Tag Archives: Christmas Gift Ideas

50 Jar Gifts: idea #1 – Memories in a Jar

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by Kendra Steel

I found this idea on Pinterest and thought it was the perfect way to kick off my 50 Doable Jar Gift Ideas for 2013. Uploaded by Kendra Steel, I love the idejar gift logos2a of capturing the memories of a trip to the beach in a bottle with a photo, sand and a few shells. It is easy to imagine other trips or memories that this idea could be applied to. A camping trip with some dirt, rocks, sticks and pine cones would work. A memorable walk on a beautiful autumn day with acorns and colorful leaves. A ski trip with fake snow, ski passes and other memorabilia. Think of a memory you would like to share and see what you can come up with. Here are some more ideas to get you started.

image via Yasmine Kaissi

image via Karin

image via jonni kilgore

image from http://www.CrazyWanderlust.com

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.jar gift logos2

50 Gift Ideas: Tips & Tricks

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Before we start posting this year’s gift ideas I wanted to share a great tip I found today on how to get the gunk off your jars without stinky chemical. If you are using canning jars this isn’t a jar gift logosproblem but if you are recycling jars (which is a great idea) than it can be a major pain to get the paper and glue off the jars. But Creek Line House has a great step by step on getting the gunk of just using baking soda and oil. Here is the tutorial.

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50 Gift Ideas: 2013 Edition

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jar gift logosI had so much fun last year coming up with 50 gift ideas that help in telling your family’s tales that I decided to do it again this year. At least I’m going to try. Last year was inspired by my 50 for 50 challenge for the year. So since this year I’ve done my Joy Jar I decided that all 50 gift ideas would have something to do with jars. I have a few ideas and I’ve started a board on Pintrest to gather more ideas. The challenge will be getting all 50 ideas put together by Christmas. It isn’t going to be easy but I really want to take on this challenge.

Do you have any favorite jar gift ideas that you want to share?

Story Prompts: update

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Prototype for My Story Prompt Jar

I got some more work done on my story prompts jar idea today. I’m really excited how it is coming together. I used the great questions from StoryCorps.org. Instead of printing the questions on card stock I got some chipboard. My new printer can handle really thick paper so I thought I’d give it a try. I was inspired by tongue depressors and the idea that with the colored tips you can keep track of which questions you have done by flipping them over.

I still have some work to do to clean things up and tweak the pages some. I also what to design a simple journal to go with the jar as a gift. When I get the files finished I’ll share them here.

Story Prompts

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I’ve been thinking for the last few weeks about coming up with a gift idea for weddings and showers etc. Something that would be meaningful and yet not take tons of time or tons of money to put together. My best idea to date is story prompt jars. I haven’t gotten very far on the idea but I thought I’d share what I have so far.

Using the great questions from StoryCorps.org, I’m working on laying them out in sheets that I’ll cut into little cards. Hopefully I can add some color and fun to the sheets. Then I’ll put the cards in to jars. Maybe just a simple canning jar or maybe something a bit fancier. I’ll have to experiment and see what works.

I think any family could benefit from asking each other questions at the dinner table or a more formal gathering. This maybe what I give for Christmas this year. I’ll keep you posted with photos etc. as I progress. I’m thinking I will share a pdf of the finished question cards so you could make your own story prompt jars.

Have you used story prompts? I’d love to hear your experiences.

 

100 Story Project Ideas

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DOABLE Sidebar DThere are so many types of story projects. Let’s use one of my projects as an example. Many months ago I decided I wanted to learn more about my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor and share some of that with my family. This has lead to several story projects about her that I’ve already done and many more that I would like to do. I’m sure there are even more that I haven’t even thought of yet. Let’s see how many different story projects I can come up with about Mary Taylor:

