Calendars are great for a lot of reasons:

1. Everyone can use a calendar, whether it’s in an office or at home to keep track of family appointments, birthdays, activities, and more. Even the hardest-to-shop-for people can use a calendar!
2. Handmade calendars feature photos that mean something to the recipient, instead of generic stock photos.
3. You can make a calendar to fit any theme, and they’re easy to make!

You might think making a calendar is hard, but really, it’s not! Archiver’s has everything you need, including blank calendars (in three sizes) and calendar collection packs with three patterned papers for each month, plus coordinating stickers and cut-outs. Add in a few photos and you’re ready to start creating! There are so many ways you can create your gift:

• Enlarge a photo and have it be the focus of your calendar page.

• Don’t want to use a photo? Have your kids draw on the blank calendars instead. Great idea for dad’s office or grandparents!

• Use the calendar collection pack to create a colorful design, from simple to elaborate.

• Don’t forget about the cover! This year’s NEW 8×8 scroll calendar features a chipboard cover you can customize with ink, paint, paper, or pound custom designs into it using the GCD Studios Chip Art tool.

• Or, sign up for Archiver’s Create-a-Calendar Workshop and decorate an entire calendar in class.

My boyfriend is one of those hard-to-shop-for people, and every year, I struggle with what to get him. This year,  I think I will make him a calendar for his office. I could put photos of our various travels or snapshots of our new puppy in it. It’s a gift he’ll definitely use, and best of all, it will be fast and easy to create–a winning combination in my book!

In search of the perfect gift for my best friend, I came across these colorful Romanoff mini storage boxes that come in cheery colors like strawberry, grape and lime. They have the automatic cute factor going for them, and while they’re ultra affordable at $1.99, they also make the PERFECT home for a set of mini cards! In no time at all, I was able to personalize the box top and create a set of coordinating mini cards. She’ll now have custom greetings to share with her friends and family and can continue to use the box for safe keeping. The combination is a gift any crafter can appreciate!  

Like mini cards as much as I do? Be sure to grab a seat in the Marvelous Minis Card Workshop that starts this weekend! There’s even an entire front table display of items dedicated to making mini cards – get creative today in a “mini” way!

Since Father’s Day is right around the corner, here are some ideas for gifts Dad will love! (Click to view images larger.)

If Dad’s a fisherman, fill a few pails with fish-themed snacks like Swedish fish, gummy worms, or Goldfish crackers and stick a gift card to the bait shop or sporting goods store inside. The men in my family fish the waters of northern Minnesota and Canada, so I used October Afternoon’s map paper to decorate my pails. I combined it with Cosmo Cricket paper–the rulers reminded me of the measuring tapes fisherman keep in their boats to measure the day’s “big catch”!

Have a golfer in your family? Fill a few jars with golf balls and tees, and include a gift certificate for a round of golf inside. I decorated my jars using a great paper from Graphic 45 with different vintage sports images. For the lids, I cut circles from white cardstock, dry embossed them using a dot embossing folder, and then flipped them over (so the dots are pressed into the paper instead of raised up) to resemble a golf ball. Don’t forget a matching card and lined envelope!

If Dad loves sports, decorate a pail using his favorite team colors and slip a pair of tickets to an upcoming game inside. Since my pail is baseball-themed, I added some peanuts, too (Cracker Jacks would work as well!).

The cool part about these jars and pails is that you can customize them to fit any guy’s interests. Give them a try for Father’s Day, or your next celebration!

Their teacher appreciation gift idea translated perfectly as a way to add a little extra something to a birthday gift for one of my good friends.  She and I share an obsession for both wine and chocolate so I couldn’t think of a better gift than a little of each.

It only took me about a half hour to substitute cute patterned paper and ribbon for the chocolate wrapper and create a fun tag to attach to the wine that reads, “You deserve chocolate and wine.  (It is your birthday after all!)”.  She loved the gift and I felt an extra little burst of pride when she said, “You always make everything look so cute!”