Easy DIY Mason Jar Easter Gift

This year I decided to do something a bit different for Eric's Easter gift. We generally don't go crazy with celebrating Easter around here so I often don't like to spend too much money on buying Easter gifts. 
While we do a small Easter egg hunt at home, as well as one in the community, Eric also usually gets some chocolate from his Nana and Papa (their grandchildren are spoiled!), so I keep our gift for him pretty minimalistic.
Instead of just getting him a chocolate bunny and some Easter eggs, this year I decided to go with something smaller - but way cuter!
This super easy DIY mason jar gift idea is perfect for those struggling with finding a last minute Easter gift, or for those who just want to take their gift up a notch. It's inexpensive and takes no time at all to put together!
Supplies:

• Mason Jars
• Easter grass
• 2 - 3 small Chocolate Bunnies, per jar
• 10 - 12 mini Easter eggs, per jar
• Small piece of fabric for lid, optional

Directions:
It's simple really! 
1. Put the grass in the mason jar (you may need to press it down a bit in order to slightly flatten it out.
2. Arrange the chocolate bunnies on the grass.
3. Place the mini chocolate eggs around the chocolate bunnies.
4. Cut the piece of fabric to the size of the jar lid and place it over the top; screw on the lid.
I mostly used the fabric to cover up the label sticker that wouldn't come off, so if you don't have this issue, this step is optional (though it looks pretty).

Teacher Gift Idea: DIY Crayon Wreath

I made this crayon wreath for my son's daycare teacher and gave it to her on his last day there. She loved it so I have also decided that I'm going to make one her his Kindergarten teachers as well. 
It will be the most perfect Christmas gift for them; unique, unexpected, and I am sure all the kids will love it too!
Oh, and it's super easy so you can have the kiddies help too!
What you need:

• Two Embroidery Hoops (one 12 inch and one 8 inch).
• 64 Crayons
• Ribbon
• Assorted school stickers
• Block letters
• Hot glue gun (forgot to include that in the photo!)

How to:

1. Place the small hoop inside the large hoop, ensuring there is equal distance all the way around. I put the embroidery hook the at top part of the wreath because it's easy to cover with the ribbon later.

2. Starting at the top, glue the crayons on one-by-one by using your hot glue gun; dabbing a a small dot on the top and bottom embroidery hoop, placing your crayon on top. 

Leave a small gap at the bottom as it can get pretty tricky to get the nice even circle if you don't. Spacing as you go works well; and you don't need to be afraid of pull off the crayon if you make a mistake - I did that many times!

I've seen many tutorials that have you lay out the crayons on the embroidery hoops first, but don't waste your time with that. It takes too long and the crayons never stay in place anyway.

3. Once you glue all the crayons, tie the ribbon at the top around where the embroidery hooks are; the ribbon covers them really well. I just tied a bow at the top, but you can get more creative if you want. Just make sure that the bow or knot is tight at the top so when you hang up the wreath it doesn't fall down!

4. Arrange and glue your stickers and block letters as you wish. The stickers will not stay on on their own, you will need to use the glue for them.

That's it! Super easy right? And once I was in my groove, it took me about half hour total to do.

I am sure your child's teachers will love it!

Holiday Gift Idea's

This year I have two holiday gift idea's to share. The first one is a gift box that I put together for a lovely colleague of mine and the second one is related to all my holiday baking.

You may recall my gift idea from last year, so the first idea follows along the same lines.

My colleague is actually on the same training team I'm on and I consider us to be pretty good work friends. We laugh, we share, and our love for Starbucks seems to be growing together. We both have a thing for London Fogs (or Earl Grey Tea Latte's as Starbucks calls them), so I based her gift on that fact.

I bought a pretty pink gift box from Target for only $4.99 and then filled it with items she needs to make a London Fog at home. She is also new to baking so I included some home made cookies and her very first cookie scoop (she laughed at that one). Here's how it turned out.

 

 

The jingle bells on top of the gift is from Target.

The second gift idea was for Eric's daycare provider and included a lot of baking on mine and my sister's part. We typically have a baking day at my place every Christmas but unfortunately the year the weather spoiled our plans so we had to do our baking on our own. We made cookies, squares, chocolate bark, and shortbread. All delicious, since I tried at least of couple of everything :)

I then picked up a cute container from the dollar store, added some tissue paper and filled it with goodies. I also attached a really cute label I got from Sweet Metel Moments. Rehana (our day care provider), absolutely loved it and it was all home made so it's very touching for someone to receive gifts like this. I'll post some of the recipes we used soon!

 

The other good thing about these gifts is that they are great gifts for any time of the year and for any occasion.

Happy gift giving!

DIY Valentine's Day Gift

This year I decided to make my own Valentine's Day gift for my 2 year-old son's daycare. I chose something that wasn't candy because I didn't want to step on any parent's toes in case they don't allow their children to have any. Instead, I went with the almighty Goldfish. A favourite toddler snack in my opinion. I've never met one who didn't like them!

This particular gift is so easy and very cheap to make. I think altogether I spent about $3  - $4 on each one.

Here is a list of supplies you'll need:

• Cracker Goldfish
• A small take-out container from Michael's (only $1.29 each), or a small container of your choice.
• Glue or double-sided tape
• Printer
• Scoop/Spoon
• Ribbon
• Bowl

I find that the take-out containers from Michael's work best because they have handles that are perfect for little hands.

Using MS Publisher, I made 1.5 inch label rounds in blue that say "will you o'fish'ally be my Valentine?". If you would like the template, you can access the blue one here. I also made it in pink, which is available here. You will notice that on my son's gift that I typed in his name, but I left that part blank in my templates so you can input any name.

Now for the very easy instructions:

1. Print the templates above (or use your own); cut them out.
2. Wash out your take-out box (or other container).
3. Glue your printed rounds onto the front of the take-out box. Let it sit for a few seconds to ensure it doesn't fall off.
4. Fill the container with Goldfish. Have your kids to help - they will love it!
5. Once the box is closed, wrap a ribbon around it and ensure there is a bow on top.

That's it! How easy is that?

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that it inspires you. If you have any idea's you'd like to share, let me know and maybe I can feature them on the blog.

Oh, and just remember - try not to eat all the Goldfish before you have to use them!





Movie Night Gift Idea

Although Christmas has past, I thought I would show you the gift I put together for our Secret Santa at work. This gift also makes a good gift for your neighbour, friend, or a family member and is good for any occasion. 

I simply took a decorative box (the one I used is from Ikea, but you can also find some nice boxes throughout the year at your local dollar store), then I picked up a few things from Walmart including popcorn, popcorn seasoning, chocolate, mixed nuts, Twizzlers and other candy.

 I then used coloured tissue paper to line the bottom of the box and arranged all items to create a nice display. To finish it off, I scattered some Starburst throughout the box for an added touch.

 

 

Since the box was already decorative, I simply added ribbon and a bow to finish it off instead of using wrapping paper. These boxes are also practical and can be used again.

I have to say that this gift was one of the most 'stolen' gifts during our Secret Santa and was a big hit! The best part of course, is the fact that it all came in for under $20!

I hope you enjoy!