Looking for a last minute Mother's Day gift for the woman who has everything? Want to skip the traditional flowers and candy? How about a fridge full of faces of the people she loves the most! This set of magnet fridge photos is the PERFECT gift for a grandmother or empty nester (heck - you could make it for yourself), uses only a few products, and takes less than 30 minutes to complete. Have fun with it - and don't forget about Day Five of Xyron's Giveaway Week...scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter to win!
Supplies:
assorted photos
scraps of patterned paper (optional)
scissors
individual embellishments (optional)
Pull together an assortment of photos, using different sizes, portrait and landscape, and color and b&w for interest.
Want to highlight a few of the photos? Mat on to patterned paper or add flat embellishments (like stickers or die cuts). You want to do this prior to running it through the Xyron.
Lay out your photos and arrange them the way you want them to be displayed, then take a photo of the arrangement. This will be a huge help if you get called away mid-project and can't remember what goes where! :)
Run all of your photos (with the image facing up) through your Xyron 5" Creative Station with the Laminate/Magnet refill. Smaller photos can go through next to each other to save space. Remember - just like with all Xyron machines - as SOON as you see your first photo disappear through the rollers insert your next photo. See how close together they are in the photo below? This will save you lots of adhesive/magnet!
Trim the laminate/magnet around each photo - it cuts easily with scissors!
If you want to add any three dimensional embellishments to your photos they can be applied directly on to the laminate. The laminate/magnet photo can also be punched with a WRMK Crop-A-Dile if you want to use brads, add holes for ribbon, etc.
Arrange on her fridge, on the filing cabinet in her office, anywhere a magnet will stick. She'll love it! PS - later this month I'm going to show you how to make this magnetized chalkboard hutch!
Now how about that Day Five giveaway? Post a comment here with your favorite handmade gift ever (either given or received) - and one lucky winner will receive a prize pack with a bunch of new papers from Canvas Corp, some embellishments and other goodies from 7gypsies, and a Mega Runner and 1.5" create-a-sticker from Xyron!
I'll announce the winner on my Facebook page tomorrow morning. Happy Friday everybody! Have a wonderful weekend!
my favorite handmade gift was a garland counting down the last few weeks before our wedding (from my husband)...each daily link had a reason why he loved me :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the smile today! Love seeing my baby girl's smiling face!
ReplyDeleteMy twins are 6 y/o and I love anything handmade they make for me, I can't pick just one!
ReplyDeletethis is such a great prize, thanks for posting
ReplyDeleteMy goddaughter made me a collaged paper sign for my door- so cute! I loved it. Of course, she did you my Xyron to make it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the cute gift ideas!
Anne
i love this project. i will be looking for the magnet material. my favorite crafts 'made for me', was the handprints of my twins, in plaster when they were six. they're almost 25 now and both married, and one is expecting our first grandchild this november. i still have those casts.
ReplyDeletemy favorite gift that I made for my Mother for Mother's Day when I was in 10th grade and in wood shop class. I made her a jewelry box! I enjoyed making it and I think she still has it! I will look when I visit her in a month or so!! the look on her face was priceless and she was like, "you really made this"? love it! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you too!!
ReplyDeletebrwneyes46@gmail.com
My favorite handmade gift that I have ever recieved was a card that my kids made me. I loved it so much cause they actually took the time to make it, and suprise me with it. They were so happy and excited I hope their are many more gifts like this in the future
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gift would be an adorable blanket given to me for my baby boy. It has dinosaurs for the quilting!
ReplyDeleteWhen I found the Magnet refill nothing was safe...my fridge is covered with all my favorite pictures. And they have overflowed onto the front of my washer and dryer.
ReplyDeleteMy son is now 27, but when he was in 2nd grade, he made me a bag made out of a lunch sack and it had a colored puppy dog on it. The front had his face and the back had a tail. I still have it!! It is very special to me because he also made something else and couldn't decide which one to give to me. You see, he's actually my stepson so he had made two gifts - one for me and one for his "real" Mom. He gave me the bag because he said it was the better gift and since I am the Mom who takes care of him, he wanted me to have the better gift. I will always cherish that brown paper bag.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day,
Diana
ok - first of all...this made me cry. :) second of all...YOU WIN THE DAY FIVE GIVEAWAY!!!! woohoo!!! If you'll email me with your mailing address we'll get it boxed up and out the door to you next week. Happy Mother's Day!!