  1. go to Martin’s Cove for a hands on experience (did that)
  2. make a video from our experience in Martin’s Cove
  3. make a simple book to share with family about her life and her journey with the Martin handcart company (did that)
  4. build a handcart replica
  5. live for one day or even one meal on the rations that the Martin Handcart company had
  6. reenact the journey of the Martin Handcart company from its start in Liverpool England to its arrival in the Salt Lake Valley
  7. build a diorama of Coton-on-the-Elms
  8. build a model of the ship Horizon
  9. follow the journey of the Martin Handcart company day by day in 1856 (did that)
  10. make a serial graphic novel based on the experiences of the hardcart pioneers
  11. share it to coincide with Mary’s journey to Zion
  12. travel to England the area that Mary grew up
  13. write about my experiences and share it with my family
  14. use google earth to take a virtual journey to Mary’s birthplace
  15. use google earth to follow Mary’s journey with the Martin Handcart company
  16. make it into a video to share with others
  17. using google earth create a virtual scavenger hunt about Mary’s life and the places she has been
  18. make a story book with illustration of Mary’s childhood and journey to Zion (did that – it is so close to being ready to publish)
  19. make that story book into an ebook
  20. make that story book into an enhanced ebook with sound etc.
  21. make that story book into a video with narration and background music
  22. using family members make a video about Mary Taylor
  23. make a music video with Mary favorite song “The Handcart Song”
  24. learn the Mary’s childhood song “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland” similar to “Old McDonald“
  25. make an illustrated video of “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland”
  26. make an illustrated children’s book inspired by “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland”
  27. create a board game inspired by the handcart pioneers
  28. learn and then teach how to play the game “Going to Zion”
  29. learn to make simple toys from Mary’s time and share them with my family
  30. make a video game inspired by the experiences of the handcart pioneers
  31. Gather photos of all the known possessions of Mary Taylor and put them into a book form to share with family, including stories about each item
  32. also share that book as an ebook
  33. learn about cooking in the late 19th century in England and Utah
  34. make how to videos to share what I learn
  35. make a cookbook with recipes that Mary probably cooked
  36. learn homemaking skills for the late 19th century
  37. learn about dressmaking in the 1850s
  38. learn about the French surge dress we have that Mary made
  39. create a modern-day pattern for her dress
  40. create craft and/or home decor ideas using Mary’s dress making skills
  41. make a quilt about Mary’s Life
  42. make a quilt about the Martin Handcart Company
  43. make patterns for those quilts to share with others including the stories behind the blocks chosen
  44. learn about the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when that Mary joined the church in England
  45. watch “Seventeen Miracles” and/or other pioneer movies as a family
  46. organize a Mary Taylor descendants reunion
  47. compile all the descendants of Mary Taylor into a book
  48. make a Facebook page for the descendants of Mary Taylor
  49. design a charm necklace/key chain in honor of Mary Taylor
  50. visit Mary’s grave site
  51. visit all know locations that she lived
  52. do a “decades” book about Mary’s life
  53. do something everyday for one year to honor Mary
  54. compile those experiences into a book
  55. compile those experiences into a video
  56. write a book about what Mary has taught me
  57. design surprise balls that tell a story about Mary Taylor
  58. create a memory jar in honor of Mary and/or my experiences learning about her
  59. put together a story box about Mary Taylor
  60. make a music cd inspire by Mary Taylor including “The Handcart Song”, “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland” and other songs from the late 19th century
  61. make a shadow box about Mary Taylor (I’ve sort of done this with a tea-cup that was hers but there is much more that I could do)
  62. make a coloring book about Mary’s life (I could probably adapt the illustration from “My Grandma Mary” for this)
  63. give a gift basket inspired by Mary Taylor – include other story project like “My Grandma Mary” in the basket
  64. make a memory wreath about Mary Taylor
  65. make an old-fashioned Christmas wreath inspired by Mary Taylor with decoration from the late 19th century
  66. make a doll house inspired by one of Mary Taylor’s homes
  67. research the history of each of Mary’s last names: Taylor, Upton, Simmons and Robinson
  68. put together a book about Mary’s names
  69. find any coat of arms from Mary’s history or design a coat of arms inspired by her life
  70. make t-shirts inspired by Mary Taylor
  71. find and/or create maps about Mary Taylor’s life
  72. make a calendar for the coming year with all the important dates in Mary Taylor’s life
  73. celebrate Mary Taylor’s birthday
  74. make a trivia game with facts about Mary Taylor and life in the late 19th century
  75. make an audio record of stories about Mary Taylor – recruit family members to help with this project
  76. make puppets to act out stories from Mary Taylor’s life
  77. make a video of the puppet show
  78. pick one of Mary’s home and research the history of that spot
  79. make duplicates of the photo we have of Mary Taylor and make sure everyone in the family has a copy
  80. create a collage about Mary Taylor
  81. make a Christmas ornament with Mary Taylor’s photo
  82. make or find Christmas ornaments like those common in Mary’s Life time
  83. plan a Christmas meal similar to what Mary Taylor would have enjoyed
  84. decorate your house and/or Christmas tree in the way in would have been done in the late 19th century
  85. make flash cards about Mary Taylor’s life
  86. make flash cards about the Willie and Martin Handcart companies
  87. make a memory game inspired by Mary Taylor
  88. gather family traditions from the late 19th century and choose a few to make a part of your traditions in honor of Mary Taylor
  89. keep a record of your new family traditions so that future generations will know where they came from
  90. set up a photo shoot inspired by the late 19th century and invite family members to get their photos taken
  91. compile these photos into a book to share with everyone
  92. make an advent calendar inspired by Mary Taylor and/or the late 19th century
  93. make a puzzle with Mary Taylor’s picture or a collage or a set of puzzles from the illustrations in “My Grandma Mary” book
  94. make a family tree that shows the connection between Mary Taylor and each family member
  95. make a Christmas card inspire by Mary Taylor (did that)
  96. make a time capsule with all the things we all the Mary Taylor story projects
  97. write a song about Mary Taylor and what she means to me
  98. make a family planner with facts about Mary Taylor and important dates in her life
  99. make an infographic about Mary Taylor
  100. have “Mary Taylor” come for dinner

