A Homemade Christmas: Gift Idea for Grandparents

This is the 5th post in our Homemade Christmas series. Be sure to check out the previous posts in this series: Gift Ideas for Infants, Gift Ideas for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Gift Ideas for Big Kids, Tweens & Teenagers, and Gift Ideas for a Husband or Significant Other.

In my opinion, Grandparents are the funnest to give gifts to. It seems to me that grandparents and great-grandparents, at least in our family, are always so excited to get gifts that revolve around their grandchildren. Makes gift giving super easy!

So, first up are a few ideas of projects that I've done in the past.

I actually made these photo blocks as Mother's Day gifts for my Mother-in-Law and myself last year. This is a picture of my own blocks. Obviously the blocks for my Mother-in-Law revolved around her family, rather than just our family. But the idea is still the same. Choose your photos and either print then crop or crop then print. Make sure to print on photo paper so that the ink doesn't run or smear. Cut to the size of the block, then use mod podge to put the photos on the blocks. Really, quite easy. I also painted my blocks black. The blocks were just cut down from a piece of lumber from Home Depot for around $4 or $5.

Another easy and simple idea is Photo Glass Magnets. I made these 2 years ago for Christmas for all the grandparents and great grandparents. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of the ones I made. So instead I found a tutorial from The Creative Place that has great pictures to show you what I'm talking about. I would recommend heavy duty magnets and heavy duty glue - something like E6000. I tried hot glue and the first time one fell off the fridge the magnet popped off. All the grandmas loved them - and in fact they're still on all of their fridges!

Here's another cute block idea from I {Heart} Nap Time  - Grandma Blocks! As she says at the bottom of her post, these can also be altered for a mom, dad, grandpa, etc.

Here's another super cute photo idea - Photo Key Chains! My Crazy Life as a Farmer's Wife has a fun little tutorial to make these. Pretty stinking easy and I know grandparents would just adore these!

I'm starting to send a trend here. For now, I'll stick with the trend and show you these Photo Coasters from Oopsey Daisy. Tiles, photos, and resin will make these cute and useful gifts!

I know this is a pretty short post, but most of the grandparent gifts that I'm coming up with or can find revolve around photos - and most are just variations of the above ideas. I would feel repetitive if I posted them all.

I'd love to hear any ideas that don't center around photos. Please feel free to share any other ideas. And come back tomorrow for the last installment of A Homemade Christmas. Tomorrow we'll be featuring ideas for neighbors and friends.

Extraordinary Women: Heather & Pleural Mesothelioma

I was contacted by Heather about a month ago asking if we would be willing to add some links to our sidebar or find some other way to help share her struggles with Mesothelioma. I had been considering starting a series about women who have a story to tell - women who have endured through and overcome great struggles. I guess I was looking for something inspirational that would connect us as all women. That was when this series was born.

So as the start to this series, I'd like to welcome Heather Von St James - a Mesothelioma survivor. Check out Heather's blog to find out more about her struggles. Without further adieu, here's Heather.

We All Need A Village

It takes a village. The saying is heard, quoted, and spouted all the time, but unlike other frequently used quips, this saying is no cliché. And I should know. My pregnancy would be considered textbook. Morning sickness wasn’t an issue, and everything was going along as planned. Yet when it was time for me to meet this new little person face to face, we found out the baby was breach. The decision came swiftly to opt for C-section. Minutes later, on August 4th, 2005, we met our beautiful, healthy baby girl. My parents, family, in-laws, and friends began showing up to meet Lily and see how I was doing. Life was great at that moment, but I had no idea what was coming. And I had no idea that I would suddenly view these well-wishers in my life as the village I needed.

Before Lily, I spent my days running one of three salons that I co-owned. With over 20 employees, I not only worked as a hairdresser myself, but I also managed the place. As a brand new mom, I found out that I would need to start managing a different salon. The workload would be easier but the initial logistical nightmare and the time away from Lily broke my heart.

A few weeks after returning to the full-time labor force, my health took a dive. I had no energy, I was out of breath, and my weight fell off at a frightening pace. By November, the doctor wanted a full work up. They discovered fluid around my lung, but worst of all they discovered cancer. Plueral Mesothelioma was the diagnosis, a cancer from being exposed to asbestos when I was a child. The prognosis was 15 months to live unless I did something drastic.

