Tag: gift ♥

diy

sidewalk chalk neighbor gift idea & free printable

Raising up Rubies1 Comment


I’m hoping that this little project might lift your spirits 
during this really weird/sad/crazy time like it did mine today ♥

it started a few days ago with a box of sidewalk chalk …


i saw everyone on social media talking about how they were using chalk to decorate their sidewalks with uplifting messages or just pretty pictures since families and neighbors are out in huge numbers everyday walking and enjoying any spring-like weather just to pass the time and get out of the house… and anyone who lives in our neighborhood knows that people are ALWAYS outside – quarantine or not – we have so many little kids, dog owners and runners/walkers in our one mile huge loop of a neighborhood – so our neighborhood is usually pretty active even during normal circumstances… 

so i picked up a box at target (while i was getting essentials … everyone just please relax … please – slight eyeroll here) because i knew that it would put a smile on at least a few faces who walked over our sidewalk over the next few days (and then it rained of course – hello, upstate NY + April) so i recruited my girls to go chalk up the sidewalk & make it pretty ♥
we got out there and the sun was shining, within a few minutes it was like my spirits were automatically renewed just by being outside, for an hour, breathing in God’s fresh air and soaking up His sunshine …

 it got me to thinking about how we can watch the news, talk to neighbors and overhear things in the grocery store check out line that the enemy then uses to ever so quietly & slooooowly crack the door open, allowing fear to creep into our minds & hearts … right?  we start to let ourselves be dominated by the what if’s and the maybe’s 
that give life to fear & self-reliance … 

but then all of a sudden being outside in the wide open of God’s creation … you realize that there is nothing to fear. He made all of this. the sun will rise in the morning and set again tomorrow night, virus or not, quarantine or not, constant barrage of fear-mongering news broadcasts or not … because He is in control – He’s got this – this didn’t catch Him by surprise – it didn’t sneak up on Him like whoa where’d you come from kinda thing – this was all sifted through His hands.

He’s behind & before us – His thoughts are higher – our names are graven on His hands – He knew what we looked like even before we were thought into existence … 
so i’m thinkin’ He’s got this too.

as we were chalking up a storm the idea came to get a few more boxes of chalk for some of the houses with little kids on our street – in hopes that they would decorate their sidewalks too and then what a fun walk around the neighborhood that would be for everyone 🙂


surprisingly but kinda not (insert another small eyeroll here)
 like flour toilet paper and chicken breast (that’s what’s hard to get here at our grocery store what about you all?) sidewalk chalk is really hard to find online – and again not surprisingly, sellers on amazon are trying to sell this 48ct. box of chalk for $40!


so i scoured the interwebs and found that my local staples & walgreens stores had quite a few boxes left in stock and they were offering curb-side pickup! bonus. so check your local office supply stores, drug stores, targets or walmart’s – buy online and pick up – i’m sure you’ll be able to find some!




and of course i had to make a cute tag for these neighbor gifts (that in all honesty me & my daughter ding dong ditched ((or just ditched without the ding or the dong)) at each of the houses and then made quick getaways afterwards:P) there’s just something about giving gifts in secret – am i right?

i love leaving something, catching someone off guard and letting it be found in the quiet of their own thoughts & emotions – i know in times past i’ve found something that has brought me to tears and i thought how did someone know this was just what i needed?

so! dive into those ribbon stashes, tie some bows onto those cardboard box handles and 
click here or on the image below to print out these tags and share with your neighbors 🙂

super cute graphics were from these two etsy shops
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LisaMarkleSparkles
https://www.etsy.com/shop/JaxandJake
and so at the end of today, we had successfully delivered 6 boxes of chalk up and down our street and when my daughter went out to ride her bike in the afternoon she came back so excited to tell me that all the little kids that we had delivered chalk to, had decorated or were out decorating their sidewalks with the cutest pictures and notes ♥ and some of them had even come to the front of our house and written a note in chalk thanking us for the gift 🙂


and just like that a small thing like a box of chalk brought so much joy to our house and now neighborhood 
AND had lifted my spirit more than any other thing had done this past week.
(even more than when i found a six pack of TP at the grocery store 🙂
find some chalk, print out these tags & let this do the same for you this week friends!
as always – much love

