Sidetracked Artist

I like to send little gifts to my niece and nephews for Easter. They’re all teens now, but I still like to send them a little something to let them know I’m thinking about them. This little gift box is perfect for giving little gifts to friends, teachers, grandparents, pastors, and neighbors. I’m providing a blank template in PDF that you can print and decorate yourself, and a printable Easter gift box. The only thing you need to add is a sticker or piece of ribbon to hold it closed. Here is what the blank template looks like. It is ready to print on cardstock, cut out, decorate and fold into a flat little gift box, then seal with a sticker or wrap with ribbon. The Easter template is double sided: Print both sides of the cardstock, write the recipient’s name in the space on the front, add a message inside (and a little gift), then seal with a sticker or wrap with ribbon. Both are available here.

On a recent trip to visit my family in California, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend some time with a longtime family friend. I told her about Artistic Inspiration, the etsy shop my daughter and I have started . She told me about some favorite old crochet potholders she has that are wearing out. I asked her to send one to me so that I could see how the potholders were made, and in return, I would send her new one. The potholder she sent was made out of bits of crochet thread left over from other projects. I love things made out of materials on hand. I think it takes just a little more creativity to make something out of whatever materials you have than it does to go to the store and buy exactly what you need for a given project. It’s kind of like making a quilt out of scraps leftover from other projects. When my daughter was little, I used to sew some of her clothes. We enjoyed choosing fabrics from the discount table, and I enjoyed having a creative outlet. When she s...