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  Even though monetary gifts might sound like the easy way out, that's not quite true.  This year I'm calling it the safer way to gift.  Safe because I don't have to risk shopping in a crowded store or picking something online that might not be quite what it looks like on my screen.  My grandkids range in age from 8-27 (two girls and two boys.) Knowing exactly what they wish for at any given age is often a blind guess.  Giving them money sort of feels like a cop-out, like maybe I didn't put enough effort into it.  But this year it feels like just the thing to do.   I started by looking for ideas on Pinterest and saw a five-pointed star made from bills.  It was for sale on Etsy so there were were no directions.  However, I found those easily on youtube.   I decided on two stars for each grandchild so that meant I would need 40 bills to complete the project.  A trip to the bank drive through took care of that. Here is where ...

This if more of a frantic last minute gift wrapping post.  Since money is always the best gift for my granddaughters, I try to present it a little differently each year. (found on sweetpaulmag.com)  This is an idea from Pinterest that looks pretty and gets the job done. I cannot take any credit for the beautifully decorated cookies on the top.  They were done by a friend who is a whiz with a pastry bag of frosting.  They are just too cute to eat, so I saved them past the point of being fresh.  But, as you can see, they worked out nicely as jar toppers. (PS: I only have two granddaughters but I made an extra one as a backup gift.) (found on etsy.com) I always liked the idea of using a belt buckle to cinch a ribbon onto a package. When I found this detailed belt buckle, I knew I would eventually use it on a package. Both my grandsons love trains right now so it seemed like the perfect time to use it. I chose the ribbon because I th...

How long does it take to wrap a gift for a baby shower?  I guess if you only have 15 minutes to get it done on time, anyone could do it.     It might even go more quickly if it is a small book and a box of blocks. I thought I might like some letters on the outside of the package. I had these stamps that I bought on clearance and have never used and it seemed like the right opportunity to break them open. I decided to stamp them onto pages of a book.  I don't do much with stamps so my ink pads are a little dry.  I really wanted the ink around just the edges of the letters. But given the ink pads I was using, I had to be satisfied with what I got. I mounted the book page paper onto a sheet of black paper for firmness and to keep the glue from wrinkling the paper. After I cut them out, I had to figure out how to use them.  Originally I was going to punch a hole in each and dangle them from a small ribbon bu...