Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A Halloween Neighborhood Activity

Boo Activities

If you want to get your neighbors in the Halloween spirit, be sure to engage them in a little game known as "Boo!" It's a popular game in some parts of the country, while in others, nobody has heard of it.

You might live in a neighborhood where you think nobody will participate in a round robin type of event as this, but you might be surprised. Sometimes during the holidays people will step up and get involved where before they wouldn't. It's possible, anyway.

The game goes something like this, and then will be described in more detail later. You print up a few poems and instructions on colorful paper (likely, orange). You get a treat bucket, or bowl or something and fill it with candy. You can also "Boo" people with candles, Halloween socks, and really whatever your imagination comes up with. You "Boo" two people at a time, leaving the items anonymously on their doorstep. You leave it with the instructions and the poem and hope they "Boo" other neighbors. Once you are done, you tape up a large "Boo!" on your door so neighbors know not to hit you up again.

Specifically, here's how it's done. Start this game around the very end of September or very beginning of October. If you want until everyone is decorated for Halloween, you're probably too late. You want this to spread around the neighborhood and that takes time, so you want to start it right as the season starts (or a little before, perhaps) and just as people are starting to think about Halloween. If you start too early, however, you might be out of luck as far as being able to purchase items goes.

So, it's the right time of the year and you're ready to go. Find a "Boo" poem and photocopy it. There are many variations of the poem. Here is a sampling:

"Boo!
To our good friends on the street;
Our homes' locations made us meet;
You now have been Boo'd, but who would we be?
We'll never tell, it's a secret, you see.
We placed these goodies for you and yours;
Then we ran fast, after knocking the door!
Happy Halloween!"

Or it might be a big longer, something like this:

"The air is cool, the season fall
Soon Halloween will come to all;
The neighbors are after things to do
In fact, a neighbor brought this to you;
"Boo" is a sign of friendship power
Just hang it up and watch it double by hour;
On your front door is where it works
It wards off solicitors and scary jerks;
The treat that came with friendly note
Are yours to keep; enjoy them both;
The power comes when friends like you
Copy this and make it two;
Then others here among our friends
Will give warm fuzzies that will not end;
We'll all have smiles upon our face
No one will know who "boo'ed" whose place;
Just one short day to share your Boo
You must be quick so they don't know who;
And don't forget a nifty treat
Like something cute or something sweet;
Please join the fun, let's really hear it
And spread some "Boos" and neighborhood spirit!


Be sure to include a cute graphic of a ghost or something else that looks like it might say "Boo!" You might want to include some details on the flyer about what should be done next, in case you think the poem itself won't be clear enough. Then attach the poem to the goodie bag, basket, whatever you have created, and run out one night dropping your goodies on peoples' doorsteps. If you are just getting this started in your neighborhood, be sure to do more than 2 houses. You might find that some people don't participate and in that case, you want to have "Boo"ed enough people that you will get adequate participation.

What you're striving for is a neighborhood full of "Boo" doors by Halloween night!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Tell Your Friends, Get Some Chicken Wings Recipes

This is a free gift to you for visiting my blog
Tell your friends about this site, to receive more free gifts!

Feel free to post your favorite chicken wing recipe

1) CHICKEN WINGS

36 chicken wings
1 (5 oz.) bottle soy sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Rinse chicken wings and pat dry. Mix soy sauce, mustard, brown sugar and garlic powder together. Marinate wings in mixture overnight (or about 6 hours). Bake wings on cookie sheet for about 1 hour at 375 degrees. Baste wings occasionally with sauce. Serves 9-12.

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2) HOT-N-SPICY CHICKEN WINGS

5 lbs. bag chicken wings (drumettes)
12 fl. oz. Louisiana Pre Crystal Hot Sauce
1-2 sticks butter

Fry chicken wings until golden brown and drain on paper towel. Mix hot sauce and melted butter and pour into deep pan or crock pot. Add chicken wings to sauce and heat thoroughly.

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3) SPICY CHICKEN WINGS

1 lg. can Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. oregano
4 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 stick margarine
4-5 lbs. chicken wings

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Melt margarine in small pan. Cut up chicken wings. Discard tips. Mix all dry ingredients in bowl. Dunk chicken wings in margarine and roll in cheese mixture. Place on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Serve warm.

