Pretty Recipe Book Kit Gift

There is something special about handwritten recipes. We cherish recipes in mom and grandma's handwriting. So, we love using our recipe book kits to make thoughtful gifts for weddings, college students and Christmas.

This is the pretty cover. It also includes page protectors, a title page, 19 double-sided recipe cards and a sticker sheet.

You can title your recipe book whatever you'd like or use this first page to write a special note to the recipient. You can see we also used some of the stickers to label the different sections

Here's one of the recipe cards. Aren't they pretty? HINT: These books are on sale this week 2 for the price of one!

DIY Gift Tags

Hopefully all your shopping is done and you are now busy wrapping your gifts! If you need something to dress up your packages a bit, try a special oversized tag.

We made these tags with the Holiday Cheer perforated sheet and mounted it on a larger paper cut into a tag shape. The accents are ribbons and buttons.

Check back tomorrow for more wrapping ideas!

DIY Gift Bows with Velvet or Scrapbook Paper

Hey there! It's holiday time! Are you ready? We are mostly done shopping here. But, now comes the job of wrapping up all the gifts.

When you have pretty wrapping supplies, this can be one of the most fun parts. If you want a DIY option, we have a fun and simple idea for you. Make your own gift bows! These are great because you can use any kind of paper and make the bow coordinate perfectly with your wrapping.

We even made you a fun little video to show you exactly how to do it! It's really simple. Just cut 3/4" wide strips of paper 4", 10", 11" & 12", loop as shown, and glue them together. Voila!



For our video, we used velvet paper. The texture is soft and rich, perfect for the holidays. You have to see it in real life to fully appreciate it.

The awesome part is wrapping supplies, including velvet paper, tag sheets & holiday paper is on sale this week! Check it out here.

Inexpensive Last-Minute Gifts using Scrapbook Paper

If it just hit you that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away, don't fret! We have a couple of simple, inexpensive gift ideas for you. It's amazing how thoughtfulness and scrapbook paper can make a little gift extra special!



These paper mugs would be perfect for classmates, neighbors, teachers, coworkers, or friends. We used the Club SEI cutting file to cut the mug shape out of Sweet Yule paper. Then, we just added some yummy cocoa and a candy cane!



If you happen to know a nature-lover or bird-watcher, sprinkle some bird seed into a bag and top it off with some scrapbook paper and die-cuts. This concept is great for people with all kinds of different interests, think golf balls, sewing supplies, fishing lures, flower seeds... The possibilities are endless!

DIY Holiday Snowman Apron

This apron was so fun to make! It would be a great family activity or simple gift idea. All you really need is an apron and iron-on sheets. We even sell patterns sheets, that would be cool too! Check out the video:

Christmas Gifting Ideas Using Scrapbook Supplies

The Jolly Jingle collection is so much fun! You can make the most cheerful cards with this line. But, today, we wanted to show you some other ideas too.

Have you ever thought of using scrapbook supplies to decorate your gifts? Quickly sew together some scraps of papers or die-cuts and wrap them around your gift box for unique twist on the usual ribbon wrap. For this box, we used shapes cut from the paper using the cutting file, available to Club SEI members.

We also used the cutting file to make some gift cards. They are 4x4 inches each, perfect for adding to a gift bag. Add adhesive gems for more dimension.

What about making your own bow using scrapbook paper? We made a simple bow with strips of paper for this tissue box. Here's another way to arrange the strips for a bigger bow. The tag is from the Club SEI click-n-print.

Learn more and sign up for Club SEI here.

Holiday Corrugated Pillow Box

Greetings and thank you for joining us here on the SEI Blog today. It's Rhonda Van Ginkel and I have a cute Corrugated Pillow Box to share with you today featuring Borders and Sundries from the Glimmering Boughs collection along with one of the papers.

Have you seen these Corrugated Pillow Boxes? They are adorable and very sturdy in design, something that a mom of young boys completely appreciates! (Think toy cars or smallish gifts that you really want to limit the peeking factor on!)

To add a bit of holiday pizazz, I selected a few borders from the Glimmering Boughs Border pack and adhered them by wrapping around to the back. On top of that I added a pretty kraft foiled doily from the Sundries Pack.

The crowning glory is the poinsettia flower that I created and placed on top of the doily. In the center is one of the pretty buttons that is included in the Sundries pack as well. I added some holly greens and flourish using my die cutting machine and "Evergreen Branches" paper .

The Glimmering Boughs collection has such pretty elements with elegant finishes and designs.

SEI Products Used:
Corrugated Pillow Boxes
Glimmering Boughs "Evergreen Branches" paper
Glimmering Boughs Borders
Glimmering Boughs Sundries

Thanks so much for stopping on over for a visit today.
Rhonda

Baby's First Christmas Handmade Ornaments

I love creating handmade gifts over the holidays. Ornaments are a quick and easy paper craft you can make that family and friends will cherish for years to come. I made two "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments featuring SEI's Merry Mistletoe collection. The fun shapes and sweet pastels make this collection perfectly fitting for new baby gifts!

The ornament frames came from Michaels and only cost a few dollars each. To make the ornaments, I selected favorite accents from the Merry Mistletoe papers, stickers and embellishments (paying special attention to use blue accents for celebrating baby boys!) and cut and arrange them to fit inside the frame. A simple alphabet sticker of each boy's initial further personalizes the design, along with a handmade message. I wrote them with a thin Sharpie.

Have you made ornaments or other handmade gifts for the holidays? We'd love to see! Be sure to share a link to your designs in the comments.

Happy Holidays,
Stephanie

Holiday Mini Album

Hello SEI Fans!!

