Biting the Bullet: Supplies

If I'm going to make a bunch of cards, I'll need some stuff.  I figured that cardstock, cutesy paper and envelopes were a good start.  I also picked up a two-size rounded-corner paper punch and a set of alphabet stamps.  This stuff is expensive!

fancy paper, 48 sheets: $16

cardstock, 100 sheets: $5 on sale

300 envelopes: $23.98 (buy 200 get 100 free)

round corner punch: $9.99 (yikes!)

alphabet stamps: $7.99

total: $62.96

Ouch.  I will someday invest in a paper cutter too, but I'm borrowing for now.  Hopefully I won't have to buy anything else all year (at least for cards).

I'm new at this, so please clue me in.  What are the must-have supplies?  Where/how do you get good prices? Help!

New Header!

Isn't it lovely?  My amazingly creative friend Catie made me this awesome header.  She really has an artistic eye - you should have seen her Christmas card.


For your own custom blog header, email catiepilk@gmail.com.  Tell her I sent you and you'll get a discount.

Gift #4: Charlie's I Spy

My son got one of these from his grandma for his 1st birthday.  It had too much filling so I opened it up a bit to take some out, and added a bunch more little things from Hobby Lobby while I was at it.  It's been a great church toy, and I think it will be even better when he gets old enough to keep track of the number of things he finds.


I told my friend Lindsey that I'd make one for her little boy Charlie.  That was probably a year ago.  I've had all these cool little items (tiny metal tools, plastic vegetables, buttons made to look like just about anything) sitting in a box ever since, just waiting for me to get my act together, which I finally did!


The window is a thin sheet of vinyl (hopefully not too thin), which I zig-zag-stitched to the flannel.  After that, I just filled it up with the trinkets and extra filling from last year, sewed the two pieces of fabric together and cut the edges into strips.  Voila!  Totally easy.  Totally not worthy of putting off for a year.  Oh well, at least it's done.  Now let's see how long it takes me to deliver it.


Cost:
Since I bought everything so long ago, I'm guessing here.  Most of the trinkets were from a $5 grab bag of buttons, etc., of which I probably used 5%.  The other, cooler things were doll house accessories, which can be a bit pricey.  Still, I only used a portion of what I bought, so I'm going to say $3 for those.  I did buy the vinyl and flannel, but used so little of it, that I'll just throw in another dollar for both.  So I'm guessing the total cost is about $4.25.  Not bad.  However, I haven't been able to find this filling anywhere, so had I not had extra on hand, I have no idea how much it would have cost.  They are little clear plastic balls, and they're a little bit squishy.  Does anyone know what this stuff is called or where to get it?

Future Wedding Gifts: Jute Coasters

I got a wonderful Suss Cousins knitting book for my birthday that's full of things to make for your home.  I finally tried her pattern for coasters made out of jute twine.  Last night Devin & I watched about half of Pride and Prejudice while I made this set of four.


In case anyone tries this, I'd recommend using smaller needles than the pattern calls for.  It said US 9, which I tried, but the coasters were too loose and ugly, so I tried US 6, which worked much better. I also only cast on 9 stitches instead of 11 to make the finished product a bit smaller.  Keep in mind this was my first time knitting with twine, and I had a bit of a hard time since there's no give like there is with yarn.  Maybe her size 9 stitches are just as tight as mine with size 6.


I bought two rolls of twine at a hardware store with the intention of making a few sets of coasters.  The total was $4.79.  These four coasters used about half of one roll (I'm guessing - hard to tell when it's all wound up).  So this gift's cost so far is about $1.20.  Now what to put with it?  I was thinking of a bottle of sparkling cider for a simple gift or maybe a set of tumblers if I want to spend a little more.  Any other ideas?

Making Cards / Am I Crazy?

When a gift isn't reasonable (too far away, or just not in the budget), I still like to acknowledge someone's birthday. So today I hesitantly plunged into the world of card-making. I know plenty of people make cards all the time and do just fine. But I'm just not sure I've got it in me. Anyway, this was the result of my first unguided* attempt (for my 7-year-old niece). I think it turned out alright, but what do I know?

Basically, I'm clueless here, so any help would be appreciated.

*I admit that I used a long-ago-purchased card kit, so I at least knew all the materials were approved by someone who actually knows what she's doing. Except the twine bow. That was my idea.

Gift #3: Chunky Baby Hat

I'm throwing a baby shower tomorrow for my neighbor. She's due really soon, so I'm hoping the baby doesn't come before the presents are unwrapped. For her little girl, I made this chunky knit hat (adapted from an adult earflap hat pattern) and added a flower to make it more cutesy. The great thing about this hat is that it's super fast to make. I watched a few episodes of Scrubs and was done. The flower took another 1/2 movie, since I had lost the pattern and had to make it up from memory, trial-and-error style.

My only regret is that I cast off pretty tightly, so the baby may not be able to wear it for very long. But it'll warm up soon anyway, and this is definitely a winter hat.


total cost: $0.00 since I already had all the yarn

Vote: Best Edible Christmas Gift

What was the best edible Christmas gift you gave or received in 2009?

Today my husband baked chocolate chip cookies. Our neighbors gave us a roll of dough for Christmas, ready to slice and bake. This gets my vote! Every house is so loaded with sweets during the holidays, so a gift that you can enjoy on, say, January 12th instead, is a very welcome variation. A few cookies will be savored and appreciated much more on an otherwise uneventful Tuesday than they would be amid the usual holiday parade of candies, chocolates and baked treats.

Canned salsa, jam, and fancy shelf-stable foods also make great enjoy-later gifts, but the cookie dough is my favorite because, well, it turns into chocolate chip cookies. Need I say more?