Blogger: Maggie Mason
Bio: Margaret Mason is the author of "No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog" (Peachpit Press). She publishes MightyGirl.com, her personal blog, and MightyGoods.com, which was selected “best shopping site” by Forbes Magazine and Business Week.
Email: maggie@mightygirl.net
I love this as a gift idea for parents or a significant other, though it’s a fantastic project for kids as well. The Illustory Create-Your-Own Book ($20 from Target) lets you write and illustrate your own book. You send in your work, and the company mails you a hardbound, typeset book. The kit includes ten markers, twenty book pages, an order form, a prepaid mailer and instructions. You can also upload your ideas online for faster turnaround.
A reader (Hi, Emily!) sent me a tip about Paper Source’s $10 Envelope Liner Template Kits. The kits come with liner templates for seven different envelope sizes, and the site even includes an instructional video.
If you don’t feel like shelling out the cash (and what DIYer does?) visit Being Crafty’s exhaustive link collection that covers all the bases of envelope making and perfecting.
The Munny Do-It-Yourself Vinyl Figure is a doll you decorate however you like. Paint on tattoos, draw in features, add hair, clothing, accessories, or use him to make a mini piece of abstract artwork. You can even make little objects for your Munny to grip. Each doll is $30 and comes with a set of four surprise accessories.
Maybe your sewing skills would make grandma cringe, or maybe you just wish someone else would do it for you. Dress by Design lets you design a dress online, and then ships you the results. Choose from several basic styles, sleeve types, and lengths, and then select a fabric and enter your measurements.
The Transglass Bottle Collection features handsome, simple tableware made entirely from recycled beer and wine bottles. Environment-happy items from Transglass — which is a collaboration between artist Emma Woflfenden and designer Tord Bontje — have been accepted into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and now, Branch Home is offering handmade vases, carafes, jugs, and a set of four tumblers for only $30 a pop. Beats the heck out of your Chianti-bottle candleholder, no?
Customize your boring thrift-store and Ikea glassware with these stick-on decals from Blik. Use them to make dishwasher-safe patterns on any glass surface. You get about 18 decals for under $5, and they come in a variety of shapes.
