Still Nuts About You: Anniversary Treat Tin

Okay, I'm fully aware that this little idea has made its way around Pinterest probably about eleventy-thousand times, BUT....I had put my own spin on it a couple of years back for our 8th Anniversary.

I gathered a bunch of nutty treats and piled into a metal tin, attached with a tag. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm really into tags. ;) You can download it below if you'd like!

Mom's Day Gift: Nailed It

Here's a just a simple and quick Mother's Day gift for the moms in your life that have really NAILED motherhood with flying colors....

Download this simple printable, write your message and wrap up with some fun new nail colors. 

Tickled Pink: Gift Bag for Grandma

So...it turns out that being a mom is SUPER easy....that is, when there's grandma to snuggle baby on demand, change diapers, help bathe and dress baby, cook dinner every night, bake all sorts of yummy treats, clean the house, take the baby while mom takes a nap, shop for groceries, stroll around with baby at the mall while mom shops for clothes that actually fit, assist with newborn photos, etc. etc! 

just a snip-it from my scrapbook page

What a fun and special two weeks it was to have my mom here after having my daughter! I was sad to send her back to Montana and I knew my babe would miss grandma’s constant cuddling. 

Before Grandma came, I gathered any little pink items I could get my hands on from places like Target's dollar section, grocery store checkout stands, Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, etc....     

and put them in this pink, canvas bag (a gift bag would work just as well) attached with a tag and personalized note. We really were tickled pink that she came to stay and help me!

You can download the tag below...just click the downward arrow. Enjoy!

Mother's Day Garden Tool Kit

My momma is a yard-aholic. Not that it was her intention to be such, but in Montana....yards can be BIG. And hers is no exception. I was pretty sure that she had all the same tools that I was forced lovingly encouraged to use when I was kid working in the yard. Mother's Day was a great time to bring some color and shine to her garden tool collection!

This is a simple, but versatile gift idea because you can give just a couple or a big variety of fun gardening tools! There's no shortage of colorful gardening tools and they are super inexpensive. I found these tools at Michael's and wrapped them up in a cute package to mail home. 

I created this poem to attach:

I know you're quite the gardening pro,
but you can't carry on with an old rusty hoe!

I hope you'll find these new tools versatile
so you can garden with a little bit of style!

You can snag my little printable below.

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there (but MY mother especially)!

Texas Flag Onesie & Rag Quilt for Baby

Hey y'all! It didn't take long for Texas to take a hold of my heart... but it still amazes me how much Texas pride radiates from this Lone Star State! For example, did you know that in the Texas schools, students not only say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, but also the Texas flag? Yup, true story. I've seen it myself in about a dozen schools.

Aaaanyway, I had a new nephew born in March in west Texas...a perfect opportunity to make this lil' Texas Flag Rag Quilt to match a onesie that I bought for him.

{how darn cute is that?! You can find these Texas Flag Onesies at Cavenders in a variety of sizes}

 {no wonder the Texas flag is everywhere...it's SO easy to duplicate! Three cuts of flannel and a few measurements, snips and stitches later makes this light rag quilt...perfect for a Texas baby!}

{this handsome little boy is gonna be all-Texan...can't wait for him to grow into his little onesie!}

For the Quilt:

- I made it a standard crib size: 54" x 72"
- I recommend a 1/2" to 1" seam to allow for plenty of raggy-ness after being washed.
- I used only one layer of flannel.. no doubling up or batting! If you haven't heard, it gets HOT in Texas. One layer of flannel is plenty!
- If you've never done a rag quilt, it's SUPER easy, just look up a tutorial online (there are plenty of them, but I'm afraid I'm not the best for providing one myself. I kinda just piece it together as I go)

Perfect Vday Gift - Date of the Month Club Kit!

Have you realized yet that Valentine's Day is JUST around the corner... Once again, I have the perfect gift to offer you for your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, fiance... you get the idea!

 It's the Date of the Month Club Kit...a completely personalized, unique gift for your love!

I designed this kit to fit inside a small box (mine is a Godiva Chocolate box). (When you purchase the kit, I will send you the JPEG files so you can size the kit pieces larger or smaller depending on the size of your box.)

Here's an upclose look at each part of the kit, which could be customized for YOUR valentine, of course!

First, the tag for the box:

then.... The Membership Enrollment Card:

then....

Explanation: (You'll give your Valentine a list of 12+ dates on this card. A few more than 12 would be nice. Keep in mind, these don't all have to be fancy dates from Love Actually Blog. Guys like simple dates, too...like, throwing a frisbee at the park. Put some of his interests in there as dates with you. Then, he will choose which date he wants for which month. Then, it's up to you keep that card and plan those dates each month (Hence, "date of the month club")

then...

