Scatter Sunshine! Gift Baskets and Seed Packets

This month for my visiting teaching  sisters I am going to give them dressed up seed packets in celebration of the month of May. For my VTing sisters I decided to get forget-me-not flowers. While at the store though I also decided to bring joy into the lives of more people around me and I picked up an addition 9 seed packets of various flowers. To dress them up I made a cover for the packets. I wanted them to look bright, cheery, and simple.

Dressed Up Seed Packets 

paper (12x12 sheets fit 2)
scissors and/ paper cutter
glue
ruler
corner rounder punch

The seed packets I used are 3.25" x 4.5". To create the basic shape start with rectangle 6" x 7.25". From each side (left and right) draw a line 2" in. From the top and bottom draw a line 3/4" from the edge.

 Cut the rectangles drawn in the corners. Fold the right and left sides in and glue up the middle.

Round the corners and glue the top or bottom. Slip the seed packet inside.

 I glued a cute "Happy May" piece on each packet and left the top unglued. Deliver!

Easy Jelly Bean Cones:

No cellophane bags needed!

Sandwich baggie
jelly beans
ribbon

Fill one corner of the baggie. Gather and twist the baggie.

Securely tie the ribbon and cut off the seal at the top. Round off any edges that poke up.

(see finished result in basket below)

Smile Gift Baskets

Don't we all know someone going through a hard time? Well I have two close friends/family members that have especially been on my mind lately. One of them has had her SECOND back surgery in 6 months and the other has always lived close to her parents and they had to move :( I put together a few things today to give them and here they are:

A magazine
Candy (gourmet jelly beans, caramels, all reds starbursts, turtles, mnms, blow pops)
A book
Seed packets :)
An exotic smelling candle
nail polish and files

Jaime wrote me an email last night filled with lovely compliments. How cute is she? Have you done something to help someone smile today?

Spring into Hand Stitching

I’ve seen some really cool hand stitching lately and wished I could hand stitch something too. (Here's an example shared at Wayward Weekend: Angel Stitch Embroidery's Holstein Cow) The only times I’ve cross stitched haven’t ended well or happened in the last 10 years. So I was ready to try again when I came across this amazing tutorial. Please check it out!

Here’s what I did a little wayward from the tutorial:

1. I played around with fonts and printed out my letters. My poor printer is dying. The problem with this: I chose the Vaguely Repulsive font and it’s rather thick. This wouldn’t be a big deal, but I didn’t exactly keep my dots straight. If you choose a thinner font/your handwriting, it’s going to be easier to keep things straight.

2. I used a needle and sewing pin to make the holes in the paper rather than a thumbtack. Somehow our thumbtacks were displaced during our moves and we haven’t replaced them. So I used a needle for a while and then a pin. I wouldn’t recommend it. It wasn’t easy and I think it wrinkled the paper a bit because of the force I had to use and how I held it. Use a thumbtack.

3. At first I used her recommendation for the length of the embroidery floss but I found it to be a little short when doing longer letters like the “g” so I doubled it. No biggie.

4.The dot on the “i” didn’t work out. Maybe too many holes in too small of a space?

 Finished Product:

Bottom line: this is a really cute way to personalize anything. I was thinking about all the possibilities. This is one I came up with this one for an inexpensive, but totally cute baby gift:

I framed this for a baby shower gift. I love it! 

I've got more ideas so I may be sharing this again. I hope you try it out!