DeleteMy favorite handmade gift is a photo album that was covered in cloth and lace. This was all the rage back in the 80's. Kinda hard to explain, but you can see what I mean in this image: http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/2654/img3650b.jpg
ReplyDeleteWhen I got married, 31 years ago, for my bridal shower, my mother's godchilds present to me was beautifully wrapped with a crocheted heart and handmade paper roses as an embellishment. I loved it and have used it as a Christmas ornament for the past 31 years. It's funny that I don't remember what the gift was, but I know who gave me the handmade embellishment!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift is a shelf shaped as a heart with our wedding anniversary on it that my daughter in middle school gave me. It just made me feel so good to know that she's still not "too cool" to do sweet things for her mommy!! =)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift is my wedding invitation done in quilling by my Husband's cousin!She did daisys all along the side as that was my wedding flowers!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea love it! My favorite homemade gift is things I get from my kids that they make from school....they are so proud and excited.
ReplyDeleteA hand made ceramic bowl with "Happy Birthday" in Hawaiian on it aand in beautiful bright colors. It sits proudly on my shelf:) Love this give away!
ReplyDeleteThat was a great idea, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy mother made my wedding dress many years ago. It had a lot of beading and lace. It was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI will report my success in gift making with 6 & 8 year olds next week. But I did want to enter for the giveaway drawing.
ReplyDeleteYour first week was very successful. Thank you
My favorite handmade gift was an quilt that my mom had made from all of my dresses when I was growing up, it brings back so many wonderful memories every time I look at it!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gift that I made was a scrapbook for my husband. For his 50the birthday I contacted members of his family and any friends of his I could find. I asked them to send me pictures and memories of him. I then put everything together in a book. The front half was pictures of him through the years and the back half was letters and emails I received. He loved it so much he is still talking about it a year later.
ReplyDeleteThe best hand-made gift ever given to me was a hand-made quilt pieced and quilted by my mom for my baby boys. They still have their quilts and they love them!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite hand made gift I have received...well, it's more like gifts. I have received a lot of them from my kids (I have 6) over the years and I absolutely love them all. My youngest (she's 9) is always drawing pictures or making cards for me. The favorite home made gift I ever gave was a quilt I made for my parents for their 40th wedding anniversary.
ReplyDeletebeautiful Idea. Love the way you have displayed your Amazing photos and the Flowers are Beautiful. I love love home made gift. Is the Love that is put into this. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy best present ever would be a wonderful homemade, supportive and inspirational card that my husband and sons made me to go along with an autoharp they bought me for Mother’s Day. I had wanted for so long to go into preschools as a parent volunteer to teach music to children. I spent years singing with preschoolers with my autoharp. I am now a Kindergarten Teacher and still use the autoharp to sing with my Kinders. Right inside the autoharp case is my precious Mother’s Day card.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful project!! Those magnets are adorable!!!
ReplyDeleteFun idea and a great way to show off a montage of family photos without bulky frames! Would be perfect for that old door frame... ok, Beth hurry up with those instructions! I'm waiting!
ReplyDeleteI made my sister some stuffed Christmas trees and she was in love with them. It felt wonderful to make and give such an appreciated gift.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite ahandmade gifts are the Christmas ornaments my children made in elementary school. Every year, it brings such pleasure to hsng them on the tree.
ReplyDeleteWhen my youngest Son was 9 yrs old he made an Easel out of wood and put a watercolor painting he'd done on it for me for Mother's Day..I loved it and had it for years until it got destroyed in a moving trip :-( My 3 Sons drew a lot of pictures for me over the years and I still have all of them.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift was a rosette wreath for the Christmas holiday. was adorable, enjoyed making it and that it was it is all about:)
ReplyDeletecathyplus5.blogspot.com
Beautiful, Love the ideas! Thanks for a wonderful opportunity! My Favorite handmade craft is a card I got this year from my 4 year old for Valentines day! He doesn't always like coloring but did an awesome job on that card! So proud of him!
ReplyDeleteWell, I have to say the hand made plate from my kids when they were little was my best gift. You know, the kind where they have their hand print on the plate??? I love those!
