How to make your own custom pet photo print cushion

I get an idea for a gift and start Googling. When I see the prices on some of these things, I always say “I can make that for cheaper” so usually do. You can really make anything you find to buy online. This post is about how to make your own custom pet photo print cushion.

What prompted me to make this was it was Father’s Day a couple weeks ago and I wanted to give my husband something a little bit unique for Father’s Day. He’s not the father of my children and we both don’t have fathers alive anymore but he was the ‘Dad’ to our 2 fur babies.

We lost our dear little girl Bonnie a couple of months ago after 17.5 years of age. She bought so much joy to my life and my husband’s life when he moved in with us. She really took to him as well and they both adored each other.

For Christmas last year I bought him a clone of our dear girl from an American company called Cuddle Clones. (If you’d like to order your own Cuddle Clone for any pet, use the code DOMESBLISSITY for 10% off the purchase price). *Affiliate link

They really did a fantastic job recreating an exact likeness of her. I wasn’t going to attempt to recreate this one. My husband was over the moon with this gift so I knew he’d appreciate a gift with her image on it in some way.

What You’ll Need

• Electronic image of your pet
• Cotton fabric to print your image
• Tshirt transfer paper
• Scissors
• Cotton for sewing
• Cushion stuffing

How to Make

First of all, select your image. If you can, remove all the background from the photo. I do this using PowerPoint and it’s quite easy. You can read a tutorial on how to do that here.

Next, insert the picture into a Word document, stretching the photo enough so that it will use up most of the space on the A4 page. Print the page onto tshirt transfer paper. I bought these for 3 for a pack at $19.95 and only because I left it until the last minute but you could probably find the tshirt transfer paper cheaper online. Just be sure the transfer paper is suitable for the type of printer you have, ie bubble jet, ink jet etc.

Once you’ve printed the photo onto the transfer paper, according the manufacturer’s instructions, cut out around the image ensuring you leave up to around 1″ around the actual image. Cut the exact same shape for the backing of the cushion. The more random the shape of the image, the more realistic your pet photo cushion will be.

(Note: The image will be flipped when you print unless you choose to flip the image inside Microsoft Word before printing. You can find out how to do that here.)

Sew the 2 sides, wrong sides facing, leaving an opening of about 10cm at the bottom of the cushion to insert the stuffing.

Finishing Off

Turn the sewn cushion right side around (press with a cool iron if needed) and insert cushion stuffing. I had a knitting needle I used to ensure stuffing reached all edges of the cushion.

And that’s basically it. In hindsight, I could’ve used an off white coloured fabric as my dog’s legs were white so didn’t really show up well against the white fabric but my husband loved it nonetheless.

These cushions retail anywhere upwards of $30 so I saved myself a pretty penny using fabric and other materials I already had. I still have 2 sheets of the tshirt transfer paper to use for other projects. Anyone who can do basic sewing can make this as a wonderful gift for the pet lover.

Budget Gift Guide for Men

Finding gifts for men can be hard sometimes but it doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Here is a budget gift guide for men if you’re struggling for ideas.

 

 

Fun Gadgets

 

If your man is one of those tech-savvy people who can’t wait to test out the latest technological devices, you should definitely go for a fun gadget that’ll sweep him off his feet. A power bank is always a great idea, especially if your man is always on the move, since it’ll allow him to charge his phone no matter where he is.

 

There are plenty of cool phone cases, ear phones, USB sticks, chargers and other accessories that your man will love in his favourite character or something novel.

 

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Another awesome gadget he’ll adore is a multi-use mini massage cushion, which is probably one of the best picks if your boy needs to relax and unwind after a long day at work. Get one with four pressure points that massage in rotating circles, so that he gets a fantastic massage in the comfort of his home and even in his car.

Easy DIY Gifts

 

Making a present can also be a great idea, especially if you want to save some money but still provide a lovely gift. If you’re a crafty person who’s really skillful when it comes to DIY projects, don’t skip these. There are so many wonderful ideas, and one of them is a chalkboard mug. All you need is a white porcelain mug, painter’s tape, porcelain chalkboard paint, and a paintbrush. Use painter’s tape to mask off the parts of the mug you don’t want to paint, and then apply paint with the brush. When the paint is dry, remove the tape and bake your mug in the oven for 35 minutes at 150°C. Write your message before filling the mug with a hot beverage, and voila – your simple yet so effective DIY present is all done!

There are plenty more DIY gift ideas for Dad in these posts including food and other gifts.

For Readers

 

You can’t escape the online world these days but if your man loves to read stories other than online, his favourite sports star’s biography or action story in a book is a great gift idea. Think of his favourite magazine or even a newspaper subscription as a gift idea.

