A Small Gift for a Large Crowd

I did not do the Christmas Countdown this year because of some health issues in my family.  I was able to make some unique and fun gifts for family and friends so over the next few posts I will share those with you.

As you know I am a very thrifty crafter.  I like to create new items out of old pieces.  One aspect of thrifty crafting is the challenge of making the same item for a large group.

At our annual quilters Christmas party I like to give each lady a small gift that has something of a quilting or sewing element in the design. Last year I gave each quilter a Christmas ornament made from an old wooden thread spool.  The ornaments were quick and easy to make and turned out quite nice.

To learn how this ornament was made check out

Wooden Spool Ornaments

Since we have about 25 ladies in our group I try to design a gift that uses supplies I can get in bulk that only cost a few dollars.  This years gift uses Jenga blocks as the base.  They come 50+ to a box and if you have to buty them new only cost about $3.00 per box.  But if you can find them at a garage sale they cost much less.  I paid $1.00 for my box so each block costs about $0.02 each.  Here is the fun gift I made this year.

A small reminder of how our friendships grow in our group.

Using the Jenga block as my base I wrapped lace around the center of each block and glued it in place.  I then added a small piece of paper I stamped with the phrase "Friendships are sewn one stitch at a time."  I inked the edges of the paper in a coordinating color to soften them.  To finish the block I glued a small fabric yo-yo with a button in the center.  The yo-yos were made from scraps of previous projects.  

To make the hanger for my small sign I coiled some lightweight wire around a pencil and added a bead to each end and hot glued the hanger to the back.

Another example.

Now each quilter has a small sign to hang in their sewing area to remind them of the friendships they have in our group.

A basket full of gifts.  I wrapped each sign in a small baggie

with a few pieces of shredded paper in the bottom and a curly ribbon tie.

The saying still holds true that it is not the price of the gift that gives it value it is the love that goes into the gift that adds the true value.  So don't be afraid to be a thrifty crafter and add lots of love to each gift you give this year.

Danna