Handmade gift of the week: Beer box coasters

If don’t know many men who don’t like beer, but even if they don’t these cool coasters (made from beer boxes) are so bright and colourful that everyone will love these – beer fan or not!

Coasters made from beer boxes – here’s how to do it…

Why we love them:
  • Who could resist the bright colours of these coasters? They live up an table and also protect your furniture from those annoying glass rings. 
  • What a great way to repurpose a beer box and give it a new lease of life! 
  • This is a completely unique gift that would be great for the person with everything
  • You can never have too many coasters, and even if you have a few sets, you can always rotate them as they don’t take up much space in a draw or cupboard. 
Which coaster do you like best? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

Handmade card of the week: Leaf card

Some of the best creative inspiration comes from nature, and this leaf card is no exception…


Why we love it:
  • This would be a really simple card to create – simply trace a real leaf or find a template online. 
  • Using natural kraft card gives this card a really organic feel. 
  • Cutting out your message and adding a contrasting ribbon behind it is a nice way of adding colour. You could also stencil, stamp and hand-write a message (in colour) on your card. 
  • Using string to attach the card to the present also has a lovely natural feel. 
  • You could experiment with different sized and shaped leaves. Smaller leaves would also make great little gift tags. 

What type of leaf would you use for a card? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

Gift wrapping idea of the week: How to reuse an old calendar

Calendars. At the end of every year, most people would usually have at least one wall calendar they need to discard. But what to do with them, apart from throw them in the bin? Here’s a gift wrapping idea that’s hard to resist…

Image from www.mery.jp

Why we love it:
  • We challenge you to find a more charming way of reusing an old calendar!
  • Circling your recipient’s birthday and writing a message personalises this wrapping paper even more. 
  • Circling the date with a coloured pen and matching the ribbon to this colour makes it stand out even more. The colour also sets off the black and white print. 
  • Calendars are usually made of high quality paper, so ideal for wrapping a special gift. 
  • There is generally a page-per-month for each of these types of wall calendars, which means plenty of pages to use as gift wrapping for your family and friends (hopefully their birthdays are in different months!)

How to Buy a Wedding Gift: What to buy and things to consider

Are you a wedding guest veteran or novice? 

If you haven’t been to many weddings before, then buying a wedding gift can be a daunting process. We recently interviewed some of our nearest and dearest Facebook fans to get their ideas on buying a wedding gift. Below they’ve shared some of their experiences on buying and receiving wedding gifts. Sources have been kept confidential, which we think makes for more honest (and humorous) answers. 

Hopefully this will give you some ‘food for thought’ the next time you need to buy a wedding gift…


1. What is the best gift you have ever bought and/or received as a wedding gift?

“Best gift we received was a knife block

“A handmade Scottish Highland fur rug and a bottle of wine that was made in the year my husband and I started dating! These were our favourite pressies because they were so thoughtful and unique.”

“A family member was after an expensive painting for their house and all wedding guests had the choice of contributing towards it. For my own, I set up a honeymoon fund for guests to contribute towards.”

“Received a handmade wooden sculpture of our names with heart between. I have given a handmade wooden sculpture of couple’s initials.”

“Received a tall glass vase. Very versatile and timeless. Currently holding my wedding bouquet. And photos in beautiful frames. Actually our favourite gift is a bronze horse riding sculpture with two horses and two riders with a plaque saying ‘two trails lead to one’.”

A good-quality Knife Block set is a lovely wedding gift idea for couples who like to cook



2. What things do you consider when buying a wedding gift?

“While nice/fancy gifts were great, we rarely see/use them, so the best gifts were the more practical things that we use daily (such as dinner sets, cutlery).”

“Sounds bad but when considering what to buy we sometimes go off what they gave us. If they only bought us a photo frame why should get them a $200 voucher etc?”

Originality/uniqueness.”

How close we are to the couple and type of wedding it is (big or small)”

“Consider my own financial circumstances at that time, how close these people are to me and if I’m invited to all of the wedding or just the evening etc.”

Interests, home decor style, price, needs

A stylish ice bucket would make a timeless wedding gift, especially if the couple like to entertain. 



3. Gift or cash? If given the choice, would you give a gift or cash at a wedding and why?

Cash is easy but I hate those stupid ‘pay for our honeymoon’ poems. My best friend’s mother once said ‘I’m not giving them money to sit on a beach and drink cocktails’.”

Cash – these days most couple live together before getting married so they already have all the homely items they want.”

I think cash as you are not limited to where you can spend it, unless there was a gift card that could be used at multiple stores, which they have here in the UK”

I would rather receive cash but when I give, it is always a gift as I find cash impersonal!”

