Christmas Gift Idea #4: Crocheted Hat

It's time for Christmas Gift Idea #4, but first, a fun Christmas clip! I love this movie!

The Holiday

Christmas Gift Idea #4: Crocheted Hat

I'm sure many of you have friends who can crochet hats—and maybe you can too!—but for me, this was something I wanted to learn but just could not get the hang of it. Well, I finally decided I was going to sit down and try to learn how to do this. My husband had been asking me to make him a hat for some time. A crocheted hat makes a wonderful, personal, and inexpensive Christmas gift for friends and family.

If you are like me and have had trouble learning this in the past, check out this video and see if you can follow along, and stick with it! You can do it!

You'll need a crochet hook if you don't have one already. Here's a link to the kind I have: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Boye-Aluminum-Crochet-Hook-Bonus-Set-Sizes-F-G-H-and-I/21989215. Then all you need is yarn and you are good to go. I've gotten most of my thin yarn from Michaels, but you can also find yarn at Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and other crafting stores!

She gives you the intro here about how to start your hat, but then she has more videos with how to continue. They should appear in the window after you finish watching this first clip. I found her videos really helpful.

And there you are—a gift under ten dollars!

For this one—the OU hat—I followed the instructions for the video posted above and then I crocheted the OU with white yarn after the hat was finished. 

For this one, I used white yarn to start and when I ran out I used the multicolor yarn you see in this picture. I just tied a knot with the end of the white yarn and the beginning of the multicolor yarn to continue crocheting the hat. 

Finally, I just used plain navy blue yarn to make Aaron's hat for him.

I hope you enjoyed this fun Christmas gift idea and if you haven't been able to make a hat before, I hope you will be able to now! Once you get the hang of the basics, you can branch out and start getting creative with it! The first hat took me quite a while to make but once I got the hang of it I could make them much faster!

See you next week for Christmas Gift Idea #5! :D

Fall Love

As much as I love Christmas, I love fall just about the same! I think October to the end of December is all pretty great! :) What do I love about it? I'll tell you!

1) Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown airs on television during this time—particularly around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here's a clip from their Halloween special:

2) Fall Leaves. I love seeing the leaves changing colors and walking through them as they pile onto the ground. I used to love jumping in the piles when I was younger. However, as I got older, I hesitated doing that anymore because I knew I would just have to rake them all up again. When I was young, I didn't think about how my dad would have to rake them up again.

3) Cooler Weather. It's not too cold and it's not too hot. It's just right! (Although Texas better hurry up and get to cooling off. I'm ready for the heat to be over! And I live in the northern part of Texas so I'm told that's not an unfair request.)

4) Pumpkins. I love pumpkins! I love seeing the pumpkins, walking through a pumpkin patch, and carving pumpkins. :)

5) Pumpkin Food and Drinks. Along with that, I also enjoy eating Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake (Aaron and I had some for dessert last night), and drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattés. If you have any Pumpkin recipes, send them my way!

6) OU Football. While I still enjoy watching the games, I loved this part of the fall even more when I was in college because I got to go to all of the games, including OU-Texas two years in a row, which is coming up! (I won't be attending the game this year, but I'll still be watching. Go Sooners!)

7) Halloween. There are a lot of things I enjoy about Halloween. You can see my list below!

• Halloween Parties/Decorations. For most of my college years I lived in the dorms so we didn't have any room to have a Halloween party. A couple of my friends lived in a house though and every year I would convince them to have a party. They wouldn't even have to decorate; I volunteered to decorate for the party! I had so much fun doing that! :)

• Halloween Costumes. I will dedicate a post to this as we get closer to Halloween. I was going through all of my old Halloween pictures and I have some really great pictures to share with all of you. And for a couple of them I was able to incorporate some of my craftiness to the costume! I'll show you how I did that in that post.

• Halloween Movies. Here are a couple of short clips from two of my favorite Halloween movies. (I love watching Harry Potter around Halloween, but hey, I enjoy watching those year-round so that's why you don't see it listed here!)