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4) CRISPY ORIENTAL CHICKEN WINGS (MICROWAVE)

1 1/2 lbs. chicken wings, disjointed
1 med. egg
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1 med. onion, finely diced
2 c. finely crushed corn flakes

Mix together egg, soy sauce, garlic powder and ginger powder. Set aside. On wax paper, mix together crushed corn flakes and diced onion. Dip each wing in soy sauce mixture, then roll in corn flakes and onion. In glass baking dish, cover and cook wings on high (9) for 20 minutes, or until cooked. Remove covering halfway through cooking. Use 13"x9" baking dish. Yield: 24 appetizers.

5) TERIYAKI CHICKEN WINGS

1/3 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. chili sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed
Dash of dry mustard
3 lb. chicken wings

MARINADE: Combine lemon juice, soy sauce, oil, chili sauce, garlic, pepper, celery seed and mustard. Stir well, set aside. Cut chicken wings at joint and remove wing tips. Place chicken in baking dish.

Pour marinade over chicken. Cover, refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and place on broiler tray. Broil about 10 minutes each side with tray about 7 inches from heating element. Brush occasionally with marinade.

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6) HOT CHICKEN WINGS

Chicken wings
1/2 stick margarine
1 bottle Durkee hot sauce
2 tbsp. honey
10 shakes Tabasco
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Deep fry wings for 20 minutes. Drain and dip and let set in sauce. Take out to dry and then serve.


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7) HIDDEN VALLEY CHICKEN DRUMMIES

20 chicken drummies
Good 1/4 c. butter, melted
1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 pkgs. Hidden Valley dressing mix
Paprika
Celery sticks

Dip chicken in mixture of melted butter, pepper sauce and vinegar. Put in baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 package dry dressing mix. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until browned. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve with celery sticks and prepared Hidden Valley dressing mix as dip.

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8) MARINATED CHICKEN WINGS

2 doz. chicken wings
5 oz. bottle soy sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Cut chicken wings in half. Marinate in remaining mixture for 1/2 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until marinate is thick. Turn once. Serves 6 to 10.
COMMENT: May be frozen in marinade. Bake after defrosting.

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9) MARINATED CHICKEN WINGS

1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. honey
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
2 lb. chicken wings with drum end cut at joint from wing, discard tips

Mix ingredients together and marinate cut-up wings overnight. Place wing parts in shallow baking pan and pour remaining liquid over them. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees, turning on the 1/2 hour.

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10) SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN WINGS

2 1/2 lb. chicken wings with tips removed
1/3 c. Crisco
1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 (12 oz.) can unsweetened pineapple juice
3/4 c. catsup
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/8 tsp. salt (optional)

Brown wings in hot Crisco, adding more, if necessary. Remove wings as they brown. Drain drippings from skillet. Add vinegar, sugar, juice, catsup, soy sauce, mustard, and salt to skillet. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
Simmer gently about 5 minutes. Add browned chicken wings. Cover skillet. Simmer 15 minutes. Turn wings and cook uncovered 15 minutes longer. Serve with rice. Makes 4 servings.

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11) CHICKEN WINGS IN SOY SAUCE

24 chicken wings
1 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. chopped green onions with tops
1/3 c. sugar
4 tsp. salad oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Halve the wings and throw away the tips. Blend soy sauce, onions, sugar, oil, garlic and ginger in a large bowl.
Add the wings, cover and marinate for 30 minutes. Remove the wings and reserve the marinade. Place the chicken in a shallow pan and baste with the sauce. Bake in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes and turn over, baste again and cook 15 more minutes.

This may be made the day before and reserved in refrigerator, covered. Be sure to save some marinade to baste again when reheating in oven.


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12) BUFFALO-STYLE CHICKEN WINGS

2 1/2 lb. (12-15) chicken wings
1/4 c. Durkee red hot sauce
1 stick (1/2 c.) melted butter or margarine
Celery sticks
Blue cheese dip

Split wings at joint and discard tips. Arrange on a rack in a roasting pan. Cover wing pieces with sauce on both sides. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour, turning halfway through cooking time. Wings can be deep fried at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes and then dipped into the hot sauce until coated completely. Serve with celery and blue cheese dip.


