simple to make – you just need a plain grey or silver coloured card to print on and you could create the text on your computer. Too hard? You could buy one from blingBebe. 
  • You could also stamp or write your message by hand. 
  • Experiment with different coloured card for different people – white, red, etc. 
How would you feel if you received a card like this? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Cool Cakes: 40th Birthday Cake

It’s fun to (politely) tease people as they get older…especially if they’re older than you! 
Why we love it:
  • Ok, so 40 isn’t actually that old (I say that as I’m not far away from the big 40!), but this cake is actually funny because it’s a gross exaggeration. If you presented an 80-year-old with this cake, somehow it wouldn’t be so funny…
  • It’s so realistic! Not sure of the technique they’ve used to write on the cake, but it’s very clear and neat! 
  • The actual cake shape is quite simple – just three round layers (which would feed a few people). Three layers also mean you could have three different cake flavours, or even a gluten-free portion to cater for all guests. The effectiveness is in the decoration.
  • This cake appears to be for a man, but you could modify it for a woman.   
How would you feel if you received a cake like this? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Handmade gift of the week: Party bag gifts for kids

Every year I struggle to find new and interesting things to pop into my kids’ party bags. Kids love lollies, but how can you make store-bought treats look unique? These little butterflies will be top of my party bag list for next year!


Why we love it:
  • This idea can work for boys and girls, depending on the colours you use. Choose red, yellow, green and orange if you don’t want to make these gender specific. 
  • Kids will have fun making these for their party bags – let them choose the lollipop flavours and wing colours, cut out the shapes and decorate the wings. 
  • This is a great way of using up scraps of wrapping paper, or you can stamp or draw on the wings. 

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Handmade card of the week: I Love You

One-eyed monsters are all the rage at the moment thanks to the Minions. This cute card is a lovely way of showing the one you love how much you care – and making them smile!

Images from Etsy store, kraze4paper

Why we love it:
  • Who doesn’t love a one-eyed monster?!
  • This card would be relatively easy and inexpensive to make yourself – you just need some kraft card (or a plain card you can purchase from a craft shop), a craft knife to cut out the hole with, a plastic eye and a heart (although you could draw the heart). If you can’t draw a monster, you could find a monster image online, print and cut it out. Or you could just buy one from kraze4paper on Etsy. 
  • This card could be used as a birthday card, Valentine’s Day card, or simply a greeting card to say ‘hi’. 
  • This card is gender-neutral and would work well for either a man or a woman. 
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How to Wrap the Perfect Present: Tips from Rebecca Ridhalgh, JetSet Gel

Due to popular demand, our How to Wrap the Perfect Present tips are back! We love asking for advice on gift-wrapping, as everyone has their own unique tips and tricks on how to wrap a present. This week we caught up with Rebecca Ridhalgh from JetSet Gel. 

1. What are the best types of wrapping paper?

Rebecca: Patterned wrapping is the best! But then ribbon should be simple so it’s not too busy.


2. What is your wrapping technique? Why is your method the best?
Rebecca: Best wrapping method is to ensure the wrapping paper is the right size. Too much paper will make the wrapping uneven and bulky in places. Too little…and your gift is a little naked!

3. Ribbon or no ribbon?
Rebecca: We love ribbon and think it really finishes off the wrap. It’s important that the ribbon suits the paper as well.

4. How does your style of wrapping vary for gifts for men, women and kids?
Rebecca: Wrapping often differs for men, women and kids in a number of ways including colours, patterns, ribbon and detail. 
Men: neutral or dark colours, more minimal wrapping with simple bold details, ribbons are often plain. 
Women: more pastels and warmer colours, more feminine and detailed patterns and ornate ribbons. 
Kids: bright and fun colours, the more entertaining and different the better!

5. What are some cost effective/eco-friendly alternatives for presenting a gift beautifully?
Rebecca: Cost effective, eco-friendly AND looks good: wrapping in newspaper. Especially good for guys or kids. Make sure to use a plain ribbon to make it still have the gift wrapped look!

Eco-friendly newspaper gift wrapping with plain ribbon
Image from Urban Barn Blog

These gift wrapping tips were kindly shared with us by Rebecca Ridhalgh from JetSet Gel. JetSet Gel is the ultimate gel polish brand for jetsetters who fly in style. The girls at JetSet Gel realised that the always perfectly polished ladies of the sky needed a manicure option that was flexible, affordable but most of all quality! They started sourcing and testing different gel polish until they kept using one type again and again. That is when they knew they had found the JetSet Gel formula! Now selling their own gel nail polishes and lamps in the Nail Home Kit all over Australia; ladies of the sky can stay forever polished! Check out their website, www.jetsetgel.com or connect with them on Instagram: @jetsetgel; Twitter: @jetsetgel; Facebook: JetSet Gel Australia

Jet Set Gel Nail Starter Kit from www.jetsetgel.com