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Princess Diana

Experience Being a Stunt Pilot or Fighter Pilot for a Day

Princess Diana - May 19, 2015 - Experiences, Gifts for Him

I traveled to Las Vegas and didn’t gamble one single dollar. Instead, I gambled with my life.

stunt-fighter-pilot-experience-thoughtful-gift

Stunt Pilot for a Day

A Hummer pulls up in front of my hotel and drives me to an airplane hanger on the outskirts of the city. Once I check in, I step into my flight suit and zip it up all the way from my crotch up to my neck. Then I flip up the collar because that’s how I roll.

Every stunt pilot has to have a nickname so guess what mine is? PSYCHO.

My flight instructor picks it out, and he gives me me a cool patch that attaches to my flight suit. I guess he thinks that a woman foaming at the mouth to go up in the world’s most advanced aerobatic plane – the Extra 330LC – to do the same stunt moves they do in airshows must be psycho.

So be it because I love my nickname! I’m glad he didn’t nickname me Tinkerbell or Goose. Remember, Goose died in “Top Gun.”

I receive a brief training on what to expect up in the air and an explanation of the types of wild maneuvers and stunt moves I will be doing. The maneuvers have crazy awesome names like hammerhead, barrel roll, and tailslide.

Top 5 Gift Ideas Blowing Up on Pinterest

Princess Diana - May 17, 2015 - Catch All

The Pinterest votes are in! Drum roll please…

We’re so excited to share our Top 5 most repinned thoughtful gift ideas on Pinterest! Any of these popular gifts will make someone in your life feel very special. Happy gifting!

1) Easy Peasy Birthday Money Box

2) 18 Things I Wish I Had Known at 18

3) Lottery Ticket Bouquet

4) Jesus Candy Cane Poem

5) Random Acts of Kindness for Your Own or Someone Else’s Birthday

pay it forward popcorn taped to Redbox machine

Pay It Forward Idea – Tape a package of microwaveable popcorn to a Redbox machine along with a note!

[ninja-inline id=6430]

Give A Book That Has Changed Your Life

Princess Diana - May 12, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Graduation

As an adult, one my biggest accomplishments is changing how I view money (realizing that acquiring more money just to buy more things does not lead to happiness) and how I manage my money (actively saving for retirement and future goals while remaining debt free).

Now I feel in control of my finances instead of ignoring my finances or feeling my finances are controlling me.

Two people have helped me get to this point in my life. My husband, Kevin Jaeger, and Trent Hamm, the brains behind the blog TheSimpleDollar.com.

If I’m ever in a conversation related to money or finances, I always bring up TheSimpleDollar.com so more people can benefit from the website’s advice. A lot of his stuff is not just great financial advice, it’s great advice for living life in general.

Infuser Water Bottle Gift Basket | Healthy Teacher Appreciation Gift

Princess Diana - May 6, 2015 - $20 or Less, Food & Drinks, Gift Baskets, Teacher Gifts

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Are you looking for a teacher appreciation gift idea that doesn’t include chocolate, candy, soda and dessert items? Do you want to say “thank you” without loading them up with unwanted calories?

infuser water bottle gift basket for teacher

Thanks for quenching my thirst for knowledge!
Teacher Appreciation Gift

If you’re looking for a healthy version of a teacher appreciation gift, I have just the one!

Infuser Water Bottles will make it easy for your favorite teacher to create their own naturally flavored water from fruits and herbs. The result – a healthy, refreshing beverage they can sip from throughout the school day.

Here are some foods that work well with infuser water bottles. Just cut or slice them so they fit inside the infuser capsule.

Cucumbers
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Strawberries

“Here’s Some Dough!” Pizza Box Money Gift

Princess Diana - May 5, 2015 - Gifts for Him, Going Away, Graduation, Kids, Money

College students and pizza go together like movies and popcorn. Sing with me now. “This I tell you brother. You can’t have one without the other.”

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What factors have caused this magnetic match?

#1 – It tastes amazing. Even plain cheese pizza is heavenly, and it just gets better from there. Pepperoni. Supreme. Meat Lovers. Oh, sweet Jesus!

#2 – It’s dirt cheap and sometimes free. I remember getting so much free pizza in college because most student organizations used it to lure people to their meetings.

#3 – It’s the ultimate convenience food. No plates or utensils necessary. Napkins optional.

#4 – It can be delivered. Just think of all the times pizza deliveries have saved college students from starvation when they’re either too drunk, too lazy, or don’t have a car to get food.

#5 – It even tastes good cold. Pizza for breakfast, anyone?

But no matter how much college students love their warm, gooey pizza, they can’t survive without cold, hard cash.

Money is by far the #1 request for gifts by graduates so give it to them. College is expensive! Ditch the envelope though, and get creative.

Give them a “Here’s some dough!” Pizza Box Money Gift for a present they’ll never forget! It’s easy peasy to put together with a few simple items, and it creates that “WOW!” factor!

