Happy Friday! I trust you're having a fantastic week so far. I'm particularly thrilled about this week's newsletter because there's so much to share! Of course, I've got my latest DIY gift ideas, including another delightful shrink plastic keychain design, an adorable mini food, and a personalized Easter goodie bag.
I'm also absolutely thrilled to announce a couple of exciting developments: Firstly, in response to popular demand, I've just launched my Kofi account, featuring templates for gift ideas! Secondly, keychains are currently in production, and I can't wait to unveil them once they're perfected!
I'm super excited to dive into this week's newsletter and as always, thank you for always being here and joining me on my gifting journey!
- Mel <3
Love Ramen
One of my favorite guilty pleasures is instant ramen, so I thought why not gift-ify it 🤗
Dimensions:
- Box (approx 2.5" x 1.5" x 1.75")
- Mini ramens (approx 1.5" x 1.25")
- Cardboard
- Copy paper
- Packaging tape - I find this to be the most clear and shiniest tape
- *Love Ramen & box template is available for free for Mighty Gifter members in my Kofi shop*
- I found copy paper to be the perfect thickness for the ramen packets. It's just thin enough to still be able to fold with the packaging tape on top.
- To make the ramen a little more realistic, I applied a small piece of double sided tape to the tend of the ramen packets and used that to close them.
- Cardboard can be difficult to measure and cut because of it's rugged texture, so one trick I use is measuring and cutting out the shape on copy paper first. Then, I loosely taping this onto a sheet of cardboard with double sided tape and then just cut it out.
- My hot glue gun is always my absolute best friend when it comes to cardboard! They're the best and most convenient adhesive.
Since peeps seemed to really like the mini sandwich, why not a mini burger 🤗
Dimensions:
- Each charm (approx 1.25" x 1.5")
- Shrink plastic
- Keychain - Since this keychain has a lot of pieces, you'll need either an extra large jump ring or a split key ring
- Paint markers
- Black Sharpie
- *Love Burger keychain template available for free for Mighty Gifter members in my Kofi shop*
Tips & Tricks (mostly same as the other keychains):
- I used Posca markers (acrylic markers), which I highly recommend! They aren't the cheapest markers, but the quality is unbeatable. It's super bright and pigmented which makes the image look so much better. HOWEVER, it is still possible to make this keychain with regular markers, the colors just won't be as bright and solid.
- I heated the shrink plastic at 325 degrees Fahrenheit and took it out when I felt like the plastic stopped shrinking.
- Make sure to put parchment paper between the shrinking charm and the pan in the oven or else it will burn and make sure the glossy side is facing up. If the glossy side is facing down then when you go to flatten it, there is a high chance the glossy side will get scratched up by the parchment paper.
- I used a large flat object to flatten the trinket right after taking it out of the oven (the shrink plastic hardens extremely fast so you have to be faster). People tend to use large heavy books. I personally don't have any on hand, so I just use some thick cardboard and put pressure down on it with my hand and works like a charm!
- I highly recommend drawing out a ruler on a test sheet of plastic and shrinking it first for proportional reference. Fair warning, it does shrink A LOT.
- The final keychain IS NOT super sturdy and has to be handled with care.
- Shrink plastic is convenient and easy BUT not reliable. The sandwich I made is actually stretched and not perfect. Even when taking all precautions, shrink plastic is very finicky and overall will give you decent results, but takes a lot of practice to get consistently perfect results.
- Make sure to have an extra large jump ring for the burger. It has a lot of pieces and will not fit in a standard jump ring.
Pokemon Goodie Bag 💕
With Easter around the corner, I thought this would be the perfect time to make a custom candy bag 💕 I love how easy this is and that you can make it with just stuff you have around the house 🤗
Dimensions:
- Bag (approx 8.25" x 8.25")
- Cardstock - I found this worked best because it doesn't tear as easily as copy paper
- Candies
- I painted the red because I like that it's brighter, but markers work too!
- I didn't realized this until after, but I suggest painting the red first then drawing in the black with a marker. This way if you happen to mess up with the red anywhere, you can just color black over it.
- Make sure to apply plenty of glue and allow it to fully dry to ensure that the bag doesn't fall apart
- The more glue you apply along the circumference of the circle before filling it up, the easier it will be to close the bag. The candy warps the bag, so it's best to glue as much as you can while the bag is still flat.
Exclusive Templates & More!
I'm thrilled to announce the launch of a new support program, providing access to behind-the-scenes content and a growing collection of DIY gift templates. These templates serve as the foundation for the gift ideas featured in my videos.
This program is something I've been eager to introduce, as it allows me to share my creative process and resources with you in a more personal way. Initially, finding a way to share these templates posed a challenge as they aren't fully fleshed out products😓 However, I'm excited to introduce my new support program, where you'll gain access to all these templates alongside my videos, providing you with all the tools needed to create DIY gifts🤗
My support program on Kofi offers multiple tiers with different benefits. Whether you're a Newbie Gifter or a Mighty Gifter, there's a tier for everyone.
Your support enables me to continue creating inspiring gift ideas and enhancing people's gifting experiences. Thank you for being part of this journey! 💕
Some of the templates that are included:
Materials
Amazon Storefront: I've curated all of my recommended materials here, complete with personal notes explaining why I love them! If you're seeking suggestions, feel free to take a look. However, if you're not into affiliate links feel free to skip it!
xTool Laser Cutter: My newest addition to my little creative workshop! I'm still learning more and more by the day, but I can definitely say it's my favorite tool by far. I have the xTool P2 laser cutter, but they offer a large range of tools. I highly recommend checking out what they have, especially since they have their St. Patrick's Day Sale going on!
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