Hard but rewarding-Homemade Gift Exchange ONLINE

Hard but rewarding- Homemade Gift Exchange Online

This winter I participated in a ALL HOMEMADE Holiday Gift exchange online through a fellow blogger. 

It was all handled online with a gift exchange service. You sign up the service gives the opportunity to enter your likes and dislikes and some basic info so your gift maker has an idea of what to make you.  

Then here is the kicker the person you get is chosen for you and you can ask a few interview questions to help you get to know them better but you have to create an ALL HOMEMADE gift for that person based on what you learned. 

My person liked clocks, she collected them and had many in her home. She also liked traveling and NASCAR and several food items including Vernor's Ginger Ale. It is not sold everywhere but really is one of the best ginger ale's around. I had a former room mate who loved it and that is how I was introduced. 

I used what I had on hand as the rules stated and coupled that with the info I had gleaned from my "person" and started creating. 

I took a canvas and painted a rustic twelve section pattern with the focal point being the center of the canvas. 

To map out my sections I  devised a crazy way that probably makes no sense to anyone but me but it worked so I am happy. 

I used a ruler and lightly drew a line diagonally from corner to corner, creating a large X. Then I created a large rectangle in the center by connecting the horizontal lines using the X as my corner points. I could have measured from the corners in toward the center to see if it was perfect but its art and art is not meant to be perfection just creative so I just ran with it as is.

Then using the ruler I divided up the rest of the face of the canvas until I had twelve total areas not counting the center rectangle. Once it was all divided I poked my hole in the dead center for the clock works to go into. 

All ready for paint. I chose a color scheme that my person liked and that also was a scheme from the Vernor's label. Then I tried to give it a tropical or rustic tribal feel by antiquing and giving high and lowlights here and there. I really liked it as it was with no label but I wanted it to be what my person liked. So I recreated the Vernor's label and placed it on top of my now dry paint. I used mod podge both to adhere and seal the label to the canvas and then I used a few good thick layers to the top to seal it all good. 

To hide the tacks on the sides of the canvas I took a satin ribbon in a dark chocolate brown and hot glued it to the edge all the way around the outside. 

As soon as the clock works were in I was so happy with it and I hoped my new friend was too. My new friend, aka my person, turned out to be my gift giver too and she sent me an adorable candle holder. 

At first this experience had me stumped, scared, confused and then finally challenged. It was really fun to do and I made a new friend to boot! I think I will take part again next year. 

Have you ever participated in an online gift exchange?

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Carolyn