Explanation: Give at least 2 vacation cards, but only give as many as you can handle having to plan throughout the year! (remember--these don't have to be REAL vacations...they can be "homestyle vacations" or recreations like mine).

then....

Explanation: These are "love coupons" of sorts...the trick is actually honoring them when he/she decides to use them throughout the year--no backing out! And, make sure you really personalize them (make them lovey-dovey, sexy, or whatever you want...well, whatever your valentine wants, that is!)

Finally, add your Hershey Kisses, (each redeemable for the real thing...a kiss!) along with this bag tag.

And there you have it! A year's worth of romance and fun....all tied up with a bow for Valentine's Day!

You can have a fully customized version of this kit for
$19.99!

Custom options include:
- Specific names on the To: and From: lines on the box tag

- Adding a name after "Congratulations" on the Membership Enrollment Card

- Your choice of 2 different Vacation Cards and related image (you can use the ones I gave for examples or your own!) Colors of text customizable. (each additional @ $2 each)
- 5 different Tickets with wording of your choice (each additional @ $1 each)
- the Kisses bag tag will be as shown

If you would like further customization, I'd be happy to let you know if it's included with the package or if it will be an additional cost.

How to Order:
Email lifedesigncraft@live.com

I'll send you instructions for getting started..it's a simple process!

How fun would it be handing over this unique, personalized gift for Valentine's Day? And the best part is all the fun to come out of it! Email me and we'll get started!

-------------

Below are examples of wording to get your mind thinking of what you'd like included in your kit. Again, these are just options...you can completely make up your own if you want!


Vacation Card wording options (color & design will vary based on your custom requests) (*remember, these don't have to be "real" vacations or they can be....whatever you want!)

Ticket wording options (color & design will vary based on your custom requests)

Date Card wording options: (just common examples....you can make up your own, too!)

Don't forget that I have other fun digital kits for Valentine's Day including:

Love Checks
Valentine's Day Countdown Calendar/Advent
Spa Night Package

"Date of the Month Club" Gift - Now Taking Orders!

I am now taking orders for customized "Date of the Month Club" kits!!

If you weren't a follower of Love Actually Blog or this blog last Christmas or Valentine's Day, allow me to introduce you to a one-of-a-kind homemade Christmas gift. Perfect for your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, or fiance, it's a gift that lasts throughout the year!

Enroll him (or her) in the Date of the Month Club!

(this is the Valentine's Day Version, all assembled... of course, yours will be the Christmas Version as shown below) 

I designed this kit to fit inside a small box (mine is a Godiva Chocolate box). (When you purchase the kit, I will send you the JPEG files so you can size the kit pieces larger or smaller depending on the size of your box.)

Here's an up-close look at each part of the kit, which could be customized for YOUR sweetheart, of course!  You'll receive the DIGITAL kit by email (no physical product will be shipped to you!)

First, the tag for the box:

then.... The Membership Enrollment Card:

 then....the "Date" Calendar Cards

Explanation: (You'll give your Valentine a list of 12+ dates on this card. A few more than 12 would be nice. Keep in mind, these don't all have to be fancy dates from Love Actually Blog. Guys like simple dates, too...like, throwing a frisbee at the park. Put some of his interests in there as dates with you. Then, he will choose which date he wants for which month. Then, it's up to you keep that card and plan those dates each month (Hence, "date of the month club")

then...

Explanation: Give at least 2 vacation cards, but only give as many as you can handle having to plan throughout the year! (remember--these don't have to be REAL vacations...they can be "homestyle vacations" or recreations like mine).

then.... the Romance Reward Tickets

Explanation: These are "love coupons" of sorts...the trick is actually honoring them when he/she decides to use them throughout the year--no backing out! And, make sure you really personalize them (make them lovey-dovey, sexy, or whatever you want...well, whatever your valentine wants, that is!)

Finally, add your Hershey Kisses Tag with a baggie of chocolate kisses (each redeemable for the real thing...a kiss!)

And there you have it! A year's worth of romance and fun....all tied up with a bow under the tree!

(again, this is the Valentine's version pictured above...but you get the idea)

You can have a fully customized version of this kit for
$19.99!