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valentines day in a jar gift idea ♥

Raising up Rubies1 Comment

i have to admit breakfast is my favorite meal of the day… 
i mean what’s not to love about any kind of breakfast food? muffins pastries waffles bacon 
eggs oatmeal cookies bagels cookies french toast cookies…
🙂
speaking of bagels, i love a good bagel with butter and some raspberry jam on top yummm.
 bonne maman happens to be our favorite store bought jam, have you ever had it?
 (and ps. this not a paid post just really love the stuff)


besides, lets talk about what’s really important here – the gingham lids on those jars ♥
i mean really good jam in a cute jar? it’s like icing on the cake – or like the jam on the bagel? hehe


anyways, file this Valentines day in a jar gift idea away for next year – or if you are celebrating throughout this weekend, you still have time to pull some of these together with any jars you might have laying around!

i soaked my jars in a bowl of really hot water with a few drops of dawn blue dishsoap 
for about an hour – the labels slid right off – easy peasy.


the fun part is going to target walmart michaels where ever and picking out all the little things that go inside! i try to keep things all the same color, but sometimes the items vary depending on who i’m gifting to – for instance i know my mom doesn’t like things that are rose scented and my sister in law is conscious about clean ingredients – keep those things in mind! it would be sad to get a gift full of things that are really super cute but maybe not items that are useful


 if you have trouble thinking of what to put inside – just think about all the things that YOU love! 
a favorite polish color, chapstick, a favorite kind of chocolate or gum … you get the idea ♥


if there’s extra room in your jars when you’ve put everything in,
fill the empty spaces with small candy like hershey kisses or dove hearts,
 even heart confetti would be cute in the bottom of the jar!


add some matching ribbon maybe a gift tag with a note to personalize ♥


definitely feeling like my jar hoarding skills paid off for this little gift idea 🙂


SO CUTE! happy Valentines day everyone! ♥


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simple Christmas gift ideas ♥

Raising up Rubies1 Comment

Merry almost Christmas friends!
we’re only a little over a week away from the big day and you might be overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done, but don’t be! bake some cookies, put the kettle on and have some tea with me while you browse through some of my pictures – then you’ll realize gift giving doesn’t have to be complicated or over-thought – 
just simple and from the heart ♥ 


the baking inspired gift pictured above started when i saw this post and decided to make a batch of homemade vanilla extract for Christmas gifts! (just be sure to think ahead when gifting these, since it takes a while for the mixture to infuse before using) i knew i would want to pair the bottles with something before i handed them out – so off to browse the isles of Home Goods i went 🙂 i found the glass measuring cups (because who has enough of those?) some cute spatulas & kitchen towels – then some pretty ribbon for that extra special finish. 
oh and the free printable labels for the bottles are from here – aren’t they super cute?!


another idea is to keep a basket or crate by your door – fill it with with multiples of the same gift – something simple, inexpensive & that anyone will love – something that you can hand out to your mail carrier when they delilver packages, the bus driver as the kids head out to school in the morning or for the neighbors that you see outside or beat you to it and pop up at your door first! this year i bought a few of these BIG boxes of chocolates from Costco – at only $10 each they don’t break the bank, but still feel like a substantial gift.


 take it up a notch with some ribbon, jingle bells and even a handwritten note or tag! 
boom. a simple store bought gift with a side of thoughtfulness – 
people notice! and they feel special ♥



a few years ago i gave my mom and some friends this super fun slipper filled gift – 
it was received so well and full of things that pamper your recipient.
the slippers were from target at the time but any slippers will work – even for a guy gift.
i tried to color coordinate the items i put inside which is easy to do once you start browsing the isles – first place i go to is the travel section! think nailpolish, chapstick/lip gloss, face masks, lotions, candy even a rolled up magazine or a book if it will fit.


