Of all the languages of love, I am the worst at giving gifts. Gift giving is NOT one of my natural talents. Whenever I need to give a gift to someone, my mind goes blank. What does that person like? Surely they have interests that I could add to by getting a thoughtful gift?? Or else I'm wandering the store, picking up random items and wondering how much they'd hate it if this was their Christmas present. It can get quite painful for a challenged gift giver like me!
That's why, when I give gifts, presentation counts for at least 90% of the thing. It's like, even if my gift isn't great, at least it's wrapped up nicely! Doesn't a beautifully wrapped gift make what's inside automatically better?
Enter last Sunday's craft. I bought cheap paper bags and quickly made a potato stamp. {30-second potato stamp tutorial: cut a potato in half, carve a simple shape, make sure the edges are carved down, let dry or wipe dry. Boom, done.} Then, use basic acrylic paint to stamp patterns on your bags. Add some bakers twine or tissue paper when the bags dry, and you're good to go!
The great thing about this craft (and all crafts I blog about, let's be honest) is that it's basically impossible to mess up. If you accidentally stamp something crooked, just add a few more crooked stamps and pretend that was the plan all along.
And there you have it:
another cute, easy impossible-to-mess-up craft
that will spice up any present.
And um, how can I become a better gift-giver?
What's better than giving people stuff? Giving people more stuff. Yes, the dragon living outside your village seems happy with your sacrifice of a buxom wench, but why not throw in a baby or two to sweeten the deal?
ReplyDeleteOr, for a more practical example, if you're not sure the person you're buying for will like your big gift, why not throw in something small along with it? It can only help -- if giving makes you look kind, then giving more only makes you look kinder. It's logic.
But Actually ...
Humans do not function according to logic. This isn't a criticism of the species, it's just a fact -- logic is a horrible way to predict how the human brain will react to something. Logically, it shouldn't be a big deal to find a dead tarantula in your breakfast cereal -- it can't hurt you, and you can eat around it -- but your brain will tell you, "Flee the room and burn the house down."
Sarah Khan
http://www.giftstopakistan.com