Gifts for Back to School
If the kids in your life have the back-to-school blues, this would be the perfect time to cheer them up with a special gift to commemorate the new school season.
Crayon Creations
Kids will be tickled pink with this easy-to-make apron that transforms into a carryall. This apron would be a perfect gift for a new kindergarten student.
Time frame: One to two hours plus one week to set the paint
Level: Moderately easy
What you need:
- Child's-size apron/carryall (found at craft stores)
- Green, red, black, yellow, and orange craft paints (Or, you could use fabric paints to avoid using the textile medium and waiting for the paint to set.)
- Foam plate
- Textile medium (if not using fabric paints)
- Piece of cardboard
- Paintbrushes
- Foam stamps (Chunky Stamps): frog, ladybug, sunflower
- Iron and ironing board
- Clean cloth or piece of material
- Pack of crayons
- Watercolor paint set
- Wash and dry the apron without using fabric softener.
- Place a dollop of green, red, black, yellow, and orange craft paint (about the size of a quarter) on a foam plate. Add half as much textile medium to each color and mix well. Place a piece of cardboard under the apron for a firm working surface.
- Paint the frog stamp with the green paint. Carefully center the stamp on the top front of the apron and press down to make a frog imprint.
- Paint the body of the ladybug stamp red and the head black. Press the stamp down on the left pocket to make a ladybug.
- Paint the petals of the sunflower yellow and the inside orange. Press the stamp down on the right pocket to make a sunflower. Add a few dots of black in the center of the flower as shown.
- Allow the apron to set for one week. (You can avoid this step by using fabric paints.) Put the apron on an ironing board, and place a clean cloth or piece of material on top. Iron over the material for 20 seconds on each stamped image to set the paint and make it machine-washable. (See the manufacturer's instructions on the textile medium.)
- Place a pack of crayons in one pocket of the apron and a watercolor paint set in the other pocket.
You might want to present your gift in a gift bag along with a coloring book and construction paper.
School Supplies
Present Tense
Chunky Stamps are trademarked stamps made out of raised foam over a foam base. You can use these stamps with poster paint, craft paint, fabric paint, or stamp pads to create vivid designs. These stamps differ from rubber stamps in that they are much cheaper, they're easier for kids to use and clean up, and they can create simple designs with a variety of mediums. There are other trademarked names for these stamps, but I like the quality and design of the Chunky Stamps.
Kids will love this personalized pen and pencil case that'll keep their book bag clean and protect their pens and pencils at the same time.
Time frame: One to two hours
Level: Moderately easy
What you need:
- Foam lizard stamp (for a boy) or flower (for a girl)
- Black, green, pink, and yellow craft paints
- Paintbrushes
- Acrylic pencil box
- Packs of crayons, pens, pencils
- Erasers
- For a boy's box, paint the lizard stamp green and stamp it onto the acrylic box in the right-hand corner. For a girl's box, paint the flower pink with a yellow center and a green stem and stamp it onto the right-hand corner. Allow this to dry.
- Using a fine-tipped brush and black paint, paint the child's name on the box.
- Fill the box with crayons, pens, pencils, erasers, and so on.
College Survival Kit
If you know a student who is heading off to college, you can help ease the transition by sending him or her this welcome survival kit.
Present Pointers
You could also make a food gift for a college student that contains soups, hot chocolate, microwavable popcorn and macaroni and cheese, granola bars, homemade cookies, and wrapped candies in a plastic candy dish. A large soup or coffee mug would also be a welcome addition.
Time frame: One to two hours
Level: Easy
What you need:
- Shower tote
- Tissue paper
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Razors
- Moisturizer
- Soap
- Toothpaste and toothbrush
- Brown craft paper or cardboard box
Arrange the toiletries in the shower tote. Place the filled tote in a cardboard box to ship.
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Great Gifts © 2001 by Marilee LeBon. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476.
