Easy gift ideas
Treasure pets will delight young and old alike. They’ll hold candy,
jewelry, a ball of string or yarn, or any small trinkets that will fit
inside.
Start with a plastic pantyhose egg. Open the egg and cover each half
with papier-mache pulp (see papier-mache pulp, page 89). But, don’t
cover the edge where the halves connect. Mold the body, head, and legs
with the pulp. Use toothpicks to strengthen the legs and neck, if
needed. Let dry.
To decorate the pet, paint each half with tempera paint. When the
paint is dry, varnish each half. Let dry completely. Finally, glue on
felt eyes and any other decorations you wish.
Fruit-juice-can banks are perfect presents for the people on your gift
list who like to save for a rainy day. Use enamel paint to decorate a
rinsed-out fruit-juice can—the kind with a pull-off foil seal. Glue on
buttons, feathers, beans, rice, yarn, or pieces of paper to make
designs. The can opening becomes the money slot. When the bank is full,
it can be opened with a can opener.
Cloth-covered boxes can be used by many people for many things. They
can be used as trinket boxes, sewing boxes, desk caddies, or yarn or
string dispensers. Simply glue cloth, such as felt or burlap, onto a
cardboard box.
First, cut out any slits or holes you might want (see inside cuts,
page 37). Then, cover the sides of the box with cloth. Leave a little
extra cloth to fold over the edges. Then cover the bottom. Use a
different kind of cloth to cover the top and its sides. When the glue is
dry, cut out any material covering the slits or holes. Finally, glue on
decorations or add a few fancy stitches (see Helpful hints, page
154).
Spicy pomanders will make the clothes in a drawer or closet smell
fresh. You can make this pomander with an orange and spices you find in
your kitchen.
Push whole cloves into an orange. Sprinkle cinnamon on the orange and
wrap it in wax paper. Wait one week. Then take off the wax paper. Fold
some picture-frame wire in half, and push it through the orange. Bend
back the two ends and push them into the orange.
Noteboards are popular gifts that can be used anywhere in the house.
Glue two pieces of corrugated cardboard together, with the
corrugation running in opposite directions. Cover the cardboard with
felt. Then glue felt decorations near the border and attach a picture
hook to the back.
Candy cuties will delight everyone’s sweet tooth! They’re made with
Styrofoam and wrapped candy.
Start with a 4-inch (10-cm) or larger Styrofoam ball for the body. Cut
off the bottom of the ball so it won’t roll. Use stick pins to attach
wrapped candies to the body. Use a 1-inch (2.5-cm), or larger, Styrofoam
ball or egg to make the head. Attach the head with a small piece of pipe
cleaner. Pin on felt hands, feet, wings, and feathers. Then add any
other felt and pipe-cleaner decorations you like.
Bottles and pots will liven up any window sill. Decorated bottles
can be used as vases, oil and vinegar jars, bubble-bath and
shaving-lotion bottles, and as candleholders. And, of course, a
decorated flower pot would make any plant smile just a little bit more.
Paint bottles with enamel paint and flower pots with either enamel or
tempera paint. If you are painting a flower pot, you may want to paint
the inside, too. When the paint is dry, brush on one or two coats of
varnish.
Trays are gifts grown-ups like. This one is made from an old picture
frame.
Take the glass out of an old picture frame and set it aside. Sand the
frame. Nail a wooden package handle (the kind stores use to help you
carry bulky packages) to each end of the frame. Paint the frame and the
handles. Then varnish. When the varnish is dry, put the glass back in
the frame. Place a picture, a pretty piece of cloth, a stitchery picture
(see page 158), or a woven tapestry (see page 192) in the frame. Slip a
piece of heavy cardboard into the frame to hold the picture and glass in
place. Finally, glue felt to the bottom of the tray.
Fun clothes hangerswill brighten up anyone’s closet. Sand a wooden
hanger (see sanding, page 203). Then decorate the hanger with paint or
decoupage (see page 230). Give the hanger a coat of varnish (see
finishing, page 203).
See-through pictures are happy holiday gifts. All you need is gel
medium, which you can buy in an art store or craft shop.
Brush twelve coats of gel on a magazine picture or on a crayon picture
you have drawn on shiny shelf paper. Let the gel dry between coats. When
the gel dries after the last coat, soak the picture in water until you
can peel off the paper. Then, presto! You will see that, like magic, the
picture is stuck in the gel.