Cash (sorry not good for business)”

When in doubt give cash – if you have two amounts in your head, always pick the higher one



4. What is your budget for a wedding gift and how do you work this out?

Budget is around $50 – $100 depending on how close I am to them, and what I got them for their engagement”

Budget is also based on the old $50 each for drinks and $50 each for meal. So when I’m pregnant we are only likely to budget say $150. Budget also is based on how close we are to them.”

“Close family & friends = $100-$150, other family and friends = $75-$100

About $100, depending on venue and if it’s adults only invite or entire family invite.”

Budget based on my own cash flow at the time etc. Same answer as number 2.”

“We usually give about $100 or more depending on the closeness of their relationship to the wedding couple. We also consider the cost of the venue and potential cost of our meals/drinks and entertainment for the night. We try to cover the cost of having us there as a guest plus some extra as a gift for them.”



5. What wouldn’t you buy as a wedding gift? 

“Worst gifts were serving plates (as yes you can have TOO MANY) and a designer fruit bowl that doesn’t match our house at all.”

“I wouldn’t buy art – it’s something’s that’s very personal”

Cutlery!

“Most weddings I’ve been to have a gift register and I choose items that will last for years to come and get used on a regular basis. One wedding I went too they wanted a fancy wall clock, which they hung in their kitchen, and look at every day. You would want your gift to remind the couple of a memorable day, not something they put at the back of a draw.”

Clocks are a practical wedding gift that can be used everyday



I wouldn’t buy household items as a gift since majority already live together and have homes set up.”

Cake cutting knife set (we were given one and it’s relegated to the back of the cupboard).”

We love that some of the above advice is contradictory – what one person likes, another dislikes, etc. This goes to show that the best gifts truly are the ones that really consider the couple’s personality and current situation…as well as cash! 

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: Gentlemen’s Hardware Cocktail Shaker

Why we love it:
  • This is one glamorous cocktail shaker. And let’s face it – when you’re drinking something as glamorous as a cocktail it would make sense to make it in a glamorous shaker. James Bond would be jealous!
  • This would make a gorgeous wedding gift for a couple who like to entertain, or a special birthday gift. 
  • Comes packaged in a beautiful box and presents well as a high-quality gift

Handmade gift of the week: Monster bookmarks

It’s the middle weekend of the school holidays here in Canberra. If your kids are about to loose their minds from boredom (and drive you insane), then this is a great craft activity that will keep them occupied for half an hour or so…

Handmade monster bookmarks – here’s how to make them



Why we love it:

  • It’s simple and inexpensive – it requires minimal materials and is a great way of using up paper scraps and wrapping paper from the end of the 
  • Kids love monsters – they will have fun creating lots of different types of monsters and using different colours. 
  • A fun bookmark might encourage kids to read a bit more, which is never a bad thing!
  • These make cute presents for grandparents who like to read. 

Handmade card of the week: Heart Balloons

Hopefully this sweet card will make your recipient feel as happy and light as these two gorgeous hot air balloons look!

Not crafty? Buy this card from theadoration Etsy store
Why we love it:
  • The pink and red hearts really standout against the simple kraft card background. We love the pink and red combo, but you could use two completely different colours, or two matching colours. 
  • The basket and string of the hot air balloons are simple little drawings which would be easy to recreate and draw with a black felt tip marker. The clouds would also be relatively simple to make too, but not essential if you weren’t able to make these. 
  • The curved edge of the card gives it a premium look. You can create a curved corner by tracing around the edge of a plate on each corner and carefully cutting around this curve. 
  • To create the hearts: Cut out two hearts exactly the same size. Fold each heart in half, then glue down one side of each heart, positioning so the centre-fold of each heart touches. 
  • We love this handmade card for a wedding card, but it would also be great as a Valentine’s Day card or card for an anniversary
What occasion would you use this card for? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

Four gifts for coffee-lovers for International Coffee Day

Calling all coffee-lovers – today is your day! 
To celebrate International Coffee Day, here are four of our favourite coffee gifts

1. KeepCup Reuseable Coffee Cup $14.95 each or 2 for $25
This Australian company are taking the world by storm with stylish, high quality reuseable coffee cups. 

2. Weights and Measures Mug $14.95 each or 2 for $25
This handy mug has a variety of conversions from metric to imperial measurements for weight, volume (liquid and dry), energy, length and area

3. Vintage Dictionary Poster – Make Coffee Not War
This is a unique poster, handmade by artist Kerrie Lightfoot. Kerrie uses the pages of vintage dictionaries to print her unique designs, so each print is one-of-a-kind and available in Australia exclusively through www.mrgift.com.au. 

4. Bamboo Fibre Travel Mug $14.95 each or 2 for $25 
This stylish travel mug is made from 100% biodegradable bamboo. Bamboo is an ideal material to use for these coffee cups as it’s light and strong and creates a high-quality product designed to last. 
How do you like your coffee? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…