I flew across the country and went under the knife. Extrapleural pneumenectomy took out my left lung as well as the surrounding tissues, lymph nodes and diaphragm. Surgical Gore-Tex replaced my diaphragm and the surrounding tissues around my heart. While the doctor worked, a heated chemo wash was used to help my chances followed by two weeks of recuperating in the hospital and a mere two months rest before chemo and radiation.

Without our “village” surrounding us with love and support, it wouldn’t have been possible. Lily stayed with my parents while I was in Boston undergoing surgery and treatment. Without a “village” surrounding my parents, they wouldn’t have been able to continue their jobs and still take care of our little baby.

After those rough days, I chose to stay at home with Lily. Knowing first-hand the impact of generosity, giving to others is now part of our life. Because of the village, Lily is growing up to be a person with a kind heart. So despite the horrors of cancer, I now embrace life and the village around me. And for that, I am thankful.

Thank you so much, Heather, for sharing your story with us. I'm so glad that you have such a great support system - your very own village. Your words are inspirational! We wish you all the best! 

If you'd like to share your story with the readers of Life in the Motherhood, please submit your information. And even though this series is called "Extraordinary Women," you don't have to be struggling with something as serious as cancer to featured. Don't be shy - I'd love to hear from and feature you!!  

A Handmade Christmas: Gift Ideas for your Husband or Significant Other

Here's the fourth installation of our Homemade Gifts series! Today we'll be focusing on our spouse/significant other. And, since most of the people who read this blog are women, these gifts will be focused mainly on the menfolk. Looking for other ideas? Take a look at our gift ideas for Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers, and Big Kids through Teenagers.

Does anyone else find it incredibly hard to make homemade gifts for the men? They definitely don't appreciate it as much as the ladies. Hopefully at least one of the ideas here will be something that would make him happy!

I don't know about you, but we don't go on dates nearly often enough. Despite the fact that Grandma lives about 5 blocks away and we have awesome friends who would babysit, we still don't go out on dates. Our "dates" are usually taking Andyroo with us to do something fun (for a 3-year-old). Bowling, kids movie, etc. To eliminate part of the reason for not going out, why not come up with 12 dates (or however many you want), get them all planned, and give that as a gift! My Mix of Six gave her hubby a Date Package complete with 12 dates planned and paid for. So easy! It reminds me of once a month cooking!

Are you always losing remotes like we are in our house? The most common place that we find them is tucked in the cushions of the couch. End the madness with this Remote Caddy from Sew 4 Home!

This picture for this next idea might say "Father's Day" but I think this would also work for Christmas! What a cute Father's Photo Collage from the kiddos that would let their daddy know that he's loved. Positively Splendid even has a printable to make it easier!

Is your significant other a coffee (or hot chocolate) lover? How about a cute little Reusable Coffee Cup Sleeve? The Cottage Home has a great tutorial on how to make your own.

Here's a twist on the remote caddy - a Remote Control Pocket Pillow! Check out how Blessings Overflowing created this handy dandy caddy. I think the hubs is definitely getting some kind of remote caddy this year (shhh, don't tell him that)!

Are you more of a gift card giver? How about sprucing up that gift card with a fun card? Holiday Crafts and Creations has a couple different versions for these Shirt Pocket Cards - a Shirt and Tie version (for an Office Max gift card) and a flannel work shirt (for a Home Depot gift card).

Looking for a way to show your hubby how much you appreciate him? How about an All About You Basket? The Dating Divas have some great ideas for making your own!

Does anyone else have any superb gift ideas for the men in their life? I'm always looking for ideas (besides video games) for the hubby! Please share!

Tomorrow we will be focusing on Grandparents, so make sure to check back for some fabulous ideas!

A Homemade Christmas: Gift Ideas for Big Kids & Teenagers

So I've decided to change things up a bit and combine days for Big Kids and Teenagers and open a spot for Grandparents. I hope everyone's okay with that! :) Don't forget to check out the posts about Handmade Gifts for Infants and Handmade Gifts for Toddlers and Preschoolers!

Here's one that appeals to each of these age groups - personalized shirts. How about using Bleach to Create a Personalized Shirt? The Next Bird will show you how. Not sure what the picky teen would want? Give them a bleach pen, some shirts, and the directions and let them create their own!

How about a Marshmallow Gun? Create Studio shows us how to use PVC Pipe and joints to create some marshmallow fun. She made one for her little boy, but these would appeal to any age! Heck, even my husband would love one of these!