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These recipes come from Bridget Mouton's collection.

Feel free to copy this post and send around to your friends.

Or you can get your own Free "Tell A Friend Script".
Just look for our "Tell A Friend Link" on this blog to send
to a few of your friends at once.

Here's the direct link if you have no time to browse:
http://TellAFriendGenerator.com/tellafriend.asp?y=2113052

Visit her blog for crafts, gifts, recipes, and
home based business ideas:
http://mommyaffairs.blogspot.com

Anyone can receive our newsletter by signing up at:
http://bridgetmouton.angelfire.com/newsletter.html

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Moms, Make Sets Out Of Your Marketing Tools

Most Mom's love organization, and things that come in sets like a pretty stationery set, a nice recipe card file, etc. So why not think of creating "sets" of your marketing tools as well?

There are a number of tools that are necessary when you decide to do online sales.
There's tools for your website, tools for your sales process, tools for the marketing, tools for name capturing . . . and so on and so on.

The main tools that are going to be very beneficial to you and your business are the ones that offer creativity and uniqueness to your presence. These are the items that you can have total control over.

And the 4 things are:

Your Main Sales Page
Your Name Capture Page (also known as your "squeeze" page)
Your Download Page
Your Thank You Page

Start to think of how you can be creative with these particular tools, and think of making them a "set" with common theme of graphics and designs. Think of creating your "sets" for each product you decide to sell.

Tip:
Some people are so creative with these items,
that they have built a business around just doing that.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Mom Needs To Create A Downloadable Zip File

Mom you can share or sell your products by offering a downloadable zip file:


Here's How:

Highlight the item with your mouse
right click the mouse
Select "send to"
Select "compressed zipped folder"
Open the zip file and drag and drop the other files into it



Save the zip file as "yourfilename"
into whatever folder or desktop
it will save as "yourfilename.zip"

Go to your web directory
upload "yourfilename.zip"
it will be uploaded as "yourwebpage.com/yourfilename.zip"
copy the link


Save the link . . . very important!

Now you can:

Share your downloadable link
Redirect visitors to the downloadable link after someone fills out a form
Sell a product and have the downloadable link on the thank you page

Friday, October 10, 2008

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This is a reminder of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is always in October.
I've created some promo items with my design depicting a hatbox of gifts with pink ribbons all over. There's t shirts, mugs, etc. See if you can contribute to the cause. Click the title of this post or visit the link below:

http://www.cafepress.com/reneesgiftshop1/1840222

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Make Your Own Baby Wipes

Homemade baby wipes or all purpose hand wipes

1 part baby shampoo, or tear free baby wash
3 parts baby oil
1/4 part rubbing alcohol or witch hazel (for antibacterial effect)
adjust ratios as needed

sturdy paper towels that dont tear easily when wet
plastic container to hold saturated paper towels (optional)
or keep solution in a squeeze bottle and wet the towels when needed

Find Your Ideal Sitter or Sign Up to become one!

Find Your Ideal Sitter. Fast & Easy. Become associated with this site, and see how you can find quality service providers, or offer your services as a sitter, a tutor, an errand runner, and more.

Click the title of this post to find out more.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Some Daily Marketing Activities

Planning Strategies

1) Select your private label articles, ebooks, cds, videos, etc. Or create your own (your
ultimate goal).

2) Start your own newsletters, audio messages, podcasts, videos,
special reports (how to's, recipes, product reviews, tips, etc.)
## remember your SEO (search engine optimization) and have your "keywords" in your titles,
body of text, and links.

3) Plan your product launches and ad placements, keep a journal and organizing logs . . .
know what, where, and when your ad campaigns are used

4) Create giveaways, viral products, #promo products

5) Create squeeze pages, ads, other marketing ideas

6) Submit articles, ads, press releases in directories and newsletters

7) Advertise on various "'dead real estate" (things laying around or unused spaces
where ads can be posted) . . . bulletin boards, 404 error pages, thank you pages,
postcards, calendars, pens, etc. . . . dont forget offline as well

8) Traffic exchanges and PPC's . . . . get some ad credits

9) Post messages on bulletins and blogs . . . have your "soft" (no blatant ads) links in your resource boxes

