The Perfect Handmade Gift Ideas!

Although a certain event is synonymous to “gift-giving,” it doesn’t mean that is has to be an “expensive gift-giving”. For those who are tight on budget but would want to share something to the special people around them, there are many inexpensive but great handmade gifts that would definitely put a smile on your recipient’s lips.
Maximize your creativity

Indeed, the any special season—a birthday, Christmas, Valentine's, anniversary celebration, etc.—rekindles love, resurgence, and hope of people regardless of age, gender, or race. Aside from sharing love to the ones around you, these special events are also the perfect time to be creative and be resourceful.

Since you are on a tight budget, visiting stores on sale or bazaars can definitely help you find inexpensive gifts to give out. You can also create homemade and handmade gifts using inexpensive materials. Here’s a short list of classy yet inexpensive gift items you can give out in any special occasion:

1. Personalized items. These are probably the most popular inexpensive handmade gifts of all times. Personalizing something like a recipe book for those who love cooking, a sketchpad for those who love drawing and sketching, a scrapbook for those who are fond of collecting and immortalizing memories, a notepad or journal for those who are inclined to writing, a photo album for those who love to keep photos, and the list goes on. Personalized items are inexpensive Christmas gifts because all you have to do is look for materials you can recycle. After recycling these items, you can add personal touches to it and give it away as a nice present.

 2. Custom and handmade stationeries. Combine unused ordinary envelopes, colorful bond papers, and unique specialty papers and you can create a custom-made stationary perfect for your recipient. You can also use colored pencils, watercolors, and glitters to decorate your special stationary. You may even put shiny glitters and even put your recipient's favorite scent to it to make sure that he or she will really like it.

3. Sweets and treats. Cookies, chocolate treats, and sweet breads are surefire gift hits. If you can bake these goodies, you can save money compared to buying them. You can even warp these yourself by using nice jars and boxes, by collecting nice and colorful gift wrappers or by tying them up with used ribbons, and laces.

4. Handmade or decorated ceramics, glasses, figurines, and cloth items. If you have an artistic knack, buy a plain set of white ceramic figurines, clear glasses or mugs and decorate them. By using a bottle of ceramic paint, you can decorate or color by hand the figurine. You can also draw season-inspired themes on clear glasses to make them extraordinary or you can buy a simple set of fabric paint to decorate mugs, shirts, and small cloth items.

5. Homemade bath oils and perfumes. These also make the ideal handmade gift if you are into mixing fragrances. To save some money, try buying a large amount of perfume ingredients and create special fragrances, perfume or bath oil for your recipients. You can also purchase individual mini-bottles to put these pampering products in. If you do this, you can calculate and manipulate the amount of you can put in each bottles so you can give it to more people.




submitted by guest blogger, Jessica Connerdale.
If you enjoyed her tips, please comment below.

Antique collecting is one of those hobbies that can last a lifetime!

Antique collecting is one of those hobbies that can last a lifetime. This is because the "hunt" never ceases to fuel the drive of people to look for and eventually possess the finest things in their lives. This is also the reason why many are eager in learning how to spot the best pieces of antique there are.

Aside from giving people a chance to possess items that are truly works of art, antique collecting can also provide them an enriching learning experience as well as the possibility to meet people with various cultures and backgrounds in life. Collecting antiques can also be a helpful diversion especially to very busy people who don’t have enough time to assuage their personal hobbies.

But, among all the advantages of antique collecting, being a venue for a lucrative financial gain is one of the major reasons why more and more people get into it. No matter what are the reasons behind your antique collecting—whether it is for future investment, for pure appreciation of art, or for satisfying your need to possess beautiful things—you will never go wrong with the hobby as long as you know what your limitations are.

Reasons why you should start antique collecting

Antique collecting is an instinct to many people. This is because all human beings have innate desire to possess things that are valuable to them as well as the things that are beautiful and unique. But, unlike collecting just about anything, antique collecting can give the person deeper pleasure. This is because it can satisfy not only the need to possess beautiful and rare objects but also helps the person to be financially stable.

The population of antique collecting has grown into large proportions because of the seemingly limitless potentials it offers. If you are new to the hobby, then it is best if you familiarize yourself with the things that you need to know about antiques. These information should include the basic terminologies used in antique trading, types of antiques, ways to determine the authenticity of a specific item, and how to take good care of the antique piece/s. These pieces of information can be researched online or by reading various reference materials such as books, magazines, and the like. 

If you are having doubts about buying a specific antique item, gauge how much you want the item. Many people who are starting with antique collecting tend to get overwhelmed easily. This is the case especially if they have seen authentic pieces for the first time in their lives. To ensure that you are not making hasty and impulsive decisions, know how much you want the item. If you want a specific item that much, throw all your cautions and hesitations and buy it. Just make sure that your financial status will not suffer from it.

