Most people are aware that “Vapour rub”or “gelled menthol” is a very popular topical over the counter medicine that is used to treat mild breathing ailments. However, most people do not know that this product has several more practical every day uses as well.

In fact, menthol can be used for a variety of different things including; healing insect bites and helping horses to focus. Yes it is true, before a race, riders often help the horse to focus by placing a tiny amount of it under the horse’s nostril. Menthol has a strong scent that hides the odour of other horses and keeps the horse’s mind on the race and not on the foxy beauty next to it.  That is quite an interesting fact, don’t you agree?  Menthol has also been known to open sinus cavities and help people to breathe more easily.  This is what it is most commonly used for. 

Growing up, I was a sickly child. Mum always had menthol lying around the house, because it was literally the only way I could breathe. She would place a spoonful of it near a steam humidifier and this helped considerably. If it were not for the many nights I spent with an open bottle of menthol in my room, I probably would not have survived my childhood.  I can still remember her saying its perfectly fine to drink it, so long as you only use a little bit and you dilute it in water. This always made me feel uneasy since I knew that I had also taken a hot bath with the very same stuff, the night before. Mum was always coming up with new uses for it, however, mum’s remedies were always the best.

What I know now, that I did not know then, was that mum did not invent these remedies,  she just knew what ever other mum did, that there was a whole lot more to menthol than meets the eye.

Here are some examples of what you can do with Menthol.

• Applying it to your feet provides night-time cough relief. Generously rub menthol all over your feet and cover your feet with socks, your cough will eventually subside because the heat from your socks will create vapours.
• Rubbing it on your chest allows you to breath more easily if you have sinus problems.
• Menthol not only opens your chest, it also helps to relieve sore aching muscles.
• If you suspect that you have nail fungus, rub it on your toenails, it will turn the nail black and eventually kill the fungus. As your toenail begins to grow, it will grow off and you will have fungus-free feet, if you continue this regiment.
• Cats and dogs do not like the smell of menthol, if you put it on places that you want to deter your pets from scratching or peeing on, this will help.
• Other known medical uses for menthol include, helping to remove splinters, easing headaches, healing minor cuts, burns and infections and it aids in preventing insect bites.
• Insects also dislike the smell and it is a natural insect repellent.

Epsom Salt Foot Rub:

While menthol is not a wonder drug, it can offer mild relief to someone suffering from colds, flu and other minor aches and pains. Menthol makes the perfect starting gift for a home-made get well gift basket.  It is very expensive, therefore, if you want to make more than one basket, you may want to create smaller fancy decorative jars and place some of it into the jar instead.

Make the jars and gift basket complete with personalized printable labels from Boutique Printables.  Printable labels like these add the perfect touch to any gift basket.  You can simply modify them to say “Get Well.”

If you want to make the basket even better, add jars or bags of Epsom Salts. Epsom salts go a long way to providing some of the same relief as menthol and can be used alongside it. There are a great deal of uses for Epsom Salts as well, but that is a story for another day.

Here are some other things you can add to a get well basket to make it perfect:

• Fruits and juice
• Vitamins
• Chicken Soup
• Over the counter pain reliever and cough medicine
• Lemon and Honey 
• Special Teas
• Cough Drops 
• Thermometer
• Mineral Water
• Books and Magazines
• Slippers and blankets

Nothing says love more than a remedy from mum and a personalized “Home Made Get well gift basket.”

Party favours and thank you gifts are often seen as something that you provide for the women who attend events,but what if the event is a sporting banquet or golf tournament? In this case, there will be more men than women in attendance and you will need to plan accordingly.

via: http://www.incasagifts.com/A93002-Love-Is-Party-Dish-L.jpg

How do you address the issue of who receives party favours and thank you gifts when it comes to events? When preparing gifts for events, I always follow the standard rule of thumb and I try to stick with creating or buying more neutral type gifts.

The gifting rule is loosely based on the theory of probability and goes something like this:

The norm is to provide one gift for each single individual and/or couple. If you have 100 people in attendance, you may only have to provide gifts for 75 people if 50 of them are in a relationship (attending as a couple) and 25 of them are single. You will have to give one gift to each of the 50 couples and one gift to each single individual.

How do you determine what kind of gifts to provide? That is pretty simple ~ the female receives the gift in a couple situation, so most gifts can be female oriented.