Piali here... sharing a mini album with you all!!
Its a gift I made ...the recipient can document the holiday memories in it.

I used the super cute Merry Mistletoe collection.
Love the colors, cute deer & birds!!
The mini album is fabulous... love the red foiled polka dots on it!

This super cute Deer diecut is my favorite!

I used the diecuts and sticker from this collection to embellish the album cover.

I decorated each page inside, so that the recipient can just insert their own pictures.

Here is how it looks like when you first open the album.

To make the album a bit more fun, I used We R Memory Keepers Fuse tool to make some shaker pockets..

Added some sequins and die cut pieces.
The diecuts are double sided so they are perfect for clear pockets.

One more shaker pocket...

I also created some journalling pages...

Super easy to do... just draw some lines and add cute stickers...super fun!!

Check out the fun little details of this album here...

SEI albums makes a great gift, very easy to embellish and use!!!

Hope you all liked this project!!
Thanks for stopping by..
Happy Crafting!!
Piali

DIY Dyed Onesie

Hi, Connie here with a baby girl project, using Tumble Dye Pink and Red by SEI. This is a no mess way to tie dye and for the project to look fantastic.

To tie dye my project (onesies) I used the scrunch method. You can find the Video HERE. I promise you won't get your hands messy either, that is a plus! I first placed a piece of wax paper inside the Onesies. The Tumble Dye will bleed through to the back side. I scrunched the Onesies in the middle and sprayed with the Tumble Dye Pink and then with Tumble Dye Red. I repeated the process on the back of the Onesies.

Let the Onesies air dry and then toss it in the dryer for a few minutes to set the dye. For an added girly touch, add a bow~ as in Iron-On-Art by SEI. Very easy and so cute!!!! Hand sew a button on the bow and a cute gift has been made. The Corrugated Pillow Boxes make a great way to gift the Onesies. I used the throw away part of the Iron-On-Art Bow and used it again on the Corrugated Pillow Box. All you do is trim the bow out with scissors and adhere to the front of the Corrugated Pillow Box.

Thanks for stopping by~
Connie

Repurposed Holiday Gift Box

Hi there! 'Tis this season for gifting. Recently my brother visited New York City and brought back the most delicious macaroons from Bouchon Bakery. After I scarfed the macaroons, I kept the gift box. It was well-constructed and I loved the green and brown colors. It was just begging to be repurposed!

I grabbed the SEI Calling Birds creative pack and got to work. Just by luck, the reverse of the Partridge Tree patterned paper perfectly matched the green accents on the box. I glued it to the top to cover the bakery's logo, then added some die-cuts and border stickers to finish the package.

What's a gift without a card? I whipped up a matching holiday card using the Ladies Dancing patterned paper. Super easy and so festive.

Have you ever repurposed a gift's packaging? Maybe a cookie tin or shirt box? Hopefully today's project inspires you to think, well, outside the box the next time you receive a gift. (Sorry there's no more macaroons left to share!)

Stephanie

Quick & Easy Holiday Gift: Vanilla Extract

Hi Everyone! Laurie here with a quick and easy gift you can make that will surely impress. And best of all, it's also really useful!

This holiday season you can make and decorate cute little bottles of vanilla extract! This makes a great gift for neighbors, teachers, friends, co-workers -- anyone who deserves a little gift this December.

You'll need small glass bottles (I bought mine off Amazon), whole vanilla beans, either vodka or bourbon (I used vodka) and your favorite SEI winter collection to jazz up that plain glass bottle to something totally gift-worthy!

First, you'll need to take your vanilla beans and slice them long wise. Place one or two beans in each bottle and cover them with the alcohol of your choosing. Let them sit and -- like magic -- you'll have vanilla extract in no time! Since that was easy-peasy and took no time at all, now you get to do the fun part -- DECORATE!

I used the SEI Chalet collection on my bottle. The Chalet Sundries pack even comes with small little tags that are perfect for gifts. Who wouldn't love to get one of these little cuties in their stocking this year?

A little foam tape helps make the stickers really pop off the tag with extra dimension. A few gemstones add that holiday glamor. And that foil printed craft paper that wraps the bottle? Well, it's simply divine! I love how this turned out and I can't wait to give it to a special friend.

Happily holidays to you and yours!

Laurie

DIY Gift Bag: Turtle Doves

Are you finished with your holiday shopping? How about the gift wrapping? Pre-designed gift bags from the store are pretty, but they can be pricey. Luckily there's a less expensive and fun alternative for paper crafters. Today I show you how I used SEI scrapbooking papers to make a Christmas gift bag and tag.

The Turtle Doves patterned paper and matching stickers from the Calling Birds creative pack turn a basic white paper bag --- about a dollar at most craft stores --- into a delightful and whimsical gift bag with a tag for Christmas. The green foil and glitter accents of this collection add just the right amount of shimmer for the holidays (and make this bag look way expensive!)

With this gift bag and tag all set, all that's left to do is add the gift and it's good to go! So there's one less gift I have to worry about wrapping. ;) Happy Holidays!

Stephanie

November Club SEI Paper-Crafting Kit

Are you ready to get into the holiday spirit? It may be a bit early for some. But, November is the perfect time to start creating for the holidays.

Club SEI members can make this festive wreath to greet visitors. With a wreath base and pre-cut leaves, this comes together in a snap!

The tag kit included in the November paper-crafting kit is perfectly packaged in an fun little box full of all the goodies needed to make gift tags or a unique advent.

There's also a large tag template for a creative way to wrap small gifts. For larger gifts, how about making your own gift bag or box?

So, if you're ready to get crafting for the holidays, sign-up for the Club SEI November paper-crafting kit today!