i went next level for my mom’s gift by adding a small 
kate spade monogrammed ID holder that i got super cheap during a black friday sale online.


when my girls were still bringing teacher gifts to school, mugs were my go-to starting point when i wanted to build a gift – not too expensive and can be filled with anything! initial mugs make it even more personal – i would put these types of gifts in a simple gift bag with tissue paper if it was travelling to school with my kids – if it is for neighbors or friends, just hand it over as is – with a waving hand & a big smile on your face 🙂


just a few more ideas i pulled from my camera roll from way back – these felt buckets were in the dollar section at target and the mugs were from pottery barn – they also had a huge sale on monogrammed blankets so i tucked a few of them into gifts for some of the couples we are friends with through my husbands work.


‘by the fire’ was the theme i had in mind when i put these gifts together (i know, i’m weird)
 sipping cocoa with marshmallows & peppermint sticks, blankets and chocolate ♥


and in the end – if you’re in a pinch – grab a box of mandarin oranges – in those really fun crates they come in around Christmas time – and tie a ribbon around it with bells & chocolates tucked in between the fruit – and walk it right next door! (or send your kids ha.) who wouldn’t want to have that hand delivered on Christmas day?? with a house full of company that would be just the thing to put out between dinner & dessert. If you have extra time you can make an clementine wreath like the one pictured below using cellophane wrap and bakers twine to separate each one – jingle bells and a bow with a special note and leave that on doorknobs for neighbors who are out for the day – what a fun thing to come home to 🙂


i hope some of these ideas inspire you to give a few simple Christmas gifts 
to people you don’t normally think about or maybe to someone who you think might feel overlooked ♥ happy gift giving friends!

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Christmas 2018 ♥

Raising up Rubies2 Comments
popping in to say it’s here! Christmas has arrived in my etsy shop ♥
everything is just so bright & colorful & HAPPY!
Merry Christmas Darling planner / purse charms with jingle bell & tree charms
one of my favorite new releases this year, is this 7 card Christmas story set 
designed to tell a different part of the nativity story with the flip of each card
this & all card sets in my shop can be purchased 
with a mini wooden easel to be displayed in a child’s room, 
a desktop or maybe even near your coffee maker 🙂
matching nativity animals stickers for your Christmas cards
deer and bunnies and bears oh my! 😉

if you loved last years vintage cars & carols scripture cards – you’ll love this new set 
with bright colors, new carol quotes & vintage bug car designs

and matching stickers too! they come in 3 colors to match the cards 
and can be purchased with envelopes for all your holiday snail mail needs

don’t forget matching gift tags too!

this cute Christmas girls & dresses design comes in cards / envelopes / gift tags as well

 and there’s still a few surprise craft boxes & mini books left in my etsy shop
the perfect stocking stuffer or gift for that one person you know who loves to craft or bible journal
… or maybe just for yourself ♥

i hope you find something you love in my shop this year
 i pour tons of love and a little bit of me into everything i create & sell so happy shopping!
our tree is actually up VERY early this year – only because i was hoping to cross a few holiday 
to-do’s off of my list and try to be ahead of the game this time around?! hopefully.
if you follow me on instagram, 
you know we did a little shuffle in some of the main areas of our home
this is the before & after!

i keep telling everyone that was my fun creative house – and this is my 40’s grown up house 🙂

what do you think? before or after?

