'Tis a Gift that is Simple

So, do you want a very cute, very easy, very inexpensive gift idea? Well, here you go:
I made these for the ladies that I work with at church. They were a big hit. I have to thank my sisters for the original idea. Here's how to make them.
First, go to the store and buy a 4x6 magnetic photo holder (I got mine at Walmart for $1), a pack of clear pens that you can screw the ends off of, and coordinating post-it notes. Don't buy the cheap-o post-its, they don't stick and end up falling off your refrigerator. The ones in the picture above fell off about 1 minute after I stuck them up. Don't waste your money, buy the real ones.

Next, cut a 4" by 6" piece of cute paper to fit your photo holder.

At this point, put on your post-it notes (with glue, double sided tape, or whatever you prefer) and embellish it however you want. Make a loop of ribbon and glue it to the back. Make sure your pen fits into the loop. If it's too small, it won't slide in easily (duh), and if it's too big, your pen will fall out (duh).

Now, this is the challenging part. Unscrew the end of your pen and pull out the guts. Depending on the diameter of your pen, cut a piece of your paper to put inside. I think mine were 5/8" by 4". It takes less than you think. If it's too thick, it will be too hard to get in to your pen. I even had to roll my paper a little, then peel a layer off because my paper was cardstock thickness. Roll your paper around the ink stick thing (is there a name for that?....anyone?).

This take a little practice...so good luck. Slide it in to your pen and trim any excess.

You're done.

Pretty easy, huh?

Here are some of the others I made:

You can also make a desk top one by using a stand up 4x6" photo holder. Just cut your paper to 5.5" by 6".

Have fun!