Valentine's Mug Cake Gift Idea

 It's no secret how I love pretty things! Especially pretty packaging for gifts! With Valentine's Day not far away, I was looking to create a small gift that would be great to give to friends, teachers or neighbours, while also being easy to put-together and budget-friendly. When I saw these sweater-wrapped mugs at the dollar store, I knew that they would work for cute mug cake gifts!

Whenever I see pretty felt embellishments in a package for a dollar or two, I always pick them up because with a little imagination, they can always be used to pretty something up!

I am crazy over felt embellishments and I love these colours together.

Here are all the supplies that I used to create this gift. The Dr. Oetker Mug Cake mixes were a ridiculous 99 cents each with 2 packages inside! {And we have made the mug cakes a few times and they are really good!} Lots of felt hearts work for so many things!

Then I just layered a white heart paper doily and some felt hearts and tied it all up with baker's twine.

Inside is a mug cake along with a handful of Hersheys kisses.

Such a sweet and simple gift, don't you  think?

Perfect for a teacher or even your own kids...big or small.

Now I am super hungry for a little mug cake...all of this talk about sweets and chocolate will do that to a girl!

Looking for more Valentine's ideas? Check out my Pinterest board here:

Valentine's Day Inspiration

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Gingersnap Crafts, The DIY Dreamer, Inspire Me Please, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, Inspiration Gallery, Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Block Party, Craft-O-Maniac, Monday Funday,  The Sunday Showcase, Sunday Best Showcase, Home Stories A to Z, Kitchen Fun & Craft Party,  Inspire Me Please, The Party Bunch, Tip Me Tuesday,  Time To Sparkle, Tuesday Talent Show, It's Overflowing, The Scoop, One Project At A Time, Tuesday Talent Show,

10 Great Gifts To Make For Teacher

June is here and that means that school will soon be over for the year! But before that happens,  there will be  a rush of end of year activities and class trips, and Moms will scrambling to fit it all in. If you are like me, the busier things get, the more I become overwhelmed with trying to think of gift ideas to make or buy for teachers as a thank you gift. So I have rounded up some of the most budget friendly & fun gift ideas from the projects here at Echoes of Laughter.

 Strawberry Lemonade Mix.

 Iced Chai Tea Latte Mix

 Iced Cappuccino Mix

 Gardening Gift Basket

 Easy 10 Minute Grape Jelly

Chocolate Cake Hug In A Mug 

Honey Lavender Sugar Scrub

 Bath Gift Basket

 Mint Grapefruit Body Scrub

 Mint Lime Foot Soak

 Strawberry Butter

  and you could always make a lovely batch of Strawberry Shortcake Cookies!

 I hope you find something that inspires you!

And you can find more ideas on these Pinterest boards:

Teachers Gift Ideas

Gift Ideas

Craft Ideas

Thank you SO much for visiting and have a lovely week!

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Whipperberry, 30 Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, It's Overflowing, What's Cooking With Ruthie, Aalderberry Hill, Uncommon Designs, I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Under The Table & Dreaming, Not Just A Housewife, Somewhat Simple, Mulit-Testing Mommy,

Chocolate Cake Hug In A Mug +Free Printable Tag {Gift Idea}

I think that this is one of the cutest gift ideas ever....Chocolate Cake Hug In A Mug. It's a homemade single serving cake recipe that is cooked in a mug in the microwave.  It's super easy to make and  results in a tasty, fudgey chocolate cake. And to take it one step further, I created an adorable tag that can be printed and attached to each gift. This is perfect for any little thank you gift, teacher's gift or a party favor. {It just so happens that I found the adorable cake mug at Dollarama for $2}

The recipe testing for this one sure gave me a run for my money let me tell ya! I made more than 10 mug cakes before I settled on this one. Some were too oily, others were too eggy, too sweet or too dry. But I finally settled on a recipe that I think is a winner. It's the perfect mixture of a fudgey cake that is moist and not overly sweet.  Then I called my mom, who lives 3000 miles away, and I got her to test the recipe as well, and she agreed it was good! Then we took it a step further and replaced the sugar with Splenda so that it was diabetic friendly for my Dad. And he agreed that it was good with a vote of an empty mug. He said that it didn't need chocolate chips, ice cream or chocolate sauce...that it was great all by itself!

