Gifts for Wife

Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts and Crafts

If there’s one kind of gift Mom loves to receive, it’s homemade Mother’s Day gifts! Not only do homemade Mother’s Day gifts melt her heart, but they’re more thoughtful than buying something from the store as you take time out of your day to make something special for her!

Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts

With so many ideas out there, sometimes it can be hard to come up with something good! Personally, my favorite way to go about homemade gifts is to pull out my crafting supplies and odds n’ ends box and see what I can make with what I have on hand.

Here is a list of homemade Mother’s Day gifts that Mom is sure to love! You may end up needing to purchase some supplies to get started, so early planning is key!

Baked treats: Why not start with the tastiest gift idea? Bake Mom up one of her favorite sweets, like brownies or cupcakes and surprise her with them after dinner, if they last that long!

Sand art: Purchase various glass bottles with corks and different colors of sand. Using a funnel, the child can add sands of different colors, layering them as they please. Once full, use a chopstick or skinny wooden dowel to push the sand down in spots creating fun designs, apply a layer of hot glue on top of the sand to hold well in place and cork it up!

Sharpie marker mug: This is absolutely one of my favorite DIY gift ideas for Mom, especially when Mom is a coffee lover! Use Sharpie markers in any colors you want (Tip: Use oil-based Sharpies for better results) and draw/write on a plain white mug, available at almost any dollar store. The final product is a super cute, custom mug Mom will love for years and years!

Stepping stone: Using a pie pan, fill with quick-drying cement. Next, the kids can add whatever they want to decorate, including their hand print! Glass stones, marbles, scrabble letters, and beads are all popular choices.

Macaroni necklace: Mom will always cherish jewelry made by her kids, you know, those really young ones you won’t want playing with Sharpies or cement! For this craft, paint some macaroni or stringable pasta different colors, dipping some in glitter if the kids want. let dry, then string them onto a necklace!

Handmade card: Like the paper crafts? Well get some colorful cardstock, stickers, glitter, and whatever else your heart desires to make Mom a beautiful handmade Mother’s Day card.

Clay art: Kids love to play with Play-Doh so why not pick up some air-dry clay and see what they can come up with for their mama! Don’t forget to use a toothpick to inscribe their initials and year in an inconspicuous spot on their crafts!

“Stained glass” candle holder: Mod Podge. If you don’t have any, pick some up along with clear, glass candle holders. Cut shapes out of different colors of tissue paper and affix it to the glass candle holders with the Mod Podge. This works great for anything glass, but moms love candles!

Painted vase: Acrylic paints are an easy way to paint anything, and if you are giving mom flowers, why not present them with a nice vase painted by the kids? After the paint dries, use an appropriate sealing spray to preserve the paint job.

“Why I Love Mom” hanging scroll: On long sheets of paper, such as legal-sized paper, have the kids color pretty pictures and write a message on their own about what they love about mom! Using two wooden dowels, one for the top, and one for the bottom, glue the paper around the dowels and tie a string to the top dowel for easy hanging.

Painted flower pot: Since Mother’s Day is in spring, this is very season and occasion-appropriate! Paint a flower pot, and don’t forget to buy a blooming flower plant form the nursery and plant it to give it to mom!

A really fun way to go about this with the kids is to show them pictures of these types of crafts and let them decide individually what they want to make for their mom. Who knows? They might already have something in mind, so try to foster their creative side!

25 Retirement Gifts for Women

Have a lovely lady in the family retiring? Well then you will be in need of some retirement gifts for women!

Retirement is a very special time in anyone’s life and should be recognized by retirement gifts. For women, it means a lot to receive a gift on any occasion, and luckily, they are pretty easy to shop for!

Here’s a list of retirement gifts for women that are sure to impress!

Gift Ideas Under $15

Retirement Mug: She will enjoy her morning coffee in this beautiful mug for many years to some! A subtle picture with a nice message makes this the perfect gift for anyone retiring!

Retired Tiara and Satin Sash: Throwing a retirement party for her? Then she’d better have a tiara announcing that she is the queen of this party!

“Things to Do Now That You’re Retired” Book: With retirement comes a lot of leisure time, so why not fill that time reading a book that will tell you other ways that you can fill that time?

“Happy Retirement” Charm: Beautiful retirement charm for the lady who is charm bracelet crazy!

“Life Is Good” Ring Keychain: Whether she will be traveling or you will be gifting a key to something on this keychain, this is a great little gift!

Retired Wings & Wishes Angel Pin: Pins are nice and with this one, she will have a guardian angel wherever she goes, one that reminds her to relax because she’s retired!

Gift Ideas Under $30

Retirement Angel Figurine: When a woman retires, it’s always a good idea to get her some nice things that she can enjoy in her home. This angel would be perfect for any room!