10) Make friends and contacts on social sites . . . have your "soft" links in your messages . . .
exchange some links with your friends

11) Plan your affiliate marketing materials like in #4 and #5, and your affiliate payroll schedule

12) Learn from your mentors, attend their teleseminars, watch mentoring videos and email classes . . .
go to a conference and meet other gurus

13) Do some research for yourself . . . learn to find various resources for your marketing efforts
and keep an up to date list of helpful resources

14) Seek ways to help others . . . as others have helped you

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This list is compiled by:
Bridget Mouton
http://bridgetmouton.angelfire.com
visit her blogs at:
http://notableniches.blogspot.com
http://mommyaffairs.blogspot.com

Feel free to pass on to your friends.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Moms will love this free online family organizer

Moms should love this free online organizer! I've been using a neat, new product that I think you'll find very helpful. It's a free web service called Cozi, made just for busy families like ours.

It lets you manage and coordinate schedules, organize and store shopping lists that can be accessed from any mobile phone, send quick updates or reminders to family members, and lots more.

Check it out, I think you might like it.

Just click on the title of this post or go to:
http://cozi.com

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Make New Friends With Twitter!

I just started using my Twitter account more actively. And I cant believe how I'm receiving new friends, following me consistently for the past few days! If I had known how easy it was, I would have been more active earlier.

Follow me on Twitter. Just click the title of this post. You may need to set up your own account. And then click the "follow" button under my picture. I will be notified that you are "following" my posts. And I have a chance to "follow" yours as well.

Go and make some new friends!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Thanksgiving Party Ideas

Regardless of what type of Thanksgiving party you are having, you may enjoy having music played. The type of Thanksgiving party you have; however, will have an impact on the type of music that you choose. If you are having a formal Thanksgiving party, classical music may do.

For a causal Thanksgiving party, music that your guests can get up and dancing to may be the perfect form of entertainment. Although it is your choice if you would like to have music at your Thanksgiving party, as well as what type of music, it may be a good idea to tailor your selection to your Thanksgiving party.

Party games are another popular form of entertainment that may be ideal for your Thanksgiving party. If you are hosting a kid only Thanksgiving party, it is almost guaranteed that games will be a hit. For adult parties, adult themed games are also popular.

However, as you may likely already know, party games, particularly those that are causal in nature, may not fit in with a formal Thanksgiving party. That does not mean that you cannot incorporate party games into a formal Thanksgiving party, it just means that you want to find games that will fit in with your party theme. You can easily find a wide array of Thanksgiving party game ideas online, often with a standard internet search.

List Of Gift Giving Occasions

Refer to this post when you need to think of
an occasion to make a gift or craft.

Biggest Days:
Birthdays
Valentine's Day
Mother's Day
Father's Day

Birthdays:
Over The Hill
30th, 40th, 50th,etc
Sweet 16
Midlife Crisis

Romantic:
Engagement
Bridal Shower
Bridesmaids
Groomsmen
Wedding
For The Couple
Honeymoon
Anniversary
Divorce

Special Occasions:
Family Reunion
Graduation
Prom
Holidays

All Occasion:
Housewarming
Hospitality
Good Luck
Just Because
Thank You
Thinking of You
I'm Sorry
Congratulations
Condolences
Bon Voyage

Corporate:
Boss Appreciation
Years of Service
Promotion
Retirement
Employee Appreciation

Unique:
Teacher's Day
Nurse's Day
Party Host
Golf
Sports
Tailgating

Spiritual:
Baptism
First Communion
Bar Mitzvah
Bat Mitzvah
Easter

Maternity:
Baby Shower
Baby Girl
Baby Boy
New Twins
New Mom
New Dad
New Grandmom
Newborn
Adoption
New Grandpa
Big Sister
Big Brother

Gifts For The Coffee Lover

Make Some Chocolate Spoons

Get some plastic spoons and dip the spoon end only in melted chocolate chips;
sprinkle with non-pareils or colored sugar sprinkles if desired. Let the chocolate
set up. Wrap a spoon or two (depending on who the gift is for) in a piece of
cellophane and tie with a pretty ribbon. Include this with a gift jar of cocoa mix
or coffee mix.