A fun one, probably more for girls, is a magnet board! This one is pretty girls, but you could definitely make it for a boy. A Girl and a Glue Gun used some leftover metal pieces, but you can buy metal sheets to do this with.

Another fun one that any girl is sure to love? Personalized Notebooks! Take a notebook, add some paper and embellishments, and it will be instant love! So much better than those plain spiral or composition books. This particular notebook comes from Sew Woodsy. Want to make it a gift set? Add some fun colored pens and you'll be set!

Are you more comfortable with fabric than paper? Then you can still create a customized notebook! Essentially, you're creating a fabric cover for a notebook - which can be reused on a different notebook. Stay Calm and Sew Something has a great tutorial - and I love the zebra print and polka dots together!

This next idea would be great for girls of all ages, but Washer Necklaces are easy (and cheap) enough to make for all the girls on your gift-giving list. Seriously. I'm thinking that every girl on my list will be getting two or three of these this year!

Here's another idea that would work for more than just tweens and teens. A Laptop (also iPad/iPod/Kindle/Netbook) Sleeve! The Cottage Home has a great tutorial for making this fun little sleeve - just use the dimensions of whatever electronic device you need to cover!

 Know someone who likes to skateboard? Why not make it easier for them to pack it around with this Skateboard Sling? This great tutorial was posted by The Boy Trifecta over on Kojo Designs.

Any other brilliant ideas for those hard-to-make-for kids and teens? Please feel free to share with us! Also, be sure to check back tomorrow for more gift giving ideas for the spouse/significant other!

A Homemade Christmas: Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Thanks for checking in for day two of the Homemade Christmas series. In case you missed it, you can check out yesterday's post focused on homemade gifts for Infants. Today is all about toddlers and preschoolers!

One of my personal favorite toddler gifts are quiet books. Whether you make it, buy it, or buy a kit to make it yourself, kiddos really do love them - especially if you can tailor them to your child! I made a quiet book for Andyroo about a year ago. I made it for our drive out to Iowa, but it would definitely make a good Christmas gift. Mine took me a long time to make, but only because I took a pretty long hiatus while I didn't have a sewing machine. If you're looking for more quiet book ideas, then you should check out How to Make a Quiet Book - which is a blog dedicated to making quiet books!

How about an I-Spy Bag? This is another project that I made for Andyroo for our loooooong drive to Iowa. Andyroo has had so much fun with this one! However, I think I would have made it smaller. Mine ended up being about 8"x8" which is pretty big for those little hands. I'm contemplating making it into a smaller bag that will be easier for him to us. Also, this can be a pretty expensive project - even with coupons and sales (which I, of course, took advantage of)! I spent probably around $30 to make Andyroo's I-Spy Bag. But it is fun - even for adults!

I'm also in love with the whole Dry Erase Quiet Book idea. I made one for my niece last year for Christmas - and it was so fun. I wish Andyroo had been older so I could have made his at the same time. However, this is totally on my gift list for Andyroo this year. Somewhat Simple has a great tutorial and even shares the pages in her book. What's so great about this kind of book is that you can customize this book to be exactly what your child needs - it can totally grow with them! What I love even more is that you don't have to worry about dry erase markers anymore because Crayola has dry erase crayons - that of course are washable. No caps to lose and no mess to worry about. And they're less than $5 at Walmart. So worth it!

Want a fun and simple idea that can be used so many different ways? How about bean bags!? Chez Beeper Bebe has a tutorial for some adorable Counting Bean Bags with appliqued numbers. Younger kids can use them for counting and older kids can use them to practice simple math. I also love how she used colorful fabric on the backs. You could easily do solid colors and use the other side for learning colors!

Here's another twist on the I-Spy bag. This one is easier for toddler to figure out alone. Check out Disney Family Fun for an easy tutorial to make a Discovery Bottle. If you wanted to make it more of a challenge, you can make a picture list of the objects and have your toddler try to find them.

How about some fun DIY Lacing Cards? All you need is some craft foam and a hole punch to make these cute little cards. Check out Tot School for a great tutorial!

Another fun idea? How about a tutorial for a Chalk Mat with a Storage Pocket. Check out Craftaholics Anonymous for this great tutorial from Maggie Muggins Designs. I know Andyroo would LOVE this!

Little ones love stickers, but if yours are anything like my Andyroo, he wants to peel them off and use them again. That's why The Creative Homemaker's Magnetic Tin with Magnet Stickers is perfect. Turn stickers into magnets and then they can be reusable on any magnetic surface!