Chocolate Cake Hug In A Mug Recipe

{makes 1 single serving of fudgey cake in a mug}

Ingredients
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar {or 2 tablespoons Splenda}
1 heaping teaspoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons milk
dash of vanilla {optional}

Directions:
1.In a mug,.measure flour, sugar and cocoa powder.Mix until combined.
2. Add oil and milk to flour mixture and stir until smooth.

3. Place mug in a microwave and cook on high for 1 minute. {My microwave is 800 watts. If you have a higher wattage microwave, I would suggest reducing the time to 50 seconds on high.} The cake will still look wet on top, but it will be cooked.
4. Let cool for 1 minute and enjoy!

To make this recipe into a gift, measure all of the dry ingredients {flour, sugar & cocoa powder} into a small bag., and place the bag in a mug. And because I love pretty packages so much, I created a gift tag to go with the gift that includes the instructions for adding the oil & milk and making the cake!

Chocolate Hug In A Mug Gift Tags

The beauty of this recipe is, of course, that it is a fun treat for one that can be made in just 2 minutes!

It's great for when you feel like treating yourself, but don't want to go through the trouble of making a whole cake.

And it's great for people who live by themselves, seniors or college kids.

I hope you enjoy this Chocolate Cake Hug In A Mug.

Consider Yourself Hugged!

If you would like to see some other gift ideas with free printable tags, you see some other ideas here, here and here.

And don't forget to take a peek on my Pinterest Boards:

Father's Day Ideas

Fabulous Things In A Jar

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The 36th Avenue, StoneGable, Jennifer Rizzo, The Frugal Girls, Design, Dining & Diapers, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, Becoming Martha, Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry, It's Overflowing, I Heart Naptime,  Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon, Aalderberry Hill, Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, Lil' Luna,  Gingersnap Crafts, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, Somewhat Simple, Cooking With Ruthie, It's Overflowing, Skip To My Lou, Cozy Little House, Chef-In-Training, Time To Sparkle, Home Stories A to Z, StoneGable,

Make A Pretty Decoupage Vase {Gift Idea}

If you are searching for a craft project to make for Mother's Day, a teacher's gift, or just because...then I have the sweetest little budget-friendly project for you. Using a recycled can, a sheet of scrapbook paper and some paint, a pretty decoupage vase can be created to make a beautiful, handmade vessel to hold flowers.

This is a wonderful craft activity for children and teens, and each crafter will love that each vase can be personalized in the colours & patterns of his/her choice. These lovely rustic-looking vases would also work well for almost any type of party too. To make this project, here is what you will need:

Supplies:
Recycled can, washed & clean
craft paint
paint brush
scrapbook paper with flowers
Mod Podge & brush
scissors

Directions:
1. Paint the outside of the can using craft paint in colour of your choice. Let dry. Paint a second coat if desired. {I did 2 coats.}

 2. While paint is drying, cut out flowers from scrapbook paper.

3. Once paint on can is dry, cover can with a layer of Mod Podge and add flower cut outs to the outside of the can as desired.

4. Add another thin layer of Mod Podge to the entire can to seal flowers to can. Watch carefully for any little bubbles or wrinkles in the paper flowers and smooth out as necessary.

Once dry, a pretty doupage vase will emerge! To my vase, I added some floral foam, and  an arrangement of flowers including one of my favourite flowers...the gerbera daisy...in pink.

I really love how pretty & fabulous this homemade gift idea turned out!  I think I might make a few more for my patio table outside just for fun.

For other Mother's Day or Teacher Appreciation Gifts, here are more amazing ideas:

Strawberry lemonade mix 
Honey lavender sugar scrub
 Chai tea latte mix 
Cappuccino mix

And visit these boards on Pinterest:

Mother's Day Ideas

Fabulous Things In A Jar

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

This post is linked to these parties:
Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry, Funky Junk Interiors, It's Overflowing, Cooking With Ruthie,  I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, A Lived In Home, Today's Creative Blog, Inside Brew Crew Life, Home Stories A to Z, Lil Luna, Gingersnap Crafts, Clean & Scentsible, Savvy Southern Style, The DIY Dreamer, SNAP, I Gotta Create, The 36th Avenue, StoneGable, Tidy Mom,  Design, Dining & Diapers,

Gardening Gift Basket +Free Printable Tag

Our snow has finally melted and I am so excited! The gardening centres in my city are getting ready to open soon...a totally positive sign for sure. To celebrate, I created this gardening gift basket which is a perfect gift for the special 'green thumbs' in your life for Mother's Day, Teacher's Appreciation or just because.

