Send a Message

I  must admit that I have become a bit obsessed with these mugs! The idea is so simple and versatile that my brain has been coming up with all sorts of ways that it could be used - even when I try to turn it off! As a last attempt to get my mind re-focused I thought that I would make a list of these ideas in case they might be useful to someone else! Here goes...

Stand Alone Gift Item

Since this is such a clever idea and can be customized before gifting, it really can stand alone as a great present. Simply add a message or favorite quote that your friend will appreciate and you have a unique, yet useful gift item.

Gift Bundle

It just so happens that I have a few friends with a fondness for tea and coffee. For those with a little bigger gift budget, add a few beans or exotic tea leaves with some coordinating items (honey, flavored syrups, stain removal wipes for any beverage mishaps, etc) to your messaged mug to create a lovely little gift package.

Invitation Mug/ Party Favors

Event invitations and party favors have progressively become more and more creative in their selections. For the person with a fabulous party budget, these mugs could be a great invitation and/or favor item with personalized messages or event details added for customization. Forget the candied almonds that send people to the Dentist... this is a gift they may actually use again!

Gift for the Troops

It might be some residual emotion from the holiday season, but I also started thinking about the organizations that allow you to send care packages to the troops. (Disclaimer note: I have not yet investigated the do and do not list of items...) How fun would it be to send them a postcard mug with a message of thanks and maybe even your city and state so they know its city of origin?

Teacher Gifts

I realize that teachers have mug collections that could rival the shelves of Goodwill, but IF you know that your child's teacher enjoys their warm beverages, this might be an exception to the rule of "no more mugs". How could they resist a personal message from one of their students?!

I suspect that in spite of this idea download my brain will continue to come up with ideas. Anything useful or even mildly interesting will get added as an update... just in case you can use it! Of course, if you think of any ideas I would LOVE to hear them!

Tag It!

With Thanksgiving marked off the holiday check list, it's time to step up and prepare for the mother of all holidays... Christmas! As with most things, my DIY gene is waking up with renewed energy and I am constantly finding projects making my "I wish that I had time" list even longer. Fortunately, my practicality kicked in and I have been adjusting my list to pair creative projects with necessary gift giving items. 

This week's project... Gift Tags! 

Wanting a little more than the cute options in the shops, but a little less than a full blown craft project, I met in the middle and found some fun options that can be completed with three simple steps - 

1) Print 

2) Cut 

3) Add to Gift.

Since it is the season of giving, I thought perhaps it would be best to share these finds... Happy gifting!

Slightly Modern Version of Classic Tag

Contemporary Style for a Touch of Sass...

Perfect Tag for Edible Gifts!

Stylish and Sleek

Slightly odd, but still festive...

An Ornamental Occassion

'Tis the season to start thinking about holiday decorating which means that I have begun my annual search for this year's ornament addition to the tree. I realize that tree trimming can be a highly personalized event. Some people collect ornaments that each have a story relishing the act of recalling the memories as each is placed on the tree. Others seek a more stylish approach selecting color schemes that coordinate with their home decor ensuring a cohesive Christmas tree. Regardless of your selected approach, it is still fun to add a few new baubles to the tree each year... just to keep things fresh and interesting!

I tend to fall into the memory grouping, but also maintain a touch of whimsy with some ornaments added simply because they make me smile. Here are a few options contending for this year's designation as the new addition to the tree!

Cuddly Mr. Sock Monkey

Sweetly Singing Angel

It's a Bulldog... need I say more?

Joyful Elegance

The dogs need representation, too!

Silver Mistletoe - To ensure those holiday kisses!

Hand Crafted Snowman Head... just cute!

Giving Thanks

With tomorrow officially bringing us to the Holiday Season, it got me thinking about a few things. For starters, I began thinking about the meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday - gratitude. Since I am not able to welcome everyone dear to me to be at the same table at the same time I began to sort through ideas of how to express my gratitude to the people in my life for their abundant gifts of friendship. There is always the option of calling, sending an email or a text message which all seem to be acceptable among friends. 

