Category "Mother’s Day"

Address Stamps Make Great Housewarming & Wedding Gifts

Princess Diana - August 18, 2015 - Housewarming, Mother's Day, Wedding

Buying or moving into a new home is always a big deal in a person’s life, whether it’s their first home right after getting married or their 10th home after moving around a bit.

If you know they’ll be in their new home for a while, address stamps make a great housewarming gift or wedding gift. It’s a fun way to celebrate someone’s new permanent address.

SO MANY DESIGNS!

You can personalize the design to fit the gift recipient’s style and interests. Deciding what design to choose is the hard part! Address stamps can be ordered in many different colors and in the shape of rectangles, squares and circles. And of course there are a million fonts available, from block letters to cursive.

You can also add monograms or symbols to address stamps. For animal lovers, you might add a cat, dog or paw print. For newlyweds, you might add a heart.

RUBBER VS SELF-INKING VS PRE-INKED STAMPS

Money Bag | Two Gifts in One

Queen Darlene - July 29, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Money, Mother's Day

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “Money Bags?” Someone with lots of money, right? Well… here’s a gift idea for a Money Bag (singular) that will fit anyone’s budget.

This gift is a “twofer” as my husband would say.

Purchase a purse with lots of pockets and zippers. (For the guys, use a backpack.)

The more pockets and zippers to hide cash and coins, the more fun and surprised the recipient will be. You can either insert the bills so they are hidden or visible the moment they open their gift.

Fill the middle part of the purse with as many crumpled dollar bills needed to make it look full. Of course, the amount of cash is up to you. (When using a backpack, you may want to just fill the outer compartments with cash to make those look full.)

There you have it! A Money Bag full of money! Two gifts in one!

A beautiful purse or cool backpack and some spending cash is a memorable gift for birthdays, Christmas, graduations or Mother’s Day.

In suggesting gifts: Money is appropriate, and one size fits all. – William Randolph Hearst

More Free Time | Gift Certificate for Personal Assistant Service

Princess Diana - June 30, 2015 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day

Life is filled with many tasks that need to get done but bring us no joy in doing them. We look at our to-do list and groan.

Laundry. Dry cleaning. Yard work. Grocery shopping. House cleaning. Getting an oil change. Going to the post office. Organizing a room or closet. Running errands. The list goes on. There are a million other things we’d rather do.

We work hard all week and instead of using our free time to relax or to spend quality time with friends and family, we’re stressed out trying to complete these mundane but necessary tasks because if we didn’t… we would be stressed out they didn’t get done.

No clean clothes or no food in the fridge? No thank you. But how can we break the cycle of stress and feeling overwhelmed for ourselves or for someone we care about? The answer is a personal assistant.

Give someone more free time and peace of mind by giving them a gift certificate for a personal assistant service. They can delegate the tasks they don’t have time for or don’t enjoy.

Baby Bump Maternity Photo Shoot

Queen Darlene - June 12, 2015 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day

Did you know there’s a whole industry in baby bump/pregnancy/maternity photography? Google it and you will see hundreds of amazing pregnancy photos.

It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the upcoming birth of a baby by showing off the “bump!”

My maternity outfits were much like my mother’s and grandmother – big flowing tops that hid our pregnant bellies.

In my grandmother’s day you couldn’t even say “pregnant.” The correct term was “in the family way.” Thank goodness that taboo is no longer the norm.

My mother told me when she was pregnant, you said the word “pregnant” in a hushed tone. Oh, how glad I am times have changed! It’s exciting to be pregnant and maternity photos are a great way to share the joy with loved ones.

My friend’s daughter, Kelsey, is a professional dancer and her pregnancy photos feature her as a ballerina.

Queen for the Day | Photo Shoot

Queen Darlene - May 7, 2015 - Birthday, Experiences, Mother's Day

My mother loved taking pictures of her three kids, her family and friends. She also loved being in the pictures too. She would have loved Selfies!

When Mom’s health began to show signs of dementia, I wanted to get her out of the house to do something fun. I decided to make her Queen for the Day!

I brought over one of my sequin gowns, long black gloves, jewelry and a tiara. I explained we were going to make her Queen for the Day and her grandson was going to take pictures – in essence a photo shoot while we visited Bricktown in Downtown Oklahoma City.

