gift – Whole Heartily

Traditional and Modern Anniversary Gift Ideas by Year

My husband and I just celebrated 10 years of marriage, 10 years! It’s hard to wrap our minds around it because it really feels like hardly any time has passed; we are happy!

The concept of anniversary gift themes by year is super fun and engaging! We’ve gotten a bit distracted the past few years and forgot to follow the list, but what a perfect anniversary to pick it back up again!

If you aren’t familiar with the anniversary gift themes, I’ve created a handy dandy list of traditional and modern anniversary gifts by year, along with a bonus of flowers by year too! Happy anniversary and happy gifting!

DIY Red and White Striped Christmas Box

Christmas is nearly here and we love celebrating every moment!

What better way to celebrate than having a Christmas box! Now when I first heard of these, they were and are referred to as Christmas Eve boxes and presented on Christmas Eve for the family to enjoy, but then some of the items can only be enjoyed for one to two nights before Christmas is technically over, so I’ve decided to just call it a Christmas box and we can present it a week before Christmas to really enjoy its contents!

SUPPLIES

Wood crate
White acrylic paint
Red acrylic paint
Foam paint brushes
Painter’s tape
Matte varnish
Embellishments (optional)
Hot glue (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Paint every other beam of the crate (outside and inside) with white paint and then allow it to dry.
Repeat step 1 until the desired brightness of the paint is reached.
Once the paint is dry, use painters tape to tape up and protect the edges of the white beams or anywhere else where the red paint may drip or bleed.
Paint the remaining beams and the sides of the crate (outside and inside) with red paint and then allow it to dry.
Repeat step 4 until the desired brightness of the paint is reached.
Carefully peel off the painter’s tape and coat the whole crate with varnish, this may take two coats to reach the desired coverage.
If you have any embellishments like an ornament or two, carefully glue them on with a hot glue gun and allow it to dry.
Fill it up and enjoy!

If you’re looking for ideas to fill your new Christmas box with here are a few to spark your imagination!

Candy
Cookie mix
Festive hat(s)
Festive pajamas
Festive plushies
Festive socks or slippers
Gingerbread kit
Holiday-themed books
Holiday-themed movies
Hot Apple Cider mix
Hot Cocoa mix
Mug(s)
Ornament(s)
Savory snacks
Sweet snacks

DIY Peasant Belle Peg Doll

DIY Peasant Belle Peg Doll Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create lasting, meaningful toys for her that are made with love and will be loved! Wooden toys are classic and beautiful, when created and treated right, they can last a lifetime; so let’s make some!

It’s no secret that Cameron and I love Disney. Zoey’s middle name was inspired by one of my favorite Disney princesses, Belle, and that Belle in her name has also led to another Disney nickname, Tinker Bell. I cannot wait to create a whole set of peg dolls for her, but these two characters hold the most significance until she begins watching the classics on her own.

We’ve created a Tinker Bell Peg Doll, check her out!

This week I’ll be sharing the steps I took to create a Belle peg doll in her blue peasant dress for Zoey.

DIY Peasant Belle Peg Doll

SUPPLIES

Blank peg doll (I used a “small angel” or “girl” shape/size)
Small, flat & fine tip paint brushes
Paint palette (or a tray for your paint)
Blue non-toxic acrylic paint
White non-toxic acrylic paint
Light blue non-toxic acrylic paint
Brown non-toxic acrylic paint
Dark brown non-toxic acrylic paint
Black non-toxic acrylic paint
Non-toxic varnish (I used Duraclear Ultra Matte Varnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

