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Make this Gift! DIY Yarn Ball Bookmarks

DIY Yarn Ball Bookmark by SeeJaneBlog for Design Mom

DIY Yarn Ball Bookmark by SeeJaneBlog for Design Mom

Have a favorite bookworm you’d like to do something special for? Of course you do. Have a hankering for a quick fuzzy project? I’m guessing it’s quite likely.

As Jane says, it’s “a charming little bookmark that would make a great anytime gift.” With the trees turning and the holidays coming, that time is now!

Grab some yarn, a mug of cocoa, and get going. This one’s so easy you can get the little ones in on it too.

Visit Design Mom for the step-by-steps to make your own yarn ball bookmarks. Created by the lovely Jane of SeeJaneBlog.

DIY Yarn Ball Bookmark by SeeJaneBlog for Design Mom

DIY Yarn Ball Bookmark by SeeJaneBlog for Design Mom

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DIY Yarn Ball Bookmark by SeeJaneBlog for Design Mom

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New! Personalized Books and Back-to-School Gifts by Chronicle Books

MyChronicleBooks Personalized Gifts for Kids

MyChronicleBooks Personalized Gifts for Kids

What kid wouldn’t want to star in their favorite children’s book? The all new MyChronicleBooks helps make storytime even more special with gifts you can customize in just a few clicks.

Back-to-School Personalized Supplies designed by Julia Rothman

Back-to-School Personalized Supplies designed by Julia Rothman

Create a personal dedication page in a slew of popular books. Choose from back-to-school gifts like lunch boxes (with a hidden chalkboard inside!), notebooks, and stickers that are personalized just for them. Make your little one the star of the story in select titles such as What Big Brother Does Best.

I love this new project form Chronicle and can’t wait to see what other books and gifts they add to the collection.

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Back-to-School Personalized Supplies designed by Julia Rothman

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Darth Vader & Son: Imagining Darth the Dad

Darth Vader and Son - book cover

Ready for one of the most adorably geeky what-ifs you’ve ever seen? It’s a new book just in time for Father’s Day—Darth Vader and Son.

I. Know! It’s everything you’re imagining right this moment.

Dreamed up by celebrated illustrator and author Jeffery Brown, the book considers: What if Darth Vader took an active role in raising his son? What if “Luke, I am your father” was just a stern admonishment from an annoyed dad?

Presenting the trials and joys of parenting through the lens of a galaxy far, far away, Darth Vader and Son addresses everything from Take Your Child to Work Day on the Death Star to using the Force to raid the cookie jar.

A great gift for expecting dads, granddads, geeky dads, movie buff dads, and every dad in between.

And now, a couple pages for you and a quirky book trailer too. Enjoy!
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Screen Shot 2012-06-05 at 12.51.49 PMDarth Vader and Son - tie problemDarth Vader and Son - bad guy drawing

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Feet on the Ground and Eyes on the Prize – 10 Serious Gifts for Capricorns!

Capricorn Zodiac Print by JSGD on Society6

Capricorn Zodiac Print by JSGD on Society6

Ambitious, sincere, competitive. Hardworking, committed and determined. These are all qualities of the Capricorn, born December 22 – January 19. Unfortunately, with a birthday that close to Christmas, more often than not, it gets overshadowed by the holiday and their gift becomes a dual purpose holiday/birthday kinda thing.

This year, don’t let the season overshadow their day! Celebrate your Capricorn on their birthday and make them feel special—even if their birthday is on December 25th.

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Funny Office GiftsCurve_Touch_Lamp and Fluent_Stash_BagCord Organizers

Give & Tell

Give & Tell with Chris Gardner of ManMadeDIY

Chris GardnerWriter and maker Chris Gardner is is the main man at ManMadeDIY, a crafting blog for guys (though this gal really digs it too). He’s also the editor at Curbly.com, a community of people who make things for their homes. As Chris explains, “ManMade recognizes that all sorts of creative outlets can be realized by, for, and with men. Rosie can rivet, Chris can craft, and all demographics can DIY!”

I’m been a big fan of Chris’s creative how-tos and crafty finds from around the web. In the spirit of the holidays, a couple posts of his you’ll want to checkout are Why You Have to Make Egg Nog… and How to Do It, How to Make Modern Perforated Tabletop Christmas Trees, and How to: Turn a Tacky Glitter Reindeer into an AWESOME Glitter Reindeer.

Oh and while you’re at it, don’t miss Curbly’s mega set of holiday roundups like 10 Other Places to Hang Your Christmas Stockings, or their rad gift guides like 30 Hip Design Gifts Under $25. Here he is sharing gifting tips and tales as only Chris can—thanks so much Chris!

Have you ever done any sneaky research to determine the right gift for someone?

Oh my, yes. I’m a total trickster when figuring out preferences or sizes for gifts. My masterpiece was giving someone a hug while secretly holding a tape measure. I also made up an elaborate story to snag my sweetheart’s fingerprint to make some original art for Valentine’s Day last year, and have managed to use calipers to figure out her exact finger size while she was taking a nap.

Could you share a wrapping secret with us?

I think brown kraft paper will never get old. It looks amazing simply tied up with string, but can be customized in all sorts of fun ways. Last year, I cut out the recipient’s name from old books I got for ten cents at the thrift store and simply glued them on. I also figured out a way to make custom gift “envelopes” by sandwiching the gift between two layers of craft paper and stitching it shut with a zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.

Plus, it matches regular brown paper sandwich bags for those small or bulk gifts, which can look amazing with a simple stamp or hand-printed gift tag.
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Chris Gardner's Gift Picks from Wantist