Mom loved seeing all of the new changes in Downtown OKC – the canal, the larger than life bronze statues, beautiful waterfalls and botanical gardens. She enjoyed using these as backdrops for her photos. Continue Reading

Weekly Deliveries of a Rose With a Blessing

Queen Darlene - April 30, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Get Well, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

Want a new thoughtful twist in sending flowers? On Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries or really any occasion, send a rose on the day of celebration along with a blessing.

Then send a single rose with another blessing to replenish the vase every week for a month. WOW! You’re sending happiness and inspiration for four weeks in a row!

I learned of a local business in Oklahoma City, A Rose For The Lady, that delivers roses with blessings by the Fairy Rose Princess. When making deliveries, she drives a Red Lady Bug named “Rosie” with a huge red rose on top of the roof. It’s definitely an eye catcher and certainly will bring smile to the recipient. Continue Reading

Hands-On Furniture Painting Class for the DIYer

Princess Diana - April 28, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Father's Day, Mother's Day

Some things are harder than they look. Case in point – those BEFORE & AFTER photos on Pinterest where people take hideous, dull brown furniture they find at a garage sale and with a few coats of paint transform them into colorful, vintage chic furniture.

It’s amazing how distressed furniture can look so beautiful and modern! See the photo on the right for a perfect example.

You can spend hours reading or watching the tutorials online to learn how to do it yourself. But that approach can sometimes leave your more confused because you realize just how many options you have when it comes to paint, materials, and techniques. Arrgh!

What type of paint should I use? What’s chalk paint? What’s milk paint? Which is better for my project?
Do I need to sand my furniture first? How much sanding is even necessary?
What should I use for my topcoat? How do I apply antiquing wax?
What’s the best method for re-creating the gorgeous, distressed looks I see in online photos?

furniture-painting-class-diy-thoughtful-gift

A furniture painting class allows you to learn by doing with help from an expert.

After reading about milk paint, I really wanted to try it because it’s completely free of any harmful chemicals. In fact, it’s made with only five all-natural ingredients. Milk paint also has the reputation of being easy peasy to use to get a chippy, antiqued or distressed look.

BUT… because milk paint comes in powder form, I was intimidated to try it myself. Plus, what a strange name!

So I decided to take a local Milk Paint 101 workshop. In the furniture painting class, we painted our own step stool using milk paint. I learned how to mix it and the different methods for applying it to get various distressed “looks.”

Glamour Shots Makeover for 90-Year Old Grandmother

Queen Darlene - April 23, 2015 - Birthday, Experiences, Mother's Day

How do you celebrate a 90 year old grandmother’s birthday that she can see over and over again? Take her to Glamour Shots!

To say the least, my family is very visual. Growing up in a deaf family, the “eyes” have it! The deaf members in my family may not be able to hear but they SEE everything!

Visual – Visual – Visual was a huge motivation for gifts to my mother, step-father, and grandparents.

I made an appointment at Glamour Shots to have my grandmother’s picture made for her 90th birthday.

The most make-up my grandmother wore was rouge. That’s what they called it in her day. We call it blush.

So when they styled her hair, applied eye make-up, foundation, and lipstick, and put her in fancy clothes and a cowboy hat, she thought “what a big fuss.” She had no idea how to “strike a pose” but they showed her and made it a big deal of how beautiful she looked, especially at 90 years of age.

She loved it and began to have fun being made up like a movie star! The final product? She looked like the famous actress Mae West!

“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.

April Showers Bring May Flowers | Rain Boots

Queen Darlene - April 2, 2015 - Birthday, Get Well, Kids, Mother's Day

If you need a gift for a female friend or loved one whose birthday is in the spring, keep in mind the classic rhyme “April showers bring May flowers.”

As a matter of fact, it’s two gifts in one!

Give her rain boots for those spring rains and, for that “thoughtful twist,” the rain boots double as flower vases. Place her favorite flowers in a hidden vase inside each boot! Voilà!

Paired together, the rain boots and flowers make an eye-catching combination!

It’s also easy peasy to put together, and there are many choices of rain boots with various colors and designs in stores or on-line.

Your friend or loved one will be glad to have cute rain boots to wear during downpours, and the beautiful spring flowers will bring a smile to her face!

I remember as a kid wearing rubber rain boots and splashing through puddles after a big rain. It was just pure fun!