Nail polish stand and stamping tool - Preteen/Teen gift idea

My beautiful and amazing niece had a big birthday this year...she turned thirteen. I know this isn't monumental as far as things that change as a result of her age (i.e. driving, drinking, etc.) but it was big for her mom and I. How can she be 13 already!?

Well for her birthday, I knew she was at an unusual stage and I would have a tough time finding something she would love. I didn't want to get her something to mature because she is still is a child and I don't want her to grow up too fast. So I did what any good aunt would do...bought her something her mom probably would not love but I know she would, nail polish. Isn't that the best thing about being an aunt!

I made her a nail polish holder/stand and filled it with some really amazing things. I started with an old spice rack that I got at a local thrift store for $1.99. I wish I had taken a picture of it. It was oak with some hideous flowers and leaves painted on it. After removing an inch of grease, covering it with a few coats of white spray and gluing a piece of scrapbook paper, that matches her bedroom, to the back of the spice rack it was transformed into a pretty little nail polish rack.

To fill the rack, I bought some dollar store nail polish remover, Q-tips (to clean up nail edges), makeup pads and bright color nail polish. I then added an amazing nail polish tool called Konad Nail Art. I am not one to do product reviews or encourage you to buy something, but I needed to share this because it is so amazing for teens and any woman who likes images on her nails. I am personally a clear nail polish type of girl...but that might be because my nails just never grow nicely.

If you have not seen Konad nail art , please take a minute (but come back) and see how cool this system is. Here is a great video on Anna's Nail Art on how this stamping tool works.

I did two of my nails just to show you how well it works. No, I did not use the gift before I gave it, I also bought my daughter a set :) You start with a plate that has designs on it.

You then paint nail polish over the design and scrap off (with the Konad tool see below for image) the excess polish. Using the Konad stamper (see below for image), you remove the image from the template by pushing the rubber edge of the stamper over the design and place it on your nails. The image is transferred to your nail. It really is that easy.  Sorry my nails are horrible...just remember to look at the stamp and not the nail :) The stamps are really cute when you have a colored nail polish on the nail to start out with. You can get any type of image you can image, entire nail patterns, french manicures, flowers, seasonal, etc.

You can use both Konad nail polish or any thicker type of nail polish you can find. Honestly, some of the dollar store stuff works just as well for my daughter and I really prefer the price.
 
I purchased the started kit from Anna's Nail Art at a craft show, but for those of you in the US, here is where you can find the Konad stamping/scrapping tool on Amazon for Under $6:

Source Amazon.com

I did order a bundle of stamping plates (Monster brand) from Amazon and I find they work just as well as the pricier Konad. You get 21 plates (a total of 139 images) for under $18.

Source Amazon

I made a box with my Cricut to hold the plates and added a small piece of the matching paper to the flap of the box.

I secured all the items on the nail polish rack with glue dots and wrapped the entire gift it in cellophane.

This gift was a huge hit! So for any of you struggling for a gift for a preteen or teen gift (or even younger- my 9 year old loves it) this is a great option and it really does not cost too much if you order it off amazon and buy the other items from the dollar store. I would say you could probably make almost this exact gift for under $30.

Have any of you seen or used nail stampers before? What do you think?

Have a great day,
Stephanie

Birth Announcement Art - Step by Step Tutorial

I have received so many wonderful comments on the wedding date art I did last October I thought I would share with you exactly how I created it. Rather then recreating something I have already done, I thought I would share how to create a birth announcement version of the wedding date art.

So I created a step by step tutorial on how to create these in Publisher.

Here is exactly how I make these in Publisher. Be prepared there are a lot of photos...but I found that to be the easiest way to explain how to make them.

Open Microsoft Publisher and select your desired size. I have used an 8x10 size in this tutorial.
Select 'Insert' and 'Picture'.

Locate the image you want to use and re-size it to be approximately 5 inches wide.  To center the image, slowly drag it to the middle of the page and a light pink line will appear when it is in the center of the page. I put the image in the upper third of the page.

To create a border around the image, select 'Insert' and then 'Shape'. Select rectangle and create a box that is a little larger than the photo image.

To make the border thicker, click on the border and select 'Format', 'Shape Outline', and 'Weight'. I used a 3 point weight line in black to surround the photo.

To center the border around the photo, slowly move it around the photo and a light pink hashed line will show you when you have it centered around the photo.

 Insert the three date images you have selected. (To find the links for the free date photos go here)

Be sure the dates are all the same size (you can right click on each image and select 'format picture' and then 'size' to do this) and then line up all three. Again a light pink line will show you when the top and bottom are lined up.

 I grouped the three date images together so when I move one, they will all move. To do this, select all three by either clicking on each one while holding the control key held down or click slightly off to one corner with the mouse, and while holding the mouse down, drag over all three images.

 Right click on the grouped images and select 'Group'.

 Center the date with the photo.

To create the double border around the numbers, I inserted two separate rectangles around the three dates. The inner rectangle is a 1.5 point black line and the outer is a 3 point black line.

 Again, align the two border rectangles so they are centered.

 

 To enter the name and birth information, I inserted text boxes. To do this, select 'Insert' and then 'Text Box'.