ReplyDeleteAnyway thanks for the chance to win! Have a great day everyone. Ciao db:)
Prolly not right to post again, but I thought about another handmade gift that I truly truly love. It was actually handmade way back in around the 1930's. Before my grandmother passed she gave me a quilt that had been her first quilt when she married my grandfather. According to what she told me the quilt contained patches of cloth that had been her "house dresses" before she married. Apparently getting married was a good reason to get some new house dresses and all the aunts took some of the older house dresses from the bride and tore them down to quilt pieces. The newlyweds quilt held primarily their dress pieces but was supplemented by the bag of pieces that had been left from previous dresses of female relative that had married before. The quilt is backed with a maize colored material that Grandmother said was old grain sacks. I never knew any of the ladies who worked on the quilt, but the fact that it was made for my grandmother from her dresses means the world to me.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift was a mini Bookshelf quilt that I made for my sweet sister. Things have been tough lately and books and teaching mean the world to her, so it was very special :-)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gift was an album I created for my mom after my grandma passed away. I made a book that chronicled my grandma's life. My mom absolutely loved it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift ever is from my mom - she made me a wedding ring quilt when I got married. I look forward to passing on this beautiful heirloom!
ReplyDeleteMy Dave gift that I made together with my boy was a wall hanging plate we created at a pottery studio. It is pretty and unique!
ReplyDeleteMeant fave not Dave!, that should be a lesson to me not to type so fast?
DeleteSuch a cute idea love it :) my fav. gift was my first mothers day card(last Year) hubby and lil guy made me the cutest card and sent me to get hair and nails done
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE this project!...i think its fantastic!
ReplyDeletemy favorite handcrafted gift of all tie is the (bright) pumpkin orange knitted scarf that i made for my dad when i was in first grade!.......it was my first knitting project...and i was self taught...(one of my moms friends gave her a basic knitting book/pamphlet...and i looked at the pictures and taught myself the basic knit and pearl stitches)
I gave the scarf to my dad on his birthday...january 2nd....1963
my dad was so sweet...he wore that scarf...as loud and imperfect as it was...to work...with his black suit..and London Fog raincoat..(my dad was a very GQ kind of man...a very sharp dresser...
i think of that now and my heart swells with love and a smile comes to my face...
it makes me realize how much my dad loved me...because every day...going to work...and coming home from work...he had to commute on a bus...the staten island ferry..and then take the subway in NYC everyday...with thousands of people...who would see that scarf....which was not at all something the average GQ-ish dad would wear
When my mom passed away (many years after my fad had died)..I found that scarf tucked away with other mementos..in what used to be my dads dresser drawer
I cannot tell you how that touched me.
I have that scarf here now..in my home...tucked away in a safe place.
Michelle you have such a gift with words...thank you so much for sharing this! I could totally picture him on the subway in my mind!
DeleteMy favorite gift was a canvas painted by my son with his handprint, footprint, a picture of him holding a bouquet of flowers and a little sentence "I love my mom because..." He made it in preschool and I still have it hung up:)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite hand made gift is an mini chipboard album my daughter made when she was 8 or 9 for her father. It was gorgeous when she was done and such a great representation of that special father-daughter relationship.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter made me a keepsake box for mothers day a few years ago and i just love it.
ReplyDeleteStefanieH
My most favorite and memorable handmade gift was a quilt that my Gramma made for me when I was six or seven years old. I slept with that blanket everynight. She didn't have alot of money, so it was made out of soft well worn fabrics and back with old demin.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea for a mom's day gift!!! I know I'd rather get that than flowers any day! My mom's fridge isn't magnitized if you can believe that! My favorite thing I ever made anyone was a scrapbook for my sister. I gave it to her on her wedding day and I scrapped her life from birth to age 18. All the family photos had been in a box just thrown together and put up in the attic when my parents split, so she didn't have any albums to look at. She totally cried in a good way :)
ReplyDeleteThe most treasured handmade gift came from a guy I met in college. He was a novice to woodworking but managed to craft a magnificent jewelry box for me. In one of the drawers, he slipped in a a strand of fresh water pearls. He said the pearls were probably made by drunk clams because they were not round (they did look rather strange - LOL). The fact that he made something like that from scratch still amazes me. I still harbor the idea of getting into woodworking myself someday.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!
ReplyDeleteThe best gift was a bunch of handmade paper flowers that my daughter gave me when she was 5. Hand cut, colored etc. etc. Beautiful! Thanks for the chance!
