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Superhero Bathrobe Gift

Queen Darlene - January 6, 2017 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Kids, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts

Need a gift for the superhero in your family, circle of friends, or co-workers?

I present the superhero bathrobe for your Superman, Batman, Spiderman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in your life!

Let’s not forget there are girl superheroes too, like Supergirl and Wonder Woman!

Personalized Superhero Bathrobes

My office staff purchased a Superman bathrobe for our boss for Christmas. We personalized it by having his name embroidered above the pocket. He loved it!

These superhero bathrobes are made of incredibly soft fleece material that feels great against the skin.

Since it looks good AND feels good… there’s no doubt it will become their favorite bathrobe!
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Recreate, Repurpose, Regift Vintage Jewelry

Queen Darlene - December 31, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Family, Mother's Day, Wedding

Ever wonder what to do with broken but beautiful, vintage jewelry? Recreate! Repurpose! Regift!

I received a picture frame containing vintage jewelry made into a dazzling crown. When I opened the gift, my mouth dropped.

My sister-in-law said, “It’s perfect for Queen Darlene!”

She was right of course! I loved all that beautiful bling! And because Karee designed and created it just for me made it even more thoughtful.

When she told me it was her new hobby, I began quizzing her about where she found the jewelry pieces, her ideas for designs, and how she made my crown.

A supplier provides her with vintage jewelry but she also finds them at garage and estate sales for reasonably prices. Karee explained she uses a special glue made for jewelry for all of her creations.
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Oklahoma Gourmet Popcorn | 45 Flavors!

Queen Darlene - December 23, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Family, Food & Drinks, Housewarming, Kids, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

Pop! Pop! Popcorn! Imagine 45 flavors to choose from!

There’s a new POPular store in town – Oklahoma Gourmet Popcorn. I love to shop and support local stores especially when you can meet the owner.

The store carried my husband’s favorite popcorn flavor, Oreo, and my new favorite flavor, Puppy Chow.

Gourmet popcorn is a delicious and fun gift during any time of the year.

Flavored Popcorn

Since gourmet popcorn comes in all sorts of flavors and colors, you can choose someone’s favorite flavor or personalize their gift by selecting a color to match their favorite sports team.

You can order online or visit their store. I enjoyed visiting their colorful store and did a taste-testing of several flavors before making my decision.

Each gourmet popcorn tasted amazing so it was difficult to decide. I finally selected White Chocolate Pretzel, Jalapeno Cheddar, Sea Salt Caramel, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Ranch as Christmas gifts for friends and family.

There are several sizes available such as Mini, Junior, Small, Medium and Large. They also have a variety of Tins for all occasions. Continue Reading

Hands-Free Headlamp Beanie Cap

Queen Darlene - December 15, 2016 - $20 or Less, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him

Guys love cool technology. At least the guys in my family do!

My dog, Cricket, gives out Christmas presents too. This year, she’s giving my husband a black Hands-Free Headlamp Beanie Cap with LED lights. Cricket thinks he can use it to light the way when he takes her on walks at night.

This kind features two bright piercing spotlights for distance viewing and two soft floodlights for close range tasks. Although it’s a flashlight and a hat combined, it’s washable and made of comfortable lightweight fleece.

My husband is always working on some project in the garage year round so a Hands-Free Headlamp Beanie Cap will definitely come in handy during the cold winter months. They are also a useful accessory for camping, fishing, hunting, emergencies, reading, auto repair, or home improvement.

Framed Sentimental Keepsakes

Queen Darlene - December 8, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day

Ever wonder what to do with keepsakes?

My mother was extremely creative. She was also very sentimental and rarely threw anything away. One of my favorite keepsakes she framed were my grandfather’s personal items like his old straight blade razor, shaving brush, hair clippers and coin purse.

Yes, coin purse. He didn’t like having loose change in the pockets of his overalls.

I have fond memories hearing the “ding ding” of the ice cream truck coming down the street. When I asked him for money, he would pull out his coin purse while my brothers chased the ice cream man to stop. We were a great team to pull that feat off no matter where we were in the neighborhood.

My grandfather always had the biggest smile after seeing the three of us walk up to his front porch with our favorite ice cream in hand.

When loved ones pass away, it’s nice to have something of theirs to help keep the memories alive.

