jamaica | last minute gift

Hey there, it’s Jamaica. Today I wanted to share how easy it is to make a fun last minute gift using the 2014 Calendar Kit. The key to getting it done quickly is to streamline the process and not get distracted. Knowing I had just an hour and a half while my spouse was running errands Sunday forced to me to focus and get it done as efficiently as possible. Here’s how I did it…

Step 1: choose a theme. We are cat lovers here at my house. With two much adored kitties running around, I knew that a calendar featuring the two of them would be a hit. And, it would finally give me a chance to use that sparkle cat from Spellbound. (I added a little extra sparkle to the cover page with some gold glitter tape at the top and a signature in gold ink at the bottom.)

Step 2: select photos. Picking photos is the most time-intensive part of the process. It’s way too easy to get distracted scrolling thru iPhoto or digging around in your back-up drive. For me, the quickest way to select photos was to pull them right off my phone. I scrolled thru my Instagram feed looking for good images of both cats. Then went to my camera roll, found those images and emailed them to myself. You could easily do this in advance, making the process even quicker.

Step 3: add photos to template + print. I used the 4″ x 6″ version of the calendar included in the kit so that I could print them here at home using my little Selphy. As I dropped photos into the templates, I tried to alternate between cats as well as mix more colorful shots in with the the lighter photos so that there would be a good variety throughout the year.

Step 4: back the photos with patterned paper (optional). The photos printed here at home tend to curl a little so I decided to back them with patterned paper. I printed the black cat pattern from Spellbound (continuing the cat theme) onto heavy grey cardstock to give it the extra stiffness it would need to stand up on it’s own. Then I used my Herma Dotto to attach the photos to the cardstock, giving each a quick swipe along the edges. That way I didn’t have to worry about getting glue on the photos or causing them to curl more as they dried. The heavy paper gives them a nice weight and makes for a thick stack of calendar “cards.”

Step 5: package. After signing and embellishing my cover page, I tied the stack up with a ribbon and tucked them into a small box for gifting. I couldn’t help but add another sparkle kitty to the tag, giving just a small hint at what’s inside.