You could easily make these with Boutique Printable chocolate wrappers

This is important to note when it comes to deciding which gifts to offer because if you only have a small set of gifts for men, you will most likely be giving them to the single men in attendance.  

Let us take a typical event scenario where you can split your guests into male and female. Chances are, when you do this, you will come out relatively even, it will not be exactly 50/50, but there will not be a huge significant difference. If you split that group even further, you will most likely end up with 60% of those individuals being in some form of relationship. That leaves the rest of the guests being 40% single. The single individuals can once again be split into groups that are probably going to be 20% male and 20% female. Men who are coupled, are expected to give the gift to his escort, girlfriend or spouse. This translates into the ratio for men type gifts being at only about 20-30%, under normal circumstances. The men’s factor is often ignored at events and this is really unfair, you should offer gifts to the men who attended as a single person afterall, they did pay for a ticket just like everyone else.

It is interesting to note, if the event is a sporting event or golf tournament chances are the ratio is more likely to be, 45% individuals in relationships, 35% single males and 20% single females. When it comes to sporting type events, the majority of gifts should be male oriented and the female is expected to give up her gift. The same scenario applies only in reverse.

In the best case scenario, you should create 30% male oriented gifts, 30% female type gifts and the other 40% being neutral gifts. If you keep to these strategies, you will most likely never miss giving a great gift to anyone.

Tips:

• Stick to neutral type gifts and you will never have to worry about this ratio at all.
• Throw in an extra 10% for kids, because there are always one or two lingering around.  
• This number will be significantly higher when the event is child and family oriented.  In that case, every child should receive a gift and you should plan accordingly. That means you will have gifts to provide for attendees and children.

Here are some ideas to what gifts you should provide for each category of individual.

Neutral type gifts include:

• Candles
• Candies and chocolates
• Hair Products
• Nuts (peanuts,etc.)
• Alcohol
• Glasses and Mugs
• Playing cards
• Novelties

Men prefer things like:

• Coloring books & crayons.
• Puzzles
• Mini Games
• Books
• Writing pads
• Mini Craft projects
• Glow Sticks
• DVD’s (movies, music, etc)
• Surprize bags
• Stickers

I think these are pretty neat too!

Whatever choice you make, one thing’s for certain, you must provide some type of door prize, party favour or thank you gifts if you want your event to be memorable. People will never forget the event if they have something to take home from it. That is the real reason for the gifts in the first place, so that people will remember to come to the next one, they are basically a nice form of date reminder.

Which one seen throughout this article is your favourite? I personally like candles, so I am somewhat biased, however, I wouldn’t mind a plate like the one above to have my berries on.

Fund Raising is very similar to event planning, except that you do not always have to create events in order to fund raise. If you sell chocolates or other fund raising items to family or friends, you really do not need to plan an event, although you will still have to organize how the money will be collected along with a few other small tasks.

Huge gala evenings, foundation dinners and other similar fund raising events require the assistance of an event planner, while smaller fund raising events such as car washes, do not. Small events can be organized by anyone and only require a few volunteers. In essence, the only real difference between the two is that events like weddings, birthdays and social dinners are not created with the goal of raising money. Fund Raising has one purpose only ~ to collect donations and raise funds.

When it comes to fund raising, budgets are critical.  If you want to raise as much money as you can, you have to rely heavily on low costs items such as printable designs for home made decorations, invitations and table settings.

The event that you organize relies heavily on the amount of money that needs to be collected.  If you’re trying to collect a million dollars for a hospital foundation, chances are the events you create will be large and very expensive to participate in.  In contrast, if your trying to raise money a few hundred dollars for a group outing, a small car wash will be more effective.

If you want to help your children raise money for their schools or sports clubs, here are some quick fund raising craft ideas that you can do yourself.

• Air fresheners or candle making Fund Raising:  You can create these yourself or offer a workshop or seminar to show others.  Gel candles and Air Freshners can be made in literally less than five minutes and make great gifts.  People love to create items out of essential oils, so any craft of this type makes a great workshop.
• Party Favors:  Party favors such as handmade soaps and spice packages also make great fund raisers and cost almost nothing to make.  You could literally take a lollipop and spice it up to look really cool and sell it. Boutique Printables has everything you need to create affordable hand made gifts.
• Gift Baskets: A popular choice for any fund raising event because you can sell them or use them for raffle prizes.
• Bake sales: The easiest way to raise fund quickly and it is easy to get everyone to volunteer to bake some goods so you do not have to “go it alone.”

