Category "$20 or Less"

Collapsible and Expandable Flower Vase

Queen Darlene - March 23, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Teacher Gifts

Do you like surprises? I do! I received red roses from my friend, Karen. Even though that was a surprise in itself, that wasn’t the BIG surprise. She delivered roses in a gift bag with an collapsible, expandable vase.

What’s an collapsible, expandable vase you ask?

They are folded flower vases that do everything a glass vase can do except collect dust.

The vases are thin, strong, durable and amazingly stable. They will not leak.

Not only are they beautifully designed to display in the home or office, they are ideal for poolside and patio dining because they will never chip, scratch, or break.

I followed the instructions on the back of the package holding the vase.

Snappums | Stuffed Animal Slap-On Bracelets

Princess Diana - March 21, 2017 - $20 or Less, Kids

As a kid of the 80s, slap-on bracelets will be forever be “da bomb” in my book.

What’s not to love? It’s a toy and an accessory in one!

Slap-on bracelets have made a comeback in popularity recently. Kids today love them too! My son has received them as party favors at school and at birthday parties.

I love that. It’s a nice reminder that simple toys that don’t require batteries still have entertainment value.

Snappums Slap-on Bracelets

Hallmark has designed a new type of slap-on bracelets called Snappums.

They are soft, plush fabric characters constructed around a slap-on bracelet.

Think stuffed animal combined with a slap-on bracelet. Cool stuff!

You can pick from super heroes, such as Batman and Batgirl, dinosaurs, unicorns, cats, dogs, and other popular characters such as Hello Kitty.

Complete Mystery Surprise Gift for $10

Princess Diana - March 14, 2017 - $20 or Less, Gifts for Me

What if you have no idea what gift you sent someone? It’s a complete mystery surprise to you AND to them until it arrives in the mail.

Think of the feelings of excitement and anticipation as you wait a week for the mystery surprise gift to arrive… Yes, it really does take a week but that only makes the feelings of anticipation stronger with each passing day.

Mystery Surprise Gift

You can totally make that happen at SomethingStore.com which provides people with “the joy of surprise.”

For $10, which includes free shipping in the USA, guess what you receive? Something!

It could literally be anything brand-new that is worth at least $10. Or it could be worth a whole lot more! They have been known to send out iPads. Wouldn’t that be an awesome surprise?!

Their website gives some possibilities of what the “something” could be:

Ultra Bright Flashlight for Gal Pal

Queen Darlene - March 2, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas

Tactile Ultra Bright Flashlights are not just for guys while camping or hunting! Gals need them too.

I needed a birthday gift for my girlfriend, Karen. We met at my office when she represented a client through Legal Aid. We became instant friends, played on a tennis team together, and have been exchanging gifts for almost 20 years!

I’m always on the hunt for something we haven’t exchanged before and came up with the idea of a sturdy, small but powerful flashlight. A flashlight that had some umph!!!

I purchased the Ultra Bright Flashlight because it is compact, easy to carry in a purse, shines a very bright light up to 600 feet, uses a single AA battery, has zoom and high-low-strobe modes.

A flashlight is a little unusual gift for a woman but listen up.

They come in quite handy when the electricity goes out, searching for items in dark places like the back of closets, cabinets or underneath a car seat for a lost earring. Continue Reading

Paint Your Own Pottery Experience

Princess Diana - February 21, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Kids, Mother's Day

When I visit my sister’s family, I always like to give my three nieces the gift of a new experience.

Now that my oldest niece is 16 and I have a four-year old son, I needed to come up with an experience that teenagers AND young children would enjoy. That’s a little tough, but I came up with the perfect idea! Adults will enjoy it too!

I took everyone to a paint your own pottery studio where each of us picked out an unfinished ceramic pottery to paint.

The studio had a TON of choices and to inspire customers it displayed examples of what the final painted products could look like.

