That said, this weeks favorites is for my Little Peanut who loves coloring.

First row: Rainbow ring crayon, Crayon monogram, Art caddy tote pattern

Second row: Art smock, Crayon roll, Kitty egg crayons

This is a personalized piece by creating my name using the alphabet instructions. Great for a baby’s room! The possibilities are endless though with origami-club.com’s great diagram or animated instructions. You could make flowers or animals or even landscapes.

How to make it?

The frame is a 6 3/4 x 4 3/4 from Ikea. The letters were made from 2 x 2 squares. After making the letters I taped them to the background to hold them in place and put the frame back togehter.

I discovered this art when I was setting up a computer at my old job. While waiting for software to install I started twisting them around my finger and thought, “Hmm, this looks a little like a person” and the man twist tie was born (on the right).

Always looking for a challenge, after making people I thought why not try an animal. Silhouettes were a little challenging for me so I ventured into 3-d and ta-da – little puppies!

This one is my favorite though. I like the simplicity of the curves and how they form a flower. This was formed purely by accident. I just started twirling the twist tie around my finger and then pulled the long end out. Instantly I thought it looked like a flower and did the same to the other end.

And just in time for the holidays I found this Twistie-tie Pompom Gift Toppers tutorial (from Nice Package blog) for those of you who need a job for the little helpers in your house. It’s a great way for them to feel involved with the gift wrapping while staying (a little bit) out of your hair!

Here are some ways to transform the digital pictures on your camera into art:

1) Wallpaper – tired of looking at the same image on your computer screen? Take your camera and take pics of things around your house or outside, i.e. close-ups of leaves, flower petals and – my favorite – food!

2) Wall art – you can take your digital pics and either print them on photo paper or have it printed professionally. Add a decorative frame and you have a wall accessory! Try printing in black and white for a classic look.

3) Calendar – using Cathy’s idea for printing calendars, you can use your digital pictures as background for creating your very own calendar. *hint* Would make great gifts!

When I create things, not only do I go for aesthetics, I think about its usefulness. “Will the recipient get a lot of use out of this?” is what I’m constantly asking myself. I find inspiration in its purpose. Can it do more and last longer than a toy off the shelf? More importantly, will he/she (and the parents) really enjoy it months (and even years) afterwards?

Just because something is practical doesn’t mean it can’t also be pretty. I like to create things for my customers that I would be proud to have displayed in my own home. For instance, we have Isaac’s growth chart hanging in the kitchen. He’s too young to understand what it is right now, but I can tell that he is attracted by the colors and textures. The colors are nice and bright but not tacky . It’s like a work of art, if I say so myself!

So in a world full of gadgets and gizmos, I like to create pretty and practical gifts while preserving the art of handmade goods that can be enjoyed without having to buy batteries for it.