Category "Host"

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

Add Your Own Message to Hand Stamped Silverware

Princess Diana - April 19, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Going Away, Graduation, Host, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

It’s fun to have our own special silverware to use for eating cereal, ice cream or dessert.

The mundane task of grabbing silverware out of the drawer gets a little bit more exciting as you search for your special spoon or fork.

Last Mother’s Day gift, I gave my mother and mother in-law custom hand stamped silverware with the message: A mother’s love is beyond measure.

Every time they use the spoon to eat with or to stir their cup of tea of coffee, I hope they’ll think of me and know how grateful I am for their love and kindness.

You can make your message sentimental like mine or pick something funny like Cereal Killer for a breakfast spoon.

For a wedding or anniversary present, you can give the gift of His and Her spoons with corresponding messages like: I love you and I love you more or Good morning handsome and Good morning beautiful.

Give Aromatherapy With Essential Oils Diffuser

Princess Diana - January 26, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Condolence, Get Well, Host, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Use the power of aromatherapy to create an atmosphere of romance or relaxation in your home.

You can use candles or incense, but essential oils are much more effective and offer health benefits.

An Essential Oils Diffuser disperses essential oils into the air as a fine mist and transforms your living environment into a spa-like experience.

Bonus! They also double as a humidifier.

To add mood lighting, you can purchase an essential oils diffuser that rotates through different colors or that stay on the color of your choice.

Of the nearly 100 different types of essential oils, certain ones are known to set the mood for romance or relaxation or both! Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Essential Oils for Romance

No Bake Cookie Dough Inside Cookie Jar

Queen Darlene - November 12, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Food & Drinks, Going Away, Host, Housewarming, Money

Both of my grandmothers used their cookie jars regularly to store homemade cookies. Here’s an idea! Use a cookie jar not only for cookies but to surprise someone with some “dough!”

The “No Bake Cookie Dough” Cookie Jar is a yummy gift!

Just Google “cookie jars” and oh my… the selection is endless that you may have difficulty in choosing which one to give.

There are cookies jars that look like cupcakes, flowers, animals, houses, cartoon characters, superheroes, TV and even movie characters.

Also available are decorative, colorful and abstract design cookie jars. It’s amazing! My favorite are collectible or vintage cookie jars. I still have my grandmother’s jars on display in my kitchen.
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The Giving Plate | A Heartwarming Tradition

Princess Diana - November 3, 2015 - Christmas, Family, Food & Drinks, Host, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

No one likes to show up to a social gathering empty handed. After all, the more food the merrier!

Make a lasting impression by giving the host or hostess a gift called “The Giving Plate.”

The heartwarming tradition of The Giving Plate is that you bake a treat and present it to someone on the plate. The recipient could be a friend, family member, church member, neighbor, teacher or co-worker. Once the treat is gone, it’s time for the gift recipient to pay it forward by passing The Giving Plate to someone new.

The Giving Plate makes for an especially touching gift during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

You can find a variety of styles of The Giving Plate on Amazon.com or you can find other designs on Etsy.com. If you’re artsy, you can make your own using food-safe porcelain markers or paint pens on a blank plate or platter.

The Giving Plate I like contains this special message that explains the tradition in a beautiful poem.

The Giving Plate

This plate belongs to everyone
wherever it may go… with each new sharing
of its gift, the love and blessings grow,
So fill it up and pass it on to
family and to friends… to start
the circle one more time,
love’s journey never ends.

DIY Hand Stenciled Tea Towels

Princess Diana - September 22, 2015 - Family, Host, Housewarming, Wedding

As I browsed the Internet one day, I came across a set of tea towels for sale on a website. One towel said, “You Wash” and the other said “I’ll Dry.”

hand-stenciled-tea-towels-thoughtful-gift-idea

Need to come up with a gift for a large number of people? Hand stenciled tea towels are easy and affordable to make in large quantities.

That’s exactly how my husband and I divide and conquer in the kitchen after dinner, and the tea towels reminded me of the great partnership we enjoy in our marriage. I also thought they would make great gifts for couples, family members, hostesses, and new homeowners.

I wanted to buy the kitchen towels so badly but they were very expensive – almost $40! Sheesh!

So I decided to make my own and ordered a pair of custom stencils from Etsy.com. I picked out the stencil font I wanted to use for the words, and for less than $20 received a pair of 6×6 inch “You Wash” and “I’ll Dry” reusable plastic stencils in the mail.

Bird Feeder & People Feeder | Unique Gift

Queen Darlene - September 10, 2015 - Birthday, Food & Drinks, Host, Housewarming

For a birthday gift, I received a beautiful mosiac glass bird feeder. It was too pretty to let the birds poop on it so I made a decision to turn it into something else – a people feeder!

We love having celebrations at our house for birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, Christmas, and all the holidays in between. Food and games are the center of our family celebrations.

On the kitchen table, I placed my decorative bird feeder filled with peanut and plain M&Ms. My family and friends loved the idea of nibbling from the “people feeder.”

Because the bird feeder aka people feeder was such a hit, I decided to give something similar as a gift.

I purchased a beautiful bird feeder and a giant bag of M&Ms and called my gift “Birds of a Feather Flock Together” since it’s perfect to use for get-togethers with family and friends.

It’s also a thoughtful twist for a unique housewarming gift. It can be used immediately for a delicious snack and a fun conversation piece!

Frame the Perfect Quote for the Occasion

Princess Diana - August 25, 2015 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Congratulations, Father's Day, Get Well, Going Away, Graduation, Host, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day, Wedding

When someone else’s words say it all or say it better than you ever could, you’ve found the perfect quote to use for this gift idea.

frame-perfect-quote-occasion-thoughtful-gift

This powerful quote says so much about my mentor and her accomplishment.

When my mentor, Valerie, achieved a major milestone in her business by officially franchising it, I wanted to give her a thoughtful gift to say, “Congratulations!”

I was so impressed by her vision and her tenacity to see her vision through until it became reality. And she did it despite the naysayers. She inspires me with her actions.

I didn’t know quite what to give her as a gift until I came across this quote, “She believed she could, so she did.”

It summarized her accomplishment so well – the perfect quote!

Automatic Snack & Treat Dispenser

Queen Darlene - December 18, 2014 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Food & Drinks, Gifts for Him, Host, Housewarming

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I love magic! Who doesn’t? With a wave of the hand – out pops a snack!

When I saw the SnackMan Motion-Activated Dispenser that makes healthy munching easy-peasy, I knew it would be the right gift for my husband’s sister and her spouse for Christmas.

They always try to eat healthy and this fun gadget creates a smart way to have portion control. The SnackMan Motion-Activated Dispenser features three settings: Small Handful, Large Handful or Bowlful. Once set, the same perfect portion is dispensed every time.

It looks like magic because with a simple wave of the hand, out pours your tasty snack treat. Continue Reading

Throwback Thursday | Framed Vintage Girl Scout Badge

Princess Diana - March 6, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Host, Thank You

I am long time volunteer of Girl Scouts because I love its mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character. I am also a member of Girl Scouts – Western Oklahoma’s young professionals group, GS Cornerstone.

It has become tradition that each year a board member of the organization hosts GS Cornerstone in their home. I helped plan our most recent event, and I was put in charge of the thank you gift.

I definitely wanted it to be Girl Scout related. But what to give our hostess – a very accomplished woman who seemed to have it all?

I brainstormed with Queen Darlene and we came up with the idea of giving her a vintage Girl Scout Hostess Badge. After all, she will have met the requirements after graciously opening her home to all of us!