Create a text box over the bottom of the two number border lines. Type the baby's  birth information and select the desired font and size. Use the same technique to align the name with the photo. In order for the lines not to be visible through the box, select 'Format', 'Shape Fill' and then select the color white. This will fill in the text box with white, so you will not see the border lines through the typed.

Create a second text box for the baby's name. This one does not need to be filled in white. Use the same technique of slowly moving the box around to center it with the other images.

To change the images to black and white or sepia, select the image and then 'Format', 'Recolor' and either black and white or sepia. You will also need to do this for each of the three date images. This can always be changed back to color by selecting 'No Recolor', so don't be afraid to play around.

You can also insert a digital scrapbook paper (same way as inserting an image) for the background. This dramatically changes the look and can also be changed to black and white.

 Save the image first as a Publisher file. To then save the image as a high resolution JPEG image to have it printed, select 'Save As', pull down 'Save as Type'.

 Select 'JPEG File Interchange Format'.

 Then click on 'Change' to alter the level of resolution. Select 'High quality printing' and then 'Save'.

That is it! As my kids say Easy Peazy Lemon Squeezy!

I am not sure which of the four are my favorite but I really do like these two. What do you think? Which of the four at the top are your favorite?

So for $0 to create and under $1 to print you can create an amazing gift. You can buy similar items on Etsy for loads of money, so no one will have to know it cost you next to nothing!

Please leave me a comment if you have any questions or if you need any help. I am still emailing out the wedding date template, so leave a comment with your email address if you want that one sent to you.

Have a great week.
Stephanie

To the Cloud! DIY Cloud Identification Tool

I am sorry for being away from here for a few weeks. I truly appreciate all the emails I received from readers asking where I have been and if I was returning. Don't worry, I have no plan on stopping Full of Great Ideas.  No one has been sick and unfortunately, we have not been away, I just can't seem to find time to post anything. My projects have continued as normal, but finding the time to sit down and share them with you has been difficult.

So I am starting with a small post that I did with my kids this past week while they were on March break.

I pinned this Cloud Identification Tool kit idea a really long time ago and had always intended to make it. You can buy a kit online for a pretty reasonable price; however, they are intended for a classroom use so you have to buy at least 25 of them for $35. I have no need for 25, so I made my own.

I started by going online and found free images of the different types of clouds. Using Publisher (you can do this in any format), I arranged the clouds by the way they appear in the sky. The lower ones, are low clouds, the upper clouds are high in the sky...well you get the idea. I added the name of the cloud type below the image.

I printed the design out on photo paper with my color printer as a 5x7 and carefully cut out the middle rectangle. (I don't love the quality of my printer, so I think I might send it to Costco for a nice, professional print.)

 I then cut a piece of white card stock to the exact size.

I glued the two pieces together with a wooden stick secured in the middle to be used for a handle. To be honest with you, I have no idea why I have tongue depressors in my house, but I had a few of them. I was expecting to have to eat a Popsicle just so I could get a stick..but nope. I still ate a Popsicle though :)

 We are having the best March break weather ever, so we went outside to test it out. Unfortunately, we only had a few clouds in the sky.

 Here is the only cloud, but you get the idea though how it works.

 My son loved it...my daughter wasn't as interested. It always amazes me how different two kids from the same parents can be.

If you would like this, leave me a comment with your email address and I can email you the 5x7 high resolution jpeg. 
Here is the full size image. To download it:

• Right click on the image and select open in a new window or tab
• On the full size image, right click again and select 'save as'
• Save it to a place on your computer where you can easily find it
• Send it to your favorite photo developer
• Please only use these for personal use!
• Enjoy!!

As usual, I just ask that you use it for personal use..or classroom use :)
What do you think?

I hope everyone has/is having a great March break.

Stephanie at Full of Great Ideas

1982 called and it wants its Bookends back

I found a set of A and Z faux wood bookends at a local thrift store last year for the extremely reasonable price of $1.99. Nothing at my thrift store seems to be reasonably priced anymore, so you know they were bad and no one wanted them.

So here are the two beauties before.

Isn't the faux wood grain pretty.

They are even signed! Look at the date, November 1982. They will be celebrating their 30th Birthday soon. Wow I am old..it is scary when you realize you have something that is 'retro' (aka old but we want to charge you too much money for it so we will call it retro) and you could have made it.

My husband again rolled his eyes when I walked in the front door with this gorgeous set. Can't you see the potential? I could. And for $2 who could go wrong?

They each got a good dusting, because they were filthy, and a few coats of white gloss spray paint. Everything looks better with white gloss spray paint!

Here is the A now. Isn't it cute!

I intended to put them in our office but they have found a home on the shelves in my family room.

I am trying to put more white on these bookcases. As you can see the wood dice and recovered photo albums I created last year have also been relocated here.

I have never been happy with how these shelves are decorated but I think it has more to do with the selves. They look really red in the picture but they aren't really. I am seriously debating painting or wallpapering the back of each shelving unit. But there are so many other things to do around the house before that happens.

Not bad for $1.99 plus a little spray paint!

What deals have you found lately? Have you found your thrift stores are raising their prices too?

Have a great day and happy thrifting.
Stephanie