Perfect Gift in 15 Minutes and 5 Bucks!

I don't know about you, but it seems like May is as crazy as December over here! In addition to Mother's Day, there's SO many family birthdays, graduations, first communions, a wedding here or there...it gets ca-razy for this bunch! All these fun celebrations also add up to a LOT of gift buying. This year, I've come up with a few ideas to keep the budget under control, and not only that, they're super meaningful. I LOVE a meaningful, personal gift, don't you? I wasn't even aware at how thrifty this particular gift would be when I came up with it. I thought it would be pretty cute and special, and when I thought about just how little it would cost me, well, that was just another added bonus! ;)

I made this at naptime today (obviously;), and it took a whopping 15 minutes!

 I made it for my sister as a birthday gift. She's been working on her home office, and the colors are so bright and fun - she's got a turquoise and coral/watermelon-ish thing going on. I had picked up this white frame at Michaels a couple weeks ago for $3.99 (!!!), and had this spare scrapbook paper too. I used some stamps and a navy stamp pad (again, already had!) so if you think about it, this gift was *kinda* free. ;)

I searched through my 'Words' board in my Pinterest account and tried to find a super fitting quote for her. This suits her to a T, and will be the perfect inspiration for her home office and budding new business adventure. But get creative, if you know of a favorite quote or song, that would be perfect! Or do a little Facebook digging, if they like to post their favorite inspirational quotes on there.

You've probably already figured out how I did this, but I'll show you the steps anyway;): Get all your materials ready:

I'll show you what the q-tips are for in a sec...

Then line up your mat with the paper:

Now, if you just stick the stamp on the ink pad, it'll get ink all over the letter block. NOT what you want. Instead, I used a q-tip to dab the ink from the pad onto the letter, and ONLY the letter. Worked out great!

While we're on the stamp subject...I bought these at Michaels a couple months ago (for my Love Button Project). Just like my used-to-death Rustic Stencils from Hob Lob, these are awesome because they don't have to look perfect. If they're a little off kilter, totally fine. This font is awesome. (I don't recall the name of them, but on my Love Button Post, there's a picture of the box if you want to see what to look for in the store).

Then just plug away, until the quote is done! You might want to think about how it'll all fit before you start, just so you have a ballpark.

Then cut your extra paper, tape it onto the mat and stick it your frame! DONE! 15 minutes, I swear.
It's sitting on my buffet table until the weekend when we celebrate my sister's birthday. I've got a couple other DIY gifts up my sleeve to do this week too, that I'll be sure to share with you!

It's a rainy day today and since I STILL stink at using my camera, these are the best I could do. It looks a lot cuter in reality! Maybe I'll take some better ones tomorrow if the sun comes out...that is, if I remember, so most likely I will not;). This would make a great wedding gift (maybe some lyrics from their wedding song?), or a cute baby quote for the birth of a new baby...or even a great quote about moms for Mother's Day. I know it's this weekend and all, but if you've got 15 minutes, you could easily swing it;). And I love how you can choose scrapbook paper to match their decor, too - such a personal gift, for so little time and money. Gotta love that!

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