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The holidays are in full swing and you know what that means – parties, parties and more parties! If you’re like me, you’re probably feeling the stress as you try to fill all those final wishes and still create some amazing, personalized details for your holiday gatherings. ...read more

Today I’ve got a fun technique to share for making personalized ornaments that double as gift tags for those special people in your life. This is a technique (acrylic medium transfers) that is a simple (and non-toxic!) way to transfer photocopied images to a wood surface.   ...read more

Holidays bring up many special memories from the year and seasons past. I enjoy looking at photos during the holidays to remember those times with family. Unfortunately, with each year that passes the details of the memories seem to fade. This holiday I used old family photos to create photo napkin holders and photo candles as a fun way to share memories and enhance the décor of our holiday dinner table. ...read more

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Custom Coloring Books.mp4

Guest blogger Lynsey Purl is a senior communications specialist at FedEx Office®. She is a very creative mom of two and has previously blogged for Out of Office. 

As a mother of two, I am constantly struggling for creative crafts and gift ideas. My children absolutely love to color and their poor crayons are worn down to nubs. At ages five and two, they have flown through countless coloring books, the contents of which are proudly displayed on the fridge (and let’s face it, eventually tossed in the trash).

But why continue to stare blankly at random coloring book characters on your fridge when you can have a personalized piece of art at your finger tips? Creating personalized coloring books is a fun and easy way to entertain or yes, even educate your children. The books also make for a fantastic birthday gift that you can be certain no other child will bring to the party. No duplicate gifts here! (Hint- this is also great for helping younger children associate faces of family members and friends in a fun way. See, I said educational!) ...read more

In these money-conscious times I think that “staycation” vacations are becoming more popular. But it can be difficult to keep kids entertained during the long summer months. One thing I found to pass the time is a summertime scavenger hunt. Since my son is developing his reading skills, I used photos I took to accompany the words so that he can play the game and learn to associate the word with its matching photo. I also chose summer themed objects for him to find on our adventure – some that are kept inside the house and others kept outside. 

Guest blogger Kayt Schaefer is a manager of program implementation with FedEx Office and has worked with the company for 16 years. Kayt and her husband are dedicated supporters of their local major league soccer team. In her spare time, Kayt also enjoys fly-fishing and, of course, researching her family history.

You know the old adage that you can fix anything with duct tape? I feel the same way about lamination – everything is better once it’s encased in plastic. Think about it: you want to keep that priceless finger painting from getting torn? Laminate it. Need to preserve an old photo? Laminate it. Want to write on something, but still be able to reuse it down the line? You guessed it…laminate it! This attitude has even earned me a nickname among my fellow Out of Office bloggers – Leah the Laminator.  ...read more

Quick – without looking at a calendar do you know when Mother’s Day is? If you’re like more than half of Americans polled in a recent survey from FedEx and FedEx Office, the answer is NO! That’s likely because Mother’s Day is incredibly early this year – falling on the earliest possible date for the holiday, May 8. So will you be ready?

The majority of Americans polled in our April survey said they planned to give a personalized Mother’s Day gift this year, customizing their present in some way to mirror her tastes and styles. We here at Out of Office are glad to hear it, because we’re all about getting creative in thoughtful or unexpected ways. 

For those readers out there who haven’t gotten started on their Mother’s Day shopping list, it’s not too late to take the personalized route. A few ideas from the Out of Office crew:

While I’m not yet a parent myself, I do have two godsons (ages four and two). Over the past several years, I’ve seen how much effort goes into their birthday parties and how hard it can be to come up with unique ideas. The oldest, for instance, loves taking pictures and looking at photos that he’s in, but it’s been difficult to work pictures into some of his party themes. Luckily, I found a unique way to do it: by making a modern, pop art poster featuring pictures of the birthday boy!  ...read more

As a graduate student in art school, I was surrounded by talented graphic artists. While I was studying advertising and not design, I have always had an interest in art. Even though my skills are limited, I still like to think of myself as a creative individual. Lately I have been trying to use my artistic side to reinvent the artwork on my walls at home. We recently reorganized our furniture and I was thinking of a way to spruce up the walls, rather than continuing to look at the few random things I have accumulated at garage sales in years past. ...read more