Creative Gift-Giving Solutions

Organize a Yankee Swap

Each guest brings one wrapped gift to the swap, regardless of how many people are attending. Participants draw numbers from a bowl to determine the order in which they pick presents. The person who gets number one starts by choosing and unwrapping a package. The person with number two follows and has the choice of keeping and unwrapping her gift or swapping with number one. Each subsequent participant may either keep her unwrapped gift or swap with anyone who has already opened a gift. (By the way, anyone who’s asked to swap a present must do so.) With this game, you can never be sure what you’ll end up taking home, but that’s the fun of it  Read more...

Father’s Day Presents

Belts and ties are the coin of the realm for Father’s Day, but they don’t have to fly right off the store rack straight into the gift box; add your own personality to the package. Embroider Dad’s first or last initial on this year’s tie. A simple linen tie makes a good candidate; try embroidery floss in a lighter shade of the same color for a refined monochrome palette.

Or make a handsome rack for Dad’s new belt: To attach cup hooks to a good wooden hanger, first drill holes with an appropriate-sized bit. (If you try to screw hooks in with your hands without first making holes, the rod might split.) Space holes evenly, about 2 inches apart; if the screws of hooks are too long, snip off ends with wire cutters before screwing them in.  Read more...

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients
Makes 36 pieces
Nonstick cooking spray
1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not use chips)
2 cups puffed rice cereal
1 bag (7.5 ounces) hard peppermint candies, unwrapped
Directions
1.Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed paper. Crush candies (see note below).
2.Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice cereal.
3.Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.
4.Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently (paper prevents hands from sticking to candy and chocolate). Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).
5.Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week.  Read more...

Body Scrub

You need only four ingredients to make these moisturizing exfoliants. The base can be made from either Epsom salts or sugar, depending on whether you want a large or fine grain. Color the scrubs with shades that are in keeping with some of the scents you use — pink with grapefruit, for example, or green with eucalyptus. Makes about 2 1/3 cups.

Tools and Materials
2 cups Epsom salts or organic cane sugar
1 cup carrier oil
8 drops essential oil(s)
1 drop food coloring
Special equipment: plastic pipette, canning jars

Directions
1. Stir together Epsom salts or sugar and carrier oil in a bowl, mixing well.  Read more...

Personalized Necktie

When the calendar says it’s time to celebrate your father, make the event a red-letter day (or a green or blue one) with a personalized tie. Print Dad’s initial in a large-size font, then make a stencil of it using a craft knife. Trace the letter onto the tie with a disappearing-ink pen, and embroider using a chain-stitch with a strand of embroidery floss.

Reference : www.marthastewart.com

Bath Fizzies

Ice-cube trays serve as molds, giving the fizzies their shape. Using a flexible silicone model lets you slide the cubes out smoothly without breaking them.

Show off the colors of the bath fizzies in glass jars with screw tops, the kind used for storing sugar and flour. Pack each type of fizzy in a separate jar so the scents won’t meld. Write the name of the scent on a vellum tag (choose a shade that matches the fizzies), and punch a hole in the top. Thread the tag with ribbon, and tie it around the jar.  Read more...

Photo Play

Thanks to digital photography and cell phone cameras, it’s easier than ever to amass a vast collection of pictures of special moments and familiar faces. Unfortunately, most of those precious images are stuck in a computer and rarely see the light of day. It’s a cinch to press the shutter button, but what happens afterward? Once you realize that photographs can be used to create home accents, the big picture gets more interesting — and inspiring. Many snapshots can be transformed into decorative objects that are as modern and arresting as anything you would find in a design store: bookends, clocks, wall art, stationery. The trick is not to limit photos to the usual frames (or to areas such as the top of a piano or side table), and to begin visualizing other places and objects around the house as potential exhibition spaces. Frameless photographs can be mounted on sturdy art boards and linked by small hinges for an accordion structure (above.) Sort through photographs, set aside the best ones, and then think about which types of displays would highlight them effectively. Soon you’ll be thinking of the digital files on your computer not just as images, but as the makings of your next conversation piece.  Read more...

Mother’s Day Tea Sachets and Gift Box

Put a pretty, personalized spin on a gift of assorted teas. Make sachets to fill with a mix of favorite loose teas (or create custom blends from dried herbs and edible flowers, such as mint and hibiscus). Add tags, and place in a gift box.

Tools and Materials
Loose tea
Cheesecloth, cut into
8-inch squares
Cotton string
Scissors
Craft punches in different shapes
Card stock, plain or patterned
Hole punch or screw punch
Gift box
Craft glue

Make the Tea Bags
1. Choose loose teas, and create desired blends. Place 2 tablespoons toward top edge of a cheesecloth square.  Read more...

Gift Swap

Just because you have a lot of friends and family members to buy for this year doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune. Many families play gift-swapping games — and enjoy them even more than receiving (and having to shop for) numerous gifts. Here are some examples.

The Yankee Swap
Each guest brings one wrapped gift to the swap, regardless of how many people are attending. Participants draw numbers from a bowl to determine the order in which they pick presents. The person who gets number one starts by choosing and unwrapping a package. The person with number two follows and has the choice of keeping and unwrapping his or her gift or swapping with number one. Each subsequent participant may either keep his or her unwrapped gift or swap with anyone who has already opened a gift. (By the way, anyone who is asked to swap a present must do so.) With this game, you can never be sure what you’ll end up taking home, but that’s the fun of it.  Read more...

Eco Gift Wrap

Given the time and thought that goes into picking a holiday gift, the standard wrap job — a rumpled bow slapped on a department-store box or a bag and tissue paper picked up at the drugstore — rarely does justice to the contents. But visual appeal isn’t the only reason to reconsider your wrapping habits: Americans spend an estimated $2.7 billion annually on ribbons, paper, and bows, and almost all of those goods wind up in the trash. This year make gift wrap that’s both gorgeous and green by creatively repurposing stuff others might toss.  Read more...

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