Posts Tagged: "DIY"

Macarons Gift Boxes & Bouquets

Is it macarons or macaroons?

macarons-gift-box-edible-cookieI found out recently there IS a difference between the two besides the spelling. A macaroon is coconut based.

For this gift idea, I’m referring to macarons, which are meringue based and come in a wide range of colors and flavors.

There are SO many colors and flavors to choose from which makes it fun to give someone a variety!

If you’ve never had a macaron, it’s a delicate cookie with two thin crusts and a filling made of either ganache, buttercream or fruit jam.

It’s also full of contrasts. A macaron packs huge flavor into a tiny baked goodie, and it’s somehow both rich and light at the same time.

They come in delicious flavors such as mint chocolate, cookies and cream, mojito, honey lavender, lemon tart, and piña colada. Is your mouth watering yet? Because I’m just scratching the surface on the different types of macaron flavors out there.

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Hershey’s Candy Bar Baby Birth Announcement

After 14 years, we have a new baby born in the family July 4, 2018. Announcing my great-nephew, Rogan Charles!

hershey's-candy-bar-baby-birth-announcement-thoughtful-gift-ideaAnd… GREAT it is!

It’s been so long since we’ve had a newborn in our family that when he was born on Independence Day, we definitely felt the parades, fireworks, and the whole nation celebrating was appropriate!

I wanted to take a celebratory gift to the hospital when we visited the new Mom, Dad and baby.

Easy Peasy DIY Baby Birth Announcement

I purchased 24 Hershey candy bars (12 plain and 12 almonds). Then I took a blue permanent magic marker and colored in the HE in HERSHEY.

It’s easy peasy! All you have to do is color within the lines!  Continue Reading

Personalized Toy Basket

- - $20 or Less, Kids

Toy baskets are a parent’s best friend…

Because they spend so much of their time picking up toys off the floor. Again and again and again.

personalized-toy-basket-bin-gift Someone has to pick up those 50 Hot Wheels cars and those 150 pieces of Mega Bloks. Yes, I make my kids help me a lot of the time but sometimes it’s just faster and easier to do it myself.

Toy baskets make it easy for parents (and kids) to clean up from room to room and the pretty baskets make cute storage space.

Their open top makes it simple to take things in and out, and they’re light enough even the kids can move them around. They can be filled with anything from large wooden toys to soft stuffed animals. They are just so convenient!

Life with children is a beautiful mess and toy baskets make it cleaner and more organized.

DIY Personalized Toy Basket

A gift I like to give for baby showers and kids’ birthdays is a Personalized Toy Basket with a child’s name on it. I make them myself and you can too!

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Kids Traceable Thank You Card

- - Kids, Thank You

My mother taught me the importance of writing thank you notes, and I’m passing the skills of showing appreciation down to my own children.

kids-traceable-thank-you-card-noteI started with my oldest child, Aiden, when he was only three years old. I created Color In Thank You Cards since he could color at that age.

At age 4, I created Star Wars thank you cards, and he wrote his name on each one and decorated them with Star Wars stickers.

This year at age 5, I created a Traceable Thank You Card since he’s learning how to write uppercase and lowercase letters in Pre-K. The template has a place at the bottom for him to write his name.

He practiced his handwriting while learning proper manners and etiquette. Parenting win!

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Rock Painting Kit

- - $20 or Less, Kids

My son and I were shopping at an outdoor mall when he found a piece of “treasure.”

rock-painting-gift-kids-giftHe held it in the palm of his little hand. The look on his excited and eager face said, “Can I keep it?”

He showed me a smooth, round rock painted red with blue polkadots and a large pink heart.

Painted on the back were the words, “Facebook Frogville Rocks #FrogvilleRocks.”

I explained to my son that someone must have wanted him to find the rock and that the person wanted us to visit their Facebook page.

Spread Joy With Rock Painting

I was intrigued myself! We visited the Frogville Rocks Facebook group and this is what it said:

This group was created as a simple way to have fun and share some random acts of kindness by sharing a little piece of artwork. We encourage this random act of kindness through painting rocks and hiding them for others to find.

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Thoughtful Second Marriage Wedding Gift

When my friend announced she would be saying “I do” for the second time, I wanted to give her a special wedding gift.

wedding-photo-silhouette-thoughtful-gift-ideaTraditional gifts such as dishes, towels and kitchen appliances are usually not needed in a second marriage.

I had the perfect opportunity to give a creative and thoughtful wedding gift!

Mike and Teresa were getting married on a beach in Florida and hosting a reception later for family and friends. This gave me time to do a little research…

Teresa posted on Facebook pictures of their beach wedding, and it sparked a gift idea.wedding-silhouette-second-time-around-thoughtful-gift-idea

I had seen custom couple silhouette portraits on Etsy.com, and thought I would create my own using one of Teresa’s wedding photos. I picked one of them in a unique pose.

 

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A Candy Bouquet for Any Occasion

Flowers bouquets are considered a perfect gift for any occasion. Although, realistically, women tend to appreciate the gift of flowers more than men. Not so with candy bouquets. Men, women and children love them equally!

candy-bouquet-edible-giftA candy bouquet is like a flower arrangement except it uses candy instead of flowers.

Think about it. Not everyone has a favorite flower, but everyone has their favorite candy (or candies).

If you’re like me, you have more than one favorite candy. My perfect candy bouquet would contain Twix, Sour Patch Kids, Sweet Tart Gummies, Hershey’s Hugs, and Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses.

Candy bouquets are a beautiful sight! They look expensive, but they can be created simply and inexpensively.

You can purchase pre-made candy bouquets, but by creating your own you can customize it to contain the gift recipient’s favorite flavors.

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Homemade Peppermint Sugar Scrub

Do you know what I love about homemade things? You know exactly what goes into it.

diy-homemade-peppermint-sugar-scrub-gift

The ingredients don’t have weird scientific names like maltodextrin and sodium nitrate because you’re making it in your kitchen and not in some laboratory.

My Homemade Peppermint Sugar Scrub recipe contains only four natural ingredients:

It’s a homemade natural beauty product that makes a great holiday gift because it smells amazing and it looks so pretty when layered in red and white candy cane stripes inside a clear jar.

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Stuffed Animals Displayed as Art

Most of us have grown up with teddy bears or other beloved stuffed animals. Many of us still have them.

teddy-bear-framed-thoughtful-gift-ideaThey are tucked away forgotten until we come across them stored away in the attic or closet. Oh… that warm fuzzy feeling of seeing your childhood companion!

I have a beautiful gift idea to display the lovable teddy bear and other favorite huggable animals.

Place the stuffed animal in a picture frame to look like art!

You can purchase frames, use frames you have around the house or look for frames at garage and estate sales at bargain prices. If you don’t like the color of the frame, simply paint over it.

I love DIY projects only if they are simple!

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