Sunday, January 25, 2009

Personalized Gift Ideas

Personalized Journals

My favorite gift to give is personalized journals. This is an excellent gift for mommies. Anytime a family member or friend has a baby, the first thing I do is take a picture or request a picture of the newborn and find out the height, weight, date and time the baby was born. I then upload the picture to a photo site, such as Snapfish. (Walgreen’s or CVS will work too). Once your photo is uploaded, click on Notebooks that is listed under Home & Office. You now can begin designing your notebook by choosing the background color, display of your photo, and your personalized message on the front cover as well as the inside cover. When I create a journal for a new mom, the baby’s full name, date of birth, time, height and weight is displayed on the front cover as well as “my inspiration…” In the inside of the front cover, I always personalize a message or quote. One of my favorite quotes to use is “Where there is love, there is life” by Gandhi. A personalized journal is great for moms to keep track of all the funny things your children do that you swear you will remember, but by the time the week is over you forget. Personalized journals are great for anyone. You don’t have to be a mom to enjoy a personalized journal. I have created journals for friends by putting a photo of their dog or cat on the front cover. Notebooks are very inexpensive to make, costing $9.99 through Snapfish. This gift comes from the heart and is something people can really get good use out of.

Personalized Coasters

A wonderful gift to give someone is personalized photo coasters. You can make them at home and there is nothing to it. It is a very inexpensive gift to make as well! Here is a list of supplies you will need to pull of this great gift!
Supplies

Ceramic Tiles
Photos
Sandpaper
Mod Podge Decoupage Glue
Foam Brush
Felt Squares
Clear acrylic sealer

1. The first thing you need to do is choose your photos. For the best results, the photos need to be printed professionally at your local photo store.

2. You will need to sand the top of the ceramic tiles lightly to remove the shine.

3. Trim the photos a little bit smaller than your tiles.

4. Apply the Mod Podge adhesive on top of the tiles, using a foam brush.

5. Place your photo on top of the tile and apply multiple layers of decoupage sealer.

6. Apply felt squares to the bottom of your coasters.

7. Spray with clear acrylic sealer