A personalized DIY coloring book and toy train for Christmas

What’s that?

You say it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet?

*I’m not listening.*

Christmas gift giving is on my mind already. And if you know anything about my 2-year-old, you know he LOVES trains. Eats, sleeps and breathes trains.

So there are lots of trains on his list this year.

But you may not know that another favorite activity lately is “drawing.” He tells me he wants to draw all day.

So, I wanted to create a fun little gift for my train and art lover. Because we do lots of traveling around the holidays, I set out to create something that would be travel-friendly. So this little gift will be given to Henry for an upcoming trip.

Here’s how it turned out.

• Trains? Check.
• Coloring/drawing tools? Check.
• Portable for travel? Check.

This was such a fun and simple gift to put together. And I know it will be a hit for my 2 year old.

How to make a DIY coloring book

I wanted to create a small coloring book that highlights trains. It was so simple with card stock and wide tape.

First, I searched for six train and Christmas coloring pages. I found these within five minutes and printed them two to a page on my home printer. (Try searching Pinterest for “free coloring sheets.”) Then, I used my Silhouette to cut them with rounded edges. (You could also use scissors, if you don’t have a Silhouette.)

Next, I “bound” the coloring book with bright green tape. I simple rolled out the tape and then lined up the front page first. Then, I added all the other pages and a back cover and pulled the tape around to the back.

Using scissors, I trimmed the extra tape. And voila, a perfect little customized book.

The tape holds the pages together, but they can also be loosened and removed to display.

How to make a personalized toy train

My favorite find were these little wooden trains for $1 at Dollar General. If you know how much wooden trains are, you know this is a steal. But, I wanted to make it a little personalized and special.

With a bit of white vinyl and my Silhouette, I created a fun and custom train for Henry. (If you don’t have a Silhouette, stickers would also work well.) Henry actually spotted it on my workbench immediately and has already been playing with it daily.

Who needs expensive trains? This one is way cooler. And it will make great gifts for other kiddos on our Christmas list.

A personalized budget gift for kids

To finish it off, I added some crayons and mini washable markers to a pencil pouch. (I bought red and green for gifting.) I love that the zipper keeps everything together and portable for holiday travel. And the tiny markers are going to be Henry’s favorite part.

Dollar General is the closest store to our barn, so it’s becoming a new favorite for the Woodwards. I can get just about anything I need there at a good price. (I may have had Christmas gifts, hand soap, craft supplies and pasta noodles in my cart on the last visit.)

For this gift, here’s my budget breakdown:

• Train ($1)
• Markers ($1.50)
• Crayons ($1)
• Bells ($1 for 8)
• Pencil pouch ($1)
• Ribbon ($1)

So one holiday gift down, about 100 more to go. But, I have my holiday mojo working.

How do you like my fun little gift?