Here are some five minute craft ideas that can use at any fund raising event, you can sell them, or have people make them as a great way to raise funds.

Photos via:  Craft Corner

Gel Fragrance Candles, made from essential oils and gelatin.  When half dry, place candle in center for different effects.

Great Idea for bake sales!

Recycle your favorite t-shirt and create some great room decor at the very same time with this neat five minute craft.

Crafts are useful for a variety of things one of which is fund raising.  The next time you are bored and want to create something, why not do it for a good reason ~ to raise money for a cause that you care about.

I have been to numerous weddings, christenings, bridal and baby showers over the years.  The best part for me is receiving party favours, gift bags and thank you gifts at the end of the evening. It is not because I do not enjoy being at the event or that I am expecting something in return, it is simply that I love seeing what wonderful ideas people come up.  Personally, I prefer home made gifts over commercially bought ones because they tend to be a bit more personalized, however, it really does not matter. It is the thought that counts.

Via cdn1-blog.hwtm.com

Not only do I like receiving them,  I also enjoy making them and giving them at my own events.  I have a huge collection of favours that are neatly placed on a shelf that I had built just for that purpose.  Collecting party favours helps me to remember the date and is my own personal way of keeping the memory of the day alive.

I seem to have the hardest time keeping candle favours, I seem to always open and use them. Candles are of course my favourite type of party favour.

Party favours and thank you gifts can be made from a variety of different items and come in all shapes, colours and sizes. The most popular types include:

• Candles
• Cookie Cutters
• Perfumes and Bath Products
• Chocolates
• Candies
• Desserts
• Spices
• Statues (Angels, etc.)
• Plants and Flowers
• Novelties
• Photo Frames
• Printable Designs

Easy to make, DIY party favours can cost a great deal less than commercially bought ones and can be given as gifts for any occasion, party, event or gathering.  To make party favours, simply decorate and wrap a small gift with a tag, ribbon or some other type of printable label that indicates the date on which the event took place. You may also want to add a simple reminder of event, for example; the host’s name, a relevant quote or inscription.  The idea of a the gift is to say thank you to your guests for attending the event and is used as a date reminder. For example;  a wedding favour will remind the  guests each year of the couple’s anniversary date.

Here are some great examples of do it yourself party favours that you can use for your next event.

 Via: cdn2-blog.hwtm.com

Via treesouls.com

 Via 25.media.tumblr.com

Cinnamon and coffee are two of the strongest natural scents that you can use in a variety of  craft projects.  How each fragrance will smell and how long they will last is dependent on how you intend to use them.  For example, if you boil spices or coffee, the fragrance will not last as long as it would if you place them in an air tight sealed container.

If you want natural fragrances to last a little bit longer, crush them and add a drop or two of oil or petroleum jelly to make a kind of oily paste.  Both of these products have a tendency to “trap” fragrances and keep them fresh for longer periods. The oily paste can be used in many craft projects and is the best option for use when making candles.

If you suspend fragrance sachets under the hood that rests over your stove, every time you cook, the steam will cause the fragrance sachets to release fresh scents into the air.  This is a wonderful cost effective idea because most of the items needed can be found lying around the home. Be sure to use fragrance sachets made only from natural food scents for this project, otherwise your food may end up tasting like flowers.  This easy to make cinnamon sachet is my favourite, it adds a nice scent to your kitchen and it won’t make  your food taste any different.

Spicy Cinnamon Sachet Ingredients:

• 4 Cinnamon sticks about 18 cm each
• 1 Plastic Bag
• 1 Meat Mallet
• 1  tsp Whole Nutmeg
• 1  tsp Dark Espresso Coffee Beans
• 1  tsp Whole Allspice
• 1  tsp Whole Cloves
• Light cotton decorative fabric
• Elastic Band (Ribbon)

Directions: Place all spices into the plastic bag and crush with the meat mallet, mix thoroughly.

Once you have made the spice mixture, you can simply store it, add it to your craft projects or create a sachet by cutting a 20 cm square or circle of decorative fabric (if you use pinking shears it will create a nice topping effect) out of cotton or linen based materials.  Place spices in the center of fabric and gather up all corners of the fabric, close with elastic band.  Pull to tighten and tie with decorative ribbon.  The cotton will absorb the spices and the steam will release them into the air.  Replace every couple of weeks.