Make Some Homemade Biscotti

Make some homemade biscotti. After biscotti is cooled, dip half of each stick into
melted chocolate chips (or melted vanilla candy coating also known as chocolate
bark). Let chocolate set up. Wrap and add as you would the above spoons.

Make A Pretty Gift Bag

Sew up a pretty gift bag from a festive fabric of your favorite holiday calico or
even a shiny lame to wrap your presents.

For the holidays decorate with twigs of silk holly and a pretty holiday ribbon
Place the wrapped jar or bag of mix in a basket and include the recipe if desired so the recipient may make more when their supply runs out.

Make a special Coffee Lover gift
Make a bag or even a gift basket of home made cookies or biscotti, your coffee spoons, a couple of coffee mugs and a CD of holiday music.

How To Have A Literary Party

How to have a literary party

These bulleted items are the basic steps to having a literary party. We will focus on each section in detail below.

• The greeting of the guests
• Guest book signing
• The ice breakers
• The discussion session
• The critique session
• The prize session
• Concluding the party

The literary/reading party will be conducted as follows:

1) Greet the guests. Make them feel welcome.

2) Have them sign a guest book. Collect their contact information. Add some fun questions to the guest book like:

What type of stories do they like?
What do they expect from this party?
Best wishes for the host, etc.

3) Do a reading to break the ice and make guests feel comfortable. Something funny or inspiring is appropriate . . . to get the guests in the mindset for the party. Offer refreshments, or allow guests to help themselves at the designated area.

4) Start some word games and mention prizes that will be offered to the guests if they complete them.

Literary games (for word emphasis, vocabulary building, and party ice breakers)

• Word search puzzles (individual activity)
• Crossword puzzles (individual activity)
• Bingo (a group activity)
• Letter tiles (individual activity)
• Flash card game for reverse definitions (a group activity)
--Guests will recite the definitions of the keywords.
--the others will call out the keywords

*Word games and flash cards are easy to find at your local shops.



The Winners:

The word games for individual activity:
*First one to complete correctly, wins


The Flash Card Game:
*the one correctly answering the most questions, wins
*the one that makes their best attempt (participates the most), wins

The bingo game:
*First one to call out “Bingo”, wins

*See the list of prizes in the extension section below:

5) Begin the literary/reading discussions. Follow the directions on the “Literary Party Wheel” (there are 8 steps). Guests will be prepared to discuss the story. They will be critiqued on their presentations.

*See attached Literary Party Wheel

6) Do the oral critique session. Guests will choose 2 favorite presenters from the party discussions. They will give a brief oral presentation on their favorite stories.

*See attached list of questions for this task.

7) Do the written critique session.

Extension Everyone will get a party favor/door prize.

Winners of word games will win a prize.

Favorite picks will be recognized and prizes will be given.

Gifts for guests will come from this list of prizes:

• Bookmarks
• Bestselling novel
• Gift certificates for books
• Raffle tickets for upcoming play or movie
• Book cover
• Mug or teacup and saucer
• Treats
• Mini reading light
• Bookstore gift card

Other examples of Literary/Book Interaction activities:

• Formal Literary tea party
• Formal Literary dinner party
• Literary/book party fiesta
• Potluck with book reading party
• Informal book reading gathering
• Book signing party
• Punch and Cookie book party
• Author networking/social
• Etc.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Crafting With Kids

Are you a camp director, teacher, or homeschool mom looking for a new arts and crafts idea for your kids? This arts and crafts idea will be interesting and fun for all. This glass case can be used, given as a gift, or converted into a necklace purse.

To make the glasses case, you will need the following simple materials: a square of craft foam, plastic or large blunt needles, lanyard lace or thick yarn. Cut two rectangles from the foam, each 3-1/2 inches (9 cm.) by 6 inches (15 cm.).

With a hole punch, make holes on three sides of each rectangle, leaving one short side unpunched. Make the holes 1/2 inch apart and allow at least 1/4 inch between the hole and the edge of the craft foam. The holes need to line up so that the two pieces can be laced together.

If you are preparing the craft for small children, you should make the holes yourself. Otherwise, the kids can do this step if you have enough pairs of hole punches.

