Monthly Archives: November 2014

Super Bungee Chair | Unique Gift for Kids

- - Birthday, Christmas, Kids

Looking for that unusual gift that would be perceived as cool, fun and something no one else would have? I found it. A Super Bungee Chair by Bunjo!

My nephew is 10 years old-not a baby-not a preteen-but definitely growing up. I wanted to give him something totally different and something he would enjoy year round.super-bungee-chair-thoughtful-gift-idea

I remember how my brothers loved their bean bag chairs as kids. Their unconventional chairs looked cool, and they used them to watch TV. So when I saw the bungee chair, I knew my nephew would feel the same way.

The Super Bungee Chair is designed like a soft, flexible hammock just right for gaming, watching TV, reading or just hanging out. It also has side pockets for gaming devices, TV remotes or snacks. It looks like no other chair!

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Win 50 Gift Bags in Celebration of our One Year Anniversary!

- - Catch All

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Last Thanksgiving, Queen Darlene and I launched Sunburst Gifts with the goal of making the world a happier place one thoughtful gift idea at a time.

After jumping into the blogging world with both feet in (not knowing exactly where we would end up), we’re so happy we took this risk!

We love ALL of it. Brainstorming gift ideas, writing posts, taking photos, shooting videos (the bloopers are a bonus!), and there for a while making television appearances on KSBItv.com and showing the world how to give gifts with a (say it with me now!) “thoughtful twist!”

We’ve even expanded and recently launched our gift consulting service just in time for the holidays where after we learn the exact gift giving needs of clients we provide them with three custom thoughtful gift idea proposals.

The support we’ve received from family and friends during the past year motivated us to continue week after week. Thank you to everyone who expressed to us they liked or used our gift ideas, who subscribed to our blog, who liked and shared our Facebook posts, and who provided us with gift ideas to use.

And thanks to YOU our loyal readers.

You’re a part of our journey here at Sunburst Gifts, and you played a part in getting us to our one year anniversary!

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Make Gift Shopping Simple With Free Gift Giving Apps

- - Catch All

People love it when you give them EXACTLY what they want. You’re being thoughtful.

giftsterThe gift item they wish for could be a specific brand, model, color or size and if you give them something different, they might be disappointed.

But how are you supposed to know EXACTLY what your friend or family member wants? You’re not a mind reader after all.

The answer? There’s an app for that.

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Fun Themes for Christmas Gift Exchanges

- - Christmas, Family

Have you ever thought of having a theme for your family’s Christmas gift exchange? It takes some of the guessing out of what to get Aunt Bev, Uncle Bob and Cousin Larry.

My friend, Elise, and her family plan a fun theme idea every year for their Dirty Santa gift exchange. They have a very large family – with many aunts, uncles, first, university-of-oklahoma-ball-cap-thoughtful-gift-ideassecond and third cousins along with grandparents and grandchildren. One year they had an All Things University of Oklahoma theme for Christmas. It was a hit because they are huge OU fans. Elise says it’s one of the few things they all agree on! Continue Reading

A Private Music Concert | Unique & Thoughtful Gift

When my mother Robyn turned 50 years old, her six children wanted to show her just how much we love her. Our gift needed to leave a mark on her memory as big as the mark she had made in our hearts and lives.

Private Music Concert Meaningful Gift Idea

My mother and grandfather sing and clap along to the music Edgar Cruz plays on his guitar.

Instead of having her children one at a time, our mother pretty much had us all at once. My parents adopted my two brothers (Garry and Kevin), my two sisters (Jeny and Julia) and me so my siblings and I could stay together. A few years later, we added Ochi to our family.

That still blows my mind because I didn’t have Aiden until I was 30. My parents were in their late 20s when they opened their hearts and home to five kids ranging from ages five to 18! God bless them!

My brothers and sisters and I decided to DOUBLE surprise our mother on her birthday.

