How to Hold a White Elephant Gift Exchange

Dec 202010
 

Crazy Gifts are Best for White Elephant Gift Exchanges (Photo Courtesy of Thirteen of Clubs)

Lots of holiday parties have them– white elephant gift exchanges. It’s festive and fun and can be incredibly entertaining. A white elephant gift exchange is a great way to break the ice with guests and get people talking. Not sure how to organize one at your Christmas party? Here are some tips.

Set Up the Rules

Let guests know ahead of time that you plan to have a white elephant gift exchange at your party. Set a spending limit. This typically can be anywhere from $5-$25. Just keep your guests in mind and what they may be able to afford. Be sure to tell them to bring the gift wrapped. That way it will be a surprise.When guests arrive, put the presents in a pile in the middle of the room.

Draw a Number

Have guests each draw a number. This will determine the order in which you open presents.

Start Opening

The person who draws number one will start. They get to choose any gift they want from the pile. Have them open the gift and show it to everyone else. The person who drew number two will then get to decide whether they want to steal number one’s gift, or choose another one from the pile. If they choose to steal number one’s gift, number one will then get to choose another gift from the pile to open.

Give Everyone a Gift

This continues until everyone has a gift– either one that they opened from the pile or stole from another guest. Keep in mind that you’re not allowed to steal back a gift that was just stolen from you. As the party host you may want to have some extra wrapped white elephant gifts on hand in case someone forgets to bring one.

Need some creative ideas for white elephant gifts? Usually the crazier the better, but do keep the crowd in mind. Here are some wacky white elephant ideas:

  • Cheap figurines
  • A picture frame with a photo of you inside
  • Half empty bottles of liquor
  • A funny t-shirt
  • A poster from the movie Twilight
  • Cheesy Christmas music

How to Celebrate Baby’s First Christmas

Dec 032009
 
Make Baby's First Christmas Memorable

Make Baby's First Christmas Memorable. photo courtesy of Raphael Goetter

Is there a new bundle of joy in  your life this Christmas? Celebrate this special gift with the perfect gift that marks baby’s first Christmas in a memorable way. When that little boy or girl grows up they’ll appreciate the gift used to welcome their arrival into your lives during this very special time of year.

Christmas Ornament

Of course a Christmas ornament is a great way to mark this special arrival and to celebrate baby’s first Christmas. Lenox.com offers a great selection of keepsake Christmas ornaments that can be personalized with the baby’s date of birth. Also, check out SantasOrnamentShop.com for dozens of styles of ornaments that can all be personalized.

Baby Long Johns

Get your new addition some adorable red baby long johns from RedEnvelope.com. The outfit features a traditional back flap and buttons down the front. The PJ’s can be personalized with up to two lines of text such as “my first Christmas.”

Photo Book

Make a photo book that your new addition will be able to look back on for years to come. Include snapshots from their first holiday season. Use promo code “photobooks” to get 25% off and receive free shipping at SeeHere.com.

Christmas Stocking

Baby will definitely need a Christmas stocking to hang on the fireplace mantel. Pick up a special one that will always be known as their first Christmas stocking. Home-n-Gifts.com has a cute, pastel stocking for just $3.95, or you can use these instructions from Better Homes and Gardens and make your own.

Baby Casting Kit

Preserve those little hands or feet forever with a Baby Casting Kit from CastingGifts.com. Choose between metallic gold, pearl, champagne or bronze. Your kit includes enough material to make multiple molds of baby’s hands and feet to create ornaments or shadow box designs.

Save-the-Date Necklace

Celebrate the special day of your little one’s arrival with this Mark  Your Calendar silver necklace. It includes a rhinestone marking on the date of the new baby’s birth and is a gift any new mother would love.

DIY Gift: How to Make a Chalkboard Clipboard

Nov 192009
 

clipboard 5 smallWondering how you can save money this Christmas? How about trying your hand at some homemade gifts? We showed you how to make your own cake plate using vintage thrift store finds and how to make a scarf in less than a minute. Now we’re filling you in on another simple DIY project that will make a great gift for busy moms, teachers, kids and more. This chalkboard clipboard is super easy to make and extremely useful for writing to-dos, reminders and grocery lists. Plus it’s so cute you may just want to make one for yourself to keep track of your Christmas gift list.

