It's better to give....

(I wonder how many people know they're quoting the bible when they use that phrase?) 
Anyway. :o)
I just wanted to share a few gifts that I've made so far this season for some of Paige's little friends at church!

Cozy fleece scarves with embroidered felt appliques:
(I just googled images for applique inspiration)
A silk ribbon-wrapped headband with felt flower.
A bookmark made from on old vinyl(?) frangrace giftbox. I used an engraving pen that I got the the Dollar Tree not long ago to make the designs and monogram.
A little man-tote for a baseball-loving boy.
An I-Spy bag with fun little trinkets inside. 
And a personalized coloring book with coloring pages made from photos of this little boy's family. 

The coloring book was the most fun to make. I used Photoshop to create the coloring pages, and it was so simple! I've been going crazy making some for Paige and I to color as well. :o)
If you have Photoshop and you'd like to try it on your own photos, here's how:


  • Filter>Sketch>Photocopy: Detail=3, Darkness=50
  • Invert
  • Image>Adjustments>Brightness&contrast: slide both to 100%
  • Clean up by covering unwanted marks with white paintbrush tool.
I love making homemade gifts, don't you?! Maybe sharing mine will help inspire you for some little ones on your list! 

And by the way, since I'm probably confusing some of you (Is she back? Is she still gone? What is she doing??) I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just posting when I have a little extra time! I hope that's ok for us all. :O)

Love,
-Disney

Comments

  1. this is awesome.. nice idea, I'm going to borrow your genius for my own family project.Thank you

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  2. I love the coloring pages, great idea!! Do what you can, we all understand!

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  3. im probably your newest fan and i am *obsessed* with your lovely blog!!!!! i love love love it, your ideas are so fresh and inspiring, thank you for sharing your creativity with all of us!

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  4. Very cute, I love the headband, I may have to steal that idea.

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  5. any posts are definitely ok :) love the eye spy! i've never seen that before!

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  6. Completely amazing. You have outdone thyself, woman! I am crazy for the tree and squirrel scarf. The coloring books! The bookmark! Too much. Will bookmark and pore over the whole post. Happy December, Disney!

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  7. Please keep posting! Love your site. I have so many of your projects bookmarked to do...one day :)


    Jamie

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  8. Super cute and I wish I had your talent and creative mind! The scarves are adorable!

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  9. More than ok, we love hearing from you Disney. I love these ideas, expecially the colouring book, truly inspired.

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  10. I love your ideas--whenever I can get them, I'll take them:). These are great--I LOVE those scarves!!! Love the coloring pages--love it all:).

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  11. Every single one is my favorite. But those scarves are just adorable.

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  12. Those scarves...that headband...the bookmark...everything else fabulous you made... It's all beautiful! Those are some lucky kids! I love the colouring page idea!

    -Ponytails

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  13. we will take you in any shape or form- 1 post or 100...doesn't matter...

    engraving pen?? from the dollar store? elaborate please!!! : )

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  14. It's called the "EZ Engraver", and it frankly doesn't work incredibly well, but for simple things it's kind of neat! I think it's worth a buck. Worth $10 on Ebay? Probably not.

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  15. So can my daughter be one of Paige's friends because that tree squirrel scarf is just way to cute! I have tried to do the coloring pages before, but mine have never come out looking that good, thanks for the directions so hopefully it works a bit better for me next time. And yes I love the way you are posting now!

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  16. Disney--of course we'd love to have you all back for good, but it's awesome to have you just pop in from time to time too!!! Do what is best for you and your life :D

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  17. I love the scarves and coloring pages!

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  18. What fun ideas. I love it when you have new posts. Your blog is always so amazing!

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  19. Really cute stuff...love the coloring pages,genius idea.

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  20. cuteness :o) thank u for posting these great ideas.

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  21. very cute idea. Thanks for sharing! I love hearing from you.

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  22. I'm always happy to see a post by you! Love the coloring book idea and the squirrel and little tree are adorable!

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  23. love the colouring book, what a fabulous idea!

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  24. I hope you're back. I just recently discovered your blog, and I'm in love.

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  25. I love the idea of the coloring book. And I am glad you're posting every now and then. It's a nice surprise :)

    Just Better Together

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  26. Love the coloring book idea - how cool is that?! Way better than any Disney princess!

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  27. A few posts every now and then are better than none :) Thank you for sharing these fabulous ideas!!!

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  28. What great ideas Disney! :) Now I have some ideas for my niece! It's fun to have you post from time to time, it's like a little surprise!
    Merry Christmas!!

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  29. The tree is so cute and I just love the coloring book!

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  30. awesome! I was so happy to see you posted again! The coloring book is awesome.

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  31. Totally appreciate your blog!!! I love your romantic style of crafting and sewing...it reminds me of characters from the era of jane Austen

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  32. Hi Disney I'm so happy with your new post. Could you show as the diy for the headband I will love to make some for my girls.