There are just a few challenges with these options. Telephone calls on a major holiday get tricky because everyone is juggling a dozen things including guests or being a guest which makes relaxed conversation of any sort a long shot at best. That leaves email and text messages and neither of these options convey the personal warmth that I would want to share with my thanks. That got me thinking about the old fashioned approach - letters! Most everyone has some old stationary or Thank You notes around their house, what better way to put them to good use than as a note of gratitude to those you hold dear?! If you don't have any hanging around waiting for a purpose, perhaps this could be a great excuse to check out some of the fantastic new designs and give yourself a little gift... 'tis the season for giving, after all!

Here are some of my new favorites!

Set of 6 cards with envelopes (hand made)

"You're Good People" Note cards with envelopes

Modern style that can be personalized! Lots of colors and additional styles available!

Give thanks in many languages!

"How Thoughtful of You" Note cards - additional color options available!

How Charming!

Somewhere in my jewelry drawers I have the charm bracelet that my mother started for me. She was in love with the idea that you could wear your memories as jewelry. Unfortunately, she was also a little ADD and my charm collection stopped somewhere in high school! Although I share her love of the idea charms foster, I find that I am drawn to them more for the style they create. Fortunately, the folks in charge of jewelry trends must feel the same way as I see charm style items popping up all over the place - from main stream to artisan crafters!

What I find myself really falling for is that there is so much variety of selection. If you just love the style, you can find pieces that look great, but don't require a nostalgic speech to explain. On the other end of the spectrum, there are also some great pieces with meaning that sport super style. A true win win!

Here are some of the pieces I have been scoping out as possible additions to my personal collection or gifts for friends. If you fall in love with one and scoop it up before I do, that's OK. It's all for the love of charm!

Turquoise and Gold Leaf Tie Necklace

Green Quartz Coin Pearl Charm Necklace

Silver Family Tree Pendant Charm Necklace

Yellow Orange and Gold Charm Necklace

Stella & Dot Charms - LOADS of options!

The Holidays are Coming!

With Halloween soon upon us, the start of the annual holiday planning is peaking around the corner. For those of us suffering with Type A personalities, this means thinking about holiday card and shopping lists to be sure that we are prepared to get everything mailed on time. Having carefully balanced the art of recycling left over cards of years before for the past several years, I decided that this year I will splurge a bit and send something that speaks to me – or is at least acceptable to both my sense of style and my budget!

My quest has provided me with a few considerations that I am now evaluating to see which best meets my needs… Hopefully, they will help you with your holiday planning list, as well!

Minted

For style selections this site is my clear favorite! There are loads of card styles to select from and all sorts of options from which you can choose to put together your perfect greeting card. If you are a fan of adding your favorite photo to your greetings they have tons of options. For those of us preferring a more traditional and non-photo option, there are plenty of stylish selections, as well.  Depending on your spend budget, you can select from a flat or folded card (postcard versus traditional folded). From there you can opt to include a pre-printed greeting message or leave it blank. Along the way, there are options for upgrades such as recycled paper, printing of your return address and other elegance boosters (for an additional cost). The site is VERY simple to use, so personalization and ordering is a breeze! The only down side that I was able to find is the price tag… The cards I was looking at ran about $70.00 for 25 cards without any of the upgrade options and before shipping.

Moo

Stop giggling about the title – Elsie would not approve! Similar to the Minted site, Moo offers a bunch of options to create your perfect card. Unlike Minted, Moo has a more limited selection of stock graphics from which you can choose. Those that are available are super cute and stylish, so don’t give up just yet. The true upside of this site is for those graphically inclined. If you have the software and creative drive to develop your own card graphics, you can use them to create a one of a kind greeting card. The better news? They offer the option to print multiple graphic styles within one order batch! If you truly believe that variety is the spice of life – you will LOVE this site! Cards created on this site are truly personalized in that stock greeting messages are not included. If you want to get super coordinated with your holiday items, take a look at their mini cards. They can be customized in a variety of ways and would make great gift tags! Use graphics similar to those on your greeting cards and you are sure to give Martha Stewart a run for the money! My favorite part is that 25 cards run around $40 which makes them a bit more budget friendly for me.This does not, however, include shipping unless your purchase is $50 or more.