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Breaking the Turkey Wishbones | Thanksgiving Tradition

- - $20 or Less, Experiences

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If I close my eyes, I can still remember Grandma’s house and the delicious aroma of Thanksgiving dinner filtering from her tiny kitchen. Like so many other families, every year there was discussion of who would be the lucky two people to break the turkey wishbone.

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Queen Darlene & Jody making a wish!

It was a big event at the end of the meal to watch who would win the biggest part of the bone and declare a wish!

I had no idea of why we did this ritual of breaking the wishbone, so for this post I researched it. Did you know that the Thanksgiving tradition of breaking a wishbone dates back over 2,400 years?

The Etruscan people believed that fowl could predict the future and the chicken’s collarbone was thought to be sacred. Seriously?!?! Wishes were made by rubbing on the bones in hopes of bringing good luck. (Maybe I should try this on my next lotto ticket purchase). Thus, the “wishbone tradition” began. Continue Reading

Coach Barry Switzer | A True Story

My step-father Paul’s birthday falls in November, and he will turn 90 years old. He loved two things his entire life, my mother and University of Oklahoma football.

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Step-father Paul, Coach Switzer & Queen Darlene

Since Mother passed away, there’s just not a lot of moments he gets real excited about except OU touchdowns and a WIN, of course. I wanted to do something really over the top for his birthday and Coach Barry Switzer would fit the bill.

I wrote Barry a letter and here are some excerpts. For a thoughtful twist, I wrote the letter in a thank you card.

I’m thanking you in advance for a favor. Our step-father Paul will be 90 on November 10. He was born in Norman and feels lucky because that is the home of OU. Every positive adjective I could come up with is not enough to describe his love of OU football. He never misses a game on TV. Continue Reading

American Flag Flown Over the Nation’s Capitol

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As my husband cleaned the garage, he came across a box of items that belonged to his parents. He found the American flag that had been flown over the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C. in honor of his father who enlisted in the Army and fought in WWII.

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A thoughtful gift for Veterans Day

My husband’s father was a proud red-blooded American through and through. He loved his country! I never heard him complain about paying taxes and he made sure to vote in elections. He felt it was extremely important because so many died for us to have that privilege.

For a thoughtful gift one year, we requested to have a flag flown on his birthday, December 2. The flag was mailed to us in time for Christmas. The flag came with a personalized certificate of recognition and authenticity to reflect the occasion. Continue Reading

Off to Boot Camp | Going Away Present

Have you ever had a lump in your throat and eyes get watery with hot tears? That’s exactly what happened to me when I read an invitation to attend a surprise party for Jonathan before he goes off to boot camp.

Jonathan's Birthday Celebration

Jonathan’s Birthday Celebration

Many years ago when our children were little, the Ridge family moved in next door. Cindy was pregnant and within days of being our new neighbors, Jonathan was born.

He was always the baby of our neighborhood block and his siblings, Jayson, Jenifer, and Justin became my children’s best friends.

“Jon,” as we call him, turned 22 years old in September, and all he has ever wanted was to be in the military. As a kid, his birthday cakes were decorated with army men, tanks and trucks. Now the time has come.

Our families have stayed close even though we have not been neighbors for years. When I read the party invitation, it was like my own child had grown up and became a man overnight. How does that happen?! Continue Reading

Thank You Card Using Photo of Your Child

- - Thank You

Do you have a photo of your son or daughter that you know will get people to say, “Awwww… so cute!”?

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Glue a cute photo of your child to the front of a blank note card for a thoughtful thank you card!

That’s exactly what you’ll need for making this thank you card using a photo of your child.

When my son turned two years old, I wrote thank you cards to everyone who gave him a gift. Even though my son isn’t old enough to make or write his own thank you cards, I still wanted his thank you cards to be representative of him and his Oklahoma City Thunder basketball-themed birthday party.

I purchased blank note cards in the Thunder’s team colors, blue and orange, and made multiple 4X4 prints of a close-up photo I took of my son at his birthday party. In the photo, he is wearing his Thunder basketball jersey.

Not only is the photo adorable, but it will remind everyone of his birthday party!

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