Gifty Giving!

Gift Basket Ideas

When I give a gift I like to include things that help the receiver use the gift. For example if I buy someone a pasta bowl I want them to be able to have pasta, spices and sauces so they can enjoy the bowl I bought them. I don't want my gift to inconvenience them by having to go to the store and purchase more things in order to use it, I find this concept especially fun at bridal and baby showers. Here are some ideas for baskets to put with pieces you might purchase this season.

I make most of my baskets form things that come from HomeGoods stores, TJMaxx, Marshalls, World Market, and other places!
Great Griller's/Press: grilling sauces, bread, recipe book, spatula, spices,apron, and olive oil.

Tea-novists: Tea pot, several different flavors of tea, mug, towels, lemon, honey, and tea bag rests.
Cheese Chiefs: Cheese board, cheese spreaders/knives, cheese, wine, and crackers.

Wine Lovers: Wine red and white, glasses, stoppers, openers, and glass markers.
Crock Pot Connoisseurs: BBQ, cook book, apron, spices, laddie, and soups.

Pasta Prima-donas: Pasta bowel, pasta types, olive oils, sauces, spices, ladle, dipping oil, and garlic press

Coffee Captions: Mugs, flavored syrups, coffee, stirs, biscottii, iced coffee cup shortbread, and Cinnamon.

Baker Babes: Oven mitts, rolling pin, cookie cutters, cookie/muffin mix, mixing bowels, frosting, spatula, whisk, and apron.

Popcorn Pros: Flavorings for popcorn, varied pop corn types, two tubs for popcorn, DVDs (classics)

Lunch Liaisons: Collapsible containers for storage, chop sticks, hot and cold drink containers, soup container, lunch bag, and silverware.

Pancake Perfectionists: Pancake mixes, spatulas, syrups, bowel, whisk, mixing bowel, and pancake shapes.

Tiered Elegance

 Went to TJMaxx and found these plates that I loved but I didn't want to by 4 of each so I decided to by 2 sets of four small appetizer plates a large dinner plate, salad plate, bowl, and two crystal candle sticks. I attached the candle sticks to the bottom of the bowl and salad plate with E600 glue (find at most crafting stores works on dishes,but dont advise running it through dishwasher). I decided not to attach all three to give me options and make cleaning easier. I can use it to hold jewelry, in the bathroom for organization. Or even the office to hold supplies.

Holiday Center Pieces

Reuse that gift basket you got last year to put flowers in , by a Styrofoam piece to put inside and attach to the bottom of basket, The purchase stems from your favorite store and try to space evenly.

Use your favorite vase or glass holding piece to group cheap ornaments form the dollar store, for depth add lights or strings of beads for texture.

Place trees at various levels on a plate add candles or ornaments here and there in the plate. Add a large wreath to place around it.

Santa's Belt Insperation

Stuffed left over tinsel in an ornament painted black stripe on the ornament and then drew a gold glitter box like a buckle on it with a glitter gel pin

Made gift tags from word document on cumputer glued then glittered. Fun an easy lots of colors and shapes.

Tissue Paper Trees

Need:
3 Styrofoam cones
Hot glue and hot glue gun
Several pieces of desired color tissue paper
Pencil
Scissors

1. Cut tissue into squares about one inch by one inch.
2. Wrap tissue paper around the eraser end of a pen(place in the middle of square when wrapping) and using glue gun put a dot of glue on the paper.
3. Then touch it to the the cone going up and down.
4. Place it closely together.
5. Then cut on an angle from the top of the cone down with the scissors to trim the tree shape. (DO this part of the garbage can) save you from some headache clean up.

Baby's Shower Ideas

 I recently hosted another baby shower, this one was a three hour drive away so I had to bring everything with me, including a microwave.We ended up having in a meeting room at a bank. The picture above is what ended up as our center pieces. We wanted them to be things mommy could use again. So we bought baby bottles stuffed them with iridescent cellophane and added ribbons, bibs and pacifiers, we surrounded them with shells and risen drops.

Meatballs, cucumber sandwiches, dips, chips, crackers, chicken sandwiches

Party favors are boxes shaped in bottles tied with ribbon, I placed two square guests soaps in each one, the soaps I bought from TJ Maxx for about 4-5 dollars there where 12 in each box.  Which made the favors about 30 dollars.

The Glass Act

Took those small Halloween plastic rings that come in shapes modge podged them and dipped in glitter make for fun and cheep wine rings, also took about 20 mins to do with prep and all.

Found these at the dollar store so I put them on earings and uded as wine glass rings.

I saw these in the store, to make them I covered the top with news paper, and used painters tape around the bottom to establish an even line and used chalk board spray paint, I was able to find chalk at the dollar store to send with them. The glasses I bought at the dollar store.

Storage and Display Sport Momentos

I ran in college and my budget right now is low but I took my bib numbers and added them in a memory frame I purchased from Hobby Lobby. Eventually the medals will have their own shadow box and so will the batons I have from every school I ran and or coached at. The biggest thing is to protect from light and dust.

Statement Necklace

Took resien drops and glued to felt using E600 glue, attaches with a magnetic purse clasp I attached before adding design, backed the felt with fabric stiffener then added another layer of felt underneath so it lays comfortably on the skin.

Message Board

Took the frame of a cork board and covered it with fabric using a staple gun then took a roll of ribbon and and attached it in a vertical pattern adhering it to the edge with a staple gun.

First look at Christmas decorating

Grouping I like to try and keep it at three for tall objects and varied color pallets for everyday decorating I stay with in the same color family but for Christmas I venture out!

This reindeer votive helps keep the varied heights fluent through out this piece.

Jewelry Part III

 

Jewelry Part II

  

 
 

Jewelry Making I

 

 
I tend to raid the clearance jewelry at Micheal's and Hobby lobby, aside from my findings and claps I almost always try to re-purpose broken jewelry or buy sale items.

The squares are from hobby lobby and are easy to do I take pictures or pieces of paper I like and put them inside a pre-made box and close it up.
The crystal with a bag piper is a piece of paper I printed of and modge podged onto the back and sealed.
The pearls and sequins are from sale box and an old belt clasp I turned into a catch.
The keys are old ones that I could not find a use for so I glittered them.
The rest are charms I found and made into necklaces

Hair There

I made this come using loose pearls, a comb, wire, and pre-made pearl sticks. Wrap the loose pearls and wire over the pre-made pearls laying flat on the comb as you work pretty easy. Fun for bridesmaids. Spread the wired pearls out when your done, make sure to move them where you want as you wire.

I bought ribbon and hair clips from the dollar store, make bows and tie off using small thin thread. Take an extra piece and using hot glue, glue around the middle of the bow to cover the thread. Then hot glue to a hair clip. 

 These are simple they are small alligator clips, that have the ribbon hot glued over both edges of the clip. Make sure to open while they are drying so they do not stick together, great for babies and toddlers.

Bobby pins and rhinestones with supper glue pretty simple and fun!