Organize a Yankee Swap

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

Reference : www.marthastewart.com

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.

Reference : www.marthastewart.com

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.

Reference : www.marthastewart.com

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.

2. Using pipette, add essential oil, 1 drop at a time. Add food coloring, and stir until color is even throughout. Spoon into canning jars.

3. Download clip-art labels, enlarging or reducing to fit top of canning jar if necessary. Print onto ink-jet bumper-sticker paper (which is designed to withstand water). Cut out the labels, and affix to clean jars.

Gift-Packaging Idea
With their flip-top lids and gaskets for sealing, canning jars have a clean look and also keep any oil in the scrub from leaking. Decorate the jars with labels, and tie a pretty spoon or a bath sponge to the lid with waxed twine.

Label How-To
Download clip-art labels above, enlarging or reducing to fit top of canning jar if necessary. Print onto ink-jet-bumper-sticker paper (which is designed to withstand water). Cut out the labels, and affix to clean jars.

Reference : www.marthastewart.com

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.

Citric acid, a common food additive, is available at wine-making-supply stores, some spice shops, and online. When citric acid is combined with baking soda and placed in water, a chemical reaction creates bubbles.

Makes 1 dozen (use 2 per bath)

Tools and Materials
1/2 cup citric acid
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
About 6 drops food coloring
10 to 15 drops essential oil(s)
Special equipment: 2-ounce travel-size spray bottle, plastic pipette, silicone ice-cube tray, storage jars

Directions
1. Stir together citric acid, baking soda, and cornstarch in a glass measuring cup.

2. Pass mixture through a fine sieve or a flour sifter into a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar.

3. Fill spray bottle with water, and add food coloring. Spritz mixture lightly (it should become damp but not fizzy) until you can pack mixture with your hands.

4. Using pipette, add oil, 1 drop at a time, until strength of scent is to your liking. Using a metal spoon or your hands, mix ingredients until color is even throughout (mixture will begin to dry out; when this happens, spritz until packable again).

5. Spoon into ice-cube tray, pressing firmly. Let dry at room temperature overnight. Pop out of tray gently. Transfer to jars.

Reference : www.marthastewart.com

Looking through the many pages of magazines will not give you any clue in what gift a woman will find unique. Instead, the best way to start is by thinking about what the woman that you are shopping for enjoys most. Men often fail to fully examine women that they shop for and jump to the conclusion that she’ll love flowers or chocolates or some other cliché gift. But no, not all women like those things as gifts. In fact, many women have received these sort of plain vanilla gifts so many times that they elicit little more than a shrug of excitement.

The most unique gifts for women tend to be something that is different, and unexpected. Many women know that on Valentine’s Day they will likely get roses, or perhaps a teddy bear. Consider doing this instead: Don’t get the roses or the teddy bear, get something that means more. Perhaps an unforgettable experience, such as a trip for two to somewhere that she’s never been. Or if travel isn’t her thing then maybe a night out on the town: dinner, a show and some cocktails. Or if all else fails take the time to truly understand what she loves most in the world and get her a gift that compliments that. Giving a unique gift to women doesn’t have to be hard, just give it a little thought and a little research and you’ll be good to go.

Groomsmen are basically your or your partner’s close friends or family members. They are practically men you’ve known for a long time. Although, they can also be those you know for just a little while. As a token of gratitude for their support and participation during your very special day, you wanted to give them something special. Below are some fun and unique groomsmen gifts that the fellows will surely love.

Caricature

Take a photo or any old photo that you have of you and your groomsmen and make a portrait of caricature out of them. This is a sentimental gift but in a funny kind of way with you and their faces being exaggerated. This will relive good old days with the boys.

‘Groomsman’ t-shirt

Thank them by letting them always remember what role they played on your wedding day, by simply giving them a custom made t-shirt with the word “Groomsman” on it. It is fun and it’s original.

Groomsman bobblehead

A groomsman bobblehead is a fun and cool gift that they would like to display on their shelves or on their cars.

