Create gifts that take care—October 5, 2012
What says “I care” more than any purchased item ever could? The answer, obviously, is something you make yourself. Spending your time and effort to create a special gift shows your true affection. It is so much more meaningful than just buying a gift or card, and the product you create can become a valued keepsake.
For almost twenty years, our dear friend Gleni has been sending personally made greeting cards. We wouldn’t think of throwing any away. They are special works of art which we treasure. Each one reminds us of our friend and how much she cares about us.
You can make special cards for your friends too. There are many books at the library that can help you with this project. One I think is especially good is “Greeting Cards in an Afternoon” by Cindy Gorder. This book will tell you what supplies and tools you will need, how to construct the cards and envelopes, and how to create the messages and special embellishments for your cards for any occasion from birthdays to thank-you notes. One of my favorite cards in the book is the Ivy and Dragonflies (page 60). The Language of Flowers card (page 46) is another especially nice one.
“Bookbinding Techniques and Projects” is another great book to help you make a special gift for a special person. You could make a uniquely personal book for a new grandchild, a special scrapbook for your son or daughter, or even a picture frame for a valued photo. This book has step-by-step instructions for these and many other projects. You can keep it simple, or get as sophisticated as you wish.
A book that covers some of the same projects, but is even more colorful is “Handcrafted Journals, Albums, Scrapbooks and More.” You could use it as a guide to make fancy accordion books, photo albums, or journals. This book also discusses paper marbling, spattering, and other techniques.
Would you like to make a plush doll sketchbook or a canvas collage idea book or a decoupage coffee table book or a crochet notebook? If so, check out “Adventures in Bookbinding” by Jeannine Stein. You will see easy to follow step-by-step instructions for these and other projects.
I have several boxes of photos, programs, ticket stubs and other mementos (my husband would probably use the word “junk”) at my house just waiting to be organized. I’d bet that there are many of you who can relate. When I finally convince myself that it’s time to do something with that jumble, I’ll use “Quick & Easy Scrapbook Pages” by Memory Maker Books to help me organize and display my items. This book discusses layout and design, backgrounds, borders and mats, embellishments and other scrapbooking topics. There are dozens of other scrapbooking resource books and shops to help whether you just want to organize your items, or create a work of love for your family.
For these and almost any project you can imagine, the Hastings Public Library can help you get started. So check us out.
