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No Pinch Paint for St. Patrick’s Day

Queen Darlene - March 15, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday

I have several girlfriends with birthdays in March, and we’ve been exchanging gifts for many years. Some for 45 years!

I’ve never sent my March birthday friends the same gift until now. Since St. Patrick’s Day falls in March, I wanted to give a gift with a thoughtful twist.

While browsing to get my creative juices going, I came across a cute idea on CreateCraftLove.com for No Pinch Paint for St. Patrick’s Day. The site even provides a free printable gift tag.

No Pinch Paint is green nail polish, and perfect for those of us who forget to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day!

Amazing Gift of Coconut Oil

Queen Darlene - March 10, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Gifts for Me, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

I received an amazing gift of coconut oil that really is many gifts in one! I was so surprised by the usefulness of this product.

coconut-oil-many-gifts-in-one-thoughtful-gift-idea

Friends – A spoon of Sharing

For my birthday, my friend, Janet, gave me a jar of Dr. Bronner’s Magic “All-One!” Fair Trade & Organic Coconut Oil and paired it with a cute decorative teaspoon.

Over the years, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on beauty products. With this gift, I discovered all I really needed was coconut oil.

Night Light Get Well Gift

Queen Darlene - March 3, 2016 - $20 or Less, Condolence, Get Well

When someone is under the weather, the first thought of how to help them feel better is preparing chicken noodle soup and taking a box of Kleenex. But what about someone with a long term serious illness?

heart-night-light-get-well-thoughtful-gift-idea

May God’s Light chase the darkness away.

Cards and prayers are always welcomed. Books to read and adult coloring books are great ideas too.

I wanted to give my friend something a little different – a gift that would lift her spirits and light up her day every time she looked at it.

I found the perfect gift in a beautiful night light.

Brighton carries several designs, and I chose a heart night light.

I wrote in the card “May God’s light chase the darkness away.” I wanted her to know she was thought of daily and that prayers were being sent her way. Continue Reading

Umbrellas With Personality

Queen Darlene - February 25, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Going Away, Kids, Mother's Day, Pet, Retirement, Teacher Gifts

An umbrella is usually a practical gift, and if you give one that is the basic black, red or hunter green – it’s booooring. Don’t do it.

I love red lipstick, and when my friend gave me an amusing umbrella with a gentleman’s hand holding a red lipstick, my jaw dropped! I had never ever seen anything like it. What a cool gift!

Today’s umbrellas have personality and come in all shapes, sizes and designs for adults and kids.

They’re colorful, cheery, fancy, whimsical, clever and fun. The kind of gift that will definitely bring sunshine to their day!

Did you know there are as many variety of umbrellas as raindrops? Well… maybe not quite, but the selection is endless.

There are delightful sky umbrellas to keep your skies blue, beautiful art umbrellas that are more affordable than the original famous museum paintings, and LED umbrellas that light up.

Rock of Comfort | Condolence Gift

Queen Darlene - February 18, 2016 - Condolence

We feel loved when we are comforted.

I received a coin purse as a condolence gift with a note that said, “To carry your mother’s memories.”

That’s been almost four years ago and I still feel the comfort of my mother’s memories when I open my coin purse.

When my co-worker’s mother passed away, I wanted him to hold something that would give him the same comfort I felt with my coin purse.

There was the challenge of what to give a guy. Then I remembered another gift I received that I carry in my coin purse. Continue Reading

Love is the Best Medicine | Valentine’s Day Gift

Queen Darlene - February 11, 2016 - $20 or Less, Valentine's Day

Looking to surprise your Valentine several days in a row? Try the Love is the Best Medicine seven-day pill box. This small gift allows you to express your love in a big way for an entire week!

Items you will need:

Sunday to Saturday pill box
Variety of small candy
Love messages

To assemble, fill each section of the pill box with small candy and a folded love message. Hand write or print your seven love messages on long slips of paper so they can easily be folded to fit into the container.

Leave the pill box out in the open for them to find, or surprise them by slipping it into their purse, work bag, suitcase, etc.

Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Cold!

Queen Darlene - February 4, 2016 - Birthday, Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Going Away, Housewarming, Military/Veterans, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day, Wedding

Looking for a gift for your husband or boyfriend that will keep things hot (or cold) all day long?

Yeti Tumbler

Have you ever had a hot cup of coffee go cold because you were busy at work and didn’t have time to drink it? Or… your ice cold drink turned lukewarm because the ice melted?

If you haven’t heard or tried the amazing Yeti products, trust me, they would make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

My husband loves his 30 oz. Yeti Tumbler. It keeps his coffee hot from the time he leaves for work in the morning to throughout the day. If he happens not to drink it all, whatever is left is still warm when he gets home after 5 p.m.

We gave my brother a Yeti, and he uses it to keep his drinks cold. He drinks lots of water and loves it ice cold. The ice he puts in his Yeti Tumbler is still there even the next morning when he fills it up again.

Yeti Tumblers make wonderful gifts because they are made from stainless steel to keep drinks hot or cold and don’t sweat like plastic tumblers. My guys love ’em!

Crepe Paper Money Ball Surprise

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

httpvh://youtu.be/Xy0X827to5U

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

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.”

Cold Hard Cash

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

httpvh://youtu.be/WG4_QKYPCCc”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