Last minute easy gift!

Need another last minute gift, something easy and oh-so-cheap? Get on down to your dollar store and pick up one of those $1.00 2010 datebooks. They have them everywhere, I bought mine at Walgreens. This datebook has the calendar horizontally, you can adapt this design according to how your calendar is positioned. You can see their cover isn't that inspired so take out some of your That's Amore paper, your Save the Date and Precious Alphabet stamps and let's get started.

This didn't require a lot of measuring. I took the datebook out of the plastic cover and pulled the outside cardboard cover off. I'll give you the measurements I used but really you can adapt it to whatever size datebook you have.

You'll want to remove the staples out of the remainder of the calendar so you can restaple your pretty cover on it later.

Lay your outside cover down on a piece of pattern paper and trace around it. Mine ended up being 7" by 6.5". Distress. Cut it out and dump the old cover.

I happened to have some of the little journaling blocks that go with That's Amore paper so I used one of those since it was already decorated but you can use a blush colored cardstock paper cut 2.75" by 2.5" and then mat it in chocolate cardstock cut 3" by 2.75" and distress. Use your Precious Alphabet stamps to personalize. Since I'm using this datebook as my Close to my Heart booking calendar, I stamped "ctmh." I used the Save the Date stamp to stamp 2010, can you believe it's going to be 2010???!! Use tulip and chocolate inks.

Cut a strip of coordinating patterned paper 6.5" by 1.5" and attach about a half inch up from the bottom of the folded cover. Add your title block.

Fit your calendar evenly under the cover and staple it twice right on the seam. I'm using our swivel stapler on this, so easy!

Here's how it should look before you put it in the plastic cover.

Once in the cover you need to take your piercer and poke a hole about an inch from the left hand side of your title.

I didn't want to put my flower under the datebook's plastic cover, I thought it would be too bulky but you can if you wish. Layer two different sized pink flowers over each other and add a twinkle brad in the middle. Fasten it inside the cover and you are finished! This took about 10 minutes to make and that included my designing, you can do this! Make up 10 or so and have handy easy last minute gift for guests. You could even put one at everyone's place sitting on Christmas Day, what a sweet gift that would be!

How to alter a popcorn bag

I don't know about all of you but we're snowed in today. What a great reason to sit down and make a few last minute gifts. Here's one you can make with items in your house right now! I used Jingle paper and the December Word Puzzle (retiring in 21 days so buy now). Cut your white cardstock 12 inches by 6 inches. Cut pattern paper 10 1/2 by 6 inches. Cut a small piece of white cardstock 2 by 1 1/2 inches. Distress all with juniper ink.

Using a border punch, punch a border on the short end of the pattern paper and re-distress.

Glue that pattern piece to the center of the white cardstock.

Tear off the end of the white cardstock about a 1/2 inch from edge of pattern paper, re-distress.

These little photo hangers are very handy for this part. Poke a hole one inch in and 1 1/4 inch from bottom of pattern paper on each side. Attach the photo hangers with matching creme brulee brads as shown.

Round corners of the tag's top with a corner rounder. Stamp Merry Christmas on it in juniper ink and a small design stamp in tulip.

Poke a hole in the top of the tag, you can add an eyelet, I didn't have room so I skipped it. Add a tulip colored mini safety pin.

Wrap paper around the popcorn bag so that it closes on top.

Fold bottom in first, then top should overlap.

Tie white ricrac through the hangers with a bow on the front. Tie it tight so that the paper lies flat. Pin the tag to the left hand side hanger. Talk about a low cost, easy gift!!