Category "Baby Shower"

Let Them Eat Cake Pops

Queen Darlene - May 26, 2016 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts

In our family, cake has always been the go-to dessert for celebrations, either homemade or bakery bought. But now I’ve discovered a new fun dessert – Cake Pops!

Cake Pops are a one-bite-size cake balls on a stick. They are soooo creatively cute and perfect for birthdays, graduations, holidays, baby and bridal showers, Mother’s Day, retirements and more.

I brought Cake Pops to a birthday and retirement party and they were a big hit with everyone! Lays’ best-known slogan “Betcha Can’t Eat Just One” is certainly true for cake balls!

You can order Cake Pops in different flavors and have them decorated in pretty much any colors, shapes and themes to make beautiful edible gifts!

Cake Pops Gift Ideas:

Flowers – Mom
Favorite Sports Team Colors – Gift for Him
Apples – Teachers
Rattles, Babies – Baby Showers
Graduation Hat – Graduate
Super Heroes, Elmo, Ninja Turtle, Mickey Mouse – Kids
Snowman, Reindeer – Christmas Party, Business Gifts
Bunnies – Easter
Mummies – Halloween

Big Brother & Big Sister Gifts

Princess Diana - April 26, 2016 - Baby Shower, Kids

Jealousy. Bribes. Love. Sounds like the stuff of a soap opera.

Adding another child to your family can create a lot of jealousy and drama if you’re not careful.

No matter how young in age, children will notice when they aren’t the center of attention anymore because of the arrival of a new baby or adopted child.

A thoughtful gift for a big brother or big sister will go a long way towards warming up older siblings to the newest addition to their family.

A gift from the baby will help an older child feel loved and excited to welcome their new baby brother or baby sister with open arms.

It’s kind of like a bribe, but how can you not like someone who gives you gifts? It’s very hard and that’s why older sibling gifts are so important and effective.

Announce Big News With Yard Greeting Signs

Princess Diana - March 29, 2016 - Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Congratulations, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Kids, Military/Veterans, Mother's Day, Retirement, Valentine's Day

Why buy a card when you can say it in the yard?

When you have big news, you want to share it with the world! You could post about it on Facebook or Twitter, but that’s so predictable.

If you really want to create buzz, announce your big news with yard greeting signs.

Yard greeting sign and lawn ornament companies like OklahomaYardGreetings.com will spell out a personalized message using large letters and graphics. You can rent the signs for a day or a week, it’s up to you!

Imagine your loved one’s reaction when they pull up in front of their house or walk outside their front door. They’ll be completely surprised!

Yard greeting signs also make a great photo op. Take photos that are perfect for sharing on social media!

Pregnancy Survival Kit for the Expecting Momma

Princess Diana - March 17, 2016 - Baby Shower

I’m three weeks away from my due date with my second baby. Looking down at my basketball-sized belly and swollen feet, I feel like each and every woman deserves a medal for surviving pregnancy.

A pregnant woman’s body goes through a million changes leading up to baby’s arrival so provide her with lots of support and TLC. If you know a momma-to-be, you can give her a Pregnancy Survival Kit containing some or all of these essential items at the beginning of her pregnancy.

Belly Cream.

The dreaded stretch marks. Prevention is key so she’ll want to start using anti-stretch mark creams starting in the first trimester on her belly, breasts, and butt. This specific cream did wonders for me during both of my pregnancies. I put it on after every shower.

Pregnancy Books.

There are several good ones out there but my go-to pregnancy book is What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It doles out tons of practical advice in bite-sized chunks of information using a Q&A format. There’s a reason why it’s a New York Times bestseller and one of USA Today‘s 25 most influential books of the past 25 years.

Prenatal Vitamins.

They’re vital for fetal and maternal health, and it’s something she’ll have to take every day.

Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets

Princess Diana - March 8, 2016 - Baby Shower

Besides our cloth diapers, the baby items we used the most for our son were our Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets.

We received other types of swaddle blankets, but these worked so much better that we used them all of the time. I really liked that they were soft, stretchy, lightweight and breathable.

They’re made of 100% cotton muslin so they get even softer each time you wash them.

Besides using them for swaddling, I used them cover his car seat or to cover me up when I was nursing. In a pinch we used them as burping cloths. My son continued to use them as a sleeping blanket until the age of three!

Celebrate With Sparkling Juice & Mocktails

Princess Diana - February 23, 2016 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Congratulations, Food & Drinks, Retirement, Teacher Gifts

There are many opportunities for celebrating at work. Just because you can’t consume alcohol or champagne at the office shouldn’t prevent you from toasting someone’s good news.

My co-worker, RaShonda, recently received a job promotion and became a grandmother for the first time. Two big reasons to celebrate!

To congratulate her on her two brand-new titles, Personnel Assistant and Gigi (her nickname for grandma), I decided to bring some treats to the office.

I brought a bottle of sparkling white grape juice cocktail, a bottle of sparkling Mango Bellini mocktail, and some white chocolate covered pretzels.

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.”

Gift of Education: 529 College Savings Plan

Princess Diana - November 24, 2015 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Kids, Money

As parents, we want to provide for our children. We give them food, clothing, shelter and affection. These are things they need now and today , but what about their needs down the road?

Parents also want to be able to provide for their children’s future, which is what my husband and I did when we opened up an Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan for our son.

By saving and investing money to help pay for college or trade school, we’re giving our son the gift of education – a gift with lifetime benefits.

I must say, I felt an immense sense of pride after opening our son’s college savings plan because I knew it was one of the most important decisions I could make on his behalf.

The tax advantages that come with a 529 plan makes it a much smarter move than just opening up a regular savings account. For starters, contributions to our son’s Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan can be deducted from our Oklahoma taxable income up to a maximum of $20,000 per year ($10,000 for individual tax payers).

In addition, the earnings portion of any distributions used to pay for qualified higher education expenses will be free from federal and Oklahoma income tax. That’s huge! It’s also important to know that what is considered “qualified” expenses goes beyond books, tuition and fees. For example, certain costs associated with room and board can be paid for with money from a 529 plan.

Baby Growth Calendar Photos

Queen Darlene - September 24, 2015 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower

Parents love to capture precious moments of their baby’s first year, especially how fast they grow every month. I have a unique, cute and easy photo idea for every month – a baby growth calendar!

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7 month, 8 month, 9 month, 10 month, 11 month, 12 month click to enlarge

My cousin took pictures of her baby girl with a large calendar desk pad. The photos consist of her baby lying on top of the calendar every month of her first year.

I’m sure it was easy at first but took several takes to get the photos just right when she started rolling or crawling. It’s all about creating memories, right?

She would write on the calendar 1st month, 2nd month and so on. This made for the most adorable baby pictures. Continue Reading

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.

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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!