At this point the kids can cut decorative shapes from other colors of craft foam, or you can buy sets of ready-cut foam shapes. If you are doing the craft at a special event, like vacation Bible school, choose shapes that echo the theme of the event. For instance, if the Bible school or camp has a cowboy theme, find shapes that fit well, such as boots, cowboy hats, and stars.

Let the kids choose the shapes they like and glue on as desired. You might also like to provide beads or sequins to glue on as well, especially if the kids are a little older.

The next step in this arts and crafts idea is to thread the plastic needle with the yarn or lanyard lace. Yarn might be a little easier to handle, but lanyard lace is shiny and attractive. In a pinch, some teachers of small children use a bobby pin as a needle. It is certainly a safe alternative.

Simply loop the yarn through the opening and use the open end of the bobby pin as if it were the point of the needle. The kids can now begin to lace the front and back of the glasses case together.

To turn this arts and crafts idea into a necklace purse, simply attach a piece of lanyard lace to each corner making a long handle. Kids will enjoy using this case as a place to store secret notes and small objects.

If they'd rather, they can give the glasses case to a parent, grandparent, or friend who wears glasses. Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting for all.

Make All Occasion Wreaths

Wreaths are not just for the holidays! Wreaths can be a year round gift for any occasion. All you need to do is get a generic wreath from the craft store. If you are a crafter, you probably already have various trinkets, ribbons, and "fluff" to decorate your wreath. If not, you will find everything at the craft store.

The time of year will be evident as the craft stores usually tailor their selections for the upcoming holiday or occasion. You will find trinkets, ribbons, floral supplies, tools, and holiday themed sprigs.

Take a look at some of the premade decorative wreaths you see in the craft store, and purchase some of the items you like.

When you get home, the basics are to gather your supplies, get a glue gun or regular glue. Weave your ribbon throughout your wreath, and attach the decorative items around the wreath. Try to evenly space the trinkets and bulbs so that your wreath looks appealing. Create a bold statement on one area of your wreath with a large bow and some other decorative sprig and you are basically done.

Keep in mind that your ribbon and your sprigs will define your occasional wreath.
If it's for a birthday, get birthday themed ribbon and a sprig that has small boxes of presents. If for the holidays, get holiday ribbon and a sprig with holly and berries.

For another occasion like a housewarming . . . you can make a decorative sprig or favor by gluing some fruit and leaves together. Or creatively fold a dish towel and attach a wooden spoon with some raffia tied together.

The sky is the limit! Think of an occasion, and what symbol or trinket that would define the occasion, and have fun creating your wreath!

Look for a post called "List of Gift Giving Occasions" to create your wreaths and other gifts around.

How To Make Gifts In A Jar

Most gift jar recipes require a quart jar, large or small mouth opening. I
find though a large mouth works easier to get the ingredients in.

Besides a quart jar with lids, you will need a large rubber band. A piece of
material 8x8 square. Ribbon to decorate.

After filling the jars, place a beautiful piece of material cut into about a 9 inch round and place on the lid. Put the rubber band around it to secure it in place.

Tie with decorative ribbon and tie the recipe card to the ribbon

The recipe card should have the directions on how to mix and bake the ingredients. If you have a printer, print out the tag onto a colorful piece of paper or onto adhesive paper. You could get fancy and have your cards printed professionally
. . . especially when you deciede to turn this craft into a business.

When putting in the ingredients, make sure to pack them down tightly. If you have
loose ingredients like nuts, M&M, raisins, etc. make sure they are the next
ingredient on top of packed brown sugar.

If the next layer is to be white sugar or flour, the white sugar or flour will seep through the nuts, M&M, etc some what. Also when using cocoa, wipe inside of jar before adding another ingredient to keep jar looking nice.

Decorate your jars for the current occasion or holiday and have fun and giving the jar gifts to a friend!

To get hundreds of recipes for jar gifts, look for the link under "My Favorite Links"
for "How To Make Gifts In A Jar".

How To Make Baby Gift Baskets

Baby Gift Basket Ideas

Planning to host a baby shower? Or a friend of yours recently gave birth to a healthy bouncing baby? How else could you express that you care for that friend of yours and her baby? A baby gift basket could be the best present that would express your concern.