Favourite Drinks

 

For those men who drink alcohol, buying him his favourite spirit that he normally wouldn’t drink on a daily basis is a nice gift idea. There are a lot of possible options, but if you don’t really know where to search for a perfect bottle for your man, online shopping should be your number one choice. Depending on your budget, you can get a bottle of quality whisky online and surprise your loved one with something he’ll really appreciate. You can also opt for vodka, gin, beer, cider or anything else he likes, without even having to actually go to the store.

 

A set of glasses specifically for his favourite drink and/or a carafe can be picked up cheaply from second hand stores.

 

It doesn’t even have to be alcoholic. His favourite soda, coffee or tea is a great gift idea.

Accessories for Men

 

If yours is a man of style, cool accessories like trendy leather bracelets, classy cuff links, or fashionable sunglasses are just some of the possible options. Pocket squares are an amazing gift for gentlemen who prefer to wear suits on a daily basis. Of course, formal business attire requires this type of accessory, but you can also get elegant pocket squares if your man loves wearing a suit in casual occasions as well.

Anchor bracelets will also make a huge difference in any man’s overall appearance, since these will add a touch of edge to any outfit. What’s even greater, you can get any of these pieces for less than $20.

Shaving Products

 

Guys who are rocking a beard know that it needs a lot of extra care, so make your man’s life much easier and get him some fantastic beard products. You could buy him a beard oil, which is a truly magical product that’ll take care of both his facial hair and the skin beneath it. It’ll hydrate his scruff and tame it at the same time, which is exactly what he needs. A good beard wash and a beard balm are also a must, as well as a quality comb – just be sure to get one made of sandalwood instead of a plastic one that can cause static and beard frizz.

 

If your man shaves, there are plenty of beautiful shaving products around like brushes, soaps, balms and after shave products.  You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive after shave fragrances. A gift pack made from disposable razors and his favourite shaving cream is a nice gift or browse your local second hand stores for vintage shaving kits.

As you can see, there are so many fantastic budget gifts you can get for your man, even though you’re on a budget. You’ll find men are pretty easy to please and are grateful for anything they receive. You’re on the right track if you get them things they already use or like.

 

Easy Microwave Chocolate Fudge

 

There’s nothing quite like homemade fudge for a sweet treat and as much as I love traditional fudge made with sugar, cocoa and boiled on the stove top, this easy microwave chocolate fudge is quick, rich and hits the spot when you’re in a hurry.

I don’t ever buy special ingredients when making sweet treats or baking but rather use what I have. I nearly always have chocolate melts or a block of chocolate in my pantry to add to baking. I always have a tin of condensed milk in my pantry which can be used for so many things and with the addition of a small bag of marshmallows that I had used for something else, this fudge came out really good.

First start by emptying the can of condensed milk, 60gm butter (approx 3 tablespoons) and a block of your favourite chocolate, broken up, into a microwave safe mixing bowl.

All microwaves are different so test by melting ingredients together, on high, in 30 second increments. Once chocolate has melted, stir ingredients well to combine.

Line a 9 inch square baking pan with baking paper. I sprinkled the marshmallows onto the bottom of the pan. If I would’ve added them to the melted chocolate fudge mixture they would’ve melted. Pour melted fudge mixture into pan and allow to set in fridge for at least 2 hours.

This batch of fudge was destined to be a ‘Rocky Road’ version with the addition of peanuts but because my daughter doesn’t eat peanuts, I didn’t add them. There are so many variations to this basic recipe you could try. You could try flavoured chocolate, white chocolate, add chopped cookies for a “Cookies & Cream” fudge, nuts, dried fruit etc. Really anything you have in your pantry that needs using up.

Recipe

• 200gm block of chocolate or chocolate buttons
• 1 can condensed milk
• 60gm (or 3 tablespoons) butter

1. Line 9 inch baking pan with baking pan.
2. Combine all ingredients in a microwave save bowl.
3. Microwave on high in 30 second increments until chocolate is melted.
4. Mix melted ingredients together and pour into lined baking pan.
5. Allow to set in the fridge for approximately 2 hours.

Variations:

• Use white chocolate
• Use flavoured chocolate, eg peppermint, rum’n’raisin, caramel, etc
• Add nuts and marshmallow for ‘Rocky Road’
• Add nuts of any kind
• Add dried fruit
• Add chopped cookies
• Add coconut
• Top fudge with ingredients you used in fudge, eg cookie crumbs for a Cookies & Cream fudge
• Add chopped candy

You’ll find more great recipes for easy sweet treats right here.

Saving money on gift giving

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If you’ve been following along with my THRiVING feature this year, you’ll know that September is “Gift Giving” month. It’s about this time of the year I really have to buckle down with my savings or come up with some resourceful ideas for gifts and I’ve got quite a few to get ready to give. October was my Mum’s birthday and she enjoyed a visit to a nice cafe or a nice meal made for her. November is both of my children’s birthdays and December is Christmas. There’s presents for family, teachers and friends. Yikes! Here’s what I do to get ready for the gift giving season and to reduce the costs.