Also, check if your budget can handle it. This is very important especially for beginners because it can help them spend on items wisely. Knowing your budget limitations and sticking to it no matter what is very important because it will help you develop the discipline needed when you decide on things in future.

Learning the theme of your collection is also important in spotting an antique piece. This is also very crucial in antique collecting because it will veer you away from buying things you don’t really need. Setting a theme for your collection will somehow limit you in buying antique items that you see in various stores or online auctions.

submitted by guest blogger John Thyme

If you enjoyed his post, please leave your comments below.

5 Classic Spring Gift Ideas

Spring is the one time of year in which our cleaning efforts are nothing short of inspired. Yet it is also the spring that often eludes us when it comes to inspiration for gift-giving. Why not put them together!  Give a gift that with enhance their spring cleaning ritual and make their space more inviting!

1) Flowers. Spring is the time of flowers. They are all around us. Use fresh cut flowers and candles to create beautiful arrangement and centerpieces as a gift.

2) Candles. They deserve their own spot among the top five to say the least. Candles can be soothing, relaxing, invigorating, inspiring, beautiful, elegant, and simply smell good.

3) Towels. Yes I said towels. In your kitchen and your bathrooms you need bright, bold colors that signify spring, birth, and renewal- they can even be monogrammed.

4) Fragrance. While most people do not realize that the fragrances we use in our homes is a type of decoration. It makes our noses happy to some degree but also the potpourri and fragrance diffuser are often decorations in and of themselves. Put out bowls filled with brightly colored and lightly scented fragrance balls, dried fruit, and other delights. Gourmet potpourri can be found in all kinds of gift and fragrance shops and is a rather inexpensive way give a nice gift in the spirit if spring.

5) Fruit. You can make a fruit gift basket with fragrant fruit, chocolates, etc... or a fruit salad or even give an edible arrangement gift basket. 

submittby by guest blogger: Tiara Simmons

If you enjoyed this post by Tiara, leave your comments below. Thanks!

Fun Finds Under $25

Spring is here and if you are like me, venturing out after a winter slumber is amazing! The world just waiting for you to come outside and play. I love shopping in person  and online and I want to share with you some of my fun finds for all-things-spring.

Bird & Flower Glass Tile Handmade Silver Dangle Earrings



Need a nice pair of Spring earrings, check out this pair of glass tile handmade pair. These will go with your spring dresses as the motif itself is birds and flowers.

Fun Birdfeeders

How about something for your yard? Add a little whimsy to your space while embracing nature lil critters... Check this out.


How about a play toy for your favorite child? Spring is the time for play and there will be raint days and instead of sitting the kid in front off a tv- let them use their imagination with this cool fun find. check it out.

PLUSH Standing Elephant

That's not it, I have 2 more fun finds for Spring under $25.


What about a charming little silver-plated compact mirror personalized for that special someone. So everytime they look in their mirror, they think of you. And how often do we look in our compacts ladies? Often! LOL Here's a great one here.


Heart Mirror with Engraved Cross

Lastly, but not leastly, I found a cute earth-friendly resuable tote! Going 'Green' is where its at and to help you do that, this tote was made for you.

EARTH-FRIENDLY REUSABLE TOTE

PSA: No Textin' and Drivin' Please!

Young people believe they are invincible and that's what makes them so exciting and infuriating all at the same time. But this year, with spring afoot and more teens venturing out and spring break driving, let's stay safe this first vacation season and say NO to textin' and drivin'. Below are some stats on the deadly phenomenon of texting and driving and this is one keepsake occasion we do not want in our lives...

Here are some statistics as to why texting is so dangerous:

* When a driver texts while driving, his reaction time will decrease by 35%
* When texting, steering capability goes down by a tremendous amount; 91%.
* A driver is 23x's more likely to get into a car accident while driving and texting.
* Drivers are also 6x's as likely to get into a car accident while dialing a number into their cell phone.

This isn't just for teens and young adults... older more experienced drivers are also offenders of texting while driving- its just teens already more prone to crash even without texting.

Let's make this a safer spring season all around and safer 2012, pledge and DO NOT text and drive!

What Does Graduation Mean To Me?

This is graduation season, and probably my first of many posts to come about the subject which I am quite passionate about. As I think about my title, I guess a better question would be... what does graduation mean to you? And so I pose that question to you, my readers... what does graduation mean to you?

This is graduation season, whether you are in high school or college, this is the season of growing up, new adventures, next steps and as we reflect and congratulate our new graduates... reflecting on our time when we graduated... what did it mean to you, what should it have meant and what do you wish someone would have told you when you graduated (you probably wouldn't have listened anyway, ha ha)?

Reflect and share here, but most importantly share your wisdom with the new graduates in hopes to make their next steps a lot less bumpy!

Happy Graduation to all the upcoming graduates out there!

I can't wait to read all these reflections!

Charm Bracelets Never Go Out Of Style!

