Cloth Napkins

Last year a friend remodeled her kitchen. They gutted the entire room down to the studs, moved the pantry, relocated appliances and light fixtures. Not only was it a huge investment of money but also a sacrifice for her family during the remodel. To help her celebrate the completion of her beautiful new kitchen I gave her a lovely cookbook and a set of cloth napkins.

Gifts that mark a milestone in our lives are not limited to birthdays and anniversaries. Try to mark the other life events in some one's life with a little present. Or just a note. Sometimes its as simple as writing a few sentences in a card and dropping it into the big blue mailbox, you know the old fashion way!

The napkins I sent my friend were from Little Birds Boutique on etsy ($18 for a set of 4 - 15 inch square napkins). Stop by their shop and check out all of the beautiful items they have in addition to napkins ... little girl hair clips, keychain wristlets, and reusable fabric Happy Birthday banners.

Stephen Joseph Kids Wallets

About two months ago my older daughter asked for a chore chart. She said she wanted to help more around the house. The girl likes to be accountable, so documenting her efforts is the best way for her to check off the daily and weekly duties. My husband and I thought this would be a great time to introduce an allowance. She is at the stage where she asks for all kinds of things, from bubble gum to going to Disney for the day - thinking they are about the same cost.

The chore chart has been a great success. The only problem is where to keep the money she is earning. As of right now it is in a plastic snack bag in her room. Not the best way to kick off financial responsibility.

Thankfully, last week a friend shared a link to these Stephen Joseph Kids Wallets. I ordered two from The Crazy Dazy on a Friday and they arrived on Monday. The wallets are so cute in person! It has a single fold with a spot for paper money, a zippered section for change, and a mesh pocket for gift cards. And the wallets close with a nice Velcro closure.

I ordered from The Crazy Dazy and used a 10% discount code (shoppingmama). The wallets are $7.99 each and come in lots of different styles for boys and girls. A great idea for Easter baskets!

Zingo

A fun game is on sale at Target - Zingo! It is just $9 this week online and in stores. My daughters love playing this game, and as a parent I enjoy it also! Zingo would be a great addition to your little one's Easter basket.

Thanks to Sara the Savvy Shopper for highlighting this and other great game buys this week at Target.

Prints, Prints, and more Prints

As I was putting together my nephew's birthday gift I realized that I might have a problem. I sat down and made a list of prints I've given in the last year. Here goes:

~Drum Kit for nephew's birthday

~U.S. Naval Academy Chapel for BIL's birthday

~Our Family for me for Christmas

~Bookworm Silhouette for niece's birthday

~Complimenting Silhouettes for my daughters

~Football Silhouette for nephew for Christmas

And there is one more sitting upstairs ... I can't wait to tell you about that one once it has been given!

Lucky Penny Printable from Pumpkin Petunia

We have been busy gathering and cleaning pennies in the last few days. Printing and cutting cardstock too. And having fun with school glue. Why, you may ask? To make theses adorable Lucky Penny cards from Pumpkin Petunia's blog.

We are giving them to the children in my daughter's preschool class as well as a few family members. These would also be great for friends and coworkers.

Share a little luck with the people in your life this St. Patrick's Day! Its the little gifts of thoughtfulness that make the biggest impression.

Crayola Create A Plate Kit

This week Penguin's Gift is featuring Easter ideas so I must include one crafty idea!

We have a decorated plate and bowl for each of my two daughters made by Make-A-Plate during a school fundraiser. Each girl uses her special plate for dinner, although sometimes dinner is served in their special bowl too. They love to see their names (and date) written on the plates.

Crayola has partnered with the plate making company and together they have a line of Create A kits (plate, snack set, tray, and plate group kit).

The plate kit include Crayola markers, five special paper templates, and one pre-paid certificate for processing artwork into one 10 inch melamine plate. One kit would be great for siblings as well, just pay the extra fee to have a second or third plate made.

The plate kit can be found here for $17.99 from Amazon. Also, check out the tray kit ($24.99) which would be a great idea for Mother's Day or a grandparent's birthday.

eeBoo Classic Matching Game

Maybe I am young enough to have caught the tale end of the new trend to give 'gifts' inside Easter baskets. Or maybe my mom just caught on late! Either way, it was fun to get a little gift along with the chocolate bunny, jelly beans, and Cadbury Creme Eggs.

When I'm looking for an old picture I always seem to come across the one I took of my Easter goodies on a particular year. One of the items inside was a three pack of blank cassette tapes. How cool! I could tape songs from the radio, and of course miss the first few seconds of the song.

