Posts by:

Princess Diana

Rubber Band Ball Creative Money Gift

Princess Diana - August 31, 2015 - Kids, Money

Rubber band balls make a fun bouncy toy for kids and a great stress reliever toy for adults. But what if the best part is hidden inside?!

Imagine the surprise on someone’s face when they’re told that the rubber band ball they received contains money!

Will they undo all off the rubber bands right away or wait until they’ve had a chance to play with it?

They only way to find out is to give the Rubber Ball Band Money Gift to someone you know!

HOW TO MAKE A RUBBER BAND BALL MONEY GIFT

Items you will need:

cash
colorful rubber bands
golf ball or aluminum foil

Frame the Perfect Quote for the Occasion

Princess Diana - August 25, 2015 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Congratulations, Father's Day, Get Well, Going Away, Graduation, Host, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day, Wedding

When someone else’s words say it all or say it better than you ever could, you’ve found the perfect quote to use for this gift idea.

frame-perfect-quote-occasion-thoughtful-gift

This powerful quote says so much about my mentor and her accomplishment.

When my mentor, Valerie, achieved a major milestone in her business by officially franchising it, I wanted to give her a thoughtful gift to say, “Congratulations!”

I was so impressed by her vision and her tenacity to see her vision through until it became reality. And she did it despite the naysayers. She inspires me with her actions.

I didn’t know quite what to give her as a gift until I came across this quote, “She believed she could, so she did.”

It summarized her accomplishment so well – the perfect quote!

Money Puzzles Make Opening Cash Gifts Fun

Princess Diana - August 24, 2015 - Gifts for Him, Graduation, Kids, Money

Give a gift they’ll have to play to win!

Money Puzzles are like a toy or game with a cash prize inside.

Kids and adults alike will love the novelty and challenge of receiving a money puzzle. Only by solving the puzzle or brain teaser can they access the cash. It’s fun to make them work at least a little bit for it!

Besides cash, money puzzles can be used to give checks and gift cards. They’re much more fun than opening an envelope or gift card holder.

Many money puzzles consist of a clear plastic container that allows gift recipients to see the money or gift card they’ve been given. It’s impossible to open the container until a small silver ball is successfully completed through a maze.

That’s what makes this gift idea so fun and different! The gift recipient must complete a challenge before earning their “prize.” Sometimes, the whole family gets involved and takes turns taking a crack at it.

Address Stamps Make Great Housewarming & Wedding Gifts

Princess Diana - August 18, 2015 - Housewarming, Mother's Day, Wedding

Buying or moving into a new home is always a big deal in a person’s life, whether it’s their first home right after getting married or their 10th home after moving around a bit.

If you know they’ll be in their new home for a while, address stamps make a great housewarming gift or wedding gift. It’s a fun way to celebrate someone’s new permanent address.

SO MANY DESIGNS!

You can personalize the design to fit the gift recipient’s style and interests. Deciding what design to choose is the hard part! Address stamps can be ordered in many different colors and in the shape of rectangles, squares and circles. And of course there are a million fonts available, from block letters to cursive.

You can also add monograms or symbols to address stamps. For animal lovers, you might add a cat, dog or paw print. For newlyweds, you might add a heart.

RUBBER VS SELF-INKING VS PRE-INKED STAMPS

Money Tie – Creative Gift for Him

Princess Diana - August 17, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Money

Normally, I would say to stay away from giving neck ties as gifts. Nine times out of 10, it shows lack of effort and creativity on your part. Unless… it’s a money tie!

A money tie makes a memorable and creative gift for him on birthdays, graduation, Christmas and Father’s Day. You can give it by itself or pair it with a button down shirt.

Don’t worry. They’re easy peasy to make. If you can fold and tape, you can make a DIY money tie gift in just minutes!

HOW TO MAKE A MONEY TIE

Items you will need:

cash (new bills looks the best; iron older bills to make them crisp)
printed tie template (download letter size or download legal size; print on cardstock)
tape

Caricatures Make Fun Birthday Party Favors

Princess Diana - August 11, 2015 - Birthday, Kids, Party Favors

When planning my son’s second birthday party, I knew there would be more adults than kids at the event. Kids don’t really have BFFs at that age.