HOW TO CREATE A “HERE’S SOME DOUGH!” PIZZA BOX MONEY GIFT

Hands-On Furniture Painting Class for the DIYer

Princess Diana - April 28, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Father's Day, Mother's Day

Some things are harder than they look. Case in point – those BEFORE & AFTER photos on Pinterest where people take hideous, dull brown furniture they find at a garage sale and with a few coats of paint transform them into colorful, vintage chic furniture.

It’s amazing how distressed furniture can look so beautiful and modern! See the photo on the right for a perfect example.

You can spend hours reading or watching the tutorials online to learn how to do it yourself. But that approach can sometimes leave your more confused because you realize just how many options you have when it comes to paint, materials, and techniques. Arrgh!

What type of paint should I use? What’s chalk paint? What’s milk paint? Which is better for my project?
Do I need to sand my furniture first? How much sanding is even necessary?
What should I use for my topcoat? How do I apply antiquing wax?
What’s the best method for re-creating the gorgeous, distressed looks I see in online photos?

furniture-painting-class-diy-thoughtful-gift

A furniture painting class allows you to learn by doing with help from an expert.

After reading about milk paint, I really wanted to try it because it’s completely free of any harmful chemicals. In fact, it’s made with only five all-natural ingredients. Milk paint also has the reputation of being easy peasy to use to get a chippy, antiqued or distressed look.

BUT… because milk paint comes in powder form, I was intimidated to try it myself. Plus, what a strange name!

So I decided to take a local Milk Paint 101 workshop. In the furniture painting class, we painted our own step stool using milk paint. I learned how to mix it and the different methods for applying it to get various distressed “looks.”

“Love You Forever” | The Perfect Book for Mothers

Princess Diana - April 21, 2015 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower, Mother's Day

I read a book in which the author recommended the book called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

The book “Love You Forever” makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

When I read it for the first time, it made my cry three times. Each time I started to cry I put down the book to catch my breath only to continue crying once I started reading again. Let me mention, the book ONLY has 14 short pages of text!!

This timeless story of a mother’s constant and enduring love for her child puts into words the emotions that mothers feel.

I say it’s the perfect book for mothers because if I had read “Love You Forever” before I became a mother, I know I would not have reacted to it the same way.

A Written Letter to Your Child on Test Day

Princess Diana - April 14, 2015 - Kids

Fear. Anxiety. Stress. Pressure. Worry. Children feel some or all of these emotions on test day. These “yucky” feelings can also have a negative impact on their performance. Parents, you can do something about this.

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By writing a letter to your child on test day, you can replace these emotions with confidence and positive thoughts. The letter can tell them how much you love them, believe in them and are proud of them.

When your child reads your letter, they will go into the test with a positive mindset that will encourage them to try their hardest and prepare them to succeed. In essence, you’re giving your child the invaluable gift of self-esteem!

Easy Peasy Money Umbrella Surprise

Princess Diana - April 7, 2015 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Going Away, Graduation, Kids, Money, Wedding

At Sunburst Gifts, we love coming up with creative ways to give money. This time, shower someone with cash with a Money Umbrella!

Money umbrellas are a fun and creative way to give cash gifts.

When they open the umbrella, they’ll be completely surprised by all of the cash that falls out from the inside!

If you give the Money Umbrella gift in person, watching them open the gift and seeing their reaction is half the fun so make sure they open it in front of you. And get your camera or video camera ready!

You can attach a note to the umbrella that says “Open Me” but I prefer say something like,”Open it up so you can see that it’s a lot bigger than it looks. It will really protect you from the rain!”

Yes, little white lies are completely appropriate in these situations.

If you’re mailing the gift or you won’t be there when it’s opened, definitely include a note that says “Open Me.” You don’t want the gift recipient to miss out on their big surprise and, even worse, lose the umbrella and the cash because they had no idea what was inside!

Th Money Umbrella gift idea is so much fun to give and receive, and it’s easy peasy to create!

HOW TO CREATE A MONEY UMBRELLA

Give the Life-Changing Gift of a Summer Camp Experience

Princess Diana - March 31, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Kids

Every kid who goes to summer camp always comes back with stories to tell.

At summer camp you do things you never get to do at home or at school, and it feels like one big slumber party at night! Everyone makes new friends and bonds from doing all sorts of fun activities together.

I treasure my summer camp memories of sitting around the campfire making s’mores, dressing head to toe in black to play Capture the Flag in complete darkness, and exploring the woods to see what I might discover whether it was a cave or a secret wigwam!

Going to summer camp is a life-changing experience that creates life-long memories.

I went to the traditional summer camp that provides first-hand encounters with nature but there are all sorts of summer camps that tailor to specific interests. There are sports camps, drama camps, leadership camps, band camps, church camps, academic camps, arts camps, and the list goes on!

What they all have in common is how they shape the characters and boost the self-esteem of children by exposing them to experiential education that allows them to learn by doing.