Valentine's Day wreath from Christmas ornaments

Materials: Ikea Christmas wreath, Ikea heart ornaments, wire hangers

Description: The Valentine's Day wreath is made from Christmas wreath (white/red polka dot garland and white fuzzy heart ornaments).


STEP 1
Take a wire hanger and shape it into a heart by pushing inward the hanger part of the hanger.

STEP 2
take the Ikea Christmas garland and tie with red wool to the wire in between the beads. Cut the garland to the exact length of the heart.

STEP 3
take fabric scraps about quarter inches wide and tear to strips. Wrap the top part of the hanger and secure with glue gun.

STEP 4
hang any heart ornaments (or those from Ikea) and glue on a bow.

Hang wherever it looks great! :)

See more of the Valentine's wreath.

~ Elvi, Brooklyn, NY

Tiny Easter diorama

Materials: Grundtal (magnetic spice container)

Description: I added nice papers and printed words to the containers; also artificial grass, ribbon and a cute chicken. So the magnetic containers became unique Easter presents.

See more of the tiny Easter diorama.

~ doro K.

Goblet Snow Globe

Materials: IKEA wine goblet and brandy glass, artificial snow, bottlebrush trees, cardboard, origami paper & glue gun.

Description: Trace mouth of IKEA goblet onto cardboard and cut out. Glue bottlebrush trees to cardboard. Add a few tablespoons of artificial snow to glass and glue cardboard to mouth of glass. Flip glass upside down and display for the holidays.

See more of the stemware snow globes.

~ Camilla Fabbri, Evanston IL USA

Custom RIBBA Frame

Materials: (1) 9" x 9" RIBBA frame, Glass Etching Cream, Paint Brush, X-Acto Knife, Vinyl Stencil

Description: I have a few friends where a smaller gift for the holidays is more appropriate, but I still wanted to do something special for them. Picture frames seem like such a "blah" gift but the price of the RIBBA frame was right so I started brainstorming how to make it more custom. Suddenly I thought of monogramming and how I could apply it to the frame itself. Enter glass etching!

1.) I cut out J-O-Y from 2" vinyl letter blocks (from an office supply store).

2.) Arrange the vinyl "stencils" to the RIBBA glass, making sure the seal to the glass was nice and tight.

3.) Add glass etching cream (I used "Armour Etch"), waiting 15 minutes for the etching to take place.

4.) Wipe off the cream with a dry cloth, then removed the glass completely from the frame to wash and shine with a glass cleaner.

5.) Insert the glass back into the frame and add some pattern (I used gift wrapping paper) as the "photo" for a finished look.

See more of the personalised Ribba.

~ Emily Snuffer, Cincinnati, Ohio

Japanese Clogs

Materials: Generic Chopping Board

Description: I bought a generic chopping board from IKEA. The thickness is just nice. It comes in 2 pieces.

I took the larger piece, cut it using a jigsaw and drilled 3 holes for the red rope to go through.

Tie the rope underneath the clogs, hammer in the 2 stands for each piece and you have a very quick-and-easy to make gift for your Japanese boss!

See more of the chopping board Japanese clogs. (I think the pics are rather self explanatory.)

~ Yeow Benny

Last minute Christmas hacks

Kex gift tags
Sarah has a super easy and quick hack that is great for this gift-giving season.

She says, "After eating the Kex letter biscuits I decided to use the box for another purpose. The Kex package is great; a bright design and with a background of red cloth. After breaking the box down, simply trace a tag pattern on the package and cut them out. The last step is punching a hole at the top for the string to go through. The inside of the box is a neutral tan so it's ready to write on. Super easy!"



Sleeve Blanket from the Polarvide
Want to give some thing warm and fuzzy this Christmas? Tien's Sleeve Blanket may just make the cut.

Tien says, "Here's my $8 holiday gift that I'm giving a bunch of people this year. It's based off of the Slanket. It's really easy that even I, who cannot sew worth a crap, can make it. It's simple straight cuts and sews with little measuring (more eyeballing, really).

It just requires two $4 Polarvide blankets from Ikea and a sewing machine. You can use a larger $15 blanket like this one, but for double the price and little difference. Plus, the Polarvide has a nice decorative trim on the ends that makes it even more interesting and festive.

If they're good with sewing, there are many ways to personalize it - monograms, patches, case for the blanket, etc. You can also use ribbon trim to hide the middle line or even highlight it with a different color of fleece. If you're really wanting to put forth an effort, you can also sew pockets on the outside middle for stuff like tissues or remote controls. (I suggest pockets like a pullover hoodie so they can stick their hands in it.) Instead of buying extra material, simply cut off a small section from one end since the blankets are rather long, so no one is going to miss 8 inches off the bottom. I was just too lazy to make pockets.

I've made about 10 of them and so far, everyone's loved it. Oh, one last thing - you can actually get two gifts out of it, the blanket and a cool scarf. Just take the decorative edges that are leftover and sew them together (either back to back or connected).

Click here to download the pattern that I made."

50 cent cord dispenser

not quite a hack, but if you're ever like linda, who gets her gift wrap ribbons tangled up, this is a nice way to keep your cords organised.

"i went to my favorite little thrift store and bought this glass sugar container for 50 cents. i had a hunch that the ikea string cording that i absolutely love would fit perfectly inside the container, enabling me to dispense the cording with ease as i wrapped a present. and it did! perfectly!"

last minute gift guide

i admit it. i usually do my last-minute-i-m-out-of-ideas shopping at ikea. where possible, i'll add in a simple personal touch so that i won't appear so utterly "thoughtless". here are some items i was thinking of for the last dash before the ho ho holiday season.
1. fantasi barnslig $7.99
i like the fun looking animals. i may decorate the frames too, if i have the time.

2. bastis hook $1.99 each
4 of these cute hooks for the quirky friends i know.

3. motorp cd storage box $4.99
help a music fan organise his/her cds.

4. trollfjorden toiletries bag $4.99
one of the most useful things i ever bought. my frequent traveller friend will appreciate this gift. will also stuff in a luxurious body lotion for a nice surprise.

5. isig lantern $14.99
eucalyptus - that's her favourite scent. so, a scented candle block goes in with this.

6. lykta table lamp $12.99
siren red lamp for a friend who could use a dash of colour.

7. statist decoration tree $3.99
some thing that i probably will never buy for myself (because i am too practical for my own good) but makes a great accessory stand for my diva friend.

8. hanna pillow case $6.99
tie a fancy bow over the cushion and add a handwritten tag for instant sweetness.

9. hanna blomma cushion cover $4.99
stuff into the pillowcase a sachet of scented potpourri for a heartwarming touch.


10. skimmer candleholder $9.99
classy gift for a classy lady. glass is in.

11. ovation vase $12.99
love the black and the smooth finish. great addition to aunt z's collection.

12. myken table mirror $9.99
i always feel pretty and girly when i look into this mirror. it must be magic.

13. vurm 4-bottle wine rack $9.99
include a fine bottle of red, if you don't want to look cheapskate like me.


14. groggy ice crusher $12.99
bring the party kit. a few whirls and voila, you have margaritas.

15. falang vase $6.99
simple and understated. a posey or christmas berries to complete the gift.

16. glansa candelabra $9.99
just right for the season.

17. greppa spice mill $9.99
include a sachet of spices with the gift for a personal touch.

18. tripp tin $2.99
fill this with your favourite tea, coffee or cookies and give them away.

for more ideas, view ikea's online holiday brochure.
happy shopping!