Variations of this sachet include; the aromatic mix and the holiday mix, both are equally as pleasant smelling and do not add unwanted flavours to your food.

The aromatic mix contains cinnamon, mixed pickling spice, whole cloves and all spice, while the holiday mix contains cinnamon, cloves, and dried lemon and orange peels.

Aromatic sachets can be made with dried flowers and other natural fragrances, but you should not use them in the kitchen or around the area where you are cooking, the steam may carry the aroma into the foods creating a kind of perfume taste. In the kitchen, it is best to use spices and other dried foods, while dried flower type sachets can be used in all other rooms in the home.

Here are some other projects that you can create with cinnamon, coffee and other natural ingredients lying around the home.

How about some cinnamon and sugar nuts?  Cover the nuts with oil and add cinnamon and sugar to add both texture, fragrance and flavour.

Add cinnamon sticks around candles to add fragrance as well as create a nice design effect.

Other spices and ingredients that create amazing fragrances for sachets include:

• Pumpkin
• Lavender
• Cranberry
• Chocolate
• Dried Fruit
• Dried Flowers
• Ginger
• Pine (other evergreens)

You can mix just about any of these spices together to make different fragrant varieties, what will be yours?

The easiest way to make money in the event styling industry is to offer services in one particular area.  There are so many categories of services from food preparations, decorations to entertainment that it is almost impossible to list them all.  Focusing on a few closely related areas, will provide you with ample opportunities to make money, because these types of services are always needed. For example, you may be a simple cupcake decorator who also offers cakes, desserts and party favours made from cakes and chocolates as an added revenue source.

Event styling is a highly competitive market and while there are huge amounts of possibilities, you have to work hard at developing your brand.  Your brand is what will get you the recognition and clients that you need to start a successful business, but you need to be very good at what you do to keep them coming back.

A good example of this is cake decorating.

In recent years, cake decorating and dessert style has become an extremely popular trend.  As a result, cakes and cupcakes have gone from simple one layered forms to works of art.  Let’s face it, not everyone could make a cake look this good, however depending on who your client is, they may be expecting it.

As an event planner, you may be an expert in some areas, like decorating, but you lack skills in other areas, such as food making.  In this instance, you will need to hire a caterer.

There are many services that event planner need help with including;

• Photography
• Movie and Video Making
• Invitation or other printable design creations
• Party favours and gift making
• Loot bags
• Prizes and contests
• Printed promotional materials
• Baking
• Desserts
• Gift Wrapping
• Entertainment
• Decorating
• Event coordination
• Music
• Lighting
• Advertising
• Cake and cupcake decorating

If you are able to provide any of these services and you need to make extra money, you should consider starting a home based event styling business, especially if you can make cakes and cupcakes that look like they are anything but.  All you need is a little inspiration and a good idea to get you started. Who knows, you may just end up creating some beautiful things like these:

Photo: www.craftster.org

While Saint Patrick’s Day is not considered a public holiday, except in Ireland, a small part of Canada (namely NewFoundland and Labrador) and Monserrat, it is celebrated with a passion by Irish decadents throughout the world. This is especially true in Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand where many Irish people’s ancestors fled to during the famous Irish potato famine in the mid 18th century.

St. Patrick’s day not only celebrates the life of the patron saint of Ireland, it is a annual reminder of the hope that many of these Irish ancestors had for a brand new beginning in a new country. Through harsh conditions and adversity, they traveled many miles to new lands to seek better lives for their families, unfortunately, many never reached their destination.  Countries around the world opened their arms and hearts to the Irish and in turn, the Irish helped build nations around the globe.

St. Patrick’s day is celebrated in many cities with a huge annual parade and “wearing” of the green. Parades are held in Sydney, Dublin, Montreal, New York and Boston to name a few.

What makes this holiday so special? No matter where you “hail” from, what religion you practice or language you speak, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s day.  It has been this way for a very long time.

Decorating and preparing for St. Patrick’s day is quite simple, you need to use lots of green and you must simply have shamrocks everywhere. Girls often wear green ribbons in their hair and sport dresses adorned with shamrocks while boys wear top hats and tails adorned with real shamrocks.