  

i’m loving the after. it just feels so peaceful.
and as much as i crave color & happiness, there’s just something about the quiet & simple
starting the week off with a big cup of tea and a very long to-do list
hope you found somthing here that inspires you or helps tackle your Christmas gift list ♥
Merry Christmas Darlings!
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Amish Sugar Cookies

Raising up Rubies3 Comments

it’s no secret around here that i loooooove cookies
i mean put a slice a cake in front of me and i’m like no thank you.
donuts are good, but i’m partial (like religiously partial) to Krispy Kreme
and since there’s no KK here in upstate … well then there’s not too much donut consumption happening 😦 but cookies … give me cookies everyday anyday and i’m so happy 
like really happy – weirdly happy 🙂
i digress alot

scrolling the insta last week and stopped dead in my tracks for these


there’s so many good things about taste of home so i’m always inclined to try their recipes
and man these did not disappoint! they were so good we made a double batch


and then we made them again


the second time around i realized we were out of cream of tartar – and after a little research on the world wide web i learned that baking powder is a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda (how did we ever live without google?) so i substituted the baking soda and cream of tartar with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and we actually liked that batch better than the first! a very slight difference really but lotsa cookie experts over here at out house so we can tell these things 🙂


these bake up so light and fluffy, they practically melt in your mouth if you eat them after a few minutes out of the oven … two things i always do when baking cookies: 1.use parchment paper ALWAYS. it just makes for better cookie bottoms & 2. use a cookie scoop ALWAYS it makes for perfectly shaped cookies and all uniform in shape & size. both of those items are #gamechangers trust me.


this batch was going in a glass cookie jar from walmart
and over to a friends new house that she just moved in to ♥


cut some ribbon from my stash and wrote home sweet home on a paint swatch





it’s always the simple little things that we have laying around
that make the best unexpected gifts dont you think? 




make these cookies guys! i know you will love them as much as we do
much love ♥

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print recipe

Amish Sugar Cookies
by Jaime Favor July-31-2017
(adapted from Taste of Home.com)
Ingredients
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspons baking powder
Instructions
– With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer cream butter, oil and sugars– Add eggs & vanilla mix until blended well– In a separate bowl combine flour & baking powder then gradually add to creamed mixture– Using a 1.5 inch cookie scoop, drop batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets– Bake @ 375 (or @350 with a convection oven) for 8-10 minutes or until bottom edges are golden brown– Let cool for one to two minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Yeilds approx 5 dozen
Details

Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 5 dozen

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watermelon caddy teacher gift

Raising up Rubies6 Comments

another summer is upon us and as usual i’m feeling nostalgic
i’m not sure if it’s just that my girls are so big now or that it feels like time is slipping away really fast or both, but when summer comes around it always seems bittersweet …anyone else with me? anyways i saw these watermelon caddies at michaels last month and knew i wanted to use them for teacher gifts. 


caddy gifts (see here & here for instance) tend to be my go-to thing when i have to come up with gift ideas, i don’t know why except all i can figure is that to get a gift that’s filled with lots of little gifts just sounds like the best thing ever to me 🙂 it’s like the gift that keeps on giving … and it’s organized and compartmentalized #ocdprobs


if you hit that “make” tab up in the navigation bar, you’ll find a bunch of gift ideas
 i’ve done over the years and most of them are the same ha!


these two tins were for my youngest daughter’s 5th grade teacher and our bus driver
(we’ve had the same bus driver since the kids started school! we love her so much. 
i have her number in my phone on speed dial haha)


i filled it with mostly fun things for summer that i picked up in my shopping travels
sunscreen, candy, notepads, straws and an insulated cup from target


filled it with crystal light packets and put the cup in one of the back sections of the caddy 🙂


threw some tags together in my design program and tied them on, that’s it! fun right?



there are so many gift fillers to be found at the dollar store or in the target dollar spot!
just think outside the box a little 😉


these patriotic pencils were in the target dollar bins and i couldn’t pass them up
there’s just something about the red white & blue during summer time


my daughter plays flute in the school band and wanted to bring a little something extra in for her band teacher – simple ideas for a few dollars make for cute gifts and smiling faces


who doesn’t love to feel appreciated? it’s so easy to go about our day to day without recognizing what so many people do for us or for our kids. don’t underestimate the power of giving guys! 
it feels so good to give – and doesn’t have to be material or expensive it can be your time or a particular skill set to lend a favor that can be given as well


i feel like most days out society is so focused on what we can get for ourselves that to teach our kids to put others first has become even more challenging! since it’s become so counter culture – so don’t underestimate the power of giving and involve your kids!