This basket contains a few things that any gardener would need for Spring.....some pretty, new gardening gloves, small peat pots, gardening shears, plant markers, plant ties and plant food spikes. I found all of these items while browsing the aisles of the local dollar store and the total cost for this was under $10. I then tucked them inside a wicker plant pot that I already had at home, but any pretty pot would do.  {and here is how to make mint grapefruit body scrub.}

 And because my blog readers are such special people to me, I designed this sweet little gardening tag that you can use to finish off your gardening gift basket too!

Download Tags Here

For more wonderful Mother's Day or Teacher Appreciation Gifts, here are more amazing ideas:

Bath Gift Basket +Free Printable Tag

Lime Mint Foot Soak +Free Printable Label

Easy 10 minute grape jelly
Strawberry butter 
Strawberry lemonade mix 
Honey lavender sugar scrub
 Chai tea latte mix 
Cappuccino mix

And these boards on Pinterest:

Mother's Day Ideas

Fabulous Things In A Jar

Wishing you a lovely week!
Angie

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Not Just A Housewife, Clean & Scentsible, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, Craftberry Bush, Tidy Mom, TatertotsandJello, Whipperberry, Funky Junk Interiors, It's Overflowing, Cooking With Ruthie, I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, Today's Creative Blog, Inside Bru Crew Life, Home Stories A to Z, Gingersnap Crafts, Gingersnap Crafts, The DIY Dreamer, SNAP, The 36th Avenue, StoneGable,

Mint Lime Foot Soak +Free Printable {Gift Idea}

A few years ago I shared a very simple gift idea for a peppermint foot soak at Christmas time which was very popular, so I made a new version just in time for Spring & Summer. This one is Mint Lime Foot Soak, which has a wonderful mint and fresh citrus scent that is perfect for tired tootsie and 'flip flop feet'  in warmer weather. This would made such a perfect gift for Mother's Day or a teacher's appreciation gift.

This is very easy for anyone to make and can  be made in bulk to create many little jars for gift-giving. Here is what you will need:

Mint Lime Foot Soak

{makes 4~1/2 cup jars}

Supplies:
2 cups Epsom salts
1 lime
zester
peppermint essential oil
lime essential oil
green food colouring {optional}
4~1/2 clean glass jars with lips
ribbon & paper embellishments for jars

Directions:
1.In medium bowl, add Epsom salts, zest from 1 lime, 2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil, 2-3 drops of lime essential oil, and 1-2 drops green food colouring.
2. Mix salt mixture until everything is mixed well, and mixture is light green in colour and lime zest is mixed throughout.
3. Decant into jars. Decorate as desired.
4. To use, sprinkle mint lime foot soak into a foot spa appliance, or a clean dish pan used just for feet, filled with warm water. Let feet soak while watching favourite TV show or reading  juicy book.

 As I mentioned above, you can increase the quantity of the Epsom salts to make more jars for gift-giving. And don't forget to add pretty ribbons and other things to make the jars look super adorable.

And because I love you all so much, I made a label that you can print on Avery oval labels #16463 and use for your jars too! You can find the link by clicking here: Mint Lime Foot Soak

If you are looking for other wonderful Mother's Day or teacher appreciation gifts, here are more amazing ideas:

Easy 10 minute grape jelly
Strawberry butter 
Strawberry lemonade mix 
Honey lavender sugar scrub
 Chai tea latte mix 
Cappuccino mix

And these boards on Pinterest:

Mother's Day Ideas

Fabulous Things In A Jar

Wishing you a lovely week!

This post is linked to:
Tips & Tutorials Tuesday, The Scoop,Our Sunday Best Showcase, Monday Funday, Block Party,The Creative Collection, Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Inspiration Gallery, Inspire Me Please,Aalderberry Hill, Uncommon Designs, Craft-O-Maniac, Under The Table & Dreaming, Sugarbee Crafts, Homestories A to Z, BluCrew Life, Not Just A Housewife, Clean & Scentsible,Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, Multi-Testing Mommy, Craftberry Bush, Tidy Mom, Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry, Funky Junk Interiors, It's Overflowing, What's Cooking With Ruthie, I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Skip To My Lou, A Lived In Home, Home Stories A to Z,Gingersnap Crafts, The DIY Dreamer, SNAP, The 36th Avenue, StoneGable,