I simply love the hairstyle seen here:

St. Patrick’s party ideas:

• Green beverages
• Green lights (use Christmas ones that are green only)
• Create A pot of Gold at the end of a rainbow
• Have a hunt for Gold Coins or use gold coins for party favours
• Use tons Irish sayings, limericks and proverbs (buttons, pins, etc.)
• Make all of your cakes, treats and cookies green
• Add some Irish and Celtic Music
• Leprechauns make a great conversation

My family and I have been part of each and every parade since I was a wee lass.  It is an entire day filled with green food, drinks and a whole lot of Irish music and dancing.  If you have never had the opportunity to take part in one of these parades, I strongly suggest that you do.  You do not have to be Irish, you just have to be Irish for the day!

 Some more St. Patrick’s Day Inspirations:

Looking for the perfect parting gift to give to everyone for an upcoming event?

Candles are always a good party favour or thank you gift option because although men will never admit it, they like candles too. Candles are something everyone needs, everyone can find a use for. Scented candles add an aroma and ambiance to your house that you cannot but appreciate. Not to mention, candles are easy to make and decorate.

Adding a personalized printable design to a candle can create an absolutely stunning effect, such as the one seen here from pinkfrosting:

While browsing my local bookstore,  I came across this fabulous how-to book on scented candles. The hard-bound book, which included materials for creating scents was reasonably priced, so I immediately purchased it and went home. The first batch of candles I made wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but they smelled so good, they were good enough to display in my home.  I probably won’t be giving them away any time soon.

If your anything like me, you’re the kind of person who likes romantic candlelight dinner dates, quiet reading time and soaking in the bath with candles all around. If this sounds like you, then scented candles are the perfect choice for you.  You can make some for yourself at the same time as making them to give away as party favours.

Creating gifts from scenting candles is considerably easier than it seems. You basically have two options.

1. Use already prepared hand made or commercially bought scented candles and simply decorate them with printable designs, bows and adornments.
2. Create your own scented candles from scratch, add your own fragrances and decorate them the same as above.

Basic candle supplies include wax, molds, wicks, fragrances and tools such as wooden stick used for holding wicks and pots for melting max.

Photo Hobby Galaxy.

Candle making molds come in variety of shapes, sizes and while candle making is an art, the basics are to melt the wax, pour in molds and add synthetic fragrance or essential oils into the candles.  Reading books, researching methods and simple trial and error is the best way to learn how to make candles, however, you can start by learning how to melt max, pour into jars, add fragrances and grow from there.

The most important part of the candle making process is the wax choice. Your choice of wax will determine how long the candle will burn for, how effective the oils will mix into the melted wax and how long the scent will last.

Here are the most popular wax types:

• Creme Wax
• Gel Wax
• Soy Wax
• Glass Fill Wax
• BeesWax
• Crystallizing Wax
• Premium Wax

 Each wax is used for different methods of candles and is dependent on the effect and the mold that you are using.

BeesWax is considered to be the most versatile and longest lasting wax. Beeswax and soy wax varieties are considered safer to use instead of paraffin and gel varieties  that tend to melt and heat too quickly creating instability in  the molding process.  I personally prefer beeswax  because of its natural properties and its quick cooling process.

Scented candles have aromatic and stress relieving properties however, there are particular kinds or methods of producing candles which are considered harmful. Candles that have wicks made from metal are dangerous because they often cause lead poisoning and air pollution. Make sure you purchase wicks made from paper, hemp, or cotton as they are more health and nature-friendly.

Once you have decided what type of candle you will use for the gift, the rest is easy;  simply decorate them with printable designs, bows and other adornments.  Here are some beautifully decorated candles and candle holders for some design inspiration:

I like the rustic look and feel of these candles.

Sheet music for a musical event, what a great idea!

Great Idea for a camping trip.

Are you a “gifter”? A gifter is a person who makes or purchases gifts for people they love no matter what the occasion is and sometimes they do  it, “just because.” Gifter’s enjoy giving as much as receiving, but usually end up giving more than they will ever get back in return.  They do it simply because it makes them feel good and for no other reason than that.

Crafty people who make home made crafts and gifts, tend to give them away after they have made them. Most often leaving nothing for themselves even though they have spent hours making the items.

