When my friend recently invited me to her daughter’s baby shower, I volunteered to make the invitations and thank you notes on my computer to save her money (and as part of my present). She was thrilled and also asked me to make a sign-up sheet and a poster. The theme was “A Star is Born,” and it was easy to do. We decided on post cards, since they are less expensive to mail. Here they are: Invitation post card:
back
front 
Thank you post card:
back
front
I needed to bring a present: I had one picture of the baby, and I had picture frames that I had bought on sale through the years. I used my computer’s photography program to reproduce the baby’s picture nine times in nine different tints: charcoal, sepia, mosaic, etc. I mounted them in a nine-space frame. It was the hit of the shower! I also explained that they could change the pictures as time went on to whatever they chose. They had just moved to a new house, and needed things for their bare walls!
My friend made a baby quilt and another crocheted a baby throw. The parents loved the extra time we put into the gifts, and other guests commented on how “creative” we all were.
Other ideas for other occasions:
I learned to crochet by watching my sister (although I was watching her from the wrong angle and now crochet backwards). Double crochet is the only stitch I know, but I can do many things with it: If you double or triple the yarn strands, you can make thick pads for hot plates and pans. (Match the yarn to the color of the china or other room décor.) I’ve also made great coasters and placemats. They’re machine washable and dryable, and you can make them while watching TV or having coffee with a friend.
I also have been known to frame old magazine covers and give them as gifts. Years ago, The New Yorker published a New Yorker’s view of the United States, a map of the United States that started with New York City and New Jersey, mentioned Chicago and ended with San Francisco, with almost nothing in between, reflecting a very “New York” attitude. I bought enough copies to frame as gifts for my New York friends. Some of them are still hanging in their homes.
For a recent wedding gift, I took three pictures of a tiger lily and, much like I did with the baby picture, changed the hue on each picture and framed them together in the same frame—very “Andy Warhol,” with one frame holding four pictures of the same lily in different colors. The couple now has it hanging in their living room.
So, use your imagination, save money, and have fun!—Alice Rose Kieft
Designs and photos ©2010 Alice Rose Kieft
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