DIY Peasant Belle Peg Doll

With a pencil, lightly sketch Belle onto your blank peg doll. Belle wears a dress over a white blouse, I gave her sleeves so more of the blouse can be seen.
Begin painting your peg doll with the base layers first. I started with the blue of her dress and hair bow, the white of her blouse and apron, and the brown of her hair. Allow this paint to dry before moving on to avoid smudging, then apply a few more layers of each until you’re happy with the colors and textures.
Paint the very bottom and edges of the peg doll black to signify her shoes.
After the base layers have dried, paint a border of light blue on the edges of her apron, shirt and hair bow. If you don’t have a lighter shade of blue, you can create some by adding a small amount of white paint to the original blue and blending.
Paint dark brown accents on and around the hair, don’t forget her ponytail in the back!
Taking something small and round (I used the opposite end of one of my smaller paint brushes) dip it in black paint and dot the two eyes. Using the finest tipped paintbrush you can find, give her an eyelash or two on each eye.
Once the eye paint has dried, add a highlight dot to each eye with a fine tipped paintbrush and white paint.
Using the same method as the eyes, dip the opposite end of a slightly larger paintbrush into light pink paint and dot the blush under each eye.
With a little white paint, give her a few sparkles of pixie dust on the hem of her dress or wherever else you feel it will look right!
Allow for all paint to completely dry, then apply a varnish and allow it to dry. You can apply as many coats as you want for the finish you want, just allow them to dry in between applications and before handing her over to your child.
Voilà! Belle is done and ready to be played with! Enjoy!

DIY Peasant Belle Peg Doll

Father’s Day Inspiration

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It’s almost that special time of the year when we recognize the fathers in our lives for being there to love and support us through it all. Like our mothers, our fathers would be happy just to know that his child/children love him and grateful for everything he’s done, but whether you want to show your appreciation through action or give him a gift, sometimes its hard to choose.

Now I know you know your dad best, but just in case you’re stumped I’ve made a list of ideas to spark your imagination.

Go for a drive. There’s nothing like hitting the open road with your dad and sibling or siblings if you have them. It doesn’t have to be to somewhere you’ve never been, just a scenic stretch of road and maybe a bite to eat along the way.

Get crafty and make him a masterpiece: Play to your strengths and make him something that you’re good at making. It doesn’t matter what that may be, as long as you have your Dad in mind when you’re creating it.

Give him something he’s interested in. Think of his hobbies and get him something that compliments those hobbies. Get him a tool for that project he’s been really into, buy him that vintage fishing reel to round out his collection; everyone has something they love doing.

Work on a project together. Ask him if he’d like your help with something he’s been working on and pitch in when and where you can, or just keep him company while he works if he doesn’t need the help.

Make him a meal or meals with his favorite foods. Fire up a grill and make some side dishes, or you make the side dishes and let him grill if that’s what he likes. If cooking isn’t your thing you could always buy him a meal or meals instead, no judgement!

Mother’s Day Inspiration

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It’s almost that special time of the year when we honor the mothers in our lives for being there to love and support us through it all. Any mother would be happy just to know that her child/children love her and grateful for everything she’s done, but whether you want to show your appreciation through actions or give her a gift sometimes its hard to choose.

Now I know no one knows your mom like you know your mom, but I’ve made a list of ideas to spark your imagination and inspire you to do something good for you mom.

Clean something without being asked: Take note of what may be dirty or messy in or around the house and take some of the pressure off your mom by cleaning it up for her. You could also give her “coupons” for different chores that can be done over time, when she needs them most, so follow through!

Get crafty and make her a masterpiece: Play to your strengths and make her something that you’re good at making. It doesn’t matter what that may be, as long as you have your mother in mind when you’re creating it.

Give her something she’s interested in: Think of her hobbies and get her something that compliments those hobbies. Get her the next book in that series she’s been reading, buy her supplies for that craft she’s really into, everyone has something they love doing.

Make her a meal or meals so she doesn’t have to cook for herself: Breakfast in bed, lunch in the sun, and/or dinner. If cooking isn’t your thing you could always buy her a meal or meals instead, no judgement!

Make her something for her sweet tooth: Whip her up some chocolate or bake her something nice like a cake, cupcakes or brownies. Again you could always buy her some sweets if baking isn’t your thing!