The Five Gift Rule in Action

A few weeks ago I shared my Five Gift Rule for gift-giving to my children.  It was a variation on this four gift rule that is popular on sites like Pinterest.  So, as promised, I'm going to share with you how we put the five gift rule into action.  (update: I added some more pictures to include her matching outfit)

1 Thing They Want 

Topsy Turvy Doll - I got the idea from this tutorial though I changed it up a bit to suit my needs.

1 Thing They Need 

A headband, because even when she's decked out in pink from her beautiful bald head to her cute little toes someone still calls her a he.

1 Thing They Wear

I made her a 1 year onesie with reversible skirt - it all matches her doll

1 Thing They Read

Her baby scrapbook I've been working on from Becky Higgins Project Life

1 Thing Handmade

Big brother Leon and I made a receiving blanket photo album.  (Hopefully I'll get a tutorial together for ya soon.) Her birthday gifts from us were mostly handmade, but I thought this gift fit nicely into this category.  It was super simple and I think it turned out really cute.  What do you think?

I think the gifts were perfect for our precious girl.

The Five Gift Rule

I've seen the four gift rule all over Pinterest.  It's a great idea, but I feel like something is missing.  So, I have an addition.  Here is my five gift rule.

Ok, so it doesn't flow quite as well, but I think it's time to get back to creating with our hands.  Back to giving gifts we've poured our time and love into.  Sure, I know not everyone is crafty or wants to be, but there are so many great tutorials out there that require zero special skills (think Napoleon Dynamite).  Why not give this t-shirt scarf a try?  Or this one? This sugar scrub would make a great gift for a teenage girl.  Have some old crayons hanging around?  Melt them into fun new shapes your kid will love.  If baking is more your speed make an extra special cake for your child's special day.  Or try your hand at poetry.  Maybe your mother or grandmother is an excellent quilter.  Then get them involved in the process and have a quilt made from your child's baby clothes like this one here.  I still have some of the gifts my mom made for me and someday I'll pass them on to my children or even their children.  So, all you craft-tastic folks out there and those of you willing to give it a try, go ahead and pin this five gift rule.

I am all for giving a reasonable number of gifts and I struggle with this.  Really, who doesn't want to give their kids the moon - in theory?  But I felt like the four gift rule, while a great start, just wasn't complete.  So there you have it, my five gift rule.  We have two birth days coming up and I'll post on how we incorporate the five gift rule for our kids.

Update: Check out the Five Gift Rule in Action to see how we applied it to Ada's first birthday!


I'm linking up at:

Fabric Storage From Diaper Stacker

I have a problem.  I'm addicted to fabric.  There I said it.  It's the first step to healing, right?  Or maybe I don't want to be healed.  Maybe I love being a fabricaholic.  Of course I love fabric cut straight from the bolt at the fabric store, but I REALLY love finding sheets at the thrift store with cool prints, crisp white sheets that are perfect for everything and fun t-shirts that deserve a second chance at life.  And it's so cost effective AND preshrunk!  Here are some fabulous sheets I found recently. (Ok, so one is a pillow case and one is a curtain panel, but same thing, right?)

I apologize for the wrinkles.  Salvation Army doesn't do folding and I don't do ironing (at least not before I'm ready to sew).

Where to store all this glorious fabric can be a serious problem.  I don't have a craft room, sigh, so I use my dining room.  I try not to keep all my supplies in there, though let's be real here, that's where they usually stay until I have to move them for some gathering of friends and/or family.  I've been trying to find ways to make my closets hold more of my supplies while not displacing other items, which might happen if I added additional shelving.  So that brings me to the handy dandy diaper stacker that often comes with nursery crib sets.

Photo from Amazon.com

Someone out there probably uses these, but I do not.  Never have.  The picture above doesn't show it, but they usually have a hanger at the top to, well, uh, hang.  So I have repurposed one that we had laying around and now it is a fabulously easy and convenient fabric holder.  Yay for repurposing!

No, I don't store it outside on my clothesline, but seriously, you want to see my closets?  I think not.  As for the polka dotted turtle wearing the ever-popular propeller hat, it doesn't bother me a bit because it's in the closet.  If you have cute closets (don't ever tell me about it because I may vomit) try sewing one of your own using one of the many tutorials out there like this one from Sew Dang Cute Crafts or this one from Frugal Crafty Mom ( I would use a heavy duty hanger though if you're using it for fabric storage.  Like one from a retail store and then the metal part of the hanger can swivel so your fabric stacker can either face sideways or forward.)  How do you store your fabric?

Welcome to the Hood: a practical housewarming gift

We are blessed with some really incredible friends and now two of those incredible friends are living in our neighborhood!  They got a deal on a beautiful diamond-in-the-rough and we are thrilled to call them friends and neighbors.  They have always been there for us and I knew I wanted to welcome them to our hood with a homemade and practical housewarming gift so on the day of their closing the kiddos and I left this on their doorstep.

I scored an enormous, thick glass mason jar at our local Habitat ReStore for 10 bucks!  I cut the design on Con-Tact paper using a Silhouette (you could also print out the words and then use an X-acto knife to cut the design onto the Con-Tact paper) and then after smoothing the paper onto the jar I used Armour Glass Etching Cream to etch the design onto the jar.

Then gathered some supplies: a pretty hand towel from World Market, Method hand soap in Fresh Currant, J.R. Watkins Room Freshener in lemon (or check out this post for DIY room sprays - I love using vanilla and peppermint together in a spray), a cleaner burning soy candle from Target in lemon verbena, Myers dish soap also in lemon verbena, a few cloths and sponges for cleaning and a small bottle of champagne.

I set this all on a cooler and inside the cooler was a six pack of beer because, well, moving sucks, but beer helps.

Now before you say, "Aww, how sweet." - because of course that's what you're thinking - if I were really sweet I would have cleaned up the dead bird I spotted chillin' in their driveway.

But hopefully the little gift we left made up for this little welcome gift from the neighborhood cat.  We're so glad you're here Peaches and Curry!