|
|
|
Halloween Games for the Perfect Halloween Party!
With Halloween fast approaching it's time to dust off those dirty and cobwebbed Halloween games for the kids. Depending on the style of party you are throwing you may be looking for Halloween crafts, icky sticky food games, some races and team...
Holiday De-Stressing Tips for Kids
The holiday season can be a hectic, stressing time not only for adults, but also for children: lots of driving around town in traffic jams; schlepping through overcrowded shopping malls; giving up your room for out-of-town relatives who...
How To Save Hundreds Of Dollars Per Year On Baby Gifts
Think for a minute. How many baby showers have you attended in the past year? Now think about how much money you've spent in the last year on baby shower gifts. One, two, may three hundred? For some, the answer could easily be several...
It’s Time to Start Thinking about Mother's Day
Mother’s Day is approaching fast. This year it falls on Sunday, May 8th, so you still have time left to come up with the ideal gift for your Mom. And don't forget that Mother's Day is an ideal day to honor any woman in your life, not just your Mom....
Role Models for Your Teen
By the time your children reach their teens, there is only a limited amount of time left to influence them and get them started in life in the right direction. The teen years are a critical time for role models in your children's lives. Often...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Creating & Maintaining a "Gift Chest"
You have permission to reprint this article in its entirety in your newsletter or on your website, as long as my byline stays intact. If you do use this article, please email me at: mailto:blankiebundles@yahoo.com to let me know that you have used my article. If you wish to quote portions only, please email me at mailto:blankiebundles@yahoo.com for requests and information about how to reference me as the author. Thank you!
Creating & Maintaining a "Gift Chest"
by Stacie Dahl
With all of the weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, etc. it seems there is always a gift needed at the last minute. Do you have cash in your wallet to slip in the card? Do you re-gift a gift certificate? Do you run to the store and buy on a whim?
Why not solve the last minute rush of gift giving once and for all by creating a "gift chest" full of gifts ready to give.
To create your "gift chest," start by identifying what types of gifts your family needs. Are you invited to a lot of weddings? Do you have kids and get invited to birthday parties? Do you have a lot of friends having babies? After identifying what types of gifts your family is in need of, start by purchasing inexpensive cards for the occasions you are invited to most. Most drug stores have a $0.99 section or what about buying a prepackaged stack of cards with a cute cover and blank insides (buying in bulk is always less expensive).
Next where do you store all these gifts and cards but are still able to find them later on when you need them most. I have an under-the-bed plastic storage bin where I can store the gifts. For cards I use a 13 divider plastic storage accordion file. The dividers can be divided by month and you stick the cards in for the appropriate events in each month. Or you can label your dividers by event--new baby, girl birthday, boy birthday, adult birthday, wedding, etc.
Here are some of my suggestions to start building your gift chest:
1. Young Girls-purses, sparkly stuff, stationery, fun pens & pencils, tea sets, and anything mini and dainty.
2. Young Boys-cars (matchbox to medium size), noise making action figures (be careful of trends and try to pick one that is more timeless), spy kits, small animal sets (farm, dinosaur), people sets (cowboys,
army), and camping kits.
3. Generic Children-books, puzzles, crayon packs, activity/coloring books, craft/activity sets, and food making toys--like snow cone maker, chocolate mold maker.
4. Teenagers-fast food gift certificates, journal, books (particularly those to improve their own self image), and a certificate for a one year subscription to a magazine of their choice.
5. Weddings-glass goblets, serving platters rays, candles with candle holders, cloth napkins with matching table runner and/or placemats but be sure to use a neutral color like white or beige so it doesn't clash with each couples color scheme.
6. New Baby-Get something unique other than an outfit like blankets, bibs, burp cloths, small baby toys. New moms have a hard time remembering who gave what outfit but they will always remember who gave them baby's special blanket for instance.
There are some free activities you can find online as well. For boys and girls, I particularly like http://www.makingfriends.com You can print them out for your kids or grandkids. Or you can even slip them in a card for someone else to enjoy. They can print, cut and make their own paper dolls. These are fun because kids or adults can present a play with their creations, retell a story or glue them to cards for gift giving.
Now when I go to my gift chest I am ready to wrap and don't have to put my life on hold to find a gift. Don't forget to keep your gift chest well stocked but not over-stuffed and overflowing! Try not to buy big bulky items that will use up all your space.
Make sure to keep a budget on gifts and don't overspend. By keeping your gift chest well stocked you can actually save some money by being able to get the items on sale throughout the year and not buying a more expensive item on impulse because you're already late for the party!
