LEGO Gift Wrapping DIY!

Do you have a little LEGO fan in your house? or maybe a friend of one of your kids? a niece, nephew, grandchild? Who, like my little guy, LOVES LEGO?? If so, how about this little idea for the next time you are wrapping a gift for the LEGO fan...
LEGO Gift Wrapping!

Master Giggleberry turned 5 just last week so a few days before I was thinking I needed to get his presents wrapped. I like to have a bit of fun with gift wrapping but bows, ribbons and 'pretty' things would not be quite right for my little Superhero, Ninja, Star wars loving boy. Then **DING** I had a light bulb moment. I would wrap his gifts (that were mainly boxes of LEGO) to look like blocks of LEGO!

What You Need:
Plain coloured wrapping paper (I went with traditional LEGO colours of red, yellow, green and blue)
Single pieces of single coloured cardboard (make sure they match the wrapping paper colour)
Sticky Tape
Scissors
A Round Circle Punch (mine is a 2 inch punch)
1) Wrap your gift in the wrapping paper trying to keep it as tight to the square or rectangular shape as possible (maybe even pop the gift inside an empty box if it is not quite the right shape top wrap alone)
2) Take a piece of the coloured cardboard and punch a set of circles. Depending on the size of your gift will determine how many dots you will need. I had some with 6, some with 3, some with 4 and some with 12 to suit the different gifts.
3) With a loop of sticky tape (just a small piece of sticky tape looped around on itself) stick the coloured spots to the gift evenly to look like the bumps on a LEGO piece. (You could also use double sided foam tape)

You are done. Write in a card or gift tag and hand it to the receiver - I bet it gets a great response!!

You could easily do this in pinks and purple for any little LEGO Friends lover too! Have fun xx

Lollipop Class Christmas Card!

Spotted over HERE on Makerland, this is such a simple but fun way for your kiddies to hand out a Christmas card/class gift this year. I had this all done in such a short space of time so even with 20 days now till Christmas day you will have plenty of time to get these done.

How To:
(1) Take a photo of your child (have them stand with their hand in a gentle fist out to the side but infront of them). These can be as fancy/dressed up/set up with a particular background etc as you want. I honestly snapped these of my kids on a school morning after breakfast with my iPhone.

(2) Upload the pics to Picmonkey (or photo editing site of your choice). I cropped the pics a bit making sure the side I planned to have the lollipop go in the hand had more space. Picmonkey is also where I added the text to the photos - my kids chose the colours and fonts with me.

(3) Print! I don't have a printer at the moment so we went to Officeworks to print ours off. I did them in a smaller square size rather than a regular 4x6 photo size but this is completely up to you.
(4) Grab some lollipops. I happen to spot a bucket of mini Chupa Chups while we were in Officeworks - Perfect!!
(5) With a sharp box cutter/craft scalpel slice a small slit in the photo just above the childs fist and just below too.
(6) Feed the stick of a lollipop thought the two slits to make it seem like the child is holding it.

Told you it was simple! Now sit back and watch your kiddies have a ball handing these goodies out!

Lollipop Reindeer Christmas Cards!

My girl finishes pre-school tomorrow! Where did that year go???
There is a little graduation ceremony planned for tomorrow night followed by a mini Christmas concert and a BBQ on the preschool grounds for the kids and families. I see this as the perfect opportunity to have Milla and I make up some fun and festive Christmas cards and treats to hand out to all her class mates... Enter the Lollipop Reindeer Christmas Card!

When I spotted these (yep, you guessed it - Pinterest!) I was lying in bed ready to turn out the lights but immediately jumped up and put together a tester reindeer card to see if they really are as simple as Missy Mac Creations claims - she was right! So easy and SUPER cute!!
Off the the shops we popped today for cardboard, glitter glue and lollipops and before we knew it our dining table had a parade of reindeers smiling up at us!

Milla was VERY proud of her Reindeer production line and can't wait to hand these out tomorrow to her friends.

For the 'How To' go HERE and have fun :)

Secret Santa planning??

