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Princess Diana

PAW Patrol Birthday Party Theme

Princess Diana - October 11, 2016 - Kids

My son loves the TV show PAW Patrol, so it’s no surprise he picked it for the theme of his 4th birthday party.

I was excited about his choice because each of the pups on the show have really cool personalities and traits. I had a lot of fun planning his birthday party, especially the obstacle course in the backyard.

I believe the most important part of a birthday party are the games or activities. It’s the fun the kids have doing them that will create the most lasting memories. So that’s where I like to put my focus.

Pup Pup Boogie Song & Dance

One of the PAW Patrol episodes features a song called “Pup Pup Boogie.” It’s catchy and makes everyone want to dance. I printed off the Nickelodeon “Pup Pup Boogie” printable spin-the-wheel game. The spinner can land on different puppy moves the kids can do to the music of “Pup Pup Boogie.” The kids did moves like “tail spin” and “puppy pose” while the “Pup Pup Boogie” song played on a continuous loop.

Adventure Course

Each of the PAW Patrol pups have different specialties so I created an outdoor obstacle course for the kids to do. After completing it, each kid earned a PAW Patrol badge. I called it the Adventure Course, and it featured six stations based on the six main characters in the show.

Star Wars Little Golden Books for Young Fans

Princess Diana - October 4, 2016 - Kids

I didn’t mean to introduce my son to Star Wars at the age of three – but it happened anyway.

My husband and I were rewatching the original trilogy at home before watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the movie theater. We had put our son, Aiden, to bed an hour before, and all was quiet in his room. Or so we thought…

We had just started watching the first movie, Episode IV: A New Hope, when we hear his little feet padding down the hallway towards us. He walks into the living room, sniffs the air, and says, “I smell popcorn.”

Dang it! Caught in the act!

One Day Staycation

Princess Diana - September 27, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Experiences, Valentine's Day

Couples who are also parents often don’t have much alone time together, especially during the day.

Recently, I talked my husband into a one-day staycation. We both took off from work on a Wednesday so we could hang out all day while our kids were at day care. Our own version of a play date!

Finally, we could do the fun things we’d been wishing to do but could never find the time with our busy schedules as working parents of a baby and a toddler.

As we planned what we’d do that day, we felt that long lost feeling of freedom slowly come back. We can do what we want, when we want! Woo hoo!

Our daytime date definitely had a different vibe compared to our evening dates. For one thing, we had a lot more choices about what to do. Forget about the usual dinner and a movie date.

Wine Bottle With Custom Label

Princess Diana - September 20, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Family, Father's Day, Food & Drinks, Host, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Party Favors, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

We’ve all been guilty of buying wine at the store because of how pretty the bottle and label looked, especially if it’s going to be a gift.

What if I told you that you could create your own custom label and attach it to any wine bottle of your choosing?

Not only will the bottle look amazing but it can also display a personalized message.

I received the coolest wine bottle from my boss. She purchased a bottle of Riesling wine (my favorite!) and attached a custom label that read “THUNDER UP” and “Happy Birthday Diana.”

The label also featured a picture of me in a blue wig and wearing an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team shirt and sunglasses. (She knows I’m a big OKC Thunder fan and that I wear that blue wig to every game I attend.)

I really loved my personalized wine bottle so much that I almost didn’t want to drink it. Almost. (Riesling doesn’t have a long shelf life in my house.)

Custom Selfie Gift Wrap Paper

Princess Diana - September 13, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Congratulations, Father's Day, Graduation, Kids, Mother's Day, Pet

For when you want the recipient to love the packaging as much as the present…

You’ll want to use Custom Selfie Gift Wrap Paper. Ever heard of it?

It’s custom designed wrapping paper that features photos of somebody’s cut-out head. It could be the gift recipient’s face, their pet’s face, or your face. Or the whole family’s faces!

Everyone who sees the Custom Selfie Gift Wrap Paper will get a good laugh! The designs are just so silly!