Step One: Buy Supplies

The clipboard is your canvas for this project. You may be lucky enough to find a clipboard at a thrift store for $.50 like we were, but if you’re not pick one up at a craft store like Michael’s. They often come in a variety of sizes as well. While you’re there, buy a small container of chalkboard paint. We found ours at AC Moore for less than $5. This jar of chalkboard paint will leave you with plenty of leftovers to tackle other craft projects in the future. You’ll also need some painter’s tape and a paint brush or a small roller.

paint 3 smallStep Two: Start Painting

For a crisp, clean line, tape off the top section of your clipboard using the painter’s tape. Next, apply a smooth, thin layer of chalkboard paint to the front of the clipboard. Let it dry for at least an hour and then apply a second coat to ensure complete coverage. Using a roller will give you a flawless surface without brush strokes.

Step Three: Write a Note

Once the chalkboard paint has dried completely, which can take up to 24 hours, remove the painter’s tape and write a thoughtful chalk message for the new owner of this lovely handmade gift. Include a piece of chalk with the gift so they can start using it right away because with a present this cute you know they’ll want to.

Images courtesy of Alison Storm

DIY Christmas Gift: How to Make a Cake Plate

Nov 052009
 

Everyone is looking for ways to cut costs these days– especially now that the holidays are approaching. One way to save money on your gift-giving budget is by making some gifts yourself. Here is an easy DIY Christmas gift that would be perfect for a neighbor, mother-in-law, or friend. Using some thrift store finds you can create a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift that your friends will love.

Supplies:

Plate

Small vase or candlestick

Silicone Adhesive
cake plates 1 Step One: Head to the Thrift Store

Head to your local thrift store for a unique plate and base that will make up your cake plate. The plate can be just about any size, shape or color. Think about the person you are giving it to and what colors and style they might like best. Look through the selection of small glasses, candlesticks and vases for a base that will work with the plate you’ve selected. At most thrift stores these pieces will cost you less than a dollar each.

Step Two: Buy Adhesive

Head to your local hardware store and pick up some silicone adhesive. This is typically used in bathrooms or kitchens to make a waterproof seal between tiles or pipes. Clear is probably the best color choice so it won’t be noticed. Choose a brancake plate 2d that dries in a few hours. This will probably cost about $3 or $4 and will be more than enough to finish your project.

Step Three: Wash Your Pieces

Wash your cake plate and stand. Make sure they are clean and dust-free. This will insure that the adhesive works like it should.

Step Four: Measure and Apply

Measure the center of the bottom of your plate. It’s important that your base is secured in the center so that your cake plate won’t tip over. Apply the adhesive to the side of your base that you are securing to the underside of the plate. Push the two together to remove any air pockets. Apply more adhesive around the outside edge of the base for added strength.

Step Five: Allow to Dry

cake plates 3Give your cake plate a few hours to dry, according to the directions of the silicone adhesive you purchased.

Step Six: Wrap and Give

Wrap up your unique cake plate and present it to the lucky person in your life. They’ll love this new addition to their kitchen and you’ll love that this one-of-a-kind Christmas gift cost less than $5 to make.

Images courtesy of Alison Storm

How to Prepare Early for Holiday Gift-Giving

Oct 232009
 

Before you know it the holidays will be here. From family events to special gatherings, schedules will be filled will lots of extra demands. Want to make this Christmas season stress-free? Then start preparing for holiday gift-giving early with these simple tips.

Make a List

First things first– grab a pen, a piece of paper and get to work. Make a list of all of the people you know you need to buy gifts for. Talk it over with your significant other to make sure you’re not leaving off any important names.

Brainstorm

Now that you’ve got your list, start brainstorming gift ideas. A sweater for Aunt Rita, a book for Uncle Joe, and maybe a new video game for your nephew. Come up with several ideas for each person on your list. When you’re not focused on one idea shopping will be a lot easier. Go high tech with your planning and budgeting by using an iPhone app like Better Christmas List. That way your list will always be with you and you’ll be able to track your spending when you start shopping for those on your Christmas list.

Start Shopping

Now for the fun part– start shopping! Rather than rushing around just before your deadline, start this step as early as possible. Keep an open mind when running errands or walking through the mall. Don’t leave all of your shopping to be done at once. Taking care of it over time will make it more fun, less stressful and easier on your budget.