speaking of … when did my kids get so big?
last day of 5th grade right here folks


hard to believe they were this little when i started this blog (sniff sniff)
thanks for following along with me here over the years, you really are loved & appreciated ♥


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little box of sunshine gift idea

Raising up Rubies4 Comments
we sent this happy little box to my mother in law for mothers day
and i thought i’d share here with you all in case you’re looking for a fun gift idea that’s easy to put together and is such a surprise to the recipient!


i saw the idea on pinterest and decided to put a box together to send off to North Carolina
and after a trip to target i had a bunch fun stuff … 


that happiness book is really cute – there’s some funny things in it
i know this because i was chuckling in the isle at target while i flipped through it 🙂
i put all the little odds and ends in the clear catch all bag 


i lined the inside of the box with some bright yellow paper & double sided tape
the brighter the paper the better! you want that box to shine when all the flaps are opened 🙂


the flat rate box from the post office is free! and you can pack it full no matter what the weight 
and send it off for a flat rate fee priority mail (2-3 days) for around $15 i think, i can’t remember the exact rate but it’s around there 🙂



the paper i had was 8.5 x 11 and fit perfectly in this small flat rate box leaving only a little gap at the bottom on one side but you won’t be able to see it once you fill it up


a little trimming might be necessary near the top flaps
and i just placed a full sheet on the bottom with no tape

the best part is this clipart that i got here
from my best girl’s etsy shop – simply purchase, download, print and cut!
a little more of the double sided tape to place it where your heart desires and that’s it!

i also printed out the text from microsoft publisher on my PC – cut & taped that to the long flaps


fill you box and send it off!
i know whoever receives it won’t be able to help but be so happy 🙂
the only thing i was missing was yellow basket straw – you know that crinkled paperish stuff that comes in all different colors? filling the space at the top with that would’ve kept the yellow theme going, but i only had white tissue paper on hand, but yellow tissue paper would work too right?


some pictures of us girls on Mother’s Day ♥


that’s my mom – doesn’t she look good?!
hoping i get her slow aging genes 🙂





whatever Mother’s Day means for you i hope it was filled with joy and happines … even if it’s sort of a sad day for you whatever the reason, know that God works all things together for your good! even in the sadness (especially in the sadness) He’s molding & shaping you into who He wants you to be ♥ remember that every heartache and trial you face was first sifted through His hands before it got to you so take comfort in that girls.
much love to you
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a play restaurant kit in a box ♥

Raising up Rubies8 Comments


my youngest had 2 birthday parties to go to this past saturday 
and we recently printed & laminated this cutest ever play restaurant kit (so cute i die) from my dear friend AmyJ’s etsy shop. she recently opened a separate store just for kids printables, and really there’s so much in there that you’ll just want to make & play with and you’ll be sad you’re a grown up. i’m serious.

so i had the idea to print out sets for birthday presents and to put everything in a sort of kit so the recipients would have everything they needed to play. aren’t the menus cute?! 


here’s some info about everything i bought and used 🙂
– the yummy food restaurant kit 
(can be purchased here)


i’ll explain a little about how i laminated the printables. you can use them just as printed on paper but if laminated they can be used over and over with dry erase markers. this little scotch laminator is available at so many stores. i bought this at joanns for $25 after using my coupon and i think i saw it at target in the back to school section last week for a reasonable price as well. the laminating pouches came in a pack of 50 at target for $13 or so. reasonable i think, since we use the laminator for a lot of other things …
so you’ll see below i laminated some as whole sheets and some i cut before laminating. it turns out that just laminating everything and then cutting later with a paper trimmer was easiest and worked the best. for the coins in the kit i punched them out with a one inch circle punch and then laminated them in a pouch, then cut around each coin. time consuming yes, but i coerced my girls to do it for me while they watched a movie 🙂

-storage bin 
(i bought this one type but with half the depth from target and everything fit perfectly)


-play food (in toy section at target) & kiddie plastic plates, cups & silverware 
(in kitchen section at target and only .79 cents each!)


