Day thirteen: Gifts we love

Journal Jars!

Big Pop originally came up with this idea when she was studying community care and used it for one of her assessments. We both really like the idea and have donated these to market stalls to be sold occasionally.

Journal jars are a creative way to encourage someone to start slowly keeping a journal. The idea behind this jar is that you take out one prompt a day, paste it to your journal page and write a response to the prompt.  The prompts are able to be used in group settings to encourage discussion and also make great gifts for all ages.

Here’s how it’s done:

Materials

1. Jar or small cardboard box or basket or ceramic pot
2. Paper or fabric to decorate
3. Printed Journal prompts (you can access from websites listed below.  They can be printed on plain, coloured or patterned paper)
4. Scissors
5. Paste
6. OPTIONAL – Journal or book, pen or pencil

Instructions

1. Choose a container
2. Decorate the container
3. Paste a label or saying on the front of the container
4. Cut out journal prompts ( you can use decorative scissors or plan)
5. Fold journal prompts or roll around a pencil then place in the jar.
6. Add a tag using ribbon from the ideas below

Resource: Scrapjazz ‘all about me journaling prompts’  

JOURNALING PROMPT IDEAS:

Happiness is…	If the phone were to ring right now, who would you want it to be?
Do you like progress?	10 types of food or dishes you’ve never eaten that you’d like to try
What would be the perfect autumn day?	If you could choose a different time period to live in, when would it be?
Name any life changing books you’ve read.	Five places you would like to visit are:
Your 10 greatest joys	Nobody knows that you…
Character traits you think others admire in you.	Things you’ve done you never thought you could do:
People you’ve met that you gained the most from	People you’ve met that you gained the most from
Name everything you’ve done that you’re proud of	Places you’ve visited that you’ve enjoyed

Helpful Links

http://www.momscape.com/articles/journaljar.htm
http://www.writersdigest.com/writingprompts.asp
http://www.writingfix.com/dailypromptgenerator.htm

Big Pop xx

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• 50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts (tellingfamilytales.com)
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Day twelve: gift ideas we love

What good is a gift without a gorgeous gift tag to finish it off??!

Make sure you finish off that beautifully wrapped piece of Christmas goodness with a nice gift tag addressed to the recipient 🙂

Don’t stick with boring Hallmark gift tags this year, get a bit creative. There’s a really nice feeling I get when I customise my gift cards and make them all a little unique.

Ps. All you non-crafters have a read too, I promise they’re only as hard as you make them – just make sure you’re setting some realistic expectations… it’s not like you’re Picasso! 

Pop Up Cards!

Think these are dated? Think again! These cards are really not that hard and also look really sophisticated and Christmassy 🙂

I found this really well explained tutorial on wikihow

Christmas tree not your style? How about this stack of presents? This uses the same theory but instead of he waved lines on the tree they have cut straight… which is easier anyway 😉

Classic tie on mini gift cards

I’ve collected a few links to websites who have shared some free printable designs. Tie on gift tags are so convenient and can add a nice finishing touch to your gifts under the tree 🙂

I found these ones on babble.com

These have a good amount of cheeky humour to them ‘I totally want to get one of these for myself so, let me know if you don’t want it‘

orange you lucky! blogged this a few years back which utilises some cool shapes and nice cartoon characters 🙂

I’m going to be honest and say that doing a gift everyday is getting a little hard, so excuse me for not having posted over the weekend xx

Related articles

• Printable Jar Lid Inserts: Homemade Christmas Gifts (thehappyhousewife.com)

Day two: gift ideas we love

Plant a tree.

Trees play such an important role in the environment, why not consider giving one to someone who plays an important role in your life this holiday season?

This is a particularly worthwhile gift for those living in Australia. Habitat destruction is a huge issue over here, a mega 50% of our forests have been destroyed in the past 200 years ( most of which were hundreds of thousands of years old!). Deforestation in Australia is the main cause behind our loss of biodiversity, which is really tragic as Australia has been blessed with many unique animals and plants which are not found naturally anywhere else in the world. So when you are thinking of gifting a tree this year you should know you are giving so much more than just the tree itself.

Image: Michelle Obama planting a tree taking part in a 1912 Cherry Blossom tree planting re-enactment ceremony with Fujisaki Yoriko.

Now down to business…

There are two ways of giving a tree:

1. Give an actual tree: This is the perfect gift for someone with the space and time needed to nurture and ensure the success of the tree. It also gives you the ability to make the gift really personal as you have complete control over it: what tree to buy, what size is appropriate and is the climate suitable for this tree where they live? Keep in mind though not everyone is blessed with a green thumb, and these days we do not always have the time and space to accommodate a tree. Having a tree is quite a spiritual thing for some people as it will be something that is going to be around for a long time, it will most likely out live the recipient and will provide generations with shade, tire swings, tree houses and many animals with a habitat or food source that may not of been available locally before.
2. Give a tree to a charity organisation:  This is better for those who do not fit the criteria of space, time and commitment above. The Australian Koala Foundation has an informative and easy process for funding a tree with options such as buying a tree for yourself, as a gift or in memory of a loved one. You are given a certificate for your recipient to show off to his/her friends, a thank you letter and their names will be put on the honour board. It’s also really budget friendly (it can even work out to being cheaper than purchasing the tree yourself at a nursery) with donations starting from $10.

Have you ever given or received a tree as a gift? I never have but it’s something I’ve always thought about and it’s definitely on my giving list this year 🙂

 

Related articles

• Giving Trees for a Change (pplkind.com)
• Tree diversity essential for koala survival (koalarooinfo.wordpress.com)
• Thankful for Trees (fairfaxtreeservice.wordpress.com)