Some of my favorite handmade gifts are those macaroni creations my kids gave me when they were little, I still have them!
ReplyDeleteCarol B
ciaoitalia2007(at)gmail(dot)com
One year when my sister was dating her now husband of 18 yrs. I knitted her a connected glove, so they could hold hands(skin-to-skin) while they took walks in the snow. lol
ReplyDeleteI have received many special handmade gifts but the most fun for me was watching my Mother In Law opening up an album of our trip together to Disney and for my husband's seminary graduation. It was so wonderful to hear and see her enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite handmade gifts were when my children were in elementary school and they would make all kinds of goodies... woven paper placemats, reindeer paper ornament using their hand and foot prints, paper flowers, picture frames. etc. Thanks for continuing to share your creative gifts with us!
ReplyDeleteMy mother made me a beautiful blanket with crossed-stitched animals for a nursery. I ended up never having a baby from scratch but I have this beautiful blanket hanging in the nursery I created in my home for my grandbaby (figure that one out) (I adopted my wonderful husband's wonderful daughter when she was 5!! She gave us the beautiful granddaughter!)
ReplyDeleteWould be great prize to win.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift was one I made for my niece, Patty. It was a pajama bag to go to Grandma's house with when she was a little girl. It was in the shape of a big book with pockets for everything like toothbrush, comb, pajamas, etc. and was a farm scene on the cover that I made everything out of calico colored cloth with. Like the tree top was green calico print, the trunk was a brown calico print, the apples on the trees were red calico colors and it had a farm scene, barn, horses, etc. I put lots of love into this bag and she, at age 32, still has it. It's our pride and joy, hers and mine.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on taking a picture of the layout - how often I put aside a project and come back later to have to start over! A couple favorite handmade gifts from my wedding - mom made shawls for me and my bridesmaids and my husband made tissue roses in a small bouquet in case I needed them.
ReplyDeleteI don't have children, but most of my friends do. It's the sweetest thing when they draw you a picture or write a little note. I have a box of these saved up over the years. But, the first thing I do with them is put them on my fridge. It's amazing when their little eyes light up seeing their handiwork displayed on my fridge!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift was from an aunt who made me a crocheted name doily that was blocked and framed. It is still a treasure in my home. This is an aunt who is the most considerate, kind, giving, and loving person I have ever known. I have never heard her say an unkind word about anyone regardless of how they treated her. Her gift will always have a place on honor in my home.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gifts to give are crocheted baby blankets. I've made A LOT of these, and I love to find the perfect pattern/color scheme depending on who it's for, to match their color scheme etc. I don't think I've ever made two that are exactly the same.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift was a stepping stone with a dragonfly made of pieces of ceramic tiles in it. Thanks for a chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI made my grandson's christening gown and that is the best gift I loved making it!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gift was a handmade shelf over my kitchen sink to sit herbs and plants on. My son gave it to me. I will cherish it always!
ReplyDeleteMy friend made me a pair of earrings out of one of my grandmas old pins. I just love them!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift was something I gave. I made my Aunt a scrapbook of her kids and grandkids. I had talked to my cousins and asked them for their favorite pictures of their kids, (and since they live a couple states away they just figured I was looking for pictures of the kids because I don't get to see them much) and I was able to put the scrapbook together without anyone knowing, so no one was able to ruin the surprise. My aunt was so excited she couldn't wait to call me and tell me how much she loved it. each year I send her more pages of the kids and grandkids for her to add to it.
ReplyDeleteBeth
My all time favorite handmade gift is a felt banner with one of
ReplyDeletemy daughter's feet making a snowman. It's so cute! Just like her.
jonder at frontier dot com
Christmas 74 I made my parents a ceramic Christmas tree with Jesus, Mary & Joseph on the trunk. I was very proud of this and they loved it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift: a set of dish towels from my mother, made with love!
ReplyDeleteI think that the plate our son made for his dad is my favorite. He was about 5, and misspelled his last name. Priceless.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who makes the most wonderful purses out of fabric. I'm not much of a sewer, but I can recognize the love and care she puts into these. They are not just simple sacks - they have beautifully created handles (thick for sturdiness), pockets, phone slots and zippers
ReplyDeletemy favorite handmade gift is a card from my sister with lots of flowers and pretty butterfly.
