Merry Christmas, everybody! Ahh, too soon? Not in the mood yet, huh? Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but once we round that corner into December, it's time to start working on Christmas cheer whether you feel like it or not! But thankfully for you, the Procrastinating Crafter's Guide to (quick) Christmas Glam is here to help you pull off a handmade holiday in no time.
Today's project is a Santa's Helper that can stand up to all the wear and tear of being carted around in your purse as you jog from mall to mall looking for that perfect present. The paper covers slide down inside the vinyl cover and stay clean and crisp all season. The plastic stamp case/DVD case protects the notepad and papers inside, keeps your pen handy, AND provides a hard, smooth surface for adding to your list or crossing things off!
Inside the case is a notepad (5×7 is the exactly correct size, but you can use smaller ones as well), a pencil or pen, and even an envelope to keep all your gift reciepts in one place. You can keep a page going for each family member, jotting down ideas, or a shopping list for each individual store. Put coupons in the envelope or preferred savings cards or even your mad money, in case you find something for yourself during your wanderings.
I told each child they could put their wish list in my notebook but it had to fill ONE page… excellent handwriting practice ensued!
My Santa's Helper is decorated with the Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Papers, Gumbal Green stitched satin ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine and cardstock, and the cute saying from the Tags 'Til Christmas stamp set–"Even the naughty deserve something nice." I used the natural cotton ribbon from the 2012 Holiday Catalog to make a little loop for my pencil to stay put.
I ran out of time on my self-imposed PCG 30-minute limit to this project, but I planned to stamp the word "Ideas" on the notepad cover. So I left it like it is… just keepin' it real! it has been a fun challenge trying to come up with quick and cute ideas for you all for this blog series.If you're enjoying it, please spread the word! Click the "like" button at the bottom of each post and your Facebook friends can pop in to visit me, too. See you tomorrow!
This is so cute! What a clever idea. I had to look twice to see how you made this from a DVD/stamp case. I have a few extra–and now I know what to do with them!
I really like this one! A 5×7 note lets get a 5×7 pad and stick it in there and we could use this all winter long for our long lists of things to do! 🙂
Very clever as alway Lyssa
I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying this blog series, Lyssa! I look forward to it daily, wondering what cleverly creative idea you’ll come up with next! My mom is a stamper who loves to find a great project and recreate it exactly – I’m going to email her a link to your blog. She’ll love it.
What I especially like about this project is that it offers a hard surface to write on – brilliant idea to use the DVD case.
Thank you so much for your kind comments, Nicole!! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave them. It’s hard to keep up enthusiasm when you aren’t getting any feedback. : ) You made my day : )