Crafter‘s and gifter’s spend a lot of time making other people happy, I thought it was time they took a moment to pamper themselves. If your not a gifter yourself, you can still pamper yourself or a gifter in your life with these quick and easy beauty recipes.

What better way to pamper someone than by making some home made beauty and skin products?

This home made product recipe makes a lip balm that will give your lips a nice soft and smooth feel. And if you want to add a touch of something special you can always colour it green and add sparkles like this one!

Photo: http://cdn.blogs.babble.com/

Ingredients

• 4 oz olive oil
• 3 oz cocoa butter
• 1 oz beeswax
• 1/2 vitamin E capsule

How to make:

Melt the beeswax, cocoa butter and olive oil in a double boiler, stir until ingredients blend together properly. When melted, remove mixture from the heat and add 1/2 a vitamin E capsule and stir well. When mixed thoroughly, pour the lip balm into lip balm pots or containers. Allow to cool completely before sealing or closing the container with a lid.  There you have it, home made lip balm fit for a gift-er!

Now that your lips are taken care of,why not take care of the rest of you with some home made bath salts?

Bath salts are one of the easiest things to make,because the only thing you need is salt and essential oils.  Depending on which salts and which oils you choose, will determine the outcome.

Example:  Epsom salts vs Dead Sea Salts, while each are large and granular, epsom salts are more soothing than dead sea salts and are therefore best with lavender.

How to make:

Use 125 ml of salt to 25 drops of oil (you can mix them up ex: 5 drops of lavender, 20 rose). Seal in air tight container for a week to gain maximum scent before using.  Experimenting is the best way to find what  scents you like the most.

Home made beauty products, wines and foods will bring a smile to anyone’s face.  Home made is just comforting.

When someone is sick, there is nothing better than opening the door to a friend standing there with a bowl of chicken soup or consommé.  Gift giving is a great way to live a more positive lifestyle and it has been known to reduce stress.  Slow down in life, take time to smell the flowers and do the things that matter like take a nice warm bath, help a friend in need or create something wonderful.

It is your life, how you choose to live it depends on you, but if you want to be happy, you have to start by doing happy things, pampering yourself and others is the best “happy” place to start!

Bath Salt photo:Martha Stewart

If you want to be successful at making home made crafts such as; pickling jars, dry spice jars, oils and baked goods or gift baskets that contain all of those ingredients, you will need to start with the right supplies. One of the complaints I hear most often from people who want to try to start a hobby craft or learn to bake is the fact that they do not have the proper tools and it makes the job tedious.  This is absolutely true.  Do you think a chef would enjoy cooking, as much as they do, without a food processor or proper oven?  Part of the job is to make sure they have the tools they need to make the foods they want to create with little effort.

The same can be said for crafting, if you have the right tools to start, not only will the task be more enjoyable, it will provide you a good way to cost your finished products.  Many people do not consider the tools or labour in the final selling price and this is a huge mistake.  If materials cost over a thousand dollars, you need to find some way of adding that into the price, while you may spread it out over time it is still something that needs to be considered.

Obviously some tools will last longer than others and some will need to be refilled but generally speaking you can still factor in the cost based on this knowledge.

Here are some basic tools you will need to start a crafting hobby:

1. Cellophane
2. Fabric Pieces
3. Glue gun & Glue sticks
4. Hole Punch
5. Needles and thread
6. Ribbons
7. Bows
8. Tissue Paper
9. Pinking shears
10. Sharp Scissors or Utility knife (both is recommended)
11. White Glue
12. Wire
13. Wire Cutters
14. Jars, containers and baskets

1. Buttons
2. Glitter
3. Adornments (roses, butterflies, etc)
4. Design Printables and tags *like the ones from Boutique Printables
5. Markers, paint and crayons.

A personal tip: One of the things I use most often,and had never considered until someone bought it for me for Christmas, is a paper shredder.  It has since become a necessity for me. When I want to make gift basket fillers, I  simply shred scrap paper. When I want a textured paper I use old magazines, wrapping paper or wallpaper, and I also use coloured paper or simply dip regular paper into paint and let it dry.  This provides a great eco-friendly alternative that is both colourful and durable.

Sometimes we want to walk before we learn to crawl, this does not give us the opportunity to see what we missed along the way.  By all means use tools, just make sure that when you do, you understand why you are using them and you will be much more successful in your efforts.

Here are some great gifts you can make with just the supplies indicated above: