Christmas on a budget

One of my very favorite things to do has always been to give gifts. I love picking them out, wrapping them, and especially watching people unwrap them. I genuinely like to give them more than I like getting them. But with all of the weddings/bridal showers/baby showers/birthdays that have found their way into our schedule this fall, the gift-buying has definitely started to take a toll on my wallet. So with Christmas just around the corner, I'm finding that a little creativity can make the dollar stretch a lot more than it has in the past.

Enter Sofia's Christmas gift. With Stefanie a little more than two weeks away from her due date, I wanted to get my new niece a present for her first Christmas! I've gotten a great head start on my Christmas shopping this year, so as to avoid the mob-mentality-Christmas-shopping-crowd, and also to snag up some of the best gifts before they're gone. I've done really great sticking to my budget, but I was still perplexed about what to get baby Sofia that wouldn't leave my bank account with a little negative sign in front of it. Then the other day I was in Hobby Lobby, and I wandered over into an aisle that was full of great gift possibilities. I'll call it the "unfinished wood" aisle. There were all kinds of ornaments and picture frames and things just waiting for someone to make an art project out of them.

And that is what I did. I already had paint brushes at my house, so I picked out a small box, a little paint, and I was on my way. I kid you not... the entire project cost around $5. I spent that afternoon painting my little heart out, and this was the result:

It's not much to write home about, but I am really proud of my creative chops. I assure you, I am definitely one of the most artistically-challenged people alive, so if I can do it, anyone can. And the most important thing is, now I have a great, heart-felt gift and I didn't even come close to breaking the bank.