Projection Clocks Make Telling Time Fun

Queen Darlene - December 1, 2016 - Birthday, Christmas, Kids

Projection clocks make telling time fun! There’s no need to turn over to look at the clock when a projection clock displays the time on the ceiling or wall.

Kids can be given projection clocks that display all sorts of images such as dinosaurs and rocket ships. As a bonus, they also serve as night lights!

I gave an Oregon Scientific projection clock to my son when he was a teenager years ago. It was unlike any clock I had ever seen. Even the design was a unique shape.

Braden thought it was cool to take a quick glance at the ceiling to see the time during the night.

A couple of years ago, I purchased the same brand for my brother who had a serious illness and did not sleep well. He tossed and turned and watched the clock all night long.

When Harvey began using the projection clock, he couldn’t believe how quickly he returned to sleep after looking at the ceiling to see the time. The light projects the time clearly on the ceiling but is not so bright it keeps someone awake.

Atomic Clock

He absolutely loved his projection clock not only for the easy-to-see time but also because it automatically updates for time-day-date with the U.S. Atomic Clock. You don’t even have to change it for Daylight Savings time. Continue Reading

Woolzies Natural Fabric Softener

Queen Darlene - November 17, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Housewarming

The name Woolzies instantly intrigued me, and it’s natural colored packaging with a cute sheep made me want to learn more about it.

I had never heard of a natural fabric softener and got excited. You’re thinking, really? Excited over fabric softener? Well…yes! I like using natural products.

My friend, Janet, who loves all things natural, gave me Woolzies as a birthday gift. I love using products my friends swear by!

Woolzies look like fuzzy little white tennis balls. Simply toss the ball in your dryer with your clothes for softer fabrics.

The dryer balls are 100% pure New Zealand wool, eco-friendly, and hypoallergenic. Not only are they better for your laundry and your skin since they’re free of chemicals, but they also make your clothes feel very soft. Continue Reading

Pep Rally Office Retirement Party

Queen Darlene - November 3, 2016 - Birthday, Business, Retirement

Our office landscape is changing due to the retirement of baby boomers. We’ve already had three retire this year!

When a longtime employee is retiring, it can get teary-eyed and emotional but a fun office retirement party will bring out the celebration and laughter.

Phil retired after 30 years and for his send-off we organized a pep rally style retirement party with six employees participating as “cheerleaders.”

Each cheerleader had a card with a letter that together spelled R-E-T-I-R-E. Individually, they would raise their card with their letter and enthusiastically call out, “Give me an R” and the audience would loudly reply “R.”

The next cheerleader would hold their card up and say “Give me an E” and so on until the word R-E-T-I-R-E had been spelled.

To further excite the crowd in the room, the cheerleaders asked in unison, “What does it spell?” The audience would scream their response, “RETIRE!” This went on a couple more times. Continue Reading

Home State Friendship Bracelet Gift Idea

Queen Darlene - October 27, 2016 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Graduation, Retirement, Teacher Gifts

For a unique gift, use your home state for a memorable friendship bracelet.

I’ve kept in touch with wonderful girlfriends I met while living out of state and friends who have moved away and live all across the country. Several of us have been exchanging birthday or Christmas gifts for 50+ years!

Our gifts are not expensive. Some are handmade crafts, homemade baked goods or something that reminds us of each other.

Through the years, we’ve exchanged gifts by mail or when friends have returned to visit family in our home state of Oklahoma.

My girlfriends and I all love to wear bracelets. My mission: Find just the right bracelet for each friend.

I came across designs of Oklahoma bracelets. That’s when the thoughtful twist came to mind, and I decided to give each of my girlfriends an Oklahoma bracelet. Continue Reading

Gift Card to New Store in Town

Queen Darlene - October 20, 2016 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day

It’s fun to experience a new store in your town or city. The excitement and buzz of a grand opening is usually all over the media and the talk of the office.

For my birthday, my boss gave me a gift card to Trader Joe’s that recently opened its first store in Oklahoma City.

What a pleasant surprise! I’ve been to Trader Joe’s in other cities and have waited 26 years for it to open here because I love Trader Joe’s!

When we visit our friends in New Mexico, we always make a stop and purchase what we can haul back home in the car!

I like finding unique, interesting and delicious foods at reasonable prices and can’t wait to see if they still carry my favorite granola nut cereal, a Trader Joe’s specialty.