Thursday, December 21, 2017

Gift Genie: DIY Last Minute Gift Finder


     Need a last minute gift?  Unsure what to get?  Let the gift genie decide!  Better yet, if the recipient is indecisive, give them their very own gift genie to make their future holiday shopping a breeze.


     The "gift genie" may look like your run of the mill "cootie catcher," but it has the power to help you choose some gifts or at least get a few chuckles.  I got this idea from the "It's Different Every Day" calendar.  They had a foldable "psychic gift guide," which I had to play with.  I actually ended up ordering one of my sister's Christmas presents based on the guide's suggestion.  It was such a cute and fun idea, I thought, why not make one of my own?  My gift genie is actually a re-gift genie and it's meant more for laughs than serious suggestions.  However, if you need serious suggestions, the gift genie can provide that too.  See the end of this post for possible gift ideas your gift genie could include.

Materials:

*Paper
*Pencil
*Stickers (optional)

Directions:

*Begin by folding the sheet of paper diagonally.


*Cut off the excess paper that goes beyond the fold.


*Unfold so that your paper forms a square and then fold in half diagonally going between the opposite corners of the original diagonal fold.


*Unfold the paper.


*Fold one of the corners to the center of the paper.


*Fold the remaining corners to the center in the same fashion.


*Flip the paper over and fold one corner to the center of the paper.


*Fold the remaining corners to the center.


*Number the triangles created by the folding 1-8.  Lift up the flaps and write a gift idea under each number.  Fold the flaps back to the center.

*Fold in half.


*Decorate the resulting squares using words, stickers, colors, or other things you can spell out.  I used stickers corresponding to different gift categories: clothes, shoes, makeup, and music (although these did not match the gift ideas beneath the flaps).

*Slide your fingers under the flaps and use as you would a "cootie catcher."

Ideas for gifts:

*Gift card to a favorite store
*Jeans
*Sequin top
*DVD with Jiffy Pop, popcorn seasonings, movie theatre candy
*Boots
*Craft scissors, if they're a crafter
*Concert tickets or other experience related gifts (see here for other experience ideas)
*DIY coupons (e.g. for a nice dinner, a back rub, a day trip, see here for design ideas)
*E.L.F. gift card
*Framed quote (see here for DIY idea)
*Pokemon themed gifts (see herehere, here, here, and here for DIY ideas)
*Lip balm (a good stocking stuffer; see here, here, and here for DIY ideas)
*Earrings (see here for DIY clay owl earrings)

Ideas for re-gifts:

*A rusty paperclip
*Out of season hand towel
*Holiday card with previous recipient's name scratched out
*Strongly scented lotion that has been sitting under the bathroom sink for at least three years
*Unusable nick knack that is at least one foot tall
*Well circulated state quarters
*Item from the back of your closet
*Half used candle

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