So I needed something to make the party fun for both adults AND kids.

I first met Hector Lopez at the Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Appreciation Night when he drew a caricature of my son and me in less than five minutes. He’s that good!

caricature-birthday-party-favor2-thoughtful-gift-idea

Caricature drawings make for great entertainment and one-of-a-kind birthday party favors!

Queen Darlene saw the drawing hanging up behind my desk at the office and thought it would be a great idea to hire Hector for our agency’s employee picnic.

She’s got great instincts that one!

Our co-workers loved getting their caricatures done! Afterwards, walking through our building you could see caricatures everywhere since people proudly hung up their drawings inside their office or cubicle.

Perfect, I thought! I’ll hire Hector the caricature artist to provide the entertainment and party favors at my son’s birthday party. Continue Reading

Easy Peasy Money Tree Topiary

Princess Diana - August 10, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Graduation, Kids, Money

I like DIY crafts only if the’re easy peasy. So if you’re like me, you’ll love this easy and creative way to give cash as a gift – the money tree topiary!

It’s beautiful, decorative and memorable. Also, unlike a lot of other money gifts, the money tree topiary doesn’t require you to fold or roll any bills. If you can pinch and pin, you can create this DIY money gift in no time!

ITEMS YOU WILL NEED:

dowel rod (I cut the one I bought down to 14 inches)
small pot
foam ball (I used a 5 inch ball)
foam that fits snugly inside pot (I used floral foam)
greening pins also called floral pins (They are U-shaped)
burlap ribbon for the base (You can also use moss, decorative stones or decorative rocks)
colored ribbon for the dowel rod

Personalized Notepads & Sticky Notes | Teacher Appreciation Gift

Princess Diana - August 4, 2015 - Teacher Gifts

I have good news. This teacher appreciation gift can be used for both male and female teachers!

Teachers regularly write notes to send home with their students. You have the opportunity to make that task more fun and stylish with personalized notepads and sticky notes. You’ll even save them time by not having to sign their name!

personalized-notepads-sticky-notes-teacher-appreciation-gift

Male and female teachers will enjoy receiving personalized notepads can they can use all year long.

For a unique teacher appreciation gift, give notepads or sticky notes with the phrases “A Note From” or “From the Desk of” and the name they’re called by their students. It could be Mrs. Brown, Ms. Laura or Mr. Brownlee.

A personalized notepad or sticky note (Post-its) with just their name looks great too. It’s up to you!

Best Way to Come Up With a Going Away Gift

Princess Diana - July 28, 2015 - Going Away

There are few thing harder than saying goodbye to a friend. An exception might be picking out a going away gift.

They can be tricky. That’s probably why Hallmark doesn’t have a “Going Away Gifts” aisle in its stores.

Here’s my #1 rule for going away presents – give something that means something.

If your gift item doesn’t hold special meaning, then there’s no point in giving it. Your friend doesn’t need more stuff to haul in the moving truck. It’s full as it is!

The best way to come up with a meaningful going away gift is to reflect on your friendship and HOW you spent time together.

What was your “thing?’ Did you bond by going to the movies, eating at new restaurants or attending your favorite team’s sporting events?

Now, think of a gift that ties in with what you enjoyed doing together.

If you liked going to the movies or out to eat, you could get a gift card to a movie theater or a popular restaurant where he or she will be living. If you liked attending sporting events, you could get him or her new fan gear, maybe even buy yourselves matching shirts or hats! You could also frame a photo of the two of you at a game.

My friend Beth and I loved dressing up to go out to eat, drink and dance. We also bonded by volunteering with Girl Scouts.

Money Treasure Dig | Fun Gift for Kids

Princess Diana - July 27, 2015 - $20 or Less, Kids, Money

Kids love to dig for treasure in the sand. Kids also love money.

Combine those two things and you’ve got yourself a Money Treasure Dig that is a perfect money gift for younger children!

All you need are a Plastic Beach Pail and Shovel, Play Sand, and money coins.

Pour a layer of sand in the bucket and then drop a few quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. Pour sand on top of the coins until they’re hidden. Add more coins to the bucket and then add another layer of sand.