Chalkboard Shoebox Surprise (A Frugal Gift Idea)

I am not exactly sure how I came up with this idea but I had a shoebox and I've seen lots of great ideas for things you can do with chalkboard paint on Pinterest.  So I came up with this shoebox gift that would be great for birthdays or Christmas or any other occasion when you want to treat someone.

I made this one for a 4 year old, but the ideas for what you could put in a box like this are endless.

A can of chalkboard spray paint is inexpensive and contains enough for several projects.  My can cost about $3.50.  I had a one piece shoebox that I opened up and painted with black spray paint first.  I left the back and bottom as it was because it had a nice design on it.  

I folded the box over and masked off the parts I didn't want painted with paper bags and paper.  I could have used painter's tape, but I wasn't that fussy.

Once the regular black paint dried I painted only the top with the chalkboard paint since I was planning to decorate the sides. I did several coats following the directions on the can.

You can write any message you wish on the box.  

I decorated the box with foam letters, numbers and shapes.

I left the design on the back of the box but there was still a logo on it.  

I used a Sharpie to cover it up and glued an A (for Annie) over it.

Inside of the box I enclosed foam letters, numbers and shapes.

This counting activity made with craft sticks, glue and acrylic jewels.

I spray painted an empty mint box with chalkboard paint 

to make a chalkboard chalk box.

I had to break the chalk in half to fit it in the box.

You could make this for a boy by replacing the pink crayons with regular crayons
and the tea set with a matchbox car.

The finished box, foam letters, the chalk box, number sticks, sticky notes (kids seem to love these for some reason), a glue stick, crayons and a tiny tea set I picked up on clearance.  This didn't cost me anything because I had everything already at home.  Yes, I bought most everything at one time...mostly on clearance or back to school sales.  Just look around your house and my shoebox gift Pinterest board and I am sure you can come up with great ideas for what could go in a gift box like this.

Another gift box idea...a large bottle of bubbles (on clearance for $1),
crayons (also on clearance) and a stuffed animal we had but they can be found inexpensively.

Visit my Shoebox Pinterest board with TONS of ideas for filling these boxes.

The ideas for filling these boxes don't stop with preschoolers. This can be adapted for all ages.  Just think of the person you are making it for and design it for them.  For a woman, you could decoupage pretty paper onto a box and put chalkboard paint on one end so the recipient can use the box to store something on a shelf and label what is inside. Fill it with good chocolates, and some kitchen towels.  Who wouldn't love that?

What would you put in the box?  What would you like to receive?  Let me know in the comments.

Linked up with Handmade Tuesdays at Ladybug Blessings.

Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord by Dave Stone

Are you looking for a great summer read that will help you in raising your children in the Lord? Pastor Dave Stone's Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord is just the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this hardcover, gift-sized book. It is filled with practical ideas and examples from his life in raising his own children. I found it to be both encouraging and challenging.

With 145 pages divided into ten chapters, this book is a quick read. I loved this quote from the first chapter:

Only perfect parents raise perfect children. (Last time I checked, there were no perfect children and no perfect parents either!) There is no foolproof plan. And there is this little detail called free will which will determine the spiritual commitment level of your children when they are grown. On the other hand, Christian homes don't just happen; neither do kids who love the Lord. There is a lot we can do to help determine the outcome of our children's spiritual lives.

Well, if like me, you are not perfect, you will be encouraged that you do not have to be perfect and you don't need to expect perfection in your children. You will also be challenged to raise your children (with the Lord's help) to the best of your ability and be given practical ways to carry this out.



Some of the topics covered in the book include having an authentic Christian walk at all times; what, when and how to pray for your children; being consistent in discipline; how others can help and more. There is also one chapter written just to moms and one for dads as well.


I really enjoyed reading this book and think all Christian parents would benefit from reading this book. I plan to read it again.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Green Grocery Bag Challenge

The Green Bag Lady and Sew, Mama, Sew have teamed up for the Green Grocery Bag Challenge.  The Green Grocery Bag Challenge is a project to encourage sewists (Don't you love that "word" instead of "sewers"?  I do.) to wrap their holiday gifts in reusable cloth grocery bags, thus reducing the amount of wrapping paper entering the waste stream while simultaneously getting multi-use bags into the hands of consumers (the gift recipients.)

Did you know?  US consumers generate 4 million tons of wrapping paper and shopping bag waste during the holiday season alone.


Did you know? The US alone goes through 100 billion single-use plastic grocery bags every year.


Isn't that mind boggling?  It is to me!  I have started using cloth bags for my shopping again. Years ago, I used cloth bags for my grocery shopping. I remember getting my bags out to go shopping the day that Erin was born and she is 16! So I had them at least that long ago! (I might add that the bags I had back then were sturdy canvas....I still have some of them and they are in excellent shape as compared to the junky ones they sell in the stores now.)  Over the years though, I got away from using the bags because I shop at Wal-Mart a lot and their bagging area is less conducive to that.  I started using cloth bags some again this year when I got a few free ones that they sell in the stores and bought a couple insulated ones which I LOVED using in the summer.  (I have found that some checkers are not that happy to see me with my bags.  :( I try to help bag so they aren't annoyed with me.)

About a month ago I heard about The Green Bag Lady and made up a bunch of bags using this video tutorial.

Katie snagged this one for her organ music.

Some of the bags I whipped up about a month ago.

bags folded up

bags folded up inside another bag I made

I have a few of these.  I love them.
They are made from old drapes!

Another plus was that all of the fabric was given to me.  It didn't cost me a dime to make any of these bags! A couple of bags that I never took pictures of I made from pre-quilted fabric and I LOVE them. They are more sturdy and are easier to fill in the store.  I loved doing my Christmas shopping in my fabric bags. When I came home from the stores no little eyes could see through the plastic bags!!

So, after seeing this challenge to use fabric instead of wrapping paper I wasn't sure how it would go over with the family.  Well, honestly, it went over like a lead balloon. They want to rip open their packages. I always buy wrapping paper 50% the day after Christmas so I already had paper for this year but not a whole lot so I figured I could do at least a few bags while I used up the paper I have and maybe break them in a little.  This way, I'll use up my wrapping paper then maybe I can purchase Christmas fabric on sale the week after Christmas to make more bags for next year.

Here are a few of the bags I've made ready to give...some are for Christmas and some for an upcoming birthday.  I did use tissue paper in the bags. If we want to be really green it can be re-used or saved to make paper or color on or something right?

Anyway, here they are:

Love this fabric!  When I was making this bag
Emma(7) asked me if I would wrap her present in this.  I had
already wrapped a present for her in a different bag so I just
took it out of that one and put it in this one.

This is a shopping bag. I used it like wrapping paper and even
put a little tape on it to make it more like a regular package.

another one

a tube shaped package...it was a little long so I tied it with some ribbon,
stuffed some tissue paper then the gift, more tissue and another ribbon

This is my favorite.  It is for an oversized package.
The fabric is satiny.  I tied it with a gold star ribbon and
a large jingle bell.  I don't think the picture does it justice.

A shopping bag used to wrap a gift.  I just
tuck the handles inside and fold up the top in pleats...then
tie with ribbon.

nice ornament fabric

This one looks like a gift bag (no handles though).
I love how versatile the bags are!

So, if you are at all inspired I'd love to hear from you. (Or if you have any questions feel free to ask.) I am hoping that over time the kids will become more receptive to the idea.

For more information and lots of bag making tutorials join the Green Grocery Bag Challenge on Facebook.