So we are 70 sleeps away from Christmas!!!! (thanks fellow Christmas lover Dee for the count down). That means there is a pretty good chance you should be thinking about or will soon be involved in some Secret Santa gift givings. Maybe at work? or with your mothers group? or with family?
With a bit of time up your sleeve now why not take the reigns and announce that you will be the 'Secret Santa Planner' this year? (don't panic, I have the perfect idea to help you along the way). Just like me, how about you make the process of the Secret Santa a little more interactive and unique...

Surprise Secret Santa Cookie Mixture!

Just some simple ingredients, a bucket of green and red M&M's (that are now available at your local supermarket as it's so close to the festive season), some cheap glass jars from the $2 shop and the 'How To' from Bakerella HERE and I have a bunch of cookie mixture in jars ready to give out - but wait, the catch is, that INSIDE each jar, among the ingredients, is a name.
Once the jars are all handed out to each member of my Secret Santa group they must bake the cookies in order to find the name of the person they are shopping for! Fun, right? (BTW don't forget to attach the method of baking the cookies also found HERE)
This way everyone gets into the festive mood with a bit of Christmas cookie baking, find out their Secret Santa person and end up with a batch of yummy cookies!
Forget the old and boring 'draw a name out of a hat' for choosing who you will be buying for - this is lots more fun (& yummy)!

Princess Dress-Up Aprons!

Just 3 nights ago I had a wave of creativity hit me while sitting at the sewing machine and before I knew it I had a Snow White Dress-Up Apron made for Milla's dress-up box.

I thought it was so cute that I sat right back down and made another... this time Rapunzel

I called it a night and went to bed but my creativity was re-sparked when Milla's saw her new 'dresses' in the morning. She LOVED them and couldn't decide which one to wear first. So with a bit more of a dig through my fabric stash to see what I could rustle up I then made Sleeping Beauty

The Little Mermaid (she was my fav as a little girl)

Belle

And Cinderella (use you imagination for this one it was the only pale blue fabric I had in my cupboard)

I shared these as I went on my Instagram and with family and had such a great response that I have decided to make and sell them for a VERY limited time only.

They are so easy to pull on and off for kids with no full outfit change!!!
The perfect handmade Christmas gift? or a cute Halloween costume? email me now at giggleberrycreations@gmail.com to place your order now.... maybe I haven't got your fav princess made yet? email me and I can see what I can come up with :)

Easy gift idea for Aussie Summer Christmas!

Do you need a gift for a school teacher? a neighbour? a mother's group/play group friend? a Secret Santa? This one is perfect and sooooo simple!
Head to your local super market to grab all the bits (told you this was simple):


YOU"LL NEED:
* Beach towel (would be great to find a red or green one to keep in the Christmas colours)
* After-Sun Aloe Vera spray (or sun cream or Aloe body rub - whatever you prefer)
* 1 or 2 magazines - whatever one/s takes your fancy
* Festive ribbon

Un-package the towel then with it folded in half place the magazine/s and After-sun on it and wrap them just like the towel is wrapping paper. Tie it all up with your festive ribbons and you are done!


The perfect gift for your recipient to relax in the summer sun over the Christmas break!!
Merry Christmas x

Secret Santa/Teacher/Neighbour gift idea...

This is super easy and quick to put together and all the bits you'll need can be found in your local supermarket for a few dollars.

You'll Need:
* A whisk
* 1 pack of Minties (you can choose whatever lollies you want. I went with Minties because they are red, white and green for Christmas)
* A Tea-Towel (I went with a red and white one but you could do a Christmas themed one)
* Christmas ribbon
* Gift card


Fill the 'head' of your whisk with the Minties. Wrap the whisk in the tea towel and tie with your ribbons. Attach your gift tag with a note that reads:
We WHISK you a Merry Christmas


Ta Dah!


Cute hey?? My little girl's pre-school teachers are getting these this year.

Marrying A Fireman Survival Kit

In just 2 short weeks my little brother (not so little anymore but I like to still say it just to bug him) is marrying his sweetheart - awwwww. I can't wait to see all their garden wedding plans come together and the two of them to enjoy their day... oh and I'll finally get to put together the candy buffet I am creating for them as a gift too - more on that after the wedding though.