Get Crafty

Perhaps you’ve decided to go handmade with some of your gift giving this Christmas. Making gifts is a great way to save money, but it’s done best when you give yourself plenty of time. Since you’ve started your Christmas gift-giving early, you’ve got lots of time to get crafty.

Buy Extra

Chances are there are people who have inadvertently been left off your list while planning. Buy a few extra gifts– perhaps candles, body lotion or a DVD. Keep the items flexible so they can be given to a wide variety of people who may pop up on your list as Christmas approaches.

Rambo: The Ultimate Gift for the Ultimate Guy

Mar 312009
 

I really enjoy a good movie and fortunately so does my wife! During the last quarter-century or so of our marriage, we’ve seen a heck of lot of what I call “chick flicks” – you know – movies my wife really wants to see and that I sit through because I love my wife and it’s one of things a guy’s gotta do. I will mention a few that were not that painful: Titanic was memorable as was Pretty Woman and Thelma & Louise. And believe it or not I always considered the original “Rocky” to be more of a chick flick because the whole boxing fantasy thing really played second fiddle to some bigger issues like the ability to love and follow your dreams. Granted that came out a few years before we got married but we’ve seen it together countless times.

Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set

Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set

Anyway – interjected in all these movies I’ve seen with my wife are a handful of what I consider “guy” films. Sure my wife may have tagged along to keep me company but at the end of 90 minutes or 2 hours or whatever the running time was, movies like Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Uncommon Valor hold little appeal IIMHO) to the fairer sex.

Such is the case with the Rambo – The Complete Collector’s Set available through Amazon.com for about the same price as you’d pay for one movie and popcorn these days.

All the Rambo films: from First Blood to John Rambo are unabashedly for guys. And although my wife has sat through most if not all of the them with me at one time or another, she was smart enough to know that – left to my own devices – there are few things more enjoyable on a rainy afternoon/evening than hunkering down to watch Sylvester Stallone single-handedly kills dozens (make that hundreds) of bad guys in far away places like Viet Nam, Afghanistan and Burma.

Rambo – The Complete Collector’s Set is especially enjoyable not only because the earlier Rambo films have been digitally re-mastered but also because of the many extra’s included in this collection: features on how the films were made and interviews with ‘ol Sly himself.

In fact, the only thing better than this Rambo collection is probably Rocky – The Complete Saga Collection.

Come to think of it, maybe I’ll hint at that one for Christmas!

2009 Valentine’s Gift Guide – ScanDigital.com

Feb 122009
 

We mentioned scandigital.com in our 2009 Valentine’s Gift Guide.

slideshow

Slideshow. photo courtesy of scandigital.com

About ScanDigital.com

In a nutshell, ScanDigital provides a sentimental gift idea for Valentine’s Day that you will love. They specialize in converting old prints, negatives, slides, videos and reel to reel film to digital format. They also offer products such as Digital Photo Frames and a Slideshow feature that allows you to further enjoy your memories.

Do you have lots of old prints, slides or negatives that you’ve kept in an corner or album but haven’t really looked at them in a while just because they are dusty and pretty messy? Wouldn’t that be nice to have them in a digital format (on a DVD or just in your My Pictures folder) so you can take a look at them once in a while? If your answer is YES, then ScanDigital is the right thing for you! Having old photos and home movies with a loved one converted to DVD is a wonderful way to relieve those memories together.

All you have to do is send ScanDigital.com your old prints and they will professionally scan them, adjust the colors and save them in a digital format. If you plan on giving them to a  person who is not very familiar with computers or DVDs, then load the images in a Digital Photo Frame! I am sure the older generation would be very happy to relive some precious moments!

ScanDigital.com is very easy to navigate; the service is extremely convenient and they’ll guide you through the whole process. Use scandigital and your pictures will never get dusty again! Check out their website to see all the services and products they provide!

How to Make a Christmas Gift for Under $2

Dec 112008
 

My husband and I have been busy. We decided that in order to save money this year we would give a list of 24 friends and family members a homemade gift. It’s neatly packaged muffin mix for one of our favorite recipes complete with the instructions. To be honest, I got the idea from another post here on 1HappyCorner. I just adapted it to make it more personal and threw in some low-cost packaging. Here’s how you can make a Christmas gift for under $2.