Custom options include:
- Specific names on the To: and From: lines on the box tag

- Adding a name after "Congratulations" on the Membership Enrollment Card

- Your choice of 2 different Vacation Cards and related image (you can use the ones I gave for examples or your own!) Colors of text customizable. (each additional @ $2 each)
- 5 different Tickets with wording of your choice (each additional @ $1 each)
- the Kisses bag tag will be as shown

If you would like further customization, I'd be happy to let you know if it's included with the package or if it will be an additional cost.

How to Order:
Email lifedesigncraft@live.com

I'll send you instructions for getting started..it's a simple process!

How fun would it be to give this unique, personalized gift for Christmas? And the best part is all the fun to come out of it! Email me and we'll get started!

-------------

Below are examples of wording for the vacation cards and tickets to get your mind thinking of what you'd like included in your kit.



Here are some more examples from an older version of this kit... just to give you more ideas for wording...

(the below vacation card examples were designed using a previous template. Yours will have the updated look as you saw in the post above!)

Root Beer & Pickles: New Job Gifts for the Hubby

You know by now that my hubby survived Dental School and is now out in the "real world" of dentistry... which involves a whole lotta drillin', fillin', and billin'! (too bad almost all that income from the billing portion will go to paying back student loans for the next, um, 20 million years. or something like that. *gulp*)

So, after his first day on the job, instead of surprising with something big that cost a fortune, I got him a pickle. Yup. Laugh all you want... I wanted him to know that he was "kind of a BIG DILL".

He's been working for a little over a month now. Some days are great and some days bring new challenges and frustrations, but I wanted to remind him that I'm "rooting" for him each and every day.... So, I built him a Root Beer Cake! 

 {of course, I didn't use the whole 12-pack for the "cake". I put a couple in the fridge so he could enjoy a cold one when he got home!}

If you've got a spouse to cheer on through graduation or a new job, feel free to snag my free printables below.

BIG DILL TAGS:

Graduation Version:

New Job Version:

ROOT BEER CAKE TAGS:

Smart Cookie: Exam Treat

This weekend is a BIG weekend in my life. like, BIG big.

M takes his final clinical board exam of dental school today and tomorrow... We've both been pretty nervous about it. He's nervous because he has to do 3 different timed procedures pretty much perfectly. I'm nervous because I"m "on call" as his back up patient in case one of his patients don't show up (an automatic failure in that case)...and I HATE being a dental patient. So, we're hoping and praying all goes well and he passes! There's a lot riding on this exam! 

I sent him off today with a little edible encouragement...

...so he can get a little fillin' before he starts drillin'! Maybe he can bribe the examiners with them, too..? ;)

PS....if your spouse is a student, there are some fun ideas over on my other blog, Love Actually. You can check 'em out HERE.

KitKit Keyboard Brownies

...break me off a piece of that _____ _____ Bar. Did you get it? Good job.

I just thought this was so darn cute and I had to share. It's definitely not my own original idea, but I knew when I saw it that I had to make it for a friend of mine (who plays piano & is a kitkat-aholic) on her birthday!

A KitKat Keyboard!

How fun would this be for anyone who plays piano, teaches piano, or for a piano recital?

Framed Lyrics Print - {Custom Design}

Thought I'd show off my newest bedroom decor addition...

These are lyrics from our wedding song, Amazed, by Lonestar. It'll be special to have this on our bedroom's night stand to remind us more often of just how amazed we are with each other.

I am also now offering this as a custom design for you!

This would make such a memorable and unique Anniversary gift... something you can't buy in stores.... something that's made just for the two of you!

...of course, it doesn't have to be your wedding song...any love song will do!

Here are some other examples, but remember... your print will be made especially for you with your requests as my guide.

To order, simply email me at lifedesigncraft@live.com

I'll email you back a simple options request form.

Can't wait to create YOUR lyrics print!

Love Checks

Here's another fun and personalized gift you may consider for Valentine's Day this year... or for any other time you want to show your love!

Pink & Black = Classic Chic Style

White, Grey & Red = Damask Style

Green & Brown = Earthy Chic Style

*Unfortunately, I will not be able to mix & match the check styles. Please choose one style.

You choose the checks you want.

I'll customize them for you and email you the digital files, including

an easy tutorial on how to assemble the checks into a checkbook.

Here are the wording options:
(The wording and fonts are the same on each style. Checks come pre-formatted to a standard check size!)

{Click images below to enlarge for viewing.}

Hopefully you can round up an old checkbook cover (if you can't...I'm sure your local bank can give you one) and then tie on this tag with some ribbon to complete your gift!

How to Order:

Email me at lifedesigncraft@live.com

I can't wait to start customizing your checks!