Tomorrow is the Hen's Day (or for any US readers: bridal shower). We are having a fun and relaxed lunch together at a Tapas restaurant in Manly - lots of chatting, eating & giggles! Like normal I can't go empty handed but with instructions not to bring gifts I put my thinking cap on to come up with a fun box of goodies for the bride to be to open... something a little different to the Bridal Survial Kits I've seen around I had a play with it and make it suit the couple. My brother is a fireman so I came up with this:

"Marrying A Fireman Survival Kit"


In the box is:

A pack of tooth picks - to help her pick out his hero qualities
A jar of Tabasco sauce - to keep it hot and saucy
A pack of Lifesavers - for her when he is busy being someone else's
A pair of panty hose - to create a ladder he can climb
A roll of yellow caution tape - 'to warn him when he's in trouble'
A tube of burn cream - in case of fireman accidents
A pack of Sparklers - to keep the spark alive
A hose hanger - Somewhere to hang his hose (this one will surely get some giggles)


All pack in yellow and red tissue paper with a note on top that says:
"If you are going to say 'I Do' to a fireman,
There are a few things you'll need first to help your plan.
Enclosed are some goodies to help you survive,
To make it last forever & for the 2 of you to thrive"

Cute hey??
Can't wait to see her open all these and have some fun with them :)

Ice Cream Sundae Kit Gift - DIY

Need a cute hostess gift? How about a gift for a teenager (seriously how tricky can those ones be!) or maybe a house warming present or even a 'just because' gift?
This idea has all of those covered - An Ice Cream Sundae Kit!!


I saw THIS one from Family Bites on Pinterest and knew I would be using it!

With a selection of sprinkles, some chocolate sauce (homemade or store bought), cones, tissue paper, small glass jar, ribbon and a gift box you're ready to put you kit together... these are just the items I choose to put in the box but you could include any sundae toppings you wish!


I re-packaged the sprinkles into resealable cello bags and the chocolate sauce into the glass jar then added a scrap of fabric and a ribbon to the lid of the jar. To make these extra cute you can make up some labels for everything (my printer is not playing at the moment so I went without labels).


Then all you have to do is arrange your selection of goodies into a tissue paper lined gift box.


This box of goodies is for a couple so I added a set of 'My Ice Cream, Your Ice Cream' spoons I bought from Beach House Living to the box and was ready to pop the lid on then tie a final ribbon around the whole thing.



Include a little card to let the recipient know they just need to add their favourite ice cream and you've got yourself one truly cute little gift that I know I would love to receive!!

Valentine's Day with Giggleberry

The day of all things red, white, pink, heart shaped and lovely is sneaking up fast! Valentine's Day!!

Do you and your sweetheart exchange gifts? do your kiddies take little love note to school for their friends? Do you, like me, make a deal with your hubby to not buy gifts then break the rule and send him a helium balloon or single rose to his work and make him blush in front of all his mates?

How about telling your special valentine how you feel with some Giggleberry bunting this year... and in fact you could then use it EVERY year!
something like a simple I heart U like this one:


I could make bunting with any message or wording.... "Be Mine", "I'm Yours", "Valentine".... even "Marry Me"
or what about a personalised couple set like this one?


I'd love to make your Valentine's Day even more special with some bunting - just email me gigleberrycreations@gmail.com and we can chat.

Easter Goodies.... not just chocolate!

If you haven't managed to get all the bits and pieces you need for Easter gifts, baking and decorating then you better hop to it (hehehe)... I'm a chocolate LOVER but my kiddies will be getting so much of it from their grandparents, aunties and uncles that I thought I could find them something non chocolate for this Easter... here are some (Aussie made) goodies that caught my eye.


Felt Easter Bunny - Fiber and Textile


Easter Magnetic Bookmarks - Tiges and Weince


Rag Tag bunnies - Karimu


Vintage Chenille Easter Chick - Vintage Chenille

Cathching up with family and friends over the Easter break? why not take a little plate of goodies with you with a sweet Easter theme?


Spring Bunny cupcake wrappers - The Cupcake Wrapper Co


Easter Bunny Gift Box - Pixels Plus Paper

A splash of Easter for your home


Bunny Stop Here Door Sign - The Paper Tie Affair


Pretty Pastel bunting banner - Giggleberry Creations

And something for you and you Easter sweetheart


His & Hers egg cups - Hundreds of Buttons