 -a small three drawer organizer (target)
-pack of dry erasers (not pictured)
for this little organizer box i printed an extra menu from Amy’s kit and cut the name to fit into the top of the box like you see here.


these drawer labels were not part of the kit, i just whipped em up in publisher and printed them out and laminated. then used hot glue to attach




-you’ll need large rubber bands or long cord for the name tags


 -play apron (we got one at joanns and decorated it a little bit)





and i think that’s everything! we put everything in the storage bin as shown and wrapped a ribbon around the whole thing. they were a huge hit! if you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments, and i’ll do my best to answer them 🙂


much love ♥
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peppermint in a jar … a quick last minute gift

Raising up Rubies5 Comments

Friday was the last day of school for my girls
we have 2 full weeks off and i’m so so happy
i’m not a morning person
but i’m trying to be better about that.

i love to give gifts … and i love to make gifts
even though i never have enough time for all the big ideas i have
i say every year that i’m gonna start my Christmas gifts in august
yeah that never happens.



so for the past few years i’ve given a few of these jar gifts
 to teachers, bus drivers, school secretaries … and just about anyone else i can think of




i orginally saw this idea here … but tweaked it a little bit 
to include any things that looked striped or like peppermint candy
(everything came from the dollar bin, travel, or Christmas section at target)




made some labels then used a big scalloped punch & some glue dots
to attach them to the top of the jars
(the white lids are freezer jam lids that are with the jars and other canning supplies)




i actually went back to pick up a some more supplies to make a few more jars 
and they were all out of the peppermint bark & the face wipes 😦 
so i improvised with some Christmas kleenex travel packs 
and hershey’s candy cane white chocolate bars … i like how they both turned out.


the mason jar tags were from my 12 days of Christmas sale last month
they were one of my favorite things!

if you’re looking for a quick gift for tomorrow or wednesday,
these jars are super easy & quick to put together
and here are the lables just for you! from me ♥



download labels here


have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

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house-warming gift idea … ♥

Raising up Rubies16 Comments



happy monday everyone.
hope your weekend was full of summer sunshine ♥
we had some happy, and some sad mixed in together this past week
one of the happy’s was my friend’s new home
and that we got to go visit for the first time since she and her family moved in.
she’s a lot like me when it comes to decorating
and i had fun putting this basket together for her
filled it with a few things i’d love to have for myself as a domestic engineer 🙂



i’m just so excited about this project i found
it’s a garland made up of all those free prints 
you know, the ones we love to hoard on our pinterest boards but never print out…
since the thought of buying and hanging frames for all of them is overwhelming … 
so this was the best idea ever. 
can’t wait to make one for here … there’s so many prints to choose from
i just can’t decide… but how cool that you can change them up every so often
for seasons or holidays … fun.




found this ceramic mason jar at joanns … and whipped up a few of my cupcake paper flowers
i forget how addicting they are to make … i could do it for hours.
it’s so pretty to see the different patterns come together.
go.
 make some. 
go now.



i added a few random vintage dishes, with some soap & sponges
i wanted to make some of these to put in there too…
but ran out of time.
that’s how it always is with me … 

{source}





i think she liked it 🙂
heck, i liked it… i wanted it.
but i gave it up. cause i’m nice like that.
happy making stuff.

linking up here:
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Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You
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Sundae Scoop ♥ i heart naptime
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Junkin’ Joe ♥ the Cottage Market
Funky Junk ♥ Funky Junk’s Party Junk