Zazzle

I have to admit that on my first visit to this site I got a little lost in all of the merchandise items they offer and almost missed that they also offer greeting card options. Thankfully the coffee kicked in and I found the magic button taking me to the card development page. Similar to Moo, this site offers the option of using their stock graphics or your own. It did seem to me that the graphic options on this site are a bit more main stream versus the other two sites that offer more hip considerations. A major bonus on this site, though, is that you can also explore additional items for gifting coordination. The customized stamps and labels sure caught my attention! Pricing on this site is similar to Moo with 20 cards running about $35 before shipping costs. ** Current promotion offers 35% off until October 31st and orders over $50 get free shipping.

EGP Checks

Ok – I will be honest that this one seems a little strange since it is a business forms site. Stick with me, though, as I explain my method madness. Yes, the holiday cards on this site are designed for use by businesses, but that does not mean they cannot be adjusted to represent your family. Just think of your family unit as a corporation and detail the personalization accordingly. Where they ask for “company name” add your family name and you should be all set. The upside is that there is a wide range of styles from very traditional to more contemporary and all are printed on that nice, heavy card stock that professional printers use. Another bonus is that most of the cards available include foil lined envelopes rather than the usual white and un-lined envelopes the other sites include. (Shopping hint: a lot of the cards include foil accents on the graphic designs, as well!) A few other bonus details with this site are that return address printing  and standard shipping are included AT NO ADDITIONAL COST! The prices of cards vary depending on the card selected. The few that caught my eye ranged from $70 - $85 for 25 cards which puts them in the range of Minted, but already include several upgrade options.

Write in Style!

During a little Fall cleaning around the house, I unearthed some of my old journals. After a good round of chuckles over what used to seem SO dramatic, I started looking at the journals themselves. They were the average, mass produced blank journals that so many teens use to log their thoughts and angst. Even though the content is no longer applicable to life as I know it, I felt the need to hang on to them for posterity - and future levity! As I placed them in a storage box to be re-discovered at a later date, it got me thinking about the journals themselves. My nostalgia kicked in and I am found myself wishing that the books were something a little more special than the bargain bin option at Barnes and Noble. In my search it became obvious to me that there truly are options to suit every need when it comes to keeping a journal.

The purist in me fell in love with the charm of this leather bound journal. I can envision myself with a great cup of coffee at a street side cafe watching the world go by and making note of my oh so interesting thoughts... well, they would be interesting to me! Just the texture of the paper used for the pages appeals to the writer trapped inside. Of course, with my passion for all things clay, the ceramic piece adorning the cover is the thing I cannot resist.  The 200+ pages should also make it feasible for me to keep this fictional cafe in business throughout the year as I document my cerebral pontifications. 

As I drifted back to reality, it occurred to me that unless I win the Lotto soon I am not likely to have the free time to sit at a charming cafe spending the afternoon thinking and writing. Still feeling nostalgic, though, this charming journal caught my attention. Designed to help you consolidate your journal writing, the pages allow for one line of entry for each day of the year. Simply take a few moments at the end of each day to make note of the most memorable experience and add it to your journal. At the end of the year, you can grab that cup of java and conduct your own "year in review" to relive all of your adventures. 

For those on the go with limited time to journal or who may simply want something stylish in which to make notes and lists, this versatile journal book may be the perfect fit. A simple design and stylish cut away pattern on the cover give it a distinctive appearance while the alternating blank and graph pages ensure that whatever information you need to add has the perfect page to call home. 