Hocus Pocus




Casper 




• Haunted Houses and Trails
• My dad and brother participated in a Haunted Trail once. They looked pretty scary to me! My brother was in this coffin that was placed somewhere along the trail and every once in a while as people were passing by, he would pop out of the coffin and then slowly go back in. Pretty scary, huh? My dad didn't really have to jump out at anyone because his costume was already scary enough! 

8) Thanksgiving. I enjoy Thanksgiving. Not only do you get to eat great food, but you get to be with family. That's my favorite part—getting to see my family. I wanted to post a picture here of my family at Thanksgiving but I wasn't able to find one on my computer. I have a lot of Christmas pictures though so I'll be sure to post some around Christmas! 

9) Black Friday Shopping. I enjoy Black Friday shopping but it isn't just because of the great deals you can find—but there are some great ones out there—it's more of the strategy and thrill that goes with it. Sitting down the night before and plotting out your course—what stores you need to hit at what time to make sure you get the items on your list—waiting in line to get in, and getting into the store and running around like someone on a mission! Aaron went Black Friday shopping with us last year. It was his first year to ever experience it! He did really well, but he only lasted one store. That was enough for him. I don't think he fully understood Black Friday. That's okay though. I still had a lot of fun and I was glad he was able to go with us! 

That's my list! What do you like about fall? Post your answers in the comment section below! 

***

In honor of the start of October, I wanted to share this video with you that my sister-in-law—the Overly Attached Girlfriend meme—was in with some other memes you might recognize. I just saw this posted today and watched it. I thought it was really funny and a very fitting video to post at the start of October! Hope you enjoy it! 

Christmas Gift Idea #3: Coffee Cup Card

Eight-six days until Christmas! :D

Christmas Gift Idea #3: Coffee Cup Card

This is a cute little card, but what's great about it is the fact that you can pull the lid out, see the "coffee" inside, and place a gift card for the recipient of this gift. It's perfect for Starbucks' cards or other gift cards. It adds a little something extra for the recipient instead of just getting a small little envelope. 

It's personal, it's cute, and it is cost-effective to make. I have posted the video for how to make this down below. This idea was created by another Stampin' Up demonstrator who happily shared it with her viewers and customers. You'll notice my card looks a bit different than hers. I used the materials I had available. Feel free to do the same thing! If you have paper you need to use, grab it and get to crafting! Then, all you have to do is go purchase the gift card that goes inside of this card—at whatever cost you wish the gift card to be. 

TIP: If you don't have a crimper to use for the coffee cup hugger (the brown piece of paper the ribbon is wrapped around), fold it back and forth like you would a paper fan and you will get the same effect as the one in the video. 

If you do like the stamps I used, you can find them posted on my Stampin' Up website where you can order them for yourself. These stamps are apart of the Chalk Talk set: http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=130631. Also, I used the black Staz On ink for this—http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=101406—but feel free to use whatever ink and color you would like for this. 

This is a fun and easy craft that I believe your friends and family will really love! 

***

Not much of a crafter? Need something simpler? You got it! 

Another twist to this gift idea—if you don't want to make a card—is to get the Starbucks (or whatever kind of gift card you think your family member or friend or coworker would like) and purchase a cute little mug from Walmart or another store. You can even include some little candy canes or hot chocolate mix to go in the coffee mug. You'll see in the picture to the left, I've included one hot chocolate packet, one candy cane, a small little bag of marshmallows, and the Starbucks' gift card. 

It's cute, it's fun, and it's under $10 if you want it to be—all depending on how much you spend on the gift card! 

Christmas Gift Idea #2: Wood-Burned Décor

It's time for Christmas Gift Idea #2. This is what I like to call Wood-Burned Décor. You can make really cute stuff for less than $10 (once you get through the upfront costs).

