Category "$20 or Less"

Thoughtful Teacher Gifts

Queen Darlene - May 14, 2015 - $20 or Less, Teacher Gifts

When my kids were in grade school, we baked cookies or made fudge for their teachers as Christmas or end-of-the-year gifts. My boys enjoyed showing off their cooking skills by presenting their goodies as teacher’s gifts.

As they got older, they wanted to buy their teachers specific gifts. One year my youngest son wanted to buy his teacher a motorcycle. He was not happy when I had to convinced him to purchase a “lame” gift like a book from the best seller’s list.

Over the years, we would buy decorative picture frames, pretty writing pens, stationery note cards with their teacher’s initials and fresh flowers.

I will admit it was a little more challenging to buy for the male teachers. Coffee mugs, gift cards to Starbucks or key chains with initials seemed to work well.

Over the years, I’ve been asked by friends and family to help with thoughtful teacher gifts. Here’s what I’ve suggested:

Infuser Water Bottle Gift Basket | Healthy Teacher Appreciation Gift

Princess Diana - May 6, 2015 - $20 or Less, Food & Drinks, Gift Baskets, Teacher Gifts

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Are you looking for a teacher appreciation gift idea that doesn’t include chocolate, candy, soda and dessert items? Do you want to say “thank you” without loading them up with unwanted calories?

infuser water bottle gift basket for teacher

Thanks for quenching my thirst for knowledge!
Teacher Appreciation Gift

If you’re looking for a healthy version of a teacher appreciation gift, I have just the one!

Infuser Water Bottles will make it easy for your favorite teacher to create their own naturally flavored water from fruits and herbs. The result – a healthy, refreshing beverage they can sip from throughout the school day.

Here are some foods that work well with infuser water bottles. Just cut or slice them so they fit inside the infuser capsule.

Cucumbers
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Strawberries

“Love You Forever” | The Perfect Book for Mothers

Princess Diana - April 21, 2015 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower, Mother's Day

I read a book in which the author recommended the book called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

The book “Love You Forever” makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

When I read it for the first time, it made my cry three times. Each time I started to cry I put down the book to catch my breath only to continue crying once I started reading again. Let me mention, the book ONLY has 14 short pages of text!!

This timeless story of a mother’s constant and enduring love for her child puts into words the emotions that mothers feel.

I say it’s the perfect book for mothers because if I had read “Love You Forever” before I became a mother, I know I would not have reacted to it the same way.

“No Ugly Crying” Personalized Handkerchief | Wedding Day Gift

Princess Diana - March 24, 2015 - $20 or Less, Wedding

Leading up to my wedding day, I prayed I could contain the waterworks so I wouldn’t become a crying, sobbing mess. I didn’t want to ruin my make-up or my pictures.

personalized-handkerchief-wedding-thoughtful-gift

Click to enlarge

Thankfully, I mostly teared up with only a few tears escaping.

I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a woman who didn’t spill at least one tear on her wedding day. Tears of happiness are just impossible to contain on such a special day.

When tears spill, a person needs a handkerchief. A personalized handkerchief makes a wonderful gift that a bride can put to great use on her wedding day to dry any tears that may fall.

Handkerchiefs can be customized and embroidered with a wedding date, initials, monograms, Bible verses, quotes or personal messages.

On the day of my best friend’s wedding, I gave her a handkerchief with the words, “No Ugly Crying.”

Grandparents Day for a Child Without One

Queen Darlene - March 12, 2015 - $20 or Less, Catch All, Experiences, Kids

My friend, Jody, told me her son, Austin, was crying because he no longer had any living grandparents to take to Grandparents Day at school. He lost his grandfather earlier in the year.

grandparent's-day-gift-idea-sunburst-gifts

“Grandmother” & “Grandson”

I have known Austin since the day he was born and could not stand it that he was heartbroken. I told Jody to have him call me. I would go as his grandparent. When Austin called, I asked him, “Do you want a young grandmother or an old one?”

In my mid-forties at the time, I prepared to be a young grandmother but as luck would have it, he asked for “old!”

