You're tops with me!

 A fun gift to give anyone is a few large potatoes (one for each member of their family) and all the toppings.  I bought some burlap and sewed up a quick bag using twine.  I bought salt and pepper shakers from the dollar store, Tabasco sauce, potato topping shakers, sour cream, a can of chili, real butter, and some velveeta cheese.  I put all this in the bag with a tag that says, "You're Tops With Me!"  You have to make sure you can give the gift to someone close to a fridge if you want to add all the toppings that need to be cold. I make up a few bags at a time and add the items that don't need refrigeration.  That way I can make a quick run to the store to add the extra items right before I give it to them.  If I know they won't have refrigeration, I just give them the bag I already have put together.  This gift is great for anyone of any age!


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Everything but the Kitchen sink

 I think the easiest way to give a fun gift is when the idea for a cute tag is already done for you. Consider Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors:

So sorry I flipped out on you. Let's kiss and make up.

Thank you so much for feeding our pets while we were gone!

Please go out with me, Jamaican me crazy!

Happy Birthday! Congratulations on becoming old as a fossil!

Thanks so much for everything you did for the PTA meeting/cub scout dinner/office party!

Goodbye! It was nice working with you!

Hint Hint *wink*

For a soldier or his family: Stay safe during your deployment! Thank you for your sacrifice for our country!

Hang in there. Maybe this will help.

  You are an Extraordinary Person. Thanks for being you!

This makes a great last minute gift- grab a pint, some stick on labels that you hand write on, and you are good to go!

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Christmas humor

 A CARTRIDGE IN A BARE TREE!

Here is an inexpensive gift to bring laughter to your next neighborhood or office party.  
You will need:
*A small branch from a tree
*Cottage cheese container
*Plaster of Paris
*A piece of clear fishing line
*1 empty cartridge shell
*Aluminum Foil
*Ribbon
*Copy of gift card





Directions:
Mix the plaster of Paris with water as directed and pour in the container.  Set the branch in the container of plaster of Paris and prop in place until the plaster is set.  Tie the empty shell to one end of the fishing line and tie the other end to the tree branch.  Wrap the container with foil and tie with a ribbon.  Attach the gift card.

 (Bright Impressions)

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Insta-totes

 Another inexpensive gift idea is to give an insta-totes lunch bag, they are just three dollars, and made entirely from recycled water bottles. So they are even eco-friendly, if you care about that sort of thing. They come with a handy inside pocket for your bottle of water. My friend gave me the one with this cute baby on it, because I have a blog called Cute Baby Fix, where we post cute babies because who couldn't use a little cuteness to break up the day? Anyway, they have big shopping bags too, in all kinds of colors and designs, for six dollars. The bag I have is super sturdy and really cute. These bags would be great for giving as a reusable gift bag with another gift inside.

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The gift of Lunch

Sometimes when you are wondering what to get for someone for a gift, it is easy to miss the obvious. Often we go for a "gifty" item that just ends up forgotten in the back of a closet, or thrown away. But what about something the giftee could use every day? Everyone eats lunch, and most of us are on the go, at work, at school, or even just chauffeuring the children. I found these amazing little Bento boxes, that I know I would love to get for a gift. What's a Bento Box? A Bento box is a Japanese tupperware/lunchboxy thing that you put your delicious food in instead of taking baggies of horribly dried out carrot sticks and a stale pb and j. They come in fun colors and have cute bags. They come with cute accessories like picks and cute tiny bowls and pretty chopsticks. No one likes to brown bag it, but I think I would definitely love taking my food in a bento box. You can find americanized (but fairly uninspired) bentos here.
For more authentic bentos, from Japan, look here, at Jbox.
I think I like the authentic ones best. In Japan, mothers pride themselves on making nutritious and frankly amazing artistic creations for their children for lunch, like the picture above from LuckySundae. I am planning on getting bentos for some of my peeps who have allergies and have to "go Packin" every day. I think it would be fun to try to make some of the art bentos for my children.
Check out Luckysundae's photostream on flickr, for amazing pictures of what is possible from an art standpoint, and Lunchinabox.net for the food to put in them. You will never look at lunch the same way.


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Post-It Note Holders

I found the gift that I am going to make for my co-workers this year for Christmas (so if any of you are reading this, please ignore the rest of this post).

I came across these cute post-it note holders at Kerry's Paper Crafting Blog. I just think they are darling. They are made with Acryllic Frames.

This is an inexpensive gift that is easy to make, but very thoughtful. If you want a step by step tutorial on how to make these, check out Dawn's Stamping Studio video.

 

                                       

Both of these blogs are filled with fun ideas. Thanks for sharing Kerry and Dawn.

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Christmas in your Heart the Whole Year Through

Give a Calendar for the new year, then add a tag that says:
"Keep Christmas in your heart the whole year through!"

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Who Knew Bananas would be Such a Great Gift?

"If we could choose our friends, and we searched the whole world through, we'd go 'bananas' trying to find a better bunch than you!" Who would have thought you could make so many gifts with bananas?

• Buy a bunch of bananas, attach the above quote, and give them to your co-workers.

• Get a box of Banana Nut Cheerios, attach the quote, and add "From your Nutty Neighbors".

• You can purchase Banana Bath Fizzers from purpleegg.com and use the quote above or try "Going Bananas over You".

• Attach a note that says "Going Bananas since you've been gone." to a banana and put it in your spouse's suitcase or briefcase when they go out of town.


• New moms will go bananas for Monkey Magoo when he swings into the nursery with his blankie, Too! This plush new monkey friend wraps around a Keepsake Banana Box which, when opened, reveals a cuddly-cozy soft blanket. Find this at http://www.vickiecreations.com/.


• Make Banana Split Kit - A Bunch of Bananas, Four Glass Banana Split Dishes, Baggies filled with Chopped Heath Candy Bars, Chopped Nuts, Maraschino Cherries, Chocolate Dipped Pretzels, etc. Also include Fudge Topping & a tub of Vanilla Ice Cream. Put it all in a cute lined basket.

• Terra Cotta Banana Muffins - This is so cute and so easy. Instructions can be found at stylemepretty.com.

• Bananagrams - a fast and fun word game. Attach the quote above and you have a great family gift. Find Bananagrams at http://www.amazon.com/.

What gift ideas have you thought about involving bananas?

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The Office

Wouldn't it be great if you could wave your magic wand and make that pile on your desk go away? Here is a cute little sign that you could give to your friend at the office who may need some encouragement. You can pick it up at our Etsy store today.
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Money Soap

This gift is good for a laugh and a surprise.

Make your own Money Soap

You get the meltable glycerin soap at a craft store, melt it, and pour it into molds and then load it up with coins. Dollar bills work too, because they are actually fabric. Tag could say, "Good things come to those who wait", or "She works hard for the money" (for a co-worker).