A baby gift basket is one of those themed gift baskets that are presented containing items that are of value to the recipient. Oftentimes these baby gift baskets contain the following items that will surely give delight to the new parents and to the new addition. You could make use of this information to create or stuff your own baby gift basket that will rid you of those more expensive commercialized kinds.

Nursery room items. These include colorful mobiles to keep the baby busy, lullaby music to soothe the infant, and nursery rhymes CD's. Bigger items like layettes, changing mats for tables and cribs, and other furniture for the baby may be found in de luxe baby gift baskets. Educational toys are also good to make the baby gift basket more beneficial in stimulating the baby's mental development.

Toys R Us. The following toys are also nice to place inside your baby gift basket. Rattles, pacifiers, teethers, feeding bottles, infant cups, bibs and spoons are also useful add-ons in your baby gift basket.

Bath Bath Baby. Bath products for babies are also commonly found in baby gift baskets. These include baby shampoo, baby powder, baby towels, wipes, bubble bath, brush set and tub toys that the baby will surely enjoy in the near future. Baby clothing's could also be considered as one of the best baby gift basket goodies that one could ever give. Just be sure that the clothes you'll give suit the gender of the baby.

If you are to a baby gift basket to someone with a toddler or a young kid, the items should also suit the baby's age. Soft toys, board books, board games, piggy banks will certainly win the jump with delight of a toddler. Clothes for toddlers are also nice to include in your baby gift basket.

If one is intending to give the baby gift basket as a baby shower present, it will be nice if baby cookies, baby cakes, jelly beans and other baby foods will be found there. Announcement and invitation cards may also bring some added surprise to the recipient of the basket. Small picture frames and albums could also add more fun to your baby gift basket. Surely, this sweet gesture will be appreciated.

Gourmet food, wines and other fine food may also be placed inside a baby gift basket for the parent's celebration.

Often times, bows and ruffles adorn the baby gift basket. But one could still be more creative by doing a decoupage of baby pictures or baby items. Other handmade crafts may add personal touch to your basket. They could be in the form of papier mache', origami, sculpture, small painting, woven or knitted items, etc.

If the one giving the baby gift basket intends to give it during a christening celebration or baptism, a small bible, silver cups and any symbolic item that adheres to the theme of the celebration and that the recipient's religion appreciates may also be placed in the basket.

A small gesture like giving out a well-thought of baby basket can surely go a long way. The recipient's smile is enough to mean a sincere "thank you".

Learn To Make Diaper Cakes

Diaper Cakes are a fresh idea in gift giving! Diaper cakes offer a creative way to gift mom something so practical as diapers. Diapers are definitely a necessity, but giving them as gifts, are not the most popular idea. But giving a Diaper Cake will cause your gift to be the center of attention, and a conversational piece at the party or newborn arrival. Handcrafted gifts are well received, and you could bring out your best crafting skills in a Diaper Cake.

To see some examples, and how to construct your diaper cake, look for link in the "My Favorite Links" section.

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Wedding Planning Tips - Centerpiece Games

Making a game of who gets the centerpiece, then, can be an amusing diversion and one many guests will enjoy participating in. Here are some ideas for giving away that reception table centerpiece.

How about a game of 20 questions? Give each guest a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. The MC or DJ asks a series of 20 questions, but first gives the guests the basic background information, that is, that the answer is an animal, place, person or thing. Once that's taken care of, people can shout out questions and the MC or DJ will answer yes or no, and whoever figures out the answer first gets the first centerpiece, and that particular table is done playing. The game is repeated until one person at each table has won the centerpiece.

One of the most popular ways brides give away the table centerpieces is to put a number on the bottom of the centerpiece and give each guest a number. At some point in the evening, a number is called, each guest checks his or her number and whoever has the called number gets the centerpiece. There are many ways to put a twist on this traditional activity.

For example, you might provide each table with a number, but make it a lower number (ie. between 1 and 10) and the DJ or MC could move from table to table and have each guest do something a certain number of times. So, at the first table, for example, the guests might need to do "head, shoulders, knees and toes" six times and whoever does it first gets the centerpiece. Or, at the second table, the guests might be required to sing the alphabet 3 times or sing "twinkle, twinkle, little star" three times and whoever does that first get the centerpiece.

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