happy flags

Each summer, some friends and I (from all over the country) meet up at Gruber's for a weekend retreat. We look forward to it with great anticipation all year long! During that weekend, it has become a tradition to exchange "happies", which are nothing more than little gifts to make the recipient happy. Last year, I gave spools of Aurifil thread with a little happy flag in the middle. Someone discovered that the flag fits well on the spool holder of most sewing machines, which was a "happy" accident. (har, har, har!)

I had a request from a reader to share how to make these, which I thought was a good idea for a blog post. Here you go, Jeannie, this is for you!

For supplies, you will need: plastic drinking straws, a happy stamp and ink pad (or you can write it by hand), washi tape, a scissors and some double-sided adhesive.

Cut the straws down to about 5" in length. Cut a piece of washi tape about 4" long and wrap it around the end of the straw, as shown. Line up the edges of the tape as evenly as possible.

Place the sticky sides of the washi tape together and trim uneven ends (if necessary), so there is no sticky surface exposed. Crease the tape close to the straw, so that it is fully sealed.

Stamp (or write) "happy" on a small piece of white paper. Use double-sided adhesive to attach the paper to the washi tape.

Cut out a little triangle from the end of each flag, as shown.

Place a small square of washi tape to the bottom of the spool so the flag won't fall out.

Then, place the flag in a spool of thread. Gift it or keep it for yourself...or do some of each! :)

There you go! One quick little project to brighten someone's day!

Happy, HAPPY Monday to you!