With the large selection of stencil designs in your library, customizing gifts is a big advantage you have. By using your library of stencil designs and a few crystals you can create custom Holiday gifts.

I used some of our stencil designs to create unique note cards and envelopes. I sprayed the design, let it dry and added crystals here and there as I saw fit. If you will be using the same stencil design for multiple cards, make sure the stencil is clean before you spray another design. I found it necessary to put a piece of paper under the edges of the stencil to prevent over spray. I would not advise you to add the crystals to the envelopes because they could come off in mailing and create a problem for the U. S. Post Office; however, you can dress up the note cards with a few crystals. They add a lot of pizzazz!

These make great teacher gifts or hostess gifts for the holidays and won’t break your budget. What is really nice is that these note cards are unique. When I showed them to the people here at the shop everyone liked the spider with the web and the fish the best because they were truly unique. You can design your package of note cards specifically for each individual. If you know someone who does not like to write, the spider with the web might get a few laughs. I got the blank cards and envelopes at a local craft store, very inexpensively.

Another unique gift would be a customized picture frame. You can purchase a plain, inexpensive frame and dress it up by adding a tat and some crystals. Make the design specific for a particular person or event. On the frame I purchased, I used the Duratat Ink. I didn’t have any trouble with the design smudging or rubbing off. I added the crystals and warmed them up with my hair dryer to activate the adhesive.

You could also spray designs on T-shirts using your stencil designs and airbrush gun. FYI the Createx fabric paint can be used in the Power Palette. I knew an airbrush artist who used the Power Palette to do his T-shirt art. He did not have a heat press, he told all his customers to put the shirt in the clothes dryer, on high heat for about 15 minutes before they wore it. You could also turn the shirt inside out and iron it on high heat. If you choose the hot iron method I think you would also need to put a piece of fabric between the design and the underside of the shirt just to be safe. This is what worked for him.

It’s always nice to be able to create something unique that is a reflection of someone’s personality. Personalized gifts show that you have put some thought into the gift. By using your stencils and the body crystals you could really create some unique gifts. If you have some pictures of unique gifts that you have created and would like to share them with our readers, please email them to me at bonnie@tatstore.com and I will add them to my blog. Please send the pictures by Dec. 20, 2008. They may not make it on my blog for this Holiday season, but I hope you will get some good ideas for customized gifts for other occasions. I look forward to hearing from you.