While thinking of the fun things for a child to receive in an Easter basket I came across the eeBoo Classic Matching Game on Amazon. First, I fell in love with the bright colors and classic images. I also like how this game has only 24 matches (my girls have a memory game that has something like 36 matches and it is way too many even for my almost 5yo). The background colors are slightly different which helps little ones visually distinguish between possible matches also.

Find this matching game for $13.95 on Amazon (qualifies for Super Savers Shipping).

Divine Bakers Twine - GIVEAWAY

Whisker Graphics blog is giving away 15 yards of Divine Bakers Twine in each of the five colors (Green Apple, Lemon, Aqua, Orange & Black Licorice) and an extra crafting surprise to two (2) lucky winners.

Run, don't walk, over here to enter! Giveaway ends Sunday, March 14th 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.

Divine Twine is the perfect accent to a gift. My favorite wrapping paper is the brown mailing paper found in Target's postage section. Add some Divine Twine and a cute note and you have a beautifully wrapped gift!

I featured a product from Whisker Graphics Etsy shop in January and mentioned the Divine Twine at the end of my post, here. I'm in the planning stages for a party for one of my daughters. I'm selfishly going to incorporate Divine Twine into the party decorations just so I can purchase a spool.

Pink Bunny Bum Note Cards

Sometimes I wish I wasn't an adult so I could still receive an Easter basket (and Christmas stocking). If I was getting a little basket this year I would want these Pink Bunny Bum Note Cards inside. So cute!

Theses cards would be perfect for sending to the friends and relatives that are far away and you cannot celebrate the Easter holiday with in person. They would also be a great thank-you note for the host of your Easter dinner and/or festivities.

And don't forget the kids! Sending notes of gratitude starts early in our home. If your children receive gifts from friends or relatives in the mail then these Bunny Bums would make great thank-you notes. I can envision my daughter's handwriting on them ... it has been so fun to watch her penmanship develop.

Find the Pink Bunny Bum note cards at Crafted By Lindy's Etsy shop (set of 8 for $10.50, plus $2.50 shipping).

Easter Fabric Basket - Green & Blue Zoo

End your search for the perfect boy Easter basket - here it is!

I love the colors and zoo theme of this fabric Easter basket from Baffin Bags Etsy shop. And the size is great too (6" x 8" and 6.5" tall, handle is 16" long), just enough room for some candy and a little Easter gift.

Find it at Baffin Bags Etsy shop for $18 (plus $3.50 shipping). While you are there check out the girly Easter basket as well - so cute! I have my eye on the Pink Crayon Roll N Go too.

Personalized Easter Egg Charm Necklace for Kids

Easter baskets have changed so much since I was a child. The selection of baskets alone will leave your head spinning! I love that we now give our children little presents in addition to the candy. Because really, I'd rather my children have a little gift to mark the holiday then spend even more money on chocolates. Chocolates that I will try to sneak out for ME to eat!

I think this necklace would make a young girl giddy with excitement on Easter. Personalized and perfect for the Easter holiday. Slip it inside a plastic egg and you are set. What a surprise that would be!

Find this necklace ($20 plus $2.95 shipping) and other really cute 'Charmers' at Lilly Ellen's Etsy shop. Be sure to check out the Little Dude necklace choices also!

Easter Week!

I was beyond excited when we turned the calendar to March last week. Spring flowers and warmer weather are getting closer every day.

I knew April was the month we would celebrate the beautiful holiday of Easter. What I didn't realize is how close we are to Easter - April 4th! Just under a month to gather gift ideas for those special people in our lives.

Each day this week Penguin's Gift will focus on Easter gift ideas. Yay! I'm really excited about the great products I've found to share with you.

Dearest Readers, please share your favorite Easter memory?

GIVEAWAY - from Sara The Savvy Shopper

Remember my post about pre-ordering The Princess and The Frog? Well here is your chance to win it ...

Go to Sara The Savvy Shopper and help her celebrate her blog's first birthday by entering in her GIVEAWAY!

Good Luck! And while you are there check out her amazing tips on saving money and getting the most for your dollar. I'm headed to Target today to snag an Easter Tag book for $1.99 (details in this post).

Leather Credit Card Holder

In honor of MLB Spring Training and the games that begin this week I present to you the Lemon Ball's Legendary Brown Horween Chromexcel Leather Credit Card Holder. Find it here on etsy ($30 plus $5 shipping).

This credit card holder is designed for 5-7 cards and is the perfect match for a money clip. It has two finished edges that are hand stitched with a traditional baseball stitch. Then branded on the front with a very cool baseball image.

Great gift idea for the young guys as well as the old timers that dream of retiring in Florida or Arizona. Did you know my father played in the minor league for a short time? And you thought you knew everything about me ... :).

Find other great gift ideas at Lemon Ball's etsy shop, the LEATHER HEAD footballs are gorgeous!