I am an avid fan of practicing gratitude, but have found that my sassy and sometimes sarcastic approach tends to be lost on most people also engaged in the process. Trying to be respectful of their serious approach to giving thanks, I have  recently been a closet gratitude fan. My salvation has arrived, though, with this Thank Journal! The perfect blend of honest appreciation encouragement and sassy wit, it is right up my ally! Allowing plenty of space for you to document your thanks, the journal also hosts suggestions for exercises to make you really understand the things in your life that give you thanks.

Here is the part where I must confess that in my stash closet (gift items only... perfectly legal) I have a collection of colorful and creative journals just waiting for my thoughts. There are also a few less than visually enticing options with blank pages begging to be used and this is where the recycle gene kicks into action. Failing to be inspired by these basic journals, the writing bug never bit me. These clever journal covers may soon change that, though!

Happy journal writing and let me know if you have favorites of your own!

Keeping It Simple

A dear friend of mine recently shared that she is expecting her first baby bundle. After the initial excitement settled it was time to think about hosting a baby shower to help her stock up on much needed mom supplies. There were, however, a few challenges to overcome on our way to throwing her a baby shower to remember... 

Challenge #1 - She lives in another city!

Challenge #2 - After she made plans to come back to town for her shower, we had about a month to get everything in order.

Challenge #3 - She is not the frilly kind, so the usual over the top cuteness was simply not an option.

Here is how we met these challenges and managed to host a simply successful baby shower for our dear friend. Since challenge two pretty much addressed challenge one, we will skip straight to challenge three. Most baby showers use some sort of theme to build from to create continuity between the invitations, decor, gifts and snacks. Since our mom to be is not the usual baby crazed lady, the standard options were out the window. There was a tentative theme for the baby's room - safari - but it was not 100% just yet, so that was not a safe bet either. After a round of email conversations about what to do, we decided to keep it simple and avoid a theme all together. Yes, I said NO THEME! (insert shocked gasp here...)

What we decided was to pick a style for the shower and build the invitations, decor and other elements to match. Since we had a quick turn on planning this gathering, the invitation selection was the foundation for the style. Needing to get the invitations in the mail ASAP my savvy co-hostess used an online source to select the perfect invitation style. The site allowed her to quickly customize the details and order the invitations which arrived in about a week. While they were in production, we wrangled the invite list from the mom to be and started working on the other elements. (Forgive the black out spots, but we thought it best to protect everyone's privacy...)

Now that we had a style we moved onto the food, decor and activity options. Without an overall theme to the shower, the food was a little challenging. We also took into consideration what our mom to be could not eat, as well as special requests (can you say Sprinkles cupcakes?) In the end, we aimed for a modern twist on afternoon tea. There were updated versions of traditional tea sandwiches along with some sweet treats. For the non-tea drinkers we made a traditional party punch and added some fresh fruit for anyone trying to appease their inner health nut. 

Sticking with the plan of keeping things simple the decorative accents were kept to a minimum, but still tied back to the selected style - modern, sleek and simple. Using the dining room table as a buffet station, a quilt with coordinating colors was used as a tablecloth creating a soft and unique display for the food. As a centerpiece for the table a diaper cake was displayed on a crystal cake stand to add a little whimsy to the occasion without being over the top. A word of warning when creating a diaper cake - pay attention to any decoration on the diapers! Thanks to the magic of marketing, there are all kinds of themes available for diapers now and if you are not hosting an Elmo theme shower, the Sesame Street decorated diapers may through a kink in your hosting plans. I got lucky for this shower by using the Target brand diapers. They have a printed pattern of blue and green polka dots which blended very well with our decor selections - thank goodness! A few baby toys and pacifiers were added to the ribbons on the cakes for a touch of baby and the "cake" was complete. The best part of the diaper cake? It doubles as a gift from the hostesses! As long as you don't use adhesives to build the cake layers, mom can easily dissect the cake and use the diapers when the baby arrives. Rather than make guests guess at all of the culinary goodies, we created food labels to match the shower style and used wooden clothes pins to display them on the table. To maintain the connection between the decor and shower invitation, disposable cups and plates in a variety of colors matching the invitation were used.

