gifts
Handmade and Heartfelt
Somewhere between cooking and hosting, visiting and decorating, I managed to turn out a majority of handmade holiday gifts. I truly tried my best to either make our families offerings or buy from local independently owned shops.
For all the Grandmas… Scrapbooks filled with pictures of the kid playfully mounted to an assortment of his school projects. This was the second year for this type of gift and they love seeing him grow and his artwork progress with the year. It also relieves me of the guilt of discarding mini-masterpieces.
For my Mom… A three-dimensional wall collage of four generations of women. My Great Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother and Me. A camera strap for her prized SLR made from a pattern I purchased from OneSweetPattern.Etsy. Also a semi-collaged journal filled with hand-drawings and collected ephemera to inspire her to write.
Moppy and Mrs. Ibarra received appliquéd dishtowels, matching napkins and placements to match.
My Father-In-Law(s) got tamale baskets with homemade salsa.
Boxes of Mexican wedding cookies traveled from my oven to Texas as a thank you for friends.
And pj’s for all the kiddos. Pink fishy flannel and orange polka dots for the girl, firedogs, fighter planes and pirates for the boy.
Last, a trip to the pottery shop for a personally painted coffee-mug for Pop-Pop.
Apron Strings
A few pillowcase aprons in the works. Visit the DimeStorePretty.Etsy shop soon to find more like these available for purchase. Simple, useful, sweet, these aprons make perfect gifts for teachers, friends and hostesses alike.
In a Box Tied with a Bow
Finally, I have found the perfect size boxes to ship my largest flower hairpins. 
Although previous packing methods seemed to be working, I have always been nervous about the condition my flower-pins would be in when received.
I don’t know that I believe the US Post Office cares if it is marked “Fragile-Handle With Care” or not.
Now all Dime Store Pretty orders will be shipped specially wrapped in it’s very 
own gift box, cushioned in pretty tissue paper and wrapped with a bow.
Whether it is a gift for yourself or someone else, you know it will arrive beautifully.
Bottle-Stoppers
A perfect project for a crafty gal with a short attention span.
Thank you Martha (Stewart of course) for this one.
Drawer pulls are secured to store bought corks to create the adorable bottle-stoppers. This type of craft is easily customized to suit your taste or that of the recipient.
I am always looking for cheap yet chic, clever gifts for housewarming, hostess or impromptu thank you gifts.
Add some ribbon tied around pretty paper and give with a bottle of sparkling cider. Use them to top your favorite bottle of wine or transfer any brand olive oil into decorative bottles and add one of these stoppers.
BadAss Boots and Sunday Morning.
Its a perfectly quiet Sunday morning. Coffee, Bagel and I actually get to watch CBS Sunday morning.
This week featured a segment on Rocketbuster Boots of El Paso, Texas.
A great pair of custom made cowboy boots has been on my Ultimate Christmas List for years. Julia Roberts was gifted a boots featuring her twins initials (one on each boot) I knew that someday I would have to have a pair of my own.
Like a tattoo parlor, the artists and craftsmen that construct these amazing kicks sketch a custom design of anything you like. Styles can including anything from hand-painted Hula Girls, Western themed Adam & Eve, Sonny and Cher, Elvis, American Pride, Dia de Los Muertas, PinUp Girls…Whatever you can dream up.
Rockin’ Quilt
Finding these pictures made me realize that I havent posted about this Rockin Quilt.
Made from her husbands concert t’s, a friend special ordered this quilt for her man’s birthday.
Quite proud of it, if I must say.
Sentimental Bride Gifts
Monograms and embroidery make any gift more personal and received as more thoughtful. When I was married one of my most treasured shower gifts was a white linen handkerchief embroidered with my maiden and married monogram.
My good friend Marie will be leaving for her eldest daughter’s bridal shower next week and being so crafty I set an expectation of giving extra-special sentimental gifts. 
I worked with Christina to design her invitations and so was privy to the blue and orange butterfly motif. Eggshell colored paper gave added a subtle easy elegance and set the tone for the event.
For Christina’s hanky I chose barely-off-white linen and embroidered it with her initials and butterflies to match the invitations. The edges are finished with heirloom lace in a botanical pattern of flowers and leaves. The finished piece is pinned inside a shallow gift-shadow-box, lined with a satin.
I hope she love hers as much as I love mine.
A Crafty Week
Last week was spent fighting with collage and finishing Mother’s Day crafts.
The latter consisted of Paper Tulips for my Grandmother and Robin’s Egg salt and pepper shakers in a nest for my Mom.
The former did not go so well. I got into a fight with a cigar box, collage papers and Modge Podge. After a can of paint stripper and an hour of scraping, I was back to bare wood.
My goal is to create a collection of altered cigar boxes to serve as as special way to transport and display Dime Store Pretty vintage and vintage inspired hair pins and accessories. I am extremely happy with the results.
The first box is complete and all I had hoped. The outside is layered with rich layers of paint and copper foil, a big fat rose, news paper posies, silver rickrack and variety of buttons. The inside is lined with bronze woodgrain paper, a sheet of stocking advertisment from an actual vintage Sears & Rob. catalouge and plush paper flowers. The pins slide onto teal grograin ribbon that is overlays a red velvet pillow.
The whole thing feels rich and frosted like a delicious tea-cake. Something Alice might find Inside the Lookinglass with a note that reads “Wear Me”.
Coming Up Paper Roses
Large Paper White Rose Hairpin. 
Big blooms of the paper variety have grown to be beautiful hairpins.
There is something incredibly fresh about white roses.
About 2” wide.
Slightly smaller in Peachy Pink or a Soft Pink Blush,
These roses are the perfect piece for pinning back spring styles, or adding sweet sentiments to any wedding hair.
$6 + $1 shipping
Boxed Set.
Mothers Day is approaching, it seems Birthdays are always around the corner and then there is what to do for the Teachers, Nurses and Girlfriend gifts. Who can afford jewelry? Fresh flowers are expensive to ship and with chocolate, “you never know what you’re gonna get”.
An answer to your gift giving woes… Dime Store Pretty is now offering a limited number of Vintage Hairpin Selections sweetly wrapped in a classic keepsake shadow box. 
Each set contains 4 of our most popular vintage inspired hairpins.
Keepsake boxes in brown are lined with pink satin and black boxes are lined with ivory. Each selection contains Porcelain Roses in Spring Hues, 1 Plush Paper Posie in Peach or Pink and a Bejeweled Button Hairpin that is as cute as can be. Each piece is mounted to sturdy bobby-style hairpins.
If you prefer a specific color, let me know, I will do my very best to fill your special requests.
$20 + $5 shipping
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