Category "Retirement"

& Happily Ever After | Anniversary Gift

Queen Darlene - September 15, 2016 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Retirement, Wedding

I wanted to do something in honor of my dear friends’ 45th wedding anniversary but didn’t have a clue. A thoughtful gift for a couple who has been married a long time.

While walking through the craft store, I noticed there were large alphabet letters in a variety of materials such as metal, ceramic, wood and some with lights. I also saw an ampersand sign – &.

How these ideas infiltrate my mind is a mystery but my first thought was And… to our next anniversary! Several more sayings popped in my head of what couples can look forward to doing next.

And…

to our next anniversary
to our next dinner and drinks
to our next dance
to our next sunset
to our next adventure
to whatever we want it to be
Happily Ever After! Continue Reading

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

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

High Caliber Entertainment at Gun Range

Queen Darlene - June 16, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Experiences, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Mother's Day, Retirement

Ever celebrated a birthday or retirement at a gun range? My girlfriends and I did both! One had a birthday, and the other two were retiring!

Our friendship has spanned for 40+ years and we have celebrated many life events with various experiences, but I must say going to the gun range was a first! What an exciting thrill!

I hired an instructor for a private lesson to train us about safety, how to hold a gun,and how to aim and shoot. There’s a proper technique as you can imagine, and knowing it made us feel more comfortable handling a gun.

A gun range date night or group package is a unique gift idea for a beginner, intermediate or advanced shooter.

I highly recommend it for a different kind of experience for a date night, a celebration, or just bonding time with friends and family.

Let Them Eat Cake Pops

Queen Darlene - May 26, 2016 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts

In our family, cake has always been the go-to dessert for celebrations, either homemade or bakery bought. But now I’ve discovered a new fun dessert – Cake Pops!

Cake Pops are a one-bite-size cake balls on a stick. They are soooo creatively cute and perfect for birthdays, graduations, holidays, baby and bridal showers, Mother’s Day, retirements and more.

I brought Cake Pops to a birthday and retirement party and they were a big hit with everyone! Lays’ best-known slogan “Betcha Can’t Eat Just One” is certainly true for cake balls!

You can order Cake Pops in different flavors and have them decorated in pretty much any colors, shapes and themes to make beautiful edible gifts!

Cake Pops Gift Ideas:

Flowers – Mom
Favorite Sports Team Colors – Gift for Him
Apples – Teachers
Rattles, Babies – Baby Showers
Graduation Hat – Graduate
Super Heroes, Elmo, Ninja Turtle, Mickey Mouse – Kids
Snowman, Reindeer – Christmas Party, Business Gifts
Bunnies – Easter
Mummies – Halloween

“Swing Into Retirement” Gift Ideas

Queen Darlene - May 19, 2016 - Congratulations, Retirement

I have had two co-workers retire within weeks of each other. One is a huge fan of the New York Yankees, and the other enjoys playing golf.

Because these men like the swing of a baseball bat or a golf club, I’ve named this gift idea “Swing into Retirement.”

John loves his Yankees and for his gift his co-workers ordered an original New York Yankees Louisville Slugger bat with his name engraved on it. They also got him a wooden baseball bat holder so he can display the bat on his wall.

Each employee signed the bat with a black Sharpie. Afterwards, the bat was sprayed with a thin layer of clear lacquer paint to preserve the signatures.

He also received a pair of tickets to see the New York Yankees play the Texas Rangers.

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.

Announce Big News With Yard Greeting Signs

Princess Diana - March 29, 2016 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Congratulations, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Kids, Military/Veterans, Mother's Day, Retirement, Valentine's Day

Why buy a card when you can say it in the yard?

When you have big news, you want to share it with the world! You could post about it on Facebook or Twitter, but that’s so predictable.

If you really want to create buzz, announce your big news with yard greeting signs.

Yard greeting sign and lawn ornament companies like OklahomaYardGreetings.com will spell out a personalized message using large letters and graphics. You can rent the signs for a day or a week, it’s up to you!

Imagine your loved one’s reaction when they pull up in front of their house or walk outside their front door. They’ll be completely surprised!

Yard greeting signs also make a great photo op. Take photos that are perfect for sharing on social media!

Customized Word Art Canvas | Retirement Gift

Queen Darlene - March 24, 2016 - Business, Retirement

Congratulations! Enjoy Retirement! Happy Retiree! Words of celebration but it’s the same old words and cliche. It’s so much more meaningful to say words that personalize the retiree’s working life!

personalized-retirement-on-canvas-thoughtful-gift-idea

Custom Word Art Canvas

My co-worker and friend, John, retired this year. He’s a wonderful leader, well respected, and possesses an incredibly funny deadpan and dry sense of humor that we all love!

For his retirement gift, I searched Pinterest for ideas and put together some words and phrases that describe his years and accomplishments with our agency. I also included a few of his personal sayings that he is known for around the office.

The words were placed on a wrapped canvas and presented to John at an all-agency meeting.

This style of canvas art is sometimes referred to as personalized or customized word art, subway sign, or typography art.