I told him, “Old is what you want, old is what you will get!” Continue Reading

Saying Thank You With a Short Video

Princess Diana - March 3, 2015 - $20 or Less, Thank You

When more than 20 of my friends and family helped me raise $1,500 for the Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma’s storm shelter campaign, I was extremely grateful.

Their donations will ensure the safety of girls and volunteers at Camp E-ko-wah during tornadoes and other severe weather.

As part of the campaign, their generous support also pushed me to go Over the Edge – literally! – by rappelling 16 stories down the side of a skyscraper in Oklahoma City. It’s an experience I will never forget.

Instead of writing thank you cards, I decided to record a personal message and combined it with photos and rappelling footage from my GoPro video camera. I put together a short thank you video with the intent of sharing my rappelling adventure and expressing my heartfelt gratitude.

List of Things I Love About You | Anniversary Gift

Queen Darlene - February 27, 2015 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Valentine's Day

My dearest friend, Janiece, celebrated her 43rd wedding anniversary by coming up with a list of 43 things she loved about her husband, Bryan. He’s a sentimental guy so this was a perfect anniversary gift.

He even wrote about it on Facebook and said, “Cards sometimes don’t convey what you want to say but Janiece sent this to me this morning. Means much more than any card she could have gotten.”

Here is what Janiece wrote to Bryan.

43 things about our life together that make me happy that I’ve been married to you for 43 years:

Bryan & Janiece

1. How you asked me on our first date to double date with your mom
2. When you asked me to prom
3. How awesome you were when you found out you were going to be a daddy
4. How hard you worked to make a living for the three of us
5. That you loved my parents
6. The homes you’ve built for us….strong and steady just like you
7. The home you built for my parents….they loved that house so much
8. That you never complain about my cookin’
9. The commitment to family vacations to hold us together
10. Supporting my business career. If not for you I would not have even tried.
11. I love your hair… don’t ever go bald again
12. Your strong shoulders and gentle hands and your good kisses
13. I even love that you do your own laundry
14. And you let me have my own bathroom Continue Reading

We’ve Opened Up an Etsy Shop!

Princess Diana - February 25, 2015 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Family, Father's Day, Mother's Day

You can now visit the Sunburst Gifts Etsy Shop at www.etsy.com/shop/sunburstgifts!

We’ve had requests for babysitting gift certificates so we made that our first product. Thoughtful gift givers can purchase instant downloads of our printable babysitting gift certificates in yellow, pink and blue colors or buy them as a 3-pack bundle.

Every parent can use more time for themselves so babysitting gift certificates always make popular gifts for baby showers, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.

Cheer Someone Up With a Box of Sunshine

Princess Diana - February 24, 2015 - $20 or Less, Condolence, Get Well, Gift Baskets

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Do you know those people who are naturally crafty? They can do things like sew, cook, bake, decorate, paint (probably spin straw into gold too) and everything they create looks like it came straight off the page of a Martha Stewart magazine. They drive me crazy jealous!

Well, my co-worker Kelly is one of those people. Mucho talented. And she’s always using her talents to bring joy to others – like when she bakes her famous cinnamon rolls and brings them to the office.

Kelly shared with me that when she has friends or family who are sick, hospitalized, homebound, in physical rehab or dealing with chemotherapy, she makes them a Box of Sunshine. Then she fills it with everything YELLOW!

Bachelorette Party Gift | Lipstick Kisses Picture Frame

Princess Diana - February 17, 2015 - $20 or Less, Wedding

I love the tradition of the Bachelorette Party. Having the bride’s girl friends all together for a girl’s night out is FUN FUN FUN!

Bachelorette Parties are also a big deal because friends will drive in or fly in from long distances for the special occasion of kissing the bachelorette’s single life goodbye!

lipstick-kisses-bachelorette-party-thoughtful-gift

BEFORE (click to enlarge)

For my best friend’s Bachelorette Party, I wanted a way for her to remember our fun weekend in Dallas and everyone who attended.

For her gift, I gave her a picture frame that said, “Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs to find your Prince Charming.”

When she opened it, I told her that wasn’t the entire gift. I said the picture frame has a wide mat so everyone can add their lipstick kiss to it and sign their name below their kiss. I also told her that she can later use the picture frame to hold a group photo of all the girls from her Bachelorette Party weekend.