Sweet Reward Clock: A little clock in a frame with a nice retirement message makes this a wonderful universal gift for retirees.

“I’m Retired You’re Not” Ladies T-Shirt: Okay, every new retiree needs a gag shirt until the novelty wears off. This one comes in many different colors that she will love!

Cottage Garden Music Box: This gift will really be music to her ears, with a beautiful retirement message on top! Fill it with something such as chocolates.

Personalized Retirement Gift Candles: Candles are the perfect relaxation-inducing thing anyone can have in their home!

Retirement Gift Wine Glass: If she likes her wine, then she will probably be joining a few ladies every once in a while, so get her a glass that says she’s retired!

Azalea Bonsai Tree: Bonsais are pretty to look at and make a great gift for any occasion, really!

Gift Ideas Under $50

“Because You’re Special” Gift Box: A decorative gift box filled with teas, gourmet treats, a nice picture frame and more! Beautiful gift for your retiring loved one.

Retirement Gift Bracelet: This is a nice gift to give a mother or sister who is retiring. The bracelet might not say anything about retirement, but it comes with a card that does, and she will always remember who and when she got this from!

Ladies Irish Pendant Watch: Irish, are we? Then she will certainly be able to appreciate this pendant watch!

Personalized Hourglass Keepsake: Chances are, she has never had a real hour glass, so personalize it and surprise her!

Beginners Crochet Kit: Hobbies are an important thing to have in order to have a successful retirement. If she doesn’t already, get her into crocheting!

Scrapbooking Deluxe Package: Scrapbooking is a fun pastime activity and she likely has many pictures that she never had time to put in an album before! Well now she has the time.

Flowering Tea Pot Set: Such a gorgeous gift to warmly welcome a loved one to the retired life!

Gift Ideas Under $100

Art of Appreciation Gift Basket: Wow her with this gorgeous and unique gift basket! A handcrafted gift basket brimming with cookies, almonds, chocolate and more!

Tree of Life Large Glass Ball: She’s probably never seen anything like it before, but one thing’s for sure, she will adore it!

Gourmet Tea and Snacks Tower: Retirement time is snack time, right? Well, let her bask in that one for a little while with this yummy treat tower!

Wine Accessory Set: If she is a wine connoisseur, she needs this nice set!

Gardening Gift Basket: Gardening is a wonderful and healthy hobby to pick up at retirement, so give her everything she needs to get started!

You really can’t go wrong with any of these retirement gifts for women! No matter what you decide to get, be sure to get her some chocolate too, because what woman doesn’t love chocolate?

Last Minute Christmas Gifts Under $25

Last minute Christmas gift ideas tend to be hard to come up with because, well, they’re last minute! Unless you can think on your feet, you’re likely at a loss for last minute Christmas gift ideas when you find out that there will be distant family visitors this Christmas celebration. You don’t want them to feel left out, but you don’t know what to get them, either!

It can be a tough situation, but only if you let it be. Here, I bring you a list of last minute Christmas ideas that would bring a smile to the faces of many:

Gifts for Her

Bath & Body Works Gift Set: If you were thinking about just getting nice bath sets for everyone, don’t settle for those crappy ones at Walmart that sell for $5. Opt for a better brand such as Bath & Body Works, who have a reputation built on sensational scents!

Keurig K-Cup Flavored Coffee Sampler Pack: If you’ve got a moose mug, you need something to put in it, right? This pack of 30 flavored coffee K-Cups is the perfect gift for any coffee drinker with a Keurig! Classic cinnamon roll and chocolate chip cookie flavored coffee? Yes please!

Air Purifying Himalayan Salt Lamp: Did you know that Himalayan salt can be used to naturally purify the air? The warm amber light complements any space, while also activating the salt crystal to purify the air.

Cordless Wine Opener: This set is an essential for any wine drinker in the family. Perfect for serving wine at your annual holiday party too! Only interested in the opener? Check it out here!

Flameless Candles: This set of 6 candles look exactly like real wax candles, adding a cozy, warm glow to any room. A great, safe way to decorate your home, or someone else’s, for the the holidays!

Salt and Pepper Grinder Set: Calling all foodies who always need a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper! This salt and pepper grinder is connected as one, making it an easy grab-and-use device in the kitchen! I know I put salt and pepper in everything!

Gifts for Him

Christmas Vacation Glass Moose Mug: Hip, Hip Hooray, for Christamas Vacation! Enjoy some of your favorite Eggnog in this funny Christmas classic with your very own moose mug!

Magnetic Wristband: This neat gadget is a must for every man’s toolbox! This handy band safely keeps screws, bolts, nails, close-by while you’re working on a project. I bought one for my hubby and he thought it was the most clever idea ever!

