Is it just me, or is November the speediest month of the year? All of a sudden December is upon us – and plans for a great pile of handmade gifts get thrown in the ‘too hard basket’! I still reeeeally want to give handmade gifts, but I just don’t have time! How about a quick , yet heartfelt and partly handmade gift instead? And one that can be given to anyone – grandparents, aunts, school teacher, friend…yes, YES!

There are tons of great websites that you can quickly upload your photos to and turn them into all sorts of cool gifts – from bumper stickers to neckties (really, what uncle doesn’t want to wear a necktie with a picture of his favorite niece on? I just don’t know.).

I grabbed 12 adorable (of course!) photos of my kids from the past year and popped them into a simple calendar for the easiest of easy gift!

I then uploaded all sorts of pictures to make fun note-cards for various people I love! I took pictures of candy, pictures of my children’s toys, flowers, alphabet pasta, random happy things! The idea was to put together a note-card set to give as a gift, although when the cards arrived in the mail – I wanted to keep them all for myself!

I made a simple felt pouch by sewing together two pieces of felt with strips of fabric attached to the top to tie the pouch closed. This took a whole, um, 5 minutes to make - and I have a ‘handmade’ gift to give (a cute one at that!).

If you have a few more minutes up your sleeve you could make a slightly more detailed pocket for the note-cards and a pen to live in. With raw edges and ‘rustic’ (my new word for uneven) cut fabric – you can whip this out in no time!

Have some fun and take yourself on a ‘photo adventure’ around town (or even your home) – photographing various things to create a card set. Know someone who loves horses? Head to a farm and snap away at those ponies! Candy lover? Fill different bowls or jars with colorful candy, or spell out a word in skittles! Get creative and take photos of all those fun things your family love for a personalized note-card set.

Wishing you lots of stress-free days in the upcoming season, and hoping those last-minute handmade gifts come together joyfully!

Emily :)