ReplyDelete~Luanne
My favorite hand made gift would be one of the many wood items my dad made and gave to me!! I cherish them very much since he died in an accident 15 years ago!!
ReplyDeleteMy best friend cross stitched a small quilt for me YEARS ago. I couldn't believe that she would go to so much trouble for me.
ReplyDeleteMy first most favorite handmade object was when my son was in Junior High. They all made cards for their Mother's Day project. Most of the boys just had a Happy Mom's Day on it which of course was just fine and all that I expected from a teenage boy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a surprise I had when I opened mine and discovered a two page letter thanking me for being his Mom and for all the things I did for him and the family. At this point he also listed things that I had done and to be quite honest, never realized it made such an impact. He loved being able to come home after school knowing that he could tell me what happened during the day- good or bad. He loved that I didn't judge him but helped him come to his own conclusions and solutions. He loved that I explained the 'whys' when decisions were made. There was much more. And then he ended it with a poem.
He's a 30 year old man now, and I love him dearly. But I can still see my teenage boy presenting me with this card on Mothers Day.
My favorite gift is the "paperbag scrpbooks" I made for 13 children in my son's 1st grade class. He's our only child and in our small town, I was lucky enough to get to be "Room Mom" for three years! I loved it and went overboard every time, (according to the other mom's) So, when they were in 1st grade I wanted something very special for them to remember their 1st year in "real school." It took a long time setting up and planning this. I went to the school weekly with my camera and snapped the kids at recess, school functions, hard at work at their desks, in the cafeteria......etc. Parents sent pics of after school activities to be included in the "secret project" I was working on.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I used white paper sacks, giving each book 12 pages. The final page was a class picture with a page left open for autographs. Since we don't have many group activities, each book took on a life of it's own. The surprised delight from the kid's was worth every second spent. Many of them had never seen a scrapbook. Many of the mom's even sent "thank you" notes. It was so cool to recieve those to post in my own scrapbook.
But, I think one of the best memory that resulted from this was, two years later, one of the girls brought their scrapbook into class to show the kids that hadn't been students that year. As we sat looking through it, she said, "I sure was cute when I was little!"
I love this project. My favorite handmade gift was one that I gave to my grandma. In art class I made a clay fruit bowl. It was uneven and not the prettiest, but my grandma used it and was so proud of it, making me proud to have given it to her. My grandma recently passed away and my aunt did not keep this bowl.
ReplyDeleteMy favorie gift was a paint can decorated like a flower pot with butterflies and flowers in and on the can!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is such a great idea!
ReplyDeleteMy all time favorite handmade gift is a bouquet of metal roses.
DeleteGreat project and an idea I"m sharing with my niece for her girls to give Grandma. My favorite gift I've ever given were the hand bound memory books containing 30 years of my mother's Christmas Letters that she wrote annually. It gave 30 years of family history from births to death and all the happenings. I had so much fun learning how to hard -bind books and create these and everyone was speechless that I had made them. The best one ever received is a toss up between the desk my brother made and the patio my brother-in-law gave and then built for me.
ReplyDeleteI do lots of handmade gifts but the comment from my brother was priceless. I had given him some of my pottery, plates and bowls thrown on the wheel. I asked him if was using them and he said oh, no. They are on display as art! I sad you should use them to eat from!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite handmade gift was a quilt from my mom. But if you want something more about crafting and not sewing, it was a beautiful birthday card made by my best friend using several cardmaking and scrapbooking techniques. Would love to have a cabinet I could put the magnetic chalkboard on like the one in your photo.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe most favorite handmade gift was Christmas tree ornaments that my kids made. Love putting them on the tree every year and listen to them remember making them.
ReplyDeleteMy most favorite gift was Christmas Reindeer wreath that my mom made for me. I hang him up every year. I have had him over 25 years and he still makes me smile when I hang him up.
ReplyDeleteGreat Mom's Day project. My all-time favorite handmade gift is the art canvas I made for my Mom. It includes two photos: one of my Mom holding me when I was a day young (in 1956) and another of me and my two daughters fifty years later! It's titled "Daughters." She loves it! Want to see it? http://altered-artworks.blogspot.com/2010/04/new-look-and-new-project.html
ReplyDeleteWould love to win this !!!
ReplyDelete