1. Make a list of the people you want to make gifts for. This will tell you how much of each ingredient you need to buy.

2. Select a recipe. Choose one that you like and that includes a majority of dry ingredients that can be included in a mix. We picked one of our favorite muffin recipes and adapted it to make it easier to package.

Measure dry ingredients3. Buy baggies and measure dry ingredients into each one. We had to use a separate baggie for coconut and chocolate chips that are folded into the muffin batter at the end of the process.

4. Put the baggies into a cute brown paper craft bag like these from CoffeeBags.com. They should cost less than $.50 a piece.

5. Afix each bag with a label. Just pick up shipping labels from a local office supply store and design them on your computer.

6. Include a note about why you chose this recipe along with the ingredient list and recipe instructions. We explained that we make these muffins on Saturday mornings and enjoy them warm out of the oven with a homemade latte.

7. Try hand-delivering them to friends to save on shipping costs.

8. Celebrate because you just saved a lot of money and still managed to give friends a thoughtful, personal gift for less than $2 a piece!

How to Have Fun Shopping for Holiday Gifts

Dec 042008
 
Christmas Shopping Crowds

Christmas Shopping Crowds. Photo courtesy of Peter Hilton

One in three people feel stressed out during the holidays, according to a Gallup poll. That’s not hard to believe when you think about the obligations, the crowds and the craziness that comes with the Christmas season. To make sure you’re on the other side of that statistic, here are five ways to have fun shopping for holiday gifts, rather than getting stressed.

Put Someone Less Fortunate on Your List

When gifts become so extravagant you worry more about what they’re doing to your budget than how they’ll be received– take a step back. Rather than getting your kids one more video game or your spouse another sweater, try sharing your gift-giving spirit with someone less fortunate. Buying new shoes or a winter coat for someone who doesn’t have one will remind you of the true reason for the season. And it does a lot to squelch stress.

Bring Along a Friend

Solo shopping can be dangerous– especially when the crowds grow to enormous levels. Bringing a friend will make the excursion seem more festive and fun. Plus you’ll have someone helping you make difficult decisions.

Don’t Overspend

Nothing can swell stress levels more than money problems. Make a Christmas budget and stick to it. Ending the holidays without lingering debt will wrap up the season on a much happier note.

Start Early

If you haven’t started on  your shopping list– now is the time to do it. Waiting until the last minute will turn joy into stress because you’ll have less time and be dealing with more crowds.

Remember Why You’re Doing It

Don’t think of Christmas shopping as an obligation. Instead, think of it as a way to bless your family and friends. It’s your chance to show them you care about them by buying a great gift. And if they don’t like it? Don’t stress out.

Gifts for the Bookworm

Dec 032008
 
The Complete Ripley Novels (Hardcover)

The Complete Ripley Novels (Hardcover)

Looking for a gift for someone who always has their nose in a book?  Here are some gift ideas for the avid reader.

Boxed Sets

If you know what type of novels, series or favorite author a person reads, then a boxed set is the perfect present.  You can give an entire collection of works which can be added to a person’s personal library, or start one,  if they just gotten into reading books.  For instance, crime fiction lovers would be pleasantly surprised with the Complete Ripley Novels boxed set, which includes the well known The Talented Mr. Ripley novel for which a movie was made.  For lovers of the classics, Barnes & Noble Classics Great Novels Set comes with six timeless works for one affordable price.

Bookends

If you know someone who already has an extensive library, then bookends would make a great gift. Barnes and Noble has a great collection of bookends to choose from to match any decor.  From Playful Puppies Bookends to Homer and Aristotle Cast Marble Bookends, you would be sure to find the ones which would match any person’s personal taste.

Franklin Compact Oxford Dictionary

 Reading Aids

Of course, the bookworm is not complete without the use of their reading aids.   A bookmark is nice, but a bookmark which is also a dictionary is even better.  The Franklin Compact Oxford Dictionary is a bookmark and compact dictionary in one, for serious readers who don’t want to get stuck with literary terminology.  If you want to give something more on the practical side, then the Old School Wooden Lap Desk is what you are looking for.  The wooden top of the lap desk has a pencil ledge and has brass hinges which opens to storage underneath.  The bottom is cushioned, which makes it great not only for reading, but also for writing notes in bed.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
 Older Entries