heARTfelt gift idea

I'm sure you are all crazy busy right now so the last thing you need is another Christmas gift to make!  That's exactly how I felt when this idea popped into my head when I should have been sleeping Friday night.  I already had some gifts that HAVE to be finished THIS week (we're celebrating on the 19th at our house).

So what did I do Saturday morning?  I started three new gifts!  I was even diligent to take photos of the steps so you could see.  Unfortunately I messed up with renaming the files and my computer ate them so you only get to see the finished product and hear about the steps. 

The idea behind this is to give something very personal yet displayable (is that a word?); to share my thoughts and feelings with them in a way where neither of us would feel too exposed if others saw it; to give them art and feelings at once.

Those of you who do art journaling and collage might want to make these using your regular techniques but with the twist of a hidden personal note written just for that special person.  

Here's how I did it (again, sorry there are no pictures):

1. adhere book pages to heavy paper -- I used watercolor canvas because I didn't like the watercolor paper in my stash
2. do the masking tape technique
3. hand-write a personal note to your friend -- I used pencil but you could use a pen as long as it's not water-soluble
4. paint with white gesso -- this will cover a lot of the writing but not all
5. adhere assorted papers on top -- I really like to use tissue papers and hand-made papers for this step
6. your message should be pretty much obscured - if you want to be sure nothing too personal shows, scan it and look at it on your computer screen - it's amazing what shows there!!!
7. add paints as desired
8. if anything is water-soluble, hit it with a coat of clear matte spray paint
9. think of one word for them for the coming year - your wish or prayer for them - and add it to the collage either with calligraphy or your printer -- guess which one I did?
10. present to your loved one by telling them what you wrote

Anyway, after making these and destroying my schedule even further this week, I've decided that in the future these would be perfect for birthday gifts - sort of a blessing and prayer for the coming year.

I also realize some people might not feel artsy-fartsy enough to make them and am trying to figure out how to make them for others - perhaps they write the feelings down and I put that as the first layer on a collage and end with the word of their choosing.  Any ideas on that?

Okay.  Better go.  Still have those original gifts to finish in six days!