Goal in the Works - Homemade/Handmade Christmas Presents

For December I did 2 crafts. I like making homemade things for gifts, it's so much more personal. The first one I made was for Derrick. I made a personalized coffee mug with a couple of Sharpies, a plain white mug and the oven. I wrote on the mug with the Sharpies and then baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Update: Even though we don't dish-wash the mug and we are gentle when we wash it, the writing is coming off. I plan to get a ceramic pen and try again.

The other craft was for my mom, she asked for a vase for Christmas. I went out looking for the perfect vase. I found many that were too small or too big or too plain. I did find a few that I was drawn to and they all had etched designs on them but the price was out of our Christmas budget. Then I thought, 'I bet I can make one. Then it will be one-of-a-kind.' So that's what I did. I found a great shaped vase at Michaels and used my 50% coupon. I also got the etching materials from Michaels with another coupon on a separate trip. It took an entire day to complete but well worth it and it wasn't difficult. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the after, just the during.