Worth Making

Shopping for teenage girls at Christmas can be surprisingly hard. They know what they like. They know what’s trending. And they definitely know when something isn’t cool. As a mom of girls in this age range, I get a pretty good look at what they and their friends are actually carrying, wearing, talking about and asking for. So instead of filling this list with random things that happen to have “teen girl” in the product description, I wanted to put together gifts they would genuinely be excited to find under the tree. Want to Skip Straight to the Shopping? I pulled all of my favorite teen girl gift ideas together in one place to make Christmas shopping a little easier. You can find the full Teen Girl Christmas Gift List in my Amazon Storefront , with even more ideas than I included in this post. I’ll keep adding new finds as we get closer to Christmas, so be sure to check back! [ SHOP THE FULL TEEN GIRL GIFT LIST ON AMAZON → ] Whether you're looking for a small stocking stuffer, ...

I love a cute Halloween treat, but I don’t always love the amount of work that can go into making one. Especially when you need 20 or 30 of them. Over the years, I’ve learned that some of my favorite class treats and little gifts start with something completely store-bought. Add a cute printable, and suddenly an ordinary snack feels like you put way more effort into it than you actually did. That is exactly the idea behind my Halloween printable collection. I’m creating simple printables designed to pair with easy-to-find treats and snacks. Most are as simple as print, cut, fold and staple —because cute Halloween treats do not need to involve staying up until midnight the night before the class party. And I’ll continue adding new designs here as I make them, so bookmark this post if easy Halloween treats are your thing! Halloween Mini Muffin Treat Toppers “There’s Muffin to Be Scared Of!” These were the first Halloween treat toppers I made, and they’re still such an easy one. I used i...

I love a cute Halloween treat, but I don’t always love the amount of work that goes into making one. Sometimes the best party or classroom treats start with something completely store-bought — and you just make them a little more fun. These  Halloween Mini Muffin Bag Toppers  are exactly that kind of project. Grab individually packaged mini muffins, print the toppers, fold them over the bags, add two staples, and you have an adorable Halloween treat in just a few minutes. No baking. No individual treat bags to fill. And, most importantly, no staying up way too late the night before a class party assembling 30 complicated favors. There’s Muffin to Be Scared Of! I designed these toppers around the saying  “There’s Muffin to Be Scared Of!”  with a simple little ghost, bats, stars, and a muted Halloween color palette. Each finished topper measures approximately  6 inches wide by 2 inches tall , making it a great size for individually packaged mini muffin bags. The p...

Some projects don't really need a full tutorial—they're just a really good idea worth sharing . And these personalized water bottles are exactly that. I needed a gift that was useful, affordable, and easy to make for a group. I also wanted something that felt a little more special than handing everyone the exact same thing. The solution? Simple navy water bottles personalized with each person's name. They turned out so cute, and this is one of those projects that looks like you put in way more effort than you actually did. And the best part? You don't have to use these exact water bottles. This same idea works with all kinds of drinkware—water bottles, tumblers, cups, travel mugs, and more. Find a vessel you love, add a name, and you've got an easy personalized gift. An Easy Personalized Gift For this project, I started with simple navy water bottles and added each name vertically down the side using my Cricut and white permanent vinyl. That's it. No compl...

When I started planning flowers for our event, I knew I wanted arrangements that felt full and beautiful—but I also knew I didn't want to spend a fortune having them professionally made. I decided to order flowers in bulk and arrange them myself, and it ended up being so much easier than I expected . I made about six statement arrangements, all a little different, using vases I already had on hand. I am definitely not a florist, and I didn't take enough step-by-step photos to call this a true tutorial. But there were a few things I learned—and a few inexpensive supplies I ordered from Amazon—that made the entire process surprisingly easy. So, if you've ever thought about DIYing flowers for a party, shower, wedding, military ball, or other event, here's what worked for me. Where I Ordered My Flowers I ordered all of my flowers online from FiftyFlowers, and I had such a good experience. The ordering process was easy, and they even reached out to me about adjusting my shi...

Making your own cheer bows is easier than it looks! Once you get the basic fold down, you can make a simple cheer bow in just a few minutes. In the video below, I’ll show you exactly how I fold a basic cheer bow — including my favorite trick for getting the loops even every time: an old Cricut cutting mat. The grid lines make it so much easier to keep your folds consistent and create a bow that looks symmetrical without constantly measuring and adjusting. What You'll Need I keep a full list of my favorite bow-making supplies here: SHOP MY CHEER BOW SUPPLY LIST For this basic bow, you'll need: 3-inch grosgrain ribbon Old Cricut cutting mat or another gridded sticky mat Double-sided tape Small zip tie Hair tie Rhinestone adhesive or bow center embellishment Scissors Lighter How to Make a Simple Cheer Bow 1. Cut Your Ribbon Cut a 29-inch piece of 3-inch grosgrain ribbon . Find the center of the ribbon and place it along the center line of your Cricut mat. Worth Making Tip: Don...

Cheer season is officially here! My daughter is heading off to middle school cheer camp, and I wanted to send the girls with a little something to kick off the season. This year's team chose a plain backpack because it matches the high school cheer bags—a smart decision since they'll be able to use them for years (and let's be honest...cheer is expensive!). The plain backpacks were practical, but they could use a little personality, so I thought custom team bandanas would be the perfect addition. When I started shopping around, I found similar custom bandanas selling for   $10–15 each . With 22 girls on the team, that would have cost well over $200. I knew I could make something just as cute for a fraction of the price—and I was right. For less than   $3 per bandana , I created personalized gifts that looked professionally made, matched our team colors perfectly, and added a fun touch to each girl's backpack. Project Cost Bandana: Less than $1.00 each Glitter HTV: Appro...