Ceramic Pottery

I picked out a Christmas sweater platter, and my son picked out a dinosaur. My sister picked out a Christmas mug, while her 16-year old niece picked out a jar. My 13-year old niece picked out a turtle shaped container, and my nine-year old niece picked out a Hello Kitty figurine. See! Something for everyone!

The pottery studio provided all of the painting supplies, glazing and firing. All we needed to do was unleash our creativity!

Send Valentine’s Day Cards Postmarked From Valentine, TX

Queen Darlene - January 26, 2017 - $20 or Less, Valentine's Day

Looking for a thoughtful twist to sending a Valentine’s Day card? Have it postmarked from a town with a name associated with Valentine’s Day.

Like Valentine, Texas, Romance, Arkansas or Loveland, Colorado.

I called the postmaster in Valentine, Texas, and he explained the process.

All you have to do is send your card addressed and stamped inside a larger envelope addressed to the Postmaster Remailing Program of the town from which you want it mailed.

He also said the elementary school in Valentine has a contest every year for the students to come up with a cancellation stamp for the post office to use on all Valentine’s Day cards.

Interesting Fact: Valentine, Texas’s population is 134, and the post office’s one employee hand stamps 7,000 to 10,000 cards. WOW!

I’m sending a box of chocolates as a thank you for stamping my cards. Continue Reading

A Candy Bouquet for Any Occasion

Princess Diana - January 24, 2017 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Food & Drinks, Get Well, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Host, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Party Favors, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day

Flowers bouquets are considered a perfect gift for any occasion. Although, realistically, women tend to appreciate the gift of flowers more than men. Not so with candy bouquets. Men, women and children love them equally!

A candy bouquet is like a flower arrangement except it uses candy instead of flowers.

Think about it. Not everyone has a favorite flower, but everyone has their favorite candy (or candies).

If you’re like me, you have more than one favorite candy. My perfect candy bouquet would contain Twix, Sour Patch Kids, Sweet Tart Gummies, Hershey’s Hugs, and Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses.

Candy bouquets are a beautiful sight! They look expensive, but they can be created simply and inexpensively.

You can purchase pre-made candy bouquets, but by creating your own you can customize it to contain the gift recipient’s favorite flavors.

Keep It Simple | Office Birthday Gift Ideas

Queen Darlene - January 19, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business

I work in an office of nearly 100 employees and someone is having a birthday just about every other day.

Birthdays are listed on a monthly employee calendar which make it easy to send a birthday wish by email. But there are times when you want to recognize a co-worker’s birthday with a birthday gift.

Even though there are five different departments at my place of employment, we all work together from time to time and get to know one another’s likes and dislikes.

Favorite Cereals

This year, Jody came up with a great idea for Tiffany’s birthday. Tiff LOVES cereal and eats four bowls a day!

On the way to work the morning of Tiffany’s birthday, Jody picked up two boxes of Tiff’s favorite cereals, Froot Loops and Frosted Krispies, with a half-gallon of milk.

Jody tied it all together with a ribbon and when Tiff saw the gift sitting on her desk, she was thrilled! Continue Reading

Pie Face Showdown Game | Whipped Cream Fun For All Ages

Princess Diana - January 10, 2017 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Kids

If it involves whipped cream, you know it’s going to be a fun time! I have a game that will entertain people age 2 to 102.

Are you ready to create some hysterical memories with your family and friends?

The Pie Face Showdown Game gives everyone the chance to throw whipped cream in someone’s face!

How you play Pie Face Showdown:

Two people compete by pushing the red button on their side as fast as they can to move the throwing arm loaded with whipped cream towards their opponent. When the loaded arm reaches either end, it pops up throwing the whipped cream SPLAT into the loser’s face.

My son and I played Pie Face Showdown with my sister’s family, and did we laugh and laugh! The players and everyone watching are giddy and excited to see who gets creamed. As you can see, we also ended up with hilarious photos of whipped cream splattered faces.

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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