Copyright - Stacie Dahl 2003
About the author: Stacie is a WAHM with 4 little kiddos and owner of Blankie Bundles, an online gift boutique specializing in babies and young children's gifts. Visit: http://www.blankiebundles.com
About the Author
Stacie is a WAHM with 4 little kiddos and owner of Blankie Bundles, an online gift boutique specializing in babies and young children's gifts. Visit: http://www.blankiebundles.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Crafts and Hobbies ; crafts, hobbies, craft supplies, hobby ... |
| Crafts and hobbies headquarters! Find all the art supplies and craft accessories that you need! Great site for hobbists! |
| www.majon.com |
|
| Make Stuff - The 'You Can Make It' site for crafts, hobbies ... |
| Free craft ideas, recipes and activities for all ages and levels of experience. |
| www.make-stuff.com |
|
| The Library of Congress Shop > Crafts, Hobbies |
| The Library of Congress > Shop Home > Crafts, Hobbies ... CRAFTS, HOBBIES. Stained glass and mosaics kits, children's crafts and activities ... |
| www.loc.gov |
|
| Tri-Cities, Tennessee Personal News and Media Center |
| Biking/Hiking · Books/Poetry · Church News · Club News · Cooking · Crafts/Hobbies · Do-it-yourself · Events · Farming · Gardening · High School Bands ... |
| www.timesnews.net |
|
| Overstock.com: Entertainment/Books/Crafts/Hobbies |
| ... Business · Calendars · Childcare · Children's Books · Computer Books · Cooking · Crafts/Hobbies ... Entertainment | Books | Crafts/Hobbies ... |
| www.overstock.com |
|
| Home-and-Family - Crafts-Hobbies Ezine Articles |
| EzineArticles.com allows ezine or email list publishers to upload or download free expert content that can be used within email newsletters or websites. |
| ezinearticles.com |
|
| Hobby Hen Directory - Arts and Crafts, Hobbies, and Collectibles |
| Ultimate directory of Artist and Crafter listings, links, and ads for the Arts and Crafts Market. List your business free! |
| www.hobbyhen.com |
|
| Amazon.com: Crafts / Hobbies: Books |
| Online shopping for Subjects from a great selection of Books; Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Literature & Fiction, Science, Children's Books, ... |
| www.amazon.com |
|
| Crafts/Hobbies Poems that begin with (A) - AuthorsDen |
| Topics related to,Comic Books,Comic Strips,Craft Talk,Medieval Art, Iconography and History,Photography,Artists,Dollhouses & Miniatures,Scrapbooking ... |
| www.authorsden.com |
|
| Download Crafts, Hobbies & Home ebooks at Diesel eBooks |
| Crafts Hobbies Recreation Video Electronic Fishing Mountaineering Cooking e-books download in Adobe Microsoft palm ereader at Diesel eBooks. |
| www.diesel-ebooks.com |
|
| Amazon.co.uk: Crafts / Hobbies: Books |
| "Crafts / Hobbies". Narrow or Expand Results. Showing 1 - 12 of 30732 Results. Expand Your Results. Remove Keywords: Crafts / Hobbies ... |
| www.amazon.co.uk |
|
| Crafts/Hobbies |
| Crafts/Hobbies ... Crafts/Hobbies. Craft Projects for Kids to Make. 6 programs in one disk Calendars, Cards, Invitations, Posters, Stickers and T-Shirts. ... |
| www.learnatglobal.com |
|
| Crafts/Hobbies - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price ... |
| Crafts/Hobbies - 42 results like the Mrs. Lee's Multi-dimensional Paper Art: Getting Started, Model Building for Beginners, Antiques Roadshow: Special ... |
| www.nextag.com |
|
| Crafts/Hobbies DVD movies |
| Great selection of Crafts/Hobbies DVD movies and reviews at Video Universe, Great service secure ordering and fast shipping at everyday discount prices. |
| www.cduniverse.com |
|
| Fairfield County Arts, Crafts, Hobbies - Fairfield County Online ... |
| ,FCOL - Business Directory - Arts, Crafts, Hobbies. |
| www.fairfieldcountyonline.com |
|
| ShopAtHome: Catalogs: Crafts/Hobbies |
| The Crafts/Hobbies section offers a selection of free catalogs, paid catalogs, free magazines, magazine subscriptions and e-newsletters. |
| catalogs.shopathome.com |
|
| LS Blogs - Blog directory and search engine, Find or Submit blogs ... |
| Blog directory and Blog Search Engine, LS Blogs, Art / Crafts / Hobbies Art / Crafts / Hobbies,your source for top blogs, blog hosts, blog services, ... |
| www.lsblogs.com |
|
| NJ.com Shopping |
| Crafts/Hobbies. Men's Sandals · Merchandise Misc. Musical Instruments ... Home > Shopping > Merchandise > Crafts/Hobbies ... |
| shopping.nj.com |
|
| Discount Crafts/Hobbies Movies - Compare prices & read reviews at ... |
| Find the lowest prices and best customer reviews for Crafts/Hobbies Movies and allows you to compare price on discount Crafts/Hobbies Movies as well as read ... |
| www.smarter.com |
|
| Oregonian Shopping |
| Crafts/Hobbies. Department / Discount Stores · Fabrics and supplies stores and services ... Home > Shopping > Merchandise > Crafts/Hobbies ... |
| shopping.oregonlive.com |
|
|