Pistachio & Cranberry Biscotti

Homemade gifts

My Mum loved nothing more than a homemade gift. The same with my sister. A package of homemade caramels, fudge or peanut brittle always went down well, all for the price of a bag of sugar and some butter (and whatever else I had on hand).

Peanut Brittle

 

 

2 Ingredient Chocolate Fudge

 

 

Coconut Ice

 

 

Salted Peanut Butter Fudge

 

It can be cookies, cakes, biscotti, no bake slices or cheesecakes. The internet is a great source for recipes or you can check out more of my recipes above. A batch of any of the above won’t cost you very much but a little bit given to all the kid’s teachers, family members and neighbours will be well received.

 

 

Secondhand gifts

 

With toys especially, I give second hand gifts sourced from garage sales, op shops, online sales, ebay and second hand stores. It’s amazing what you can find. Some things are brand new. The last two years in particular, I managed to get most of my kid’s Christmas presents (things they asked Santa for) from Freecycle and ebay for free or next to nothing.  There were 1 or 2 new things but they honestly didn’t know the difference. I always http://creditcardnow.us/comment/181#comment-181 give the toys a good clean and the kids are none the wiser. They love it! Think of the land fill you’re saving.

 

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Giving the gift of time

 

All too often, people are so busy these days, time has become so precious. Giving someone the gift of time can be a great thing. Offering to mind people’s children, bake for them, water their garden, mind their pets while they go on holidays, washing someone’s car, mowing their lawn, help a neighbour with a computer problem. Anything you can utilise your knowledge and skills to help someone will be greatly accepted, I’m sure. You could type up a voucher book, gift certificate or card to present to the person.

 

Layby and buying the items when they’re on sale

 

I avoid the mid year toy sales like the plague. I lay away toys for the kids when they were little for their birthdays and Christmas and the time the season came around, the kids didn’t like what I’d purchased anymore. I’d rather pick up little things throughout the year when they’re on sale, that I know they will like no matter what and put them away for birthdays and Christmas. Little things like classic DVDs, colouring books, reading books, pencils, small toy cars, crazy cups or plates with their favourite characters, balls, outside games like hula hoops, skipping ropes, balls. I’ve got a cupboard full already of little things that have probably cost no more than $20 all up but they will make great little stocking fillers and save me quite a bit of money at Christmas when all I have to buy them is the one thing (hopefully only one thing) they ask Santa for.

 

Stay tuned for more ways to save a few dollars when it comes to gift giving.

 

Happy Father's Day (to my husband)!

Unfortunately, my husband is working on Father's Day so no early morning excitment from the kids. No breakfast in bed. No spending the day on the couch watching The Simpsons, motor racing and falling asleep. No special dinners. No fun in the park. Gosh, I'm going to have a restful day! Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband who is such a great Dad to our kids.

My daddy is the greatest;
The best dad there ever was.
He always brings me lots of joy;
He’s my very own Santa Claus.

 My daddy can do anything;
He’s smart as smart can be.
I love to walk and hold his hand
To show he belongs to me.

I love my daddy!

 By Karl Fuchs

Happy Father's Day (to my husband)!

Unfortunately, my husband is working on Father’s Day so no early morning excitment from the kids. No breakfast in bed. No spending the day on the couch watching The Simpsons, motor racing and falling asleep. No special dinners. No fun in the park. Gosh, I’m going to have a restful day! Happy Father’s Day to my wonderful http://opencooks.com/user/198/ husband who is such a great Dad to our kids.

My daddy is the greatest;
The best dad there ever was.
He always brings me lots of joy;
He’s my very own Santa Claus.

 My daddy can do anything;
He’s smart as smart can be.
I love to walk and hold his hand
To show he belongs to me.

I love my daddy!

 By Karl Fuchs

Top 10 Homemade Father's Day FOOD Gifts

Only another 2 weeks to go before Father's Day (Sunday, 4 September) and I'm trying to work on gifts for Dad (well, my husband - my father passed away about 18 years ago now). Besides the customary card the kids make and maybe, just maybe something bought from the store, I always like to make him something homemade to eat. Here's a few suggestions.

1. Peanut Brittle

2. Rum & Raisin Fudge

3. Caramel Popcorn

4. Easy Eggs Benedict (for brekkie in bed)

5. Candied Walnuts

6. Turkish Delight & Pistachio Truffles

7. Spiced Nuts

8. Turkish Delight

9. Irish Cream (like Bailey's)

10. Bliss Balls

Most of these recipes came from http://www.taste.com.au/.  Check them out for variations on many of the recipes I've suggested here. Except for the hot parts, the kids could help out with making most of these. If not the cooking, definitely the eating (as they do)!