Quote Capsules <$15 for 1000 "pills"

I've been making these since I was a teenager. Maybe because I've always loved miniatures and sprinkles? These have long since been a favorite gift of mine to give to the person who has everything.

All you need:

A plastic pharmacy container*

Gelatin capsules: available in multiple sizes at any health food store in a huge bag of 1000 for <$15, I have purchased mine at The Good Earth and Dr. Christopher's Herb Shop

Typed quotes cut into individual strips: print my Word doc containing 370 quotes here

Candy sprinkles dumped in a small bowl: I like the small, generic circular ones that most resemble the filling in real pill capsules

A label for your container: this is an enlarged version of what I use with the actual size just below on the document - you could easily type this up in Word or a design program and highlight the text

One cotton ball

*You can ask any pharmacy for extra empty bottles and they will just hand them over, especially when you explain that you are filling them with candy for a gift. The tiniest size holds 30 capsules, the next one up holds 60, and there is a super giant one that holds just under 200. I prefer to give 30s and 60s, but if you want to give the gift of one happy quote per day for a year just give the gift in a 30 and put all the extra capsules in a mason jar labeled "REFILL."

Cut all your quotes into nicely trimmed strips. Fold them in half, in half again, in half again, etc, until the slip will fit in the capsule.

Open the capsule (the two halves pull open), insert the quote, dip the capsule half in the bowl of sprinkles, pop both halves of the capsule back together. You can feel a little click when the capsule is closed.

Repeat until you have done all your quotes.

Place filled capsules in the empty pharmacy container, put a cotton ball at the top (just like real medicine!), affix the label, and deliver to your beloved friend. Easy peasy!

Now your friend gets to open a happy message or thought for many days in a row. It's like a miniature fortune cookie that renews itself daily!

 

Birthday Card from Wooden Spools $0

I don't know why I have things like this in my stash. Actually, yes I do. I have them because I love anything that resembles a sewing notion. I always make a motion for notions. These are available at any craft store. Unfinished wooden spools. Get some.

Stain them. I used spray-on ink. Easy. Just squirt, let sit, and rub off the residue with a paper towel. If you don't have spray ink you could use paint, an ink pad, or probably even a cup of tea. Or you could always just use it as-is.

Type the birthday message. You will have to make sure that the message is just under the width of the spool and about 1/4" less than the circumference around the spool. My messages were 1.75" wide and 4.25" long.

Glue to spool with a glue stick. Glue the bottom of the message first, where you signed your name, so that when you wrap the note around the spool the header will lay on top and look nice and neat.

Punch circles from neat paper to paste to the end of the spools for fake spool labels. I used a map of Paris. Glue circles to ends of spool with a glue stick.

Find some neat ribbon. Ooh, I have a stash of antiqued bias tape that would make your head spin. And if you're wondering about my adorable square pincushion...Jaime made it for me. You'll have to talk to Jaime.

Cleverly conceal your words of love by wrapping the ribbon around the spool.

Pin it with a pretty pin. Like one with a pearl head. This is your friend, after all. They deserve better than a silver straight pin. Drop the finished spool in a sack and maybe add some salted chocolate. Again, don't you love your friend? Give them the square you've been hoarding in your stash!

Lace Cake Cards $0

 

 

My sister sent me a surprise package in December that she ordered off of Etsy. It came from Malaysia, which means I got bonus foreign stamps to craft with.

Materials Used:

• Scraps of Lace (the longest cut being 2.5")
• Elmer's Glue (for attaching the lace to the card as well as the glitter)
• Pearls & Sequins (to embellish the wedding cake)
• Waxy Flax/Waxed Linen Thread (for the stem of the birthday flag)
• Washi Tape (for the birthday flag)
• Glitter (for the frosting of the cake layers)
• Martha Stewart Scalloped Lace Punch (for the bottom of the wedding card)
• Paper Doilies (for the "platter" below the birthday cake)

*The pearls are actually leftover from my wedding veil being made!

Trash Cards $0

I have probably made around 1,000 cards from people's trash in the last five years. It's easy. Just take the wrapping paper out of the garbage can at birthday parties. And take really pretty Christmas wrap. And retail store bags. And maps from trips. And anything else you can think of.

First of all, wrinkled paper can be ironed. Just put a piece of typing paper or brown grocery sack on both sides of your paper and iron it. Easy. Some paper looks fine wrinkled, too, like maps.

I usually embellish my "trash cards" with cancelled stamps. I have two Ziploc bags full of them. I bought a bag of cancelled stamps at the stamp & coin store for a few bucks. You can also use stamps off of your own mail.

Not used to taking stamps off of mail? Rip the corner of the envelope off (the corner that has the stamp) and soak it in a bowl of water for a few minutes. The stamp will peel right off of the envelope. Put the stamp on a paper towel and it will dry in minutes.

A fun way to use remnant tissue paper is with FRINGE SCISSORS. I loved this tissue paper my sister wrapped my Christmas present in. It was too cute to throw away.

Fringe scissors cut several times at once. They are like regular scissors on steroids and super sharp. I feel like Edward Scissorhands when I use them. I like to cut on the fold so the fringes are thicker and then muss them up after they are glued on. I love these scissors so much I think I might try to make my own piñata sometime. Or at least cards that look like they have little piñatas on them. I am always trying to find a reason to use them. Kitchen stores sell them for mincing herbs. I think mincing paper is more fun. Greg bought me mine years ago from Bell'occhio in San Francisco, but now Martha Stewart sells them for $9.

After I make enough "trash cards" I create sets of 8 and box them up. It's nice to have a little something to give away. Greg just went on a business trip and asked me (at midnight) while he was packing if I had any good "girl presents" for a nice lady he works with. She got a box of trash cards and loved them. She told him her grandpa collected stamps and that they reminded her of him.

I have a neat woodblock stamp of a letter "M" that I stamp on the back of every card I make.

I bought these plastic boxes that hold a set of cards at Xpdex for 59 cents. They don't sell them anymore. I will have to find a new vendor online. They are perfect for classing up trash cards!

*But paper isn't free? Yes it is:

A few years ago I walked into the BYU Press Building and asked Doyle (now retired) if he had any cottony, wonderful, thicker-than-cardstock leftovers that I could have. He cut down a BUNCH of leftover paper to 8.5"x5.5" for me. (About 2,000 cards!) All I have to do is score the fold line when I want to make a card. This is the spirit of ReDEUX! BYU couldn't have printed any job on the leftovers I took. They would have gone to waste after months of taking up precious shelf space. I only needed scraps. Win-Win. I am continually amazed what you can get for free if you just ask for it.

Clamshell Box from Game Board $1

Materials needed:

Game board (I scored all of my boards for $1 at D.I.)

Hot glue gun

X-acto knife

Straight edge

Cutting mat

Extra game cards, game money, playing pieces

Flat super-strength adhesive magnets (only if you want the box to snap shut)

Printable tutorial here.

During my third year at BYU I took Bookbinding from Chris McAfee, possibly the world's coolest teacher. Our final project was a clamshell box. I sliced the tip of my middle finger off with an x-acto knife the day before it was due and fainted. Then I had to go to the Campus Health Center to get it sewn back on. My hand was all bandaged up and Chris took pity on me and said, "I'll give you an A...just finish your box someday." I'd like to think of this project as some sort of redemption on my end for the free A I was graciously given.

I make these to use as birthday gifts for my daughter's friends. We fill them with goodies and so far they have been a hit. I like odd boards from games I've never heard of as well as the classic boards I grew up with. If I can ever get my paws on a vintage Candy Land I might die of delight. The games were so much better when I was a kid. Just sayin'.