Quick Gift idea

I needed a little gift the other day for two birthdays of friends and this is what I came up with. It is pretty fast and can be personalized to any event or occasion.

Here's how I made them:

1. You just need a small bottle of any shape.  I found these at Target (where else?) for a dollar.

2.  You choose your saying from the rub-ons found at any craft store.  I bought these from my cute Stampin' Up rep.  They have every imaginable holiday and sentiment on them.  Then you rub on as many or few as you like onto the outside of the bottle.

This one says Special Times with Special Friends (it is not a Stampin' Up rub-on)
3.  Fill with candies.  I think ones that are not too sticky work best.  I used Lemon Drops that our local grocery store sells in bulk.  You need light colored candies to be able to see the sentiment.  (The first one I gave had candy corn in it and you couldn't read the lettering until it was empty!  I learn by trial and error).

4.  I like to top it off with something. I choose these suckers that you can buy individually and they come in all different flavors-hence, different colors.  Tie a coordinating bow onto the sucker stick and push it into the candies in the bottle.

5.  Package it pretty in either cellophane or a see-through sack with some crinkle that matches the ribbon on the sucker.  Then tie with ribbon or wire.  This yellow wire is purchased by the spool and after you have tied it onto the sack you wind it around a pencil, pull it through and it curls, which is kind of cute.

Variations: If you didn't want to fill the bottle with candies you could just put some flowers in it (real, or fake-not my personal favorite) and add the ribbon onto the bottle outside.

I plan to make these as Christmas dinner favors and use these blinged up words that Michael's has right now in their dollar section.

Be warned:  They are a little tricky getting the letters on straight.   I think they would look cute with white gumballs, and red or green ribbon.  What do you think?

A Gift of Love

I am helping a friend make four memory quilts for her children. They are made of pieced blocks from shirts of her husband who passed away four years ago this month. My friend pins the blocks and I am sewing them together. Because she does not sew, the quilts will be such an unexpected surprise to the children who are now grown with families of their own. I know each quilt will be so loved and bring back wonderful memories of a father who was very dear to them as they wrap its warmth around them. It is a heartfelt labor of love and I am happy to be part of this special Christmas gift. Friends and family are the messengers of the wonderful gift of Christmas peace and joy. Here is what they look like before they are quilted.