I learned this in college. One of my friends was an architecture major. He showed his girlfriend—also one of my friends and my roommate at the time—how to wood burn. Once she learned it, she taught it to myself and our other roommate. We all got really into it! You can only imagine how our room smelled during finals week! :) We were making a lot of these little projects during study breaks. We even started dressing the items up more to make them even cuter. Here are a few examples:

My roommate at the time, Brittany, made this one for me for Christmas:

Brooke, my other roommate at the time, made this one for me:

I made these next two recently:

This allows for a lot of creativity and can be a lot of fun! I have posted a video below giving anyone interested in learning how to wood burn the instructions and direction on how to do this. I hope you enjoy it! Following the video, I have also posted the cost for each item. Please let me know if you have any questions about this project! I would be happy to help! :) 

Upfront Cost (Keep in mind that these are the original prices. I found all of these things at Hobby Lobby which always has 40-percent-off coupons available online or on their mobile app): 

$14.99 Wood Burner 

$7.99 Modge Podge

$4.99 Glue gun

$1.00 Sponge brush pack (15)

Stapler (Optional)

Individual Project Cost (Again, these are the original prices):

$1.00-$4.00 Wood piece

$1.00-$2.00 Paint (Optional)

$1.00-$2.00 Ribbon (Optional)

$2.99 Gemstones (Optional)

Understanding Anger

Right now at church we are going through a study called Recovering Redemption. It has been very enlightening so far! I'm really enjoying this series and learning a lot. This week's lesson is on anger and abuse. This is one of my greatest struggles—anger. I hope you enjoy my reflections on this topic and that they might possibly help you if you struggle with anger too.

At church we are learning not to just look at these struggles and say, "Okay, how can I make this behave and not express anger?" By simply working on the surface level of issues, you are never really able to overcome the problem entirely. We are to look at sin, find the root of the problem, and put that sin to death.

I am tired, personally, of simply brushing over the surface of this issue in my life so that I don't have to be embarrassed about it. It hasn't worked and it won't work until I allow God to show me the root of the problem.

Why am I angry? Why do I get angry?

Usually, for me, it's because something hasn't gone my way or the way I think it should have gone. That's a really tough one to admit right there, but it's true. And why should I feel entitled to have things go my way? I shouldn't.

My second realization really hit home for me though. Most of my life I have been called out as being too sensitive as if this is a negative attribute that needs to be overcome. "You're just too sensitive, Natasha." "Maybe she didn't want to talk to you about it because you're too sensitive."

This is where those fits of rage surface the most. Yes, I am sensitive. However, being sensitive isn't entirely a bad thing. I need to stop responding in anger when people accuse me of this. Sensitivity is a two-sided coin. There are two very different definitions of this word: sensitive: easily upset by the things that people think or say about them and likely to cause people to become upset; and aware of and understanding the feelings of other people. 

Now the first part of this definition is where I need help from the Lord. It's how I respond to things that displays my sinful nature. I should be practicing patience and self-control. I should respond to others calmly, rationally, and in love, and I shouldn't take offense. They aren't saying what they are saying to hurt me or anyone else—usually.

The second part of this definition is where I see my strength. Being sensitive has allowed me to put myself in another person's shoes to understand where they are coming from. Why are they upset? Why are they hurt? Why do they feel misunderstood or rejected? In a lot of ways, I believe being sensitive is a gift God has given me to help me be more compassionate toward others and sensitive to the things I say and how I say them. (Now, am I the best at this? No. I'm human; I make mistakes just like everyone else, but I believe it is one of my strengths).

So in a lot of ways when I respond in anger, I'm usually responding because I'm sensitive—not just for myself but for others' sake as well. Yet, this is still an area I need to be aware of. I am sensitive and I don't think that's a bad thing (on one side of the coin anyway). However, the way I typically respond to others when I feel they aren't being very sensitive to my feelings or another person's feelings isn't right.

I hope this makes sense to those of you reading this. This is an important lesson I am learning this week and I wanted to share it with you. I have studied ways to overcome anger for years, but I haven't really dove into the root of the issue so I haven't been able to successfully put this sin to death. Hopefully with this new perspective on anger and what the root cause of anger is in my life, and with the help of the Lord, this is an area that will no longer be a struggle for me.

I also wanted to share the verses I hope to reflect on and help me in this area of my life.

"'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold."

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O God, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Psalms 19:14 (NLT)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent and praiseworthy—think about such things."

Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

I heard a great insight the other day in home group pertaining to this last verse (Galatians 5:22-23) concerning the Spirit. Usually when we look at this verse we have our eyes fixed on attaining the fruit of the Spirit. We should first desire the Spirit and then the fruit will follow. 

