Ava made this gift for her grandpa. We purchased a bag of individually wrapped candy, and then Ava decorated strips of paper with messages and drawings, which we attached to the candy with tape. Then we decorated an empty container (This is an empty Nesquik container.) with heavy paper and stickers to personalize it and make it fun. Like the Grandma’s Princess Tea gift, this gift continues giving for as long as grandpa is popping candy.
Ava and I made this pretty going-away-present for her Grandma. Ava picked up the acorn from our backyard and I made it into a bead using a little bit of cord wrapped around the stem and then secured with some krazy glue. We used the same cording and some pretty wooden beads to complete the necklace.
The two ends have a bead tied to them and are secured with more krazy glue. Putting one of the beads on a small loop, makes it possible to close the necklace by simply pushing the other bead through the loop, and allowing gravity to do the rest. Very simple.
Yes, that’s one of our painted autumn paper sacks which we used to present the necklace.A couple of months ago, we used paper and paint to make our own handmade wrapping paper [click to read post]. After it dried, I rolled it up and put it with our other gift wrapping supplies. And we finally had an opportunity to use it last week! What pretty packages!
This is a thoughtful gift that you can put together for free. Decorate the outside of an empty container with paper, and then fill the container with special notes for that special someone. Then direct the recipient to open one note a day.
This one is for Father’s Day and each note (folded and held closed by a sticker) tells one thing I love about my dad. You could also write an encouraging Scripture on each piece of paper and give it to someone who is sick or has been going through a rough time. There are lots of other possibilities, too…
Ava is interested in all things “beachy,” so, we decided to paint paper to look like the ocean using our Negative Space Painting technique (This time we used tempera paint, instead of watercolor). It’s really difficult for me to just let art be art – I have some crazy inner-drive to come up with some way to make it practical. This time was no exception. So, Ava’s pretty paper became mini notepads to give our ocean-loving friends. 
We made two different wrapping papers today. One used brown paper and the other used a piece of heavy tissue paper from a purchase that was wrapped yesterday at Hobby Lobby (my favorite store). We used paint (we have Crayola Washable Tempera Paint) and stuff we had from around the house. For the Circle pattern, we used different sized lids and an empty toilet paper roll.
These turned out really cute, and now we will roll them up and use them to wrap someone’s gift one day. Ava had a lot of fun, and actually, so did I.
This happy bunny is perfect for filling with goodies and giving to someone special. We made this bunny basket out of an empty can (formula, crisco shortening, or peanuts cans work well) and felt; it is actually a variation on the bunny baskets we made last year (click to see last year’s bunny baskets).
I had planned for us to make small Christmas gifts and take them to our neighbors, but it never happened. So we did something better – we made Easter cards and gifts for them. We focused on sharing the message of Jesus Christ, and Ava really enjoyed giving them away. These would also be nice to give to family members, pastors, and teachers. 
Candy Butterfly (I found this idea in FamilyFun magazine)
– clothes pin
– paint or felt for the body (we used stiff felt so I could cut the antennae with the body of the butterfly)
– embellishments & glue
– snack-sized plastic bag
– candy or other food (we used Easter-colored M&Ms)
Easter Card
I drew the pictures on heavy paper and then Ava painted or colored them. Next, I cut out the pictures and she glued them on colored construction paper. Here is the poem I wrote to include on the inside of the cards…
Happy Easter!
Jesus loves us!
Let’s all praise His Name!
He lived, He died,
He rose to save us,
He is the only Way!
He holds my hand,
He is in my heart,
I know He lives today!
Ava made these bookmarks for her grandmas, uncle, and friend. Some were colored, some were painted with watercolors, and some were just decorated with stickers. It was easy to pop them in the mail, and a bookmark is a practical way for “displaying” Ava’s artwork.