Messenger Bag: Because men need to carry things too! My husband probably has 2-3 bags like this, and he has a different use for each one!

Scratch Map: Have a traveler in the family? Then this is the perfect gift for them to take across country and later frame when they complete their travels. It’s a map in which you can scratch off the states you’ve visited, like a lotto scratch off.

Casual Watch: A really nice watch can set you back a few hundred dollars, so a nice casual watch like this unique wooden one is an attractive watch to suit many tastes, and won’t require a down-payment!

Throw Blanket: So it may not seem like the manliest gift, but every single man I know, including the tiny ones under 5 years old, all love a soft blanket. Men love blankets. It’s a fact.

Gifts for Kids

Marble Run Set: Being a mom of three boys, I can tell you that kids, no matter how old they are, love building these and watching the marbles run through them! I even think they’re fun to play with!

Play Tent: These are great, last minute gifts for kids because they’re inexpensive, come in a variety of styles for girls and boys (we have a castle and a circus tent for our kiddos), and kids love playing and pretending in them!

Apples to Apples Junior: Not ready for Cards Against Humanity? Give Apples to Apples a try instead for some clean family fun. This junior version is great for families with little ones!

Legos: Boys and girls alike love playing with Legos! If you’re shopping for a really young youngster, definitely grab a Lego Duplo starter set! If shopping for older boys and girls, check out Lego Star Wars and Lego Friends!

Lincoln Logs: You can never go wrong with the classics! I even asked for Lincoln Logs for my boys for Christmas this past year and they loved this set!

Many of these last minute Christmas gift ideas are pretty random, but if you ask me, random gifts are some of the best gifts I’ve ever received!

10 Best Family Gift Basket Ideas

Family gift baskets are perfect for the holiday season, or even on those rare “just because” occasions. Not only does it make your shopping easier, but doing group gifts like this can make it cheaper for you too! All you need are a few family gift basket ideas and you will be on your way to making or ordering perfect family gift baskets!

If you have your mind and heart set on the idea of putting together family gift baskets, here are some family gift basket ideas that you should not miss!

Family movie night: Pick a family movie or two that you are certain the family hasn’t seen yet, such as the latest Disney release. Include a few bags of popcorn and those small boxes of candy that you would find at a movie theater. Don’t forget a couple of popcorn seasonings!

Summer fun: Lawn darts, pool toys, squirt guns, kites, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and sunscreen! All the stuff a family needs to have a blast on a hot summer day!

Popcorn basket: Everyone should have a popcorn popper, so be sure to include one of those in the gift basket along with non-gmo popcorn kernels, a number of different popcorn seasonings, and official popcorn serving cups or boxes!

Family game night: Fill a basket with two larger family board games such as Sorry! and Clue. Then, be sure to toss in some smaller games like playing cards, Skip-Bo, Uno, Dominos, Pick Up Sticks, jacks, marbles, and anything else that you think would be fun!

Coffee goodies: Coffee mugs and sample-sized gourmet coffees should fill this basket along with some things kids can enjoy too such as gourmet chocolate and cookies or pastries!

Hot cocoa goodies: Pick a mug for each family member (have fun with it!) and include many different flavors of hot chocolate, marshmallows, and decorate with candy canes! (Have you ever stirred your hot cocoa with a candy cane? YUM!)

Rainy day: Everyone dreads a rainy day because you have to resort to indoor activities! They don’t have to be dreadful, though! Fill a basket with a few fun, age-appropriate books for the family, some playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, crossword/sudoku puzzle books, and coloring books with some crayons! Maybe even a book for crafting with items around the house!

Artsy fartsy: Some families have quite a knack for artsy activities so fill a basket with Sketch pads, canvas panels, paint brushes, paint sets, crayons, markers, colored pencils, charcoal pencils, air-dry clay, and anything else the family can use to outwardly express their inner artist!

Build-a-snowman kit: A cute Christmas gift idea! In a fedora or top hat, put everything you need to make a snowman: scarf, different buttons, a (fake) carrot nose, a pipe, and any other fun things you can fit in the hat!

Musical basket: If you can find a basket shaped like a drum, it’s even more perfect; if not, that’s okay too! Fill a basket with all kinds of fun musical things: Tambourine, triangle, mini rainstick, small bongos, harmonica, recorders, and any other small instruments you can find. Also, it’s a good idea to include a good CD or two with music the family can appreciate. Guitar fans? Sign them up for a subscription of Guitar World, including one issue in the basket!

All of these family gift basket ideas are sure to please almost any family who receives it, so you really can’t go wrong! It’s the thought that counts anyway, right?