If you do a quick search on the internet for baby shower games and/or activities, there are a number of options that will pop up for your review. My only suggestion when selecting activities is to consider the mom to be and the guests. Having made the mistake of selecting incorrect activities in the past (and still hearing about it years later) I cannot stress enough how important it is to pick games that the mother will not want to strangle you for later. For this shower, I had direct access to the mother and sister of the mom to be and was able to enlist their help in a get to know you guessing game. Since most of the guests at the shower did not have the pleasure of growing up with the mother to be, we only knew the childhood stories that she cared to share over the years. To help guests get to know her even better and allow her mother to dish a bit, we worked together to create game in which guests had to match childhood photos to stories shared. It turned out to be a lot of fun and very educational! The other activity we added to the mix was a memory game that doubled as more gift goodies for the mom to be. Conveniently she registered for a baby bath station which became the holding container for a number of baby related items - butt paste, books, clothes, toys, etc. The collection was revealed to guests for about 30-seconds during which time they had to memorize the contents to the best of their ability. After covering the goodies, guests had 1-minute to write down as many of the items they could remember and the best memory won the challenge! Again, the best part is that the game doubled as a gift from the hostesses adding to the gift pile. 

As guests departed the gathering, they were offered a small token of appreciation. Keeping with the simple style and adding a dash of the modern tea party twist, everyone received a small dish in the shape of a tea kettle with the phrase "sweet-tea" in the center. It works as a small spoon rest or safe spot for tea bags to rest to avoid counter top stains. A tag with the same graphic as the food labels was added with a note of thanks to keep the visual continuity of the decor.

At the and of the shower, everyone left with a few more stories about the mom to be, a tummy full of yummy treats and happy anticipation of meeting the little one due to arrive sooner than later!

Gifts of Kindness

Most everyone I know is familiar with the phrase, “random acts of kindness,” but do we realize that the meaning of this phrase requires action? I worry sometimes that the busy pace of life with all of its twists and turns sometimes leaves us on that road to you know where paved with good intentions. When something major pops up, we make time to lend a hand and this is great. But what about all the times in between when people need just a little bit of our kindness to get them through a rough patch? Are we diligently lending ourselves during these times or making excuses that life has gotten in the way? Being that we are all human, I suspect the latter to be the more realistic scenario.  This brings me to my pontification for the day – how do we overcome this human tendency to better promote and deliver acts of kindness as a way of life? As usual, I did a little research and found some great resources! 

Let’s start with a true resource for ideas, plans and information sharing on promoting acts of kindness. In 1995 an official non-profit foundation was started for the sole purpose of inspiring and assisting people to practice kindness and pass it on to others. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation now hosts a tremendously useful website with a wide range of resources. You can find a pick me up quote, send an inspirational electronic postcard, participate in discussion boards, find plans for educational and work environments, as well as information on how kindness promotes good health. Pretty much anything you might need to inspire and promote acts of kindness in the world is available for FREE.

Another discovery is a product called Boom Boom! Cards. The creators of these cards have taken the acts of kindness movement to the next level by upgrading it from random acts to audaciously intentional efforts. They are seeking to start a revolution of sorts through the use and sharing of these cards. Let me try to explain. After selecting the deck of cards appropriate to your lifestyle and intentions, you register them with the Boom Boom site and begin your acts of kindness. Each card features beautiful artwork along with a kindness suggestion. When you have completed your act of kindness (or Boom Boom!) you are encouraged to share your story on the site and then pass the card along to someone else so they can keep the kindness momentum going. Each card has a special coding, so as it makes its way around the world inspiring kind deeds you can track the shared stories to share the journey.

I realize that of these two finds only one can be considered a traditional sort of gift. If you know someone for whom the Boom Boom! Cards would be a great find I encourage you to buy a pack and get them started. However, I also encourage you to think outside of the gift box and consider acts of kindness as a gift to both the recipient of your good deed and the world at large.

Be kind. It is hardly ever the wrong thing to do.

Unknown

About to Pop!

