We’ve spoken before about how meaningful gift giving is really important to us. I knew having a piece of Isla’s art that could be worn for years would be such a sentimental keepsake, so we had necklaces made using Isla’s snowflake drawings!!!
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I came up with the necklace idea just after Christmas last year and have been waiting patiently for the holidays to roll around again so we could make them. Isla drew many, many snowflakes and we selected a handful of our favorite designs– one unique snowflake for each person, just like in nature! We submitted our favorites to a wonderful shop on Etsy that makes an exact replica of each drawing in silver. The snowflakes are even more beautiful than I imagined and one of my favorite gifts we’ve ever created! In fact we loved them so much that Isla and I ordered necklaces too and have been wearing them non-stop! We opted for identical snowflakes, so not true to nature, but really meaningful mom-daughter pieces!
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Tips for creating a successful piece of jewelry with your child’s drawings:
- choose a drawing that isn’t too complicated– clean, clear lines are easier to replicate!
- make sure all the elements of the drawing are connected in some way, otherwise it isn’t possible to replicate it in the jewelry (for example, if your child draws a face where the pupil is floating in the middle of the eye, the jewelers would either have to omit the pupil from the necklace or move it over and connect it to the outline of the eye)
- have your child make their drawing with a marker (or trace it in marker) so the lines are a little bit thicker and easy to see
- photograph your child’s drawing straight on, in natural light
- pay close attention to your jeweler’s production timeline– custom pieces often take 4-6 weeks to make, so plan accordingly
- embrace the quirks of your child’s drawings– they are what will pull at your heartstrings over the years
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We let Isla wrap all of the necklaces. The wrapping was great fine motor skills practice for her, allowed her to take more ownership over the gift, and the final gift looked SO adorable!
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Do you also love dreaming up heartfelt gifts for the people you love? HERE is another one of our all time favorite meaningful presents we’ve ever given!
