christmas in july

You’ve all heard me gush about Potter and Butler – makers of gorgeous cupcake toppers, poms, cake banners and more.  When I heard they were hosting a Christmas in July handmade gift exchange I immediately fell in love with the concept.  Basically, they match you up with a craft partner, you make them something handmade and enjoy the random act of giving.  Problem is, I’m not the most crafty.  Apart from the occasional sketch and doodle, the last time I really made anything from hand was about 6 years ago when I made some throw pillows in college.  I thought it over for a week or two and finally decided, why not?  So with that I signed up for the exchange.

I was paired up with the lovely Sarah who is an event planner (swoon! my dream career), newlywed and writes a fabulous blog where she chronicles her event planning and also posts lots of great inspiration posts.  As soon as I went to it I was stealing ideas from her (check out this post featuring citrus Jell-O shots – I made some for the 4th of July, they were a delicious, light summer treat).

Today I received my gift from her in the mail and it is so great!  She made me wall art that spells out “LOVE” which is just perfect for us because our walls are quite bare outside of the living room.

Aren’t these cool?  I love these and have the perfect spot for them.  I never would have come up with this idea – I admire other people’s creativity so much.

To see her step-by-step guide on how to make your own wall art, check out her blog post here.

Of course I had to make a gift too.  My gift to Sarah was a handmade fabric pom necklace.

I mentioned that I’m not crafty, right?  Thankfully my love of Pinterest was there to help me with the gift exchange.  A few months ago my wedding photographer, the fabulous Theresa, pinned a DIY tutorial from Little Miss Momma on how to make a fabric pom bib necklace.  As soon as I officially signed up for the exchange I was at the fabric store picking up supplies for the necklace.  The best part is that there’s no sewing involved – not a stitch.

In fact all it took was a bit of felt, cotton fabric, a pair of scissors, a necklace chain and a hot glue gun.  That, I can handle.

Simple as pie.

Simpler in fact.  Best of all I know now how to make fabric poms.  I must say I was quite proud of how it turned out.

I loved the Handmade Gift Exchange experience.  It was kind of nerve-wracking yet exciting to make something for someone you don’t know.  I love the concept of random acts of giving and loved the anticipation of receiving my gift.  Not to mention the gift itself was so amazing.  Thank you Sarah for the wonderful gift and to Potter and Butler for the inspiration!

Are you crafty?

Have you ever committed or been on the receiving end of a random act of giving?

 

 

 

20. July 2011 by kate @ pomelo sunshine
Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: christmas in july, diy, events by sarah elizabeth, fabric pom, fabric pom necklace, gift exchange, gifts, Potter and Butler, random act of giving, wall art | 6 comments