handmade holidays {guest post} Hillary from Because my Life is Fascinating

Have you seen all of the awesome guest posts in the handmade holidays series??

Steph from Crafting in the Rain shared a heart felt snail mail gift!

Jodi from Oh.Scrap.That. shared her easy wooden block display!

Melissa from The Alchemist made edible gingerbread gift tags!

Today, my guest poster is Hillary from Because my Life is Fascinating!  Have you met Hillary?  She is seriously hilarious!  A great sense of humor, cute kids and just enough sarcasm and snark to keep me coming back for more!!  Here are three of my favorite posts ...  okay four, because I forgot to add this post to the collage but you need to read it ... awesome!

Woodland Themed Baby Shower - those moose cookies and mushroom cupcakes!  ::
Top 10 Christmas Photo Bucket List - these are soo funny! :: Top 10 Toys for Young Children

And here is Hillary's super thoughtful handmade holiday idea ... I really love this!!

The Gift That Gives All Year Long: 365 Days Of Inspiration

Hey there!

I’m Hillary from TheHillJean.com {Because My Life Is Fascinating}. I’m not much of a crafter or a cook, but I pretty much vicariously accomplish both skills by pinning on Pinterest. Can I get an “amen”?

I can say that I am a mighty fine gift giver. Planning, shopping, and then GIVING that special something to the people I love just blows my heart up. Unfortunately, my wallet gets caught in the blast, and the result is not quite as euphoric as the whole shopping and giving part. Whoopsiedaisy.

Thank heavens that DIY is in vogue these days. Is it too soon to give another “amen”?

While light on the wallet, handmade gifts are heavy on value. They mean so much more than the boxed lotion set with fuzzy socks or an iTunes gift card.  The reason they mean more is because they take time, consideration, and planning. Way more planning than is needed to run into Kohls for some fuzzy socks. (To be clear, I really do love fuzzy socks).

Last year I wanted to get my dad something really special. Something he would benefit from using all year long. I have to say, my gift was a total success. He has faithfully used it and no joke brings it up every time I talk to him.

So. You wanna blow up hearts and single yourself out as THE ultimate gift giver? Mmm hmm. You know you do.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1.) A large jar.

I suppose if you’re really a cheapo you could use the giant (empty, please) pickle jar from Costco. OR you could spring about $12 and find a decent apothecary jar at a discount store like Ross, Marshalls, or T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods. Your choice.

2.) 365 quotes, sayings, verses, or such stuff that will inspire your loved one.

Guys, this is the hardest step in making the gift. I’m sure you could Google search “inspirational quotes” and just copy and paste the first 365 you come across. But how do you know they’re going to inspire and be relevant to the recipient?

You see, what I did was read through and select quotes that would certainly mean something to my dad. Maybe they wouldn’t resonate with everyone out there, but they needed to strike a chord within my dad in order to be valuable. It was hard work. It was hours of pouring over various sites and anthologies.

 But you know something? Each little slip my dad pulls out was chosen just for him. And he knows it.

Now, something to consider: you do not have to have 365 quotes to rock their world. In fact, my dad told me his jar probably will last him two years because he likes to take one out and reflect on it all week. Isn’t that cute? When I go up to visit, I always see my little slips sticking out of books or propped up against photos. Makes my heart go pitter-patter.

So, you could make this a whole lot easier on yourself and just do like 52 or 120(ish) or something. What ever you want!

3.) Nice paper, a printer, and scissors or better yet, a fancy cutting machine.

I printed my quotes on a pretty crème-colored cardstock. I wanted the slips to stand up and stay firm in the jar.

You could use whatever paper floats your boat, I just recommend getting something firmer than your regular, run-of-the-mill printer paper.

So…the process of cutting those slips is just so much easier if you have a fancy-shmancy paper cutter. I am the absolute WORST with scissors. Seriously, someone majorly dropped the ball with the “fine motor” component of my education.

It’s up to you. Maybe you should let your kid do it so that they’ll develop better coordination…?

Badabing badabang! That is all you need to do.

Throw that sucker in a nice bag, and sit back and watch as everyone oohs and ahhs over the wonder that is your DIY gift.

If you want my file of 365 quotes I am more than happy to share it with you. I am not too proud to ask that you at least become a Twitter and Facebook liker, or blog subscriber, or all those things and leave me a comment with your email.  I really did spend a LOT of time compiling those quotes and I would be thrilled to help make your life easier by sharing them with you.

I also take fuzzy socks.

Thank you, Keri for letting me come over and act like an expert! You are the type of person who I vicariously live through so I am just tickled to be gabbing over here today!

Hillary - you are awesome, girl!  I've made a similar gift for my mom, but I'm pretty sure she only got a month of quotes and funny memories ... your 365 rock my fuzzy socks ;)  Thanks SO much for sharing this will us!

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