Grape Stomp & Wine Tasting at Vineyard

Princess Diana - September 9, 2016 - Birthday, Experiences, Food & Drinks

This gift is for wine lovers. You start with grapes and end with a favorite bottle of wine!

For my mother-in-law’s birthday, I took her to Tres Suenos Winery & Vineyard for a one-of-a-kind experience. Together, we participated in a grape harvest, a grape stomp and a wine tasting.

Grape Harvest

We arrived at the vineyard at 7 a.m. What a gorgeous piece of land! After checking in, we grabbed some buckets and shears and started snipping bunches of grapes off the vine. They looked so beautiful, round and plump!

I must say it was a gratifying experience to see grapes growing in nature. Before this, our only experience with bunches of grapes was buying them in the clear plastic bags at the grocery store.

We plucked some grapes with our hands and popped them into our mouths, enjoying the sweet juice while spitting out the seeds.

Turn Favorite Photos Into Custom Jigsaw Puzzles

Princess Diana - August 30, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Housewarming, Kids, Retirement, Valentine's Day

Did you know you can turn your favorite photo into a custom jigsaw puzzle?

Custom jigsaw puzzles can be ordered in many different sizes and level of difficulty. Order one the size of a postcard or choose a giant floor puzzle.

You can also purchase them with less than 10 puzzle pieces or more than 1,000!

Both children and adults would enjoy putting a custom jigsaw puzzle together, which makes it a very versatile gift.

My son, Aiden, enjoys putting together puzzles so I ordered a custom photo jigsaw puzzle using one of my favorite pictures of him. (Kids love seeing pictures of themselves!)

Say It With Donuts

Princess Diana - August 23, 2016 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Congratulations, Father's Day, Food & Drinks, Get Well, Graduation, Kids, Mother's Day, Party Favors, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day

I donut know about you, but I love this gift idea!

It’s a cute, fun and non-traditional way to celebrate, appreciate or congratulate a person or group! I’m talking about donuts in the shapes of letters so they spell out a message – whatever you want to say.

This edible gift idea is really popular with kids on their birthdays. I love that different words can be decorated to look totally different. Who knew donuts could be so fancy!

You could even surprise them with the box of donuts at school so they can share the donuts with the whole class. Kids will remember Custom Message Donuts over cupcakes any day. And your child holding the big box of donuts will make for such a cute picture!

Adults would love these too. Imagine their face when they find a big box on their desk at work and open it to see what’s inside. It’s only morning and you’ve already made their day! How very thoughtful of you.

Ways to Give Custom Message Donuts

Get Well Photo With Message

Princess Diana - August 16, 2016 - $20 or Less, Get Well

When my grandmother was in the hospital due to a terrible car accident, I wanted badly to cheer her up.

I hope you get back in the SWING of things soon!

She lived two states away so I couldn’t do anything in person. I needed to get creative.

I’m always taking pictures of my toddler son. There are hundreds of them on the camera roll of my phone. Going through them gave me an idea when I came across a photo of my son on a swing at the park.

Seeing his smile made me smile, and I knew it would make my grandmother smile too.

Add a Personalized Message to a Photo

I took the photo and added colorful hearts and the message, “I hope you get back in the SWING of things soon!”

DIY Bedazzled Liquor or Wine Bottles

Princess Diana - August 9, 2016 - Birthday, Food & Drinks, Graduation, Host, Housewarming, Retirement, Valentine's Day

Looking for a gift with glitz and glamour? All it takes is adding bling to someone’s favorite bottle of liquor or wine.

This is the perfect gift for her! Guys, you’ll definitely get extra brownie points by doing the bedazzling yourself. Yes, it takes some crafting but it’s super easy.

She’ll end up appreciating the bottle as much as the alcohol inside! When it’s empty, the gift keeps on giving. Bedazzled liquor or wine bottles are cute enough to display on a shelf or to use as a flower vase.

This gift also makes a great 21st birthday gift!

DIY Bedazzled Liquor or Wine Bottles

Items you will need:

Gift recipient’s favorite bottle of liquor or wine
Embellishing glue or hot glue gun
Rhinestones with flat back
Tweezers if using small rhinestones