Freezer Bag Thank-Yous
Here is a simple and easy gift idea: label a set of freezer bags with partially blank labels so that the recipient can write in the names of their fabulous frozen dishes. This idea makes a lot of sense for…
Category Thank You
Potato Chip Thank You Gifts
Whether you’re moving, throwing a massive party for a loved one or canning and preserving a giant garden harvest, sometimes it’s best to just give in and ask friends and family for help. After all, giant tasks become a whole…
Simple Gift: Personalized Coasters
I hear 30 is the new 20. What do you think? A couple years into my fourth decade, I still sometimes feel like a kid, but I’d say there have been a few shifts since the 30s hit. Among my…
Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea: Personalized Wine Bottles
National Teacher Appreciation week is coming up May 4-8th! Since returning back to work, I rely pretty heavily upon the teachers at my son’s daycare, and they truly deserve some appreciation. Now that my son is entering his “terrible twos,”…
DIY Scrabble Magnets
What is it about wood scrabble tiles that is so attractive? Is it the memories of a triple word score winning the game? Laughs over the crazy words you can spell? Or the simple aesthetic of the smooth wood and…
Thank You Gift: Tea Favors
What is the perfect gift for families that host my daughter for lunch or dinner while she is attending high school in New York? What is something that is easy to put together and yet something that can be enjoyed…
Humongous CD Case Cookies
Who doesn’t love a humongous cookie all to themselves? You don’t have to eat it all at once, and you can share if you want to, but it gives you permission to indulge, just once, in your super-sized goodie. Giving…
Handsewn Strawberry Pin Cushions
I’ve been having a lot of fun working on little sewing projects lately. I had been eying this tutorial by Down Grapevine Lane for so long; I’m excited to finally be able to try it out. I enjoyed the time…
Baby Spider Plant Housewarming Gifts
If you have a healthy, well-fertilized spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) growing in your home, you are already likely aware of its tendency to send out long stems with developing baby spider plants in the summer when the days are bright…
Budget-Friendly Nougat Bar Favors
Big Hunk Nougat Bars, sold in bulk, make a delicious, budget-friendly favor idea. You can even heat them in the microwave for 12 – 15 seconds and you have instant melt-in-your-mouth, gooey sweet nougat! For a elegant favor idea, I…
Simple Gift: Popcorn In A Jar
Happy January everyone! Since this is National Thank You Month, I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite favor ideas for saying thank you to your friends, family, and co-workers. I first came across this idea…
Apple Cookies
(Used in this project: Diamond Labels and Small Circle Labels in Tiny Hearts style with Medium Cellophane Bags.) Teachers are worthy of serious praise from all of us. A little of my personal time spent on making a special gift…
Simple Gifts: Packaged Chocolates
It seems like this favor created itself. I had no idea what I wanted it to be, but I found an adorable product while browsing a canned food outlet – these little boxes of chocolate squares – which were very…
Homemade Coffee & Berry Liqueurs
Spring is a great time to start crafting a homemade liqueur. The bottles can age for a few months and be ready for a summer wedding, or for a few months longer and be perfect to hand out during the…
Jasmine Green Tea Soap
Walking into my grandmother’s bathroom was akin to visiting a shrine to femininity. All the surfaces were decorated to suit her sense of beauty and womanhood; lavish flowers, sensual perfume bottles, fragrant soaps, and distinctly female-inspired art on the walls.…
Simple Gifts: Gift Coasters
One of the simplest of gifts to create, but the important ingredients of affection and thoughtful effort are present in the result. Choose a photo that you love, about the people you will be giving the coasters too… this could…
Gooey Butter Cups
Gooey Butter cake, to me, is a taste of home. When I was a kid I remember being allowed to choose which cake we would buy from the market. I always tried to choose the one with the most powdered…
DIY Tea Bags
Last week, I saw an amazing tutorial over at A Beautiful Mess for DIY loose leaf teabags, and I knew had to try it for myself! Lucky for me, I just happened to have a box of loose black tea…
Acorn Cakelets
Welcome our newest guest blogger, Barbara Hayes! Barbara works as a bookkeeper in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not calculating tax returns, she can usually be found tending to her garden, scouring antique stores for vintage treasures, and of course, cooking…
Simple Gifts: Stuffed Olives
Super simple. The hardest part of this is gathering the components – the jars, the olives, the cheeses, the herbs, the labels – but once they are all at hand, making a dozen jars of stuffed olives will take an…