Personalized things

Look for things that your groomsmen are interested in. Give them these personalized gifts according to their interests, hobbies or lifestyle. If one of them likes baseball, give him a custom-made baseball bat or ball, or a baseball cap with a message on it. If one of them likes partying or going at pubs, give him a customized pub sign or a beer mug. If he likes the outdoors, give him a distinct backpack, handy knife or water jug. If he loves music, give him a CD of his favorite band. If he’s the office-type of guy, a pen with his name engraved on it would be most appropriate.

Spa treatment

This might be a bit costly, but, it’s another way of showing your groomsmen that they are truly appreciated by giving them some relaxing treat, after a long and exhausting day of ceremonies, partying, and just being prim and proper for the whole day.

Gift cards

With gift cards, there’s no hassle and you don’t have to worry about buying things for them. They get to choose what they exactly want. It could be a gift card of their favorite store, restaurant or club.

Now ditch the old-fashioned ‘thank you card’ and give your groomsmen gifts that would really stand out. Just be creative and in time you’ll find a unique yet very memorable gift to the guys who deserved your acknowledgment and appreciation.

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.

Some projects require an ink-jet or a laser printer, so read through the instructions and consider your equipment before deciding what to make. You can use photo-editing software to enlarge and crop images, draw attention to the details you like most, and convert color shots to black-and-white or sepia tones. Still lifes and simple shapes set against plain backgrounds work particularly well for the photos with trim, the photo cubes, and the stationery set. Don’t overlook nondigital photos, which can be scanned into a computer and modified.

Copies of family photos can enhance household objects, such as this vintage vanity tray, above left. A glazier can cut a piece of glass to fit inside the tray to protect the image. Photos of pets and other animals are cut out and glued to cards to create a stationery set. Bottle caps are inset with small black-and-white pictures and can be used as magnets and thumbtacks.

Sepia landscapes, above, left, are framed by a decorative trim. Black-and-white images of nature form photo cubes. A moody photograph turns into the face of a  clock. The image is inserted by unscrewing the back of a clock, gently removing its hands with pliers, and then pulling apart the face and the mechanism. The face of the clock is traced onto the back of the photograph, and the cutout is attached to the face with double-sided tape. Then the clock is reassembled.

Reference : www.marthastewart.com

When you are romantically in love, it’s never difficult to be creative. Being inspired helps people to become creative in many ways. Generally speaking, people who are in love and romantic in nature have the most radiant and creative romantic gift ideas in mind. Here are some great gift ideas that you can choose for your own pick:

A supreme romantic’s love map is among the best creative romantic gift ideas that you can give your partner or loved one. Aside from being creative, it is also very personalized and special since it shows a miniature map of the place where you and your partner have met or spent majority of your days during the early stage of courtship. It’s nice to think how all the places are drawn on that special map where you held dating and spent other special memories together. On the map, you can put the places such as parks, coffee houses where you had your first date and first kiss. You can also put the favorite restaurant of your partner. To do these, you may use stickers, drawings and other cute colors to make the map more interesting to look at.

A love letter is one of the most popular and creative romantic gift ideas nowadays. When you are romantically in love, writing a love letter is never a problem since you are always inspired. However, to give more enhancements to this kind of gift idea, why not write the love letter with the use of an invisible ink? In this way, your partner would be more surprise on the message of the letter or should we say curious? Because he or she is receiving an empty parchment of letter? Well, there’s no exciting feeling in this world than seeing your partner get curious and confused on the letter that you gave then seeing him or her smile as the messages are revealed on the parchment.

A collage of photos will be perfect creative romantic gift ideas for your partner as well as to yourself. This idea is best during anniversary celebration because you get to put in one collage all your photos together making it very artistic, historical and memorable. Through the collage, you can be able to view all the years that you have spent together from the time you meet each other when you were young. This gift idea would be great in cherishing and laminating the fond memories forever.