Personalized Precious Photos Charm Bracelet

I love jewelry! My favorites are rings and anklets... that's probably because I have bad luck when it comes to necklaces or bracelets. LOL I tend to be very hard on those pieces of jewelry even though I love them so. By far, my all-time favorite of the bracelet family would have to the charm bracelet. I think charm bracelets make great keepsake gifts as well. They can be custom personalized making each one different and special- just for the owner. We all know how important personalization is for creating a keepsake.

Charm bracelets are (and dare I say it) CHARMING!

Charm bracelets are not only adorable, but as a classic piece that never goes out of style.

For a great place to get "charming" jewelry including a great charm bracelet... check out www.continentalcharm.com and for new customers, get 15% off your first order. Can't beat a deal like that!

Stepping stones makes a great easy DIY spring project for whole family!

Here is an easy 4 step guide to doing your own garden stepping stone. It’s so easy, I’m even going to do a video of myself making one, so be on the lookout for that link coming soon.

Step 1. Gather your supplies and prep the work area. You are going to want to protect the area from damage with the concrete mix and paint, etc… so use newspaper, painter cloth or plastic, plastic shower curtain, etc… Use plastic or gardening gloves, goggles if you think you need them, get a bucket you don’t mind getting messed up, a wooden spoon or stick of some sort and the molds you plan to use.

Personalize them! They make great gifts!

Circular plastic planter covers are super easy to use but you can use different things or different shapes other than circles, it’s up to your imagination; I would just caution to make sure it’s something that won’t stick to the concrete when it dries or plan on using cooking spray or petroleum jelly rather liberally to prevent the sticking…

Step 2. Mix concrete or cement and set your mold. Try 5 part concrete to 1 part water. (There is concrete dye, which is optional and depends on your design if you need it.) It should be the consistency of think brownie batter. Fill mold half way, screen or hardware cloth or more securely set the mold, continue to fill mold all the way. Gently tap to remove air bubbles and let sit for ½ hour ot an hour before you start decorating…

You're only limited by your imagination!

Step 3. Have an idea of what you want to do before you mix concrete and fill mold as you will not have much time to decide at this point. Decorate as you like. Wait to paint until dry.

Step 4. Let sit for another 2 to 3 days undisturbed before popping out of mold. Paint as you like, which is optional and depends on your design, use clear acrylic sealer after paint.

FYI: stepping stone kits are available at many craft shops but I found them to be quite expensive and the process is really easy to do on your own.

Supplies:

Mold; plastic planter cover, or whatever you would like to use

Plastic or gardening gloves

Newspaper or painter cloth or protectors

Petroleum jelly or cooking spray

Concrete or cement mix; quikrete

Wooden spoon or stick

Screen or hardware cloth

Damp ray

Old bucket

Old measuring cup

Decorations; pebbles or stones, shells, beads, marbles, keys, stained glass, pictures/photos, leafs, stencils, popsicles sticks/toothpicks, cookie cutters

Paint; outdoor paint, concrete dye (optional), clear acrylic sealer

Happy Spring Everyone!

1st day if spring is March 20th. I can’t express how happy I am that spring is almost here. Spring is right around the corner. Isn’t that lovely! I must say that this winter has been one of the mildest winters I have experienced in the Midwest; Cincinnati, OH to be exact and I am not complaining… I know it is probably bad for Mother Earth but for me, it has been a complete and utter delight! I feel more alive and awake- Its a wonderful feeling!

So even though my winter blues were less bothersome than in previous years, I was not immune to the harsh winter low moods I usually suffer and am looking forward to the start of spring. Even the lighter mornings are being noticed by me and I welcome them. My advice to all of you out there in cyber world, use spring 2012 as your jump-off point for a new, more exciting and productive you.

I know tradition dictates that New Years is when we welcome change but I think Spring is a better renewal of soul and spirit! My mind awakens more easily and I look forward to the day with eagerness and a new alertness. As we have started to fail in our new year’s resolutions, make spring your transformation starting point as the impetus you need to restart that change within. Resolve to be more loving, to listen more or to give more, especially more time to those you love. Resolve to make this the year you take care of yourself. That is a resolution we all should be able to live with!

Happy Spring Everyone!

Cool Ideas For a Spring Children's Birthday Party

For years, kids birthday parties have all followed the same script. Cake, ice cream, unstructured play, chuck e’cheese, pool party, bouncy house… but why not make this year’s different… let’s try a spring time craft for your little ones.

Crafts can either be a hit or miss depending on the craft and how it is structured into the party atmosphere. The craft needs to be easy, fun, not-too messy but cool enough to hold their attention. It also cannot be rushed.

Here are a few of the cool craft ideas I think would be a big hit at your next little ones spring birthday party or backyard barbeque.

Try them out and tell me what you think.

1. Make your own tie-dyed t-shirt

2. Paint and decorate your own flower pot and plant seeds or flowers (real flowers might excite the kids more)

3. Make your own jewelry or friendship bracelets

For easy instructions, check out Disney family fun craft section at http://familyfun.go.com/