And, if you're feeling a little adventurous, you could always go for something like a Felt Playhouse. I made Andyroo's when he was about 18 months old and he loved it. He still plays with it now! What's great is that as we have more kids, they'll be able to enjoy it too! I also love that I can keep adding to it by making other things like felt food.

Do you have any other fabulous ideas for the Toddler and Preschooler set? Feel free to share them with all of us! Also, be sure to check back tomorrow for more ideas for Homemade Gifts for the bigger kids!

Winner for the My Memories Software

Hey ladies! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this posted. I've been swamped this weekend with Primary Program stuff and I've had about 5 custom orders come in since Saturday. It's great, but insane. So you all will have to forgive me if things slow down a little bit - especially on the crafty side. I'm creating, just stuff that you're probably not interested in!

Anyway, on to the winner. I'm happy to announce (and no, this wasn't planned), the winner of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software is...

 Comment #6! Heidi Elder! Heidi just so happens to be my husband's cousin. How fun is that?! Heidi says...

Heidi, I'll be getting in touch with you to get you hooked up with your goodies!

Disappointed you didn't win and want to get in on the digital scrapbooking fun? Then don't forget that you can still use the code STMMMS51889 on MyMemories.com to get $10 off the software and an extra $10 to spend in the MyMemories.com store to start your digital scrapbooking supply. Also, don't forget that we'll be offering a freebie from My Memories every week. You can, of course, use the freebies in the My Memories Suite, but you actually get them as .png and .jpg files so you can use them in any photo editing software!

A Handmade Christmas: Gift Ideas for Infants

Thanks for joining the Handmade Christmas series here on Life in the Motherhood! Don't forget to check out the rest of the posts this week for handmade gift ideas for all the other people in your life! If your idea was featured, please feel free to grab a button from the sidebar! And, if you have any ideas you'd like to submit for any of the Handmade Christmas categories, then fill out the Submission Form!

To start off the Handmade Christmas week, we're going to focus on the littlest ones in our lives. Sure, they probably won't notice if they get anything or not. Truth be told, they'd rather play with the bows and paper! But we can't forget them. Here are some fun and easy ideas for the littlest ones.

Do you have a baby girl on your list? How about a cute Ruffle Bum Onesie? Originate and Renovate has a great tutorial for sewing ruffles onto a onesies. You could totally do something long-sleeved for the cold winter months. Makes me want a little girl!

How about some Soft Photo Blocks? Erin from In Between Laundry shows us how to make this fun and simple project! It's also a great way to use up some scraps from other projects. I also love that she reused the clear vinyl packaging from some baby sheets!

Are you a knitter? I'm definitely not, but if you are, you've got to check out this adorable Baby Sophisticate set from Never Not Knitting. Absolutely darling!

I'm really loving the idea of handmade stuffed toys. First the blocks, and now this Stuffed Giraffe from Craftin' It. This one is pink, but you could definitely go for something more boyish or neutral.

Again with the stuffed stuff. I'm drooling over this blue and green fabric used to make this super cute Baby Gift Set - including a bib, stuffed toy, and a crinkle toy - from The Seasoned Homemaker. I love the soft chenille on the back. So much fun!

 How about some cute Sock Rattles? Jill from Homemade by Jill has a great tutorial (complete with patterns). Again - change up the colors and you've got something for a baby boy or go for something more neutral.

Want something a little more colorful that is sure to use up all those scraps? Then head over to Homegrown Happy and check out the Baby's Soft Book of Colors. So fun to use different patterns (and even textures) to create a book of colors.

How about an easy (unstuffed!) Teething Toy? Patchy Apple shows how to turn some scraps and an unfinished wooden ring into a Ribbon Ring Teether Toy your little one will love!

Not into sewing? Is crocheting more your thing? Then how about a Crocheted Loop Baby Toy from Herbst Handmade? This project *almost* makes me wish that I could crochet or knit.

What about another book? Check out this Soft Book Tutorial from Don't Call Me Betsy. It does look a little more time intensive, but its so fun, and even the littlest ones will enjoy looking at the pictures and feeling all the textures.

Here's one last stuffed toy - a Sunshine Rattle from Little Pink Monster. Absolutely darling - and totally easy!

 Do you have any other handmade baby gift ideas to share? I'm sure we'd all love to hear your ideas!