    Erika

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  33. Hi!
    You dont know me, but I saw this on a post that Jessica Mcdonald made. I love the coloring book and want to do that for my neices. However I dont have Photoshop, I have paint. Do you know how to make these on paint?
    -Audra Brown

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  34. I really like the photoshop coloring page Idea. Love it

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  35. Okay, those are just darling! Fabulous ideas - I love them! Thanks so much, Disney! :)

    Felicity at {Simple Elegance}

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  36. I LOVE making handmade gifts for Christmas! MY kids are getting handmade blankets that I'm crocheting (right in front of them, but they don't know they're for them!! LOL), for my best friends I'm making one a Cassiopeia (the constellation) painting and the other one I'm making a big cardboard F (for their last name) and painting it black and putting red paper "paisley" on it. For my husband I'm making him a cross stitch of the ocean with an awesome little marriage quote. I haven't figured out what to make my parents yet. They have everything!! LOL

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  37. Wonderful! I'm sure they will all be received with the same love with which they were created. Hugs and Merry Christmas!

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  38. Girl, U're amazing! The stuff is wonderful :) I wish I could make such things by myslef :)

    Kisses :)

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  39. I'm so happy everytime I read a post from you! So you know, post when you can, no pressure.

    Love the coloring books idea. I decided to DIY most of my gifts this Christmas and I might try this one (if I can get it right on Photoshop).

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  40. these are really sweet and cute and awesome. great ideas, thanks.

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  41. Do you know of a tutorial for the "I-Spy bag"? I'd love to make them for my nieces.

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  42. Hi!
    you inspired me, I just made a boy scarf using your idea. My little guy hasn't taken it off yet! Lol. Thanks so much!

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  43. Disney, so good to see you ever once in a while! :) Your gifts are lovely and from the heart. That makes them the best kind! :) Merry Christmas! - Karen

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  44. Very, very , very clever! I was just thinking about making little fleece scarves for my girls at church, and there you go! Some CUTE IDEAS! Thanks!

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  45. Love popping on your bog just in case you posted! Always a lovely surprise! Love the I spy bag, I have wanted to make one for my little boy for ages now and I saw a tutorial that used polybeads or something, but couldn't get hold of them. Did you use rice? What a great idea I can get hold of some rice! Merry Christmas to you and your family x

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  46. These are so cute! I love the beads/rhinestones? on the headband! I need a sparkly headband, and you have totally inspired me. Thank you for continuing to post! It's always a fun surprise when I stop by the site and there's a new post.

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  47. Hey Dis! I love it when you drop back in. Great gift ideas and thank you for sharing them. The coloring book idea is genius! What a sweet idea! I love the I Spy bag and the adorable scarf, too. You rock.

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  48. I'm so glad you're still blogging, even if it's not as often as it used to be! But for those of us who haven't got the clever crafting gene like you, could you post the tutorial for the i-spy bag??? I LOVE it, and my youngest (a little younger than yours) has only "friends-who-are-boys" this year. They would love this too!!!

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  49. wow!!
    I love the scarves and the headband- it's so beautiful and wintry.
    The coloring book is such a great idea!
    (:

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  50. Beautiful snow pictures. You should give photo classes as you always have the best shots.
    Your ISpy toy is genius and will be a stocking gift for four little girls here. Thanks for sharing your great ideas. Happy Christmas to you and your family.
    Lynn
    heykathylynn@netzero.com

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  51. i can't stop saying "oh wow! oh wow!" i am in LOVE with the coloring pages! my kids are going to freak when i produce our next batch of coloring books! thank you so much for the amazing information and inspiration you share. :)

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  52. I heart your blog. Coloring book...genious. I'm so making my little girl a scarf now!

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  53. I LOVE the coloring book idea and tried to do it but my pictures are turning out black with white lines. Any suggestions? Thanks!

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  54. IT's certainly okay with me if you want to post every now and again!!! Now and again is WAY better than never!!!!! :D

    I am going CRAZY over those scarves, they are sooo adorable!!

    A.Co @ A.Co est. 1984

    PS - I never knew that was a quote from the Bible - you really do learn something new everyday :)

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  55. Shea: Make sure to invert after using the photocopy filter and it should turn your picture into white with black lines. Hope that helps!

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  56. Wow, you are soo creative! Just found your blog through a link to your LOFT frilly tank. Thanks for sharing your ideas!

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  57. Love this idea! I followed all the steps, but I didn't know what Invert was. Would you mind clearing that up? Thanks!
    Katie
    wtrbaby6@hotmail.com

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  58. Wow! I love your work ! You are by far the most creative person I have come across :)
    I have been following your blog since a while & I go to an art college in India, my work is half inspired by you! :)
    I just started my blog on wordpress.. Check it out --> artyheart.wordpress.com

    Love your posts & hoping to read a lot more :)

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  59. Disney, your I Spy pillow is brilliant! I've been looking for a way "soften" I Spy jars for little kids and a pillow is perfect!

    I miss you :(

    morganmadeit.net

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  60. I love the coloring book idea and am attempting to recreate it for my niece's 2nd birthday. However, when I follow the steps, it turns the picture black instead of white. I think if I remove the invert it is better, but not great. Any ideas on what may be off? Please let me know when you get a chance :)

    Katie
    kowalkate@gmail.com

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  61. I can't believe I never thought to do this! It's so simple and just a great idea. I'll have to do this for my friend's kids and my cousin's kids. This would make an awesome gift, too! I don't have Photoshop but I can just as easily use www.Picnik.com to make them. I just love your blog. I just found it like 12 hours ago! LOL

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