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

This post is linked to:
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,

Last Minute Christmas Mug Cake Gift Idea

 I want to share with you a last minute gift idea which I made up for some girlfriends last night for Christmas. I love pretty packages, and when I saw these cute sweater-wrapped mugs at the dollar store, I couldn't help but pick up a few to make something pretty out of them! I thought they would be perfect for mug cake gift...and gift cards too! Who doesn't love some warm cake on a cold winter's night...especially when you can make it easily and quickly in the microwave and it tastes so good? And here's what's brilliant...the mug cakes are packages from a store too!

I decorated these lovely mugs with a sparkly snowflake tag and a wooden spoon tied with some twine. I even used some scrapbooking rub-on words to embellish the spoon with the words 'comfy' and 'cozy'.

And have you seen these in the cake mix aisle at Safeway? There are two flavors and I picked up some when they were on sale for $1 per box and there are 2 packages inside.

I also added some chocolates inside too. You could also add a gift card too. It sure does make a pretty gift, don't you think?

 And if you can't find any spoons, a mini candy cane embellishment will work as well and look just as festive!

This would be such a great gift for friends, neighbours, teachers and coaches.

And it doesn't take long to put together at all and is very easy on the budget!

And if you are looking for another idea for gift cards, visit HERE.

And if you are looking for an easy family gift, I have an idea for you HERE!

Thank you so much for visiting me!

This post is linked to:
The Party Bunch, Link Party Palooza,

Easy Last Minute Gift Card Bag or Christmas Table Favor

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I adore pretty tables and things in small little bags. I am always looking for some little  favor to jazz up a place setting or make into a tiny gift. You might remember that I shared this Christmas Favor a few weeks ago, but I wanted to share a super easy idea for a gift card OR a table favor that you could make in just a few minutes with a few supplies and a glue gun. You know that a girl and her glue gun can do a lot in a few minutes!

These small gift bags were inspired by these sweet little red burlap bags that I was dying to do something pretty with and one of our favorite treats at Christmas...Ferrero Rocher chocolates. We all love Ferrero Rocher, so it seemed like an obvious choice to create a small gift using  this delightful chocolate treat.

Supplies:

Small red burlap bags (I got mine at Micheals)

Decorative picks with greenery & berries

Tags

Ferrero Rocher chocolates (3-4 per bag)

Glue gun

The How-To:

1. Fill bags with 3-4 chocolates (and gift card, if using) 

2.Close bag and tie on tag.

3.. Select small spring of greenery and a berry and attach to bag with glue gun.

That's it! You can also have some fun playing around...making each bag a little different. 

For this bag, I used some white frosted greenery.

And this project is very budget-friendly too, which is always a plus for our pocket books at this time of year!

And last year, I used Ferrero Rocher Chocolates to make favors bags for our New Years Eve party which you can see more of HERE.

Thank you so much for visiting me!

I hope you are getting to close to having all of your Christmas projects done!

Thank you so much to Ferrero Rocher Canada for providing the chocolates for this fun Christmas project! We love Ferrero Rocher Chocolates!

This post is linked to:
All Things Christmas Link Party,Inspire Me Please,  I'm Lovin It, Inspiration Gallery, The Party Bunch, Link Party Palooza,

Father's Day Chaulkboard Frame

This is a super cute project to make with kids for Father's Day. It is so simple too, with only a few supplies needed. And if you have been on the 'chaulkboard' craft wagon already, you might even already have the chaulkboard paint hanging out at your house. Once the frame is painted,  kids can unleash their wild creativity with doodles and drawings for Dad! And the artwork can be changed at the whim of the little artist too...that's the beauty of a chaulkboard.

Father's Day Chaulkboard Frame

Supplies:

Unpainted wood frame

Primer {I just used a coat of regular black paint}

Foam brush

Chaulkboard paint.

Directions:

1. Prime wood frame. Let dry.

2. Follow directions on the chaulkboard paint for painting the frame. Let dry.

3. Let kids create their artwork on the frame.

Ta-da!

I think any Dad would be thrilled to receive a frame filled with the artwork of  his sweeties!

This post is linked to these parties:
Tatertots and Jello, It's Overflowing, What's Cooking With Ruthie, Aalderberry Hill, Uncommon Designs, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, Pretty Little Life In the Suburbs, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, Lil Luna, Gingersnap Crafts, Clean & Scentsible,  The DIY Dreamer, Not Just A Housewife, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, The 36th Avenue, Somwhat Simple, Craftberry Bush, The Frugal Girls, Becoming Martha, Whipperberry, 30 Handmade Days,  Tatertots and Jello,

Father's Day Printable Straw Flags, Tags & Bag Toppers

I am so excited because tomorrow we are hosting a Father's Day barbecue for some friends and we are barbecuing yummy food and playing some fun backyard games! I was busy today grocery shopping for the menu and doing other prep work when I felt inspired to create some super cool tags for our little party. I thought I would share them with you too,  so if you have plans for a Father's Day celebration, you will have some tags, straw flags and bag toppers for your gathering as well!

I created these little tags to attach to our cultery bundles. 

 And these straw flags for our drinks.

 I filled some plastic bags with some of my husband's favourite miniature chocolate bars and made toppers for the bags. 

