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Simple Gifts: Valentine Kids

February 1, 2012 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

For a cute and inexpensive way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, order a couple sheets of photo labels for all your kids (and you too) to make treats for the special people in your lives. I love the idea of having your photo on sweet little goodies. All you have to do is put the label on and hand them out! Simple and quite sweet. You will be remembered. How to make your Valentine treats: The Carson Kids are on After Eights, little square mints covered in chocolate and slipped into a dark brown … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Holidays, Kids Party Ideas, More Ideas, Occasions, Simple Gifts, Valentine's Day Tagged With: candy, favors, photo label, valentine's day

Simple Gifts: Russian Tea Mix

January 11, 2012 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

Our son Nick, whom we adopted at age five, remembers this drink from when he was a little boy in Russia. He taught us how to prepare it, and now we enjoy it every Sunday morning at breakfast. You don't need to tell anyone how easy it is! You Will Need: • One box of Lipton instant ice tea mix flavored with sugar and lemon • Small glass jars from Specialtybottle.com or Kerr canning jars available at your local grocery store • Labels • Text labels (optional) • Tags (optional) • … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Food & Drink, More Ideas, Nonalcoholic Drinks, Simple Gifts Tagged With: beverage, gift, homemade, labels, tea

Simple Gifts: Gift Coasters

December 14, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

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 be a photo of them, or their house, their pets, their children or grandchildren. It could be a photo detail of a part of their lives - a beautiful plant in their yard, fruit on a tree, a fountain, a bird in their birdbath. Once you have chosen the photo, then choose a … [read more...]

Filed Under: Anniversary, Blog, Christmas & Holiday, Featured, Holidays, More Ideas, Occasions, Simple Gifts, Thank You Tagged With: coasters, gift, Occasions, personalized

Simple Gifts: Cinnamon Sachets

November 16, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

This is a sweet and easy gift to put together, especially if you have little hands to help. Cinnamon sachets hung in the kitchen are a beautiful way to store cinnamon for use in cooking, or just for looking at. Sachets are also good for freshening a closet or drawer, garnishing a stack of towels in the guest room, and - my favorite - as an ornament for the Christmas (or Easter) tree. You will need: • cinnamon sticks • ribbon or raffia • tags Be sure to allow for plenty of ribbon or … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, D.I.Y. Ideas, Decorations, Featured, Handmade Gifts Ideas, Holidays, More Ideas, Simple Gifts Tagged With: decorations, gift, handmade, Occasions, tags

Simple Gifts: Stuffed Olives

October 12, 2011 By Jeanne 2 Comments

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 hour or two, and when done, you are all prepared with hostess gifts for the season! Ingredients and Materials: Olives - choose large pitted olives; buy enough to fill the number of jars you have. Herbs - your choice. Experiment with different combinations of the following, or just … [read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Blog, Christmas & Holiday, Featured, Food & Drink, Holidays, More Ideas, Occasions, Simple Gifts, Thank You Tagged With: canning, fall, favors, food, holiday, homemade, labels, Occasions, recipe

Simple Gifts: Dried Fruits & Nuts

September 14, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

A beautifully simple, yet lavishly appealing, box of goodies. When I finished the photo shoot at the office, I put the boxes on the tables in the staff room. Oh, the oohs and ahhs! It was just a collection of dried fruits and nuts, but there is somehow an appeal that speaks clearly. As people admired the boxed goodies and reached for a dried apricot or macadamia nut, I heard “...and they are so healthy, too!” “...ooh, these are so good for you!” There is nothing to it, really. Just put … [read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Birthday, Blog, Featured, Food & Drink, Grown-Up Party Ideas, Kids Party Ideas, More Ideas, Occasions, Simple Gifts, Thank You Tagged With: fall, favors, food, gift, handmade, homemade, labels, Occasions

Simple Gifts: Bath Salts

August 10, 2011 By Jeanne 5 Comments

Bath salts are a very easy, very lovely gift to make and give. With simple ingredients, homemade bath salts can be easily customized to any theme or occasion, depending on your jar size and shape as well as what essential oils you choose. I love giving mine as bridal shower or baby shower gifts. Packaged in smaller bottles, they can easily be made into wedding favors too! What You Need: • 5 pounds Epsom salts (can be found at your local pharmacy or health store) • 50-100 drops of essential … [read more...]

Filed Under: Baby Shower, Bath & Body, Blog, Bridal Shower, Featured, Food & Drink, Occasions, Simple Gifts, Thank You, Wedding Tagged With: craft, DIY, favors, gift, homemade, Mother's Day, Occasions, party, weddings

Simple Gifts: Trail Mix

July 13, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

All of what you like best, and nothing else! Go to your local organic food store, and visit their bulk section. There you will find dried fruits and nuts and it is from these that you can create your personal favorite trail mix. Plan ahead of time so you can buy the ingredients while doing household shopping. Once all the ingredients are assembled, this project takes about an hour total time to make a dozen packages. People will love it. You Will Need: • Small cellophane bags • Labels … [read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Blog, Featured, Food & Drink, More Ideas, Simple Gifts Tagged With: candy, favors, food, gift, homemade, labels, Occasions, recipe

Simple Gifts: Stuffed Dates

June 15, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

These little treats go back many, many years to when I was a very small girl in Redwood City, California. In preparation for our family gatherings, my mom would make these stuffed dates and one year at last I was old enough to help. Mom cracked the nuts and sliced and pitted the dates, then I would put the nuts into the dates. Together, we would roll them in powdered sugar and arrange the powdery white morsels prettily on a plate to serve as one of the desserts. When I grew up, I never forgot those … [read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Blog, Featured, Food & Drink, Occasions, Simple Gifts Tagged With: candy, dessert, favors, food, gift, holiday, homemade, labels, Occasions, party, recipe

Simple Gifts: Packaged Gift Cards

May 18, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

Easy as can be, and easy for giftees to love! Get gift cards to your favorite coffee house, bookstore, gourmet grocery or bakery, then insert them into these little glassine envelopes. Add a label that has a photo of you (or your cat, or your house, or your open kitchen window with a hot pie cooling on the sill) and a few appropriate words. We added a little extra color by cutting cards out of heavyweight paper and inserting them into the envelopes behind the gift card. Nestle the cards cozily … [read more...]

Filed Under: Birthday, Blog, Featured, Graduation, Occasions, Simple Gifts, Thank You Tagged With: birthday, cards, favors, gift, labels, Occasions, teacher, thank you
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