I am in baby shower mode at the moment and stumbled across a party favor that inspired some wishful planning. Since the shower I am co-hosting soon is based on a totally different theme, I figured it would be safe to share my thoughts on this “maybe someday” shower idea. What is this precious item that inspired a whirlwind of party planner thoughts? An adorable party favor box designed to mimic the traditional movie popcorn boxes. Dressed appropriately for a baby shower, the movie reel graphic is replaced by that of a pregnant lady “about to pop” which drives the theme of my thoughts.

Being that I am a movie fan,  it was easy for my brain to pull together a few thoughts on what I could do with this theme… just keep in mind these are the ramblings of a wishful plan and not yet tested as ideas that other people actually like. Of course, I hope that everyone in the world finds them fun with a twist of silly, but you can never please everyone!

Opening Credits… Invitations

There are a number of invitation options from which you can choose. If you have the time and motivation, you can get crazy with the clip art and color printer to create a totally one of a kind option. Much as my inner crafter loves this idea, sometimes you just don’t have the time. Recently I was introduced to a site that bridges the gap between the need to feel creative and the efficiency of having someone else do it for you – a true compromise! In an effort to provide visual aids for my wishful shower, I visited the sight to see what they offer for stock options in a movie design. There were not any under the “baby shower” category, but feel free to bend the rules and use the oh so cute options in the standard event option category. As long as you pay them, I am sure they won’t care!

Snack Bar Options… the Menu

Baby shower food has developed some standard and expected menu items. Being the rule bender that I am, I prefer to shake things up a bit and surprise people. This theme gives me the PERFECT opportunity to indulge this devious streak! Obviously you need popcorn to support the “pop” theme, but no one said it has to be boring. There are quite a few varieties of popcorn flavors and styles (air popped, kettle corn, cheddar, etc.) Don’t stop at the popcorn, though. Think about all of the yummy junk food you indulge in while at the movies – hot dogs, nachos, candy, soda pop…. Are you with me? When I get to host this shower the food station will resemble the snack counter offering all of these indulgences and more. For items like nachos I suggest a build your own option to lend an ounce of accommodation for anyone on a diet. If you really want to go all out, check out options for sodas that can be customized with labels made just for the shower. Display them as a self-serve item in a bucket and let guests pick their favorite flavor. One last thought… ditch the cute paper plates and stick with the theme by using popcorn trays and buckets. Since the trays have a cup holder built in it might even be a little easier for guests to wander with all of their selections. *** (See below for additional ideas...)

Action!... Games and Activities

We have all endured the traditional baby shower games so many times that the competition becomes non existent or cut throat because everyone already knows how to win. Since this theme is a bit irreverent it opens the door to a whole new batch of games. I have not yet completed the list of “the whole batch”, but do have a couple of thoughts.

Option One – Put together a movie quiz game based on popular movies with kid themes. Movies such as Mr. Mom, Baby Boom, Three Men and a Baby, etc spring to my mind. If you are not a fan of quick games, create your own version of Pictionary using these and other movies. Either option ties together the popcorn/movie theme and babies.

Option Two – I had to dig deep in my memory banks for this one… and it might be a stretch for the sake of the “pop” theme. When I was very young I recall a birthday party game where guests were divided into teams for a simple relay. The catch? You had to make your way from one end to the other with an inflated balloon held between your knees. If the balloon “popped” before everyone in your team completed the relay, you had to get a new balloon and start over. Obviously you need to know your guests for this option to be a success. If they were born without a silly gene, it is probably not a good option.

That’s a Wrap!... Party Favors

These adorable little party favor boxes are what started this thought process, but what to put inside them is totally up to you. For my fantasy shower, I thought it would be fun to purchase a variety of retro candy options and display them on a self-serve station in which guests can load up their mini popcorn boxes with their favorites before they depart. If you prefer to pre-load your favor boxes they will still make a festive display and you can recycle the retro candy idea to the menu!

*** If you are working with a budget or just prefer to make your own popcorn, check out these fun recipe options! Popcorn Recipes (added February 24, 2011)