Gift Idea – Page 2 – A Smith of All Trades

Christmas, Gift Idea, Graphic Design, Holiday

Muppets Animal Print

January 6, 2015January 11, 2015 Jessica Smith

We grew up listening to John Denver & the Muppets Christmas CD, so it is by far my favorite holiday music. If you are a follower of my blog, you know that I love to do graphic design. This Christmas I made my sister a print with Animal and a quote from one of our favorite songs, Little Saint Nick.

If you listen to the song you hear Animal screaming during the refrain, “RUN, RUN, REINDEER!”

With that in mind, here is the print I designed and framed for Em for Christmas.

I designed the Santa Animal in Illustrator, then brought it into InDesign and added the striped background and text.

Emily loved it and I totally want to print one for myself for next year! Super freakin’ cute.

Christmas, Craft Projects, DIY GIFT GUIDE, Gift Idea, Holiday, Wine Crafts

DIY GIFT GUIDE: Eucalyptus Christmas Tree

December 10, 2013December 8, 2013 Jessica Smith

Today I’m sharing a Christmas decoration that would make a great gift. This project was a pain in the butt, but SO worth it. So only make it for someone you really really like :p

Supplies:

1 tree form
Eucalyptus (you can grab this from Michaels or any craft store that sells floral stuff)
Staples
Hot Glue
Corks
Tacks
Ribbon
Teal feathers

Steps:

Rip the leaves off of your eucalyptus plant.
Turn your tree base upside down and start to attach the eucalyptus. I did a mixture of staples stuck into the styrofoam, hot glue and some bent wire. Really anything I had at my workbench that would make the leaves stick. Go around and around and around and around until you reach the top.
Once the leaves are covering the tree, glue corks to the bottom. I chose to place mine at the outer edge of the base of the tree so no white showed. You could place yours in the middle if you wanted it to be more like a real tree.
Fill in any holes/white spots using teal feathers and small dabs of hot glue.
Embellish with silver tacks to look like ornaments. You can use these to strategically pin down any loose leaves, too.
Wrap your ribbon around the top of the tree and secure with glue.
Stick your choice of topper into the top of the tree. I used a flower I had snagged on clearance a while ago. I stuck it into the top of the three using a nail.
Admire your adorable-yet-not-too-Christmasy tree!

Christmas, Craft Projects, DIY GIFT GUIDE, Gift Idea, Holiday

DIY GIFT GUIDE: Frosty the Snowman

December 8, 2013December 7, 2013 Jessica Smith

Do you know someone who loves snowmen? Or home improvement? If you do, then this decoration made mostly of home improvement findings would make a fabulous addition to their Christmas decor.

Supplies:

Styrofoam balls, three different sizes
Pencil
Mason jar band
Ribbon
Two nails
Thumb tacks
Staples
Wire
Hot glue

Steps:

Take the largest ball and stick a pencil in it. Weird, yes.
Cover two inches of the pencil in hot glue, then stick the medium-sized ball on top. Yes, there is a random sock on my craft table. Thank you, Remmy.
Do the same thing for the smallest ball, but do not push the pencil all the way though. This is the head of the snowman.
Make a face for your snowman using two nails and a few staples. Stick each component into the styrofoam to secure it.
Once your snowman has a face, add a few tacks along its belly for buttons. Place a small dab of hot glue under each tack so they don’t come loose over time.
Make arms for your snowman out of wire. Twist the wire until you have two long pieces for arms. Stick the pointy ends into the styrofoam. Or better yet, find two twigs to do the job.
Tie a piece of ribbon around the snowman’s neck. Cut the ends to the length you prefer, then “fray” the ends with tin scissor cuts. I added No Fray to mine.
Take the mason jar band and line the rim with hot glue. Press it onto the bottom ball to act as a stand for the snowman.
Wrap ribbon around the band, securing it with hot glue.
Display!