Monthly Archives: January 2016

Crepe Paper Money Ball Surprise

Queen Darlene - January 28, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Kids, Money

Who doesn’t like to unwrap gifts? How about finding a gift with each unwrapping – say 12 times within one gift? What?! The Crepe Paper Money Ball Surprise will do just that!

The balls of crepe paper strips are wrapped around individual bills and when the recipient unwinds the ball, the cash is revealed one by one.

They will be totally surprised by the loot inside!

HOW TO MAKE A CREPE PAPER MONEY BALL SURPRISE

Crepe Paper – several colors to make it festive or choose their favorite colors
Scissors – cut 12 crepe paper strips in various sizes – 3 ft. to 6 ft.
Tape or glue dots to attach the last crepe paper strip
Ribbon
Cash in bills – the amount is up to you

Give Aromatherapy With Essential Oils Diffuser

Princess Diana - January 26, 2016 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Condolence, Get Well, Host, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Use the power of aromatherapy to create an atmosphere of romance or relaxation in your home.

You can use candles or incense, but essential oils are much more effective and offer health benefits.

An Essential Oils Diffuser disperses essential oils into the air as a fine mist and transforms your living environment into a spa-like experience.

Bonus! They also double as a humidifier.

To add mood lighting, you can purchase an essential oils diffuser that rotates through different colors or that stay on the color of your choice.

Of the nearly 100 different types of essential oils, certain ones are known to set the mood for romance or relaxation or both! Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Essential Oils for Romance

Tell Someone’s Story With a Floating Charm Locket Necklace

Queen Darlene - January 21, 2016 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Going Away, Graduation, Mother's Day, Retirement, Valentine's Day, Wedding

The newest trend of charm bracelets are Floating Charm Locket Necklaces. It’s a unique way to tell stories with jewelry by giving a locket containing charms depicting someone’s hobbies or experiences, or commemorating celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day or weddings.

I gave my girlfriend, Janet, a floating charm necklace for her birthday. The charms I chose were a cake with candles to celebrate her birthday, the letter “J” for her name and because she loves to take lots and lots of photos, I added a camera charm. She loved it!

Floating Charm Locket Necklaces come in different shapes such as round, heart or animal. You can choose from hundreds of cute, beautiful and colorful charms so it’s easy peasy to find charms that fit their personality and tell their personal “story.”

A Check for One Million Kisses

Princess Diana - January 19, 2016 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Valentine's Day

When you’re young and don’t have much money, you come up with really creative ways to express your love. My-then-boyfriend-now-husband came up with this gift idea for my 23rd birthday.

When I opened my birthday card from him, I was surprised to find a check. That’s weird, I thought.

For a split second I was totally confused until I read the check. It was made out to me for the amount of One Million Kisses or $XOXO.

Now, that’s a surefire way to melt a girl’s heart! I loved him so much for telling me “I Love You” in such a romantic way.

Cold Hard Cash

Queen Darlene - January 14, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Kids, Money

“Cold Hard Cash” is a one-of-a-kind money gift idea that will certainly be fun and amusing!

So how do you turn money into cold hard cash?

You will need:

A plastic container with a lid
Ziplock bag
Water
Money in the form of bills or coins or both

Say Aloha to World’s Easiest Money Lei

Princess Diana - January 12, 2016 - Going Away, Graduation, Money, Retirement

Did you know that leis are commonly presented when someone is arriving or leaving? The garland of flowers is a common symbol of love, friendship, celebration, honor or greeting.

That’s why money leis are perfect for graduation, going away parties and retirement parties. They’re pretty like flowers, but they have spending power!

They make for a unique and memorable gift that the gift recipient can wear on their special day.

There are many money lei tutorials out there, but this one is the world’s easiest money lei. It requires very little folding and assembling and still looks great!

The one I made using a standard Mardi Gras necklace only requires 14 money leis. Most other money lei tutorials require you to fold and attach 40-60 money flowers.

HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD’S EASIEST MONEY LEI

Items you will need:

cash (use crisp bills; iron if necessary)
beaded necklace
small rubber bands
ribbon (cut into 8 inch strips) (regular or curling ribbon)
glue dots or double-sided tape

Passing Down Family Heirlooms

Queen Darlene - January 7, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Gifts for Me, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Wedding

My husband’s job transferred him to Albuquerque in 1984. It was the first time either one of us had lived more than 10 miles from family. We were excited about our new adventure, and at the same time sad to leave our very close-knit family behind.

great-grandmother's-rose-bowl-thoughtful-gift-idea

Rose Bowl from Germany was given to my grandmother by her mother.

We moved into a new and larger home so I needed more wall decorations.

This was before we had the Internet so I visited several furniture stores, but had difficulty finding pictures I liked in my price range.

We lived several months without anything on the walls until one day I was making room to store old dishes passed down to me by my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother. Continue Reading

Silhouette Paper Portraits Make Classic Gift

Princess Diana - January 5, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Family, Father's Day, Kids, Mother's Day, Pet, Valentine's Day, Wedding

A custom silhouette paper portrait is a classic gift that will be cherished for years. The one I had made of my son melts my heart every time I glance at it.

Parents and grandparents especially love this type of gift!

It used to be you had to visit a silhouette artist in person, but these days you can simply email a photograph and receive your beautiful custom silhouette in the mail. Easy peasy!

You can have custom silhouette paper portraits made of children, adults and pets, either upper body or full body. They can also be done of siblings and couples. A silhouette of a couple makes for a lovely wedding or Valentine’s Day present.