birthday gifts

[karmamachine.livejournal.com]

I made a pledge this summer that I was only going to give and receive handmade gifts from now on ( because i am disgusted, as im sure many of you are, at how Christmas has become a consumer crazy holiday and depresses me). Anywhooo, my two best friends birthday are only days apart and I went to Michaels and picked up some supplies and made these two things for them!.
Warning: big pictures!




I just bought a regular wooden mirror and paper mached some neat-design paper on it. Then i traced the mirror onto black construction paper and free-hand stenciled some leaf/flora/nature patterns. Then i glued the stencil ontop and used electrical tape to cover up any poking paper or wood!



Carpe Diem insperational cork board. I used the same patterned paper and glued it on the cork. Then i drew little pictures that remind me of my friend. I chose the phrase Carpe Diem and the two quotes on there:
Serious trouble beats serious boredom - dangerous lives of the alter boys
Let us so live that when we come to die even the under taker will be sorry - Mark Twain
Because my friend is in University right now and i feel like she's always so busy with school and work, and this is just a reminder to do something memorable and fantastic each day.
I went to my local Home Hardware and picked up some carpenter tacks ( theyre longer and stonger) with a cool design.
( oh and i know the paper is uneven, i added ribbon to the boarder afterwards)