Most of these idea could be applied to your ancestor and there are many more story project ideas that you could come up with. There is no shortage of ideas. The challenge is to choose one and make it happen. Remember to start with smaller simpler projects.

Did my list inspire you? If you don’t already have a story project you are working on, I challenge you to decide on one today.

Gift Idea #50 – Surprise Balls

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idea numbers50I came across this idea via Design Mom. The basic idea is to take small gifts and brightly colored crape paper strips. You start with the largest item and wrap it with the crape paper and then add another item and repeat until all the items are wrapped in the ball. Here are detailed instructions on how to make a surprise ball.

These surprise balls remind me if some gifts I gave my nieces when they were young. I wrapped their gifts in yarn. I took a small item and wrapped yarn around it until it was the size of a volleyball. I like the idea of having a series of small gifts to discover along the way.

I think it would be fun to have a series of small trinkets and photos that relate to a family member. It could focus on a single story with the items in the surprise ball help to tell the story. This idea has some great possibilities, I can’t wait to try this out.

Surprise Balls – photo by HonestlyWTF

Gift Idea #49 – Memory Jar

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idea numbers49The idea behind a memory jar is to gather little things that remind you of a person or an event. There are so many ways to put together a memory jar but they fall into two basic categories or a combination of both. You can put stuff inside the jar or you can decorate the outside of the jar. Most jars are both with decorative elements on the outside put on in such a way that you can still see what is on the inside. But there are memory jars that cover the entire jar with trinkets and odds and ends. A memory jar could also just have slips of paper with short memories written on them.

I like the idea of mostly putting things in a sturdy wide-mouth jar with minimal decoration on the outside. I think a memory jar would be a great way to share some of the little odds and ends that we collect over a lifetime but no one knows what to do with after we are gone. You could also put together a memory jar for a more distant ancestor with items that are symbolic of the person if you don’t have anything that was actually theirs.

How To Make a Memory Jar

Vacation Memory Jar

Save memories on a Jar – Not in it

Memory Jars or Jugs

 

 

Gift Idea #48 – Ancestor Handwriting Font

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idea numbers48My grandmother has distinctive handwriting and I’d love to turn it into a handwriting font. There are online services that will take your handwriting and convert it into a font for you. Some are free and some charge for their services. I have yet to try this even for my handwriting but it is on my list of things I want to do. It will be a little more difficult to do it for someone who has passed on because you will either need to trace their handwriting or else do some scanning and cut and paste to get the needed characters. Below are a few links to guide you along the process.

Handwriting Font Creator

Make Your Own Handwriting Fonts

Tips on making a handwriting font

Writing Fonts

 

 

Gift Idea #47 – Travel to Family History Site

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idea numbers47How about planning a trip to a place where your family came from. It could be across the ocean or just across town. The distance isn’t so important as having the purpose of the trip to learn about your family’s past. Just pick a place, do some research and plan an itinerary. One word of advice, be flexible and don’t over schedule your trip. This isn’t about packing it so full that you can’t enjoy the time with family members and learning about the past.

So you have something to wrap up, you could print up your itinerary with a map and some images of your destination and the ancestor(s) associated with this site.