Christmas Gift Idea #1: Card Box

Exactly 100 days until Christmas! :D Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year.

What do I love about Christmas?

• Getting to celebrate Christ's birth with family and friends! I love watching The Nativity Story every year around Christmas. 
• Baking Christmas cookies. (Although this year I might be making some Andes mint brownies. So delicious!)
• Exchanging gifts with family and friends. 
• The holiday cheer! :)
• Singing and listening to Christmas carols. 
• Seeing Christmas lights adorn the houses in town. 
• Watching Christmas movies. I love How the Grinch Stole Christmas, White Christmas, and The Holiday. 
• Drinking peppermint hot chocolate. 
• Eating great Christmas food. 

It's a great time. :)

Until then, especially as fall approaches, I like to get ready for the holiday by thinking about some fun and creative gifts I can make to give my family and friends.

Christmas Gift Idea #1: Card Box. 

  

A great personal gift you can give to family or friends this Christmas is a card box.

You can purchase a cute, decorative box at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or other craft stores. I purchased this decorative box at Michael's. It was 40 percent off and I had a 15 percent off coupon for my entire purchase. Originally this box was $5.00 so I was able to buy it for under $3.00. Keep an eye out on the sale ads and you can find some great deals!

After getting your card box, you can get started on making the cards for the box. You can fill this box with about 10 to 12 cards (or however many you want), with envelopes, that you have made that the receiver can then give to others as occasions come about.

For instance, say you give this box to your grandmother for Christmas. Your grandmother knows that her niece's birthday is coming up but she doesn't have a card to give to her. Well, she can go look in her card box and find just that!

Be creative! Make a variety of cards that you know that person will enjoy having so they can then give those cards to friends or family for birthdays or weddings or Christmas, or other special occasions.

Here are some of the cards I made for this box:

 

If you don't have any materials for making cards, you can find stamps and ribbon and paper at your local craft stores or through Stampin' Up. My website is listed here: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/ngayle

I really love this gift idea because I know it is a gift that will be used by the recipients. My mother gave me a box of cards at one point in time and it was so handy to have, especially when my friends' birthdays came around. :)

I hope you enjoyed this post. Next week, I will be continuing my Christmas Gift Idea series with another fun and creative gift you can make for the holidays! :)

Christmas Gift Idea Series

This will be a relatively short post today, but I wanted to let you all know about a series of posts I will be writing over the next several months. This is not to say that this is all I will be writing about, but I hope to make this a consistent series that I will share with you every Monday until Christmas.

While I know we are just getting into the autumn season, I believe when it comes to Christmas gifts—especially if you are wanting to save money and add a personal touch by making those Christmas gifts—it is best to start a bit early so you don't find yourself stressed as the holiday approaches.

There are fifteen weeks until Christmas! :D Starting this Monday, September 16th, I will begin my "Christmas Gift Idea" series. Every Monday I will post a cheap, cute, personal Christmas gift idea for the holidays. (Note that these gifts could also be used for other occasions, but I'm going to focus specifically on Christmas).

These gifts will cost no more than $15. However, for some of these crafts there might be an upfront cost you would need to pay for the tools needed, but once you purchase this the gift itself would cost under $15 to make every time you were to make it. For example, you would need to purchase the knitting loom if you wanted to knit blankets or scarves as gifts. The scarves themselves would only cost you $4 or $5 to make and you would be able to continue to make these gifts because you have the tool you need! I will give you the pricing for all of the items you will need for each gift, as well as some helpful tips on how you can find these items at a discounted price.

The series will end the Monday before Christmas. On this last day of the series, I will post a simple gift that is cheap and easy to put together since it will be so close to Christmas by then.

If you are like me, I love to give gifts but there are so many people I want to give gifts to—family and friends—that it can get pretty expensive. By using some of these ideas, you can keep the cost down but still make cute, usable, personal, and special gifts for your loved ones.

Stay tuned...and let the crafting begin!

P.S. If anyone in my family or extended family is reading these posts and decides to use one of these gift ideas for Christmas—and I hope you will use these ideas if you like them!—please message me to let me know if you are making one of these gifts for someone in our family so we don't make the same gift for the same person. Ha ha :)