Here you go! Enjoy!

Father`s Day BBQ Tags

Father's Day Straw Flags

Father`s Day Bag Toppers

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

This post is linked to :
Tatertots and Jello, It's Overflowing, What's Cooking With Ruthie, Aalderberry Hill, Uncommon Designs, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, A Pretty Little Life In The Suburbs, I Should Be Mopping The Floor,  Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, Lil Luna, Gingersnap Crafts, Clean & Scentsible,  The DIY Dreamer,Not Just A Housewife, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, The 36th Avenue,  Somewhat Simple, Craftberry Bush, The Frugal Girls, Becoming Martha, Whipperberry, 30 Handmade Days, 

Dad's Commuter Kit

 I have to say that this a Fathers Day gift that is near & dear to my heart...a Dad`s Commuter Kit. My husband was a salesman on the road for many years and I worried about him every single day. I was always so happy when he arrived home at supper time...especially on days when winter roads were very dangerous.  I created this kit with the travelling Dad in mind...those Dads that are on the road for work, whether it be long drives to customers or to the office.

 I also created this cute tag to go with the kit, so you can print your own. 

I stuffed everything into a car organizer, but really any type of basket or plastic storage tote would work just as well.

Here is a list and picture of everything that I included in the kit for my husband.

Please note that this is not a roadside emergency kit. It's more of a 'care kit' for someone who spends a lot of time on the road or in their car and might often need some small things like bug spray for a golf tournament for work, or a lint roller for a suit jacket.

They are thoughtful things that a nice to have on-hand.

Here is the tag that can be printed for your own commuter kit. 

Dad's Commuter Kit Tag

And if you would like to see more of my creative Father`s Day gifts, you can check out these ideas:

Dad`s Snack & Surf Kit 

Cashew Pretzel Hugs For Dad

Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle for Dad

Father`s Day Collage Picture

And my Father`s Day Pinterest Board HERE.

This post is linked to:
Tatertots & Jello, Link Party Palooza,Becoming Martha, The Frugal Girls, Design, Dining & Diapers, Whipperberry, 30 Handmade Days,  Tatertots & Jello, It's Overflowing, What's Cooking With Ruthie, Aalderberry Hill, Uncommon Designs, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, A Pretty Little Life In The Suburbs, I Should Be Mopping The Floor,  Under The Table & Dreaming,  Skip To My Lou, Lil Luna, Gingersnap Crafts,  Savvy Southern Style, Clean & Scentsible, The DIY Dreamer, Not Just A Housewife, I Gotta Create,  StoneGable, The 36th Avenue, Somewhat Simple, 30 Handmade Days,

Father's Day Collage

I had such a fun day playing with my scrapbooking supplies creating this collage for my husband for Father's Day. I used one of my favorite pictures of my husband with our kids taken about 6 yeas ago...but I think it is adorably cute & timeless. Although I have a ton of scrapbooking supplies leftover from 10 years of a hard core scrapbooking habit, as well as years of teaching scrapbooking classes, I know that you can find many of these supplies at the dollar store, so not to fear if you don't have a stash of supplies!

 Here are the supplies that I used. For the base of the collage, I used an old laminated board that we had that was the perfect size, but you could use a canvas or a piece of plywood too if that is what you have. I love using recycled supplies where possible!

Supplies: 

board, 8" x 9" or whatever size you like

scrapbook adhesive and/or glue

modge podge + foam brush

scrapbook paper

cardstock scraps

chipboard letters that spell dad, buttons and other stickers or embellishments

Picture, 5" x 7", trimmed if desired.

Directions:

1. Measure and cut scrapbook paper to cover board or canvas. Using foam brush, apply a thin layer of modge podge to board and press scrapbook paper on top. Use a ruler to smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles. Let dry.

2. Add picture and surround picture with cardstock scraps & embellishments and the word "DAD". Play around until you have a pleasing design!

3. When you have the picture & embellishments in the desired place, use scrapbook adhesive or glue to attach pictures and embellishments to board. Done!

 Don't be afraid to add small embellishments here and there. I find even simple things like buttons can make a collage look so beautiful!

I made this gift for my husband to display in his office. As you know, I love picture-inspired gifts.

This is a fairly easy project to tackle, so don't be afraid to try! And if you give it a try and it looks too plain...add some buttons! That's a little trick that always works for me!

You can find some of my other father's day gift ideas here, here and here. 

And you can find more ideas on these Pinterest boards:

Father's Day Ideas

Beautiful DIY Projects

Camping Recipes & Food

Wishing you a wonderful crafty day!

This post is linked to:
Somewhat Simple, The 36th Avenue, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, Becoming Martha, The Frugal Girls, Design, Dining & Diapers,  Whipperberry, 30 Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, It's Overflowing, What's Cooking With Ruthie,  Aalderberry Hill, Uncommon Designs, I Heart Naptime, A Pretty Little Life In The Suburbs,   I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Under The Table & Dreaming, The DIY Dreamer,
Not Just A Housewife,

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!

This post is linked to these parties:
Time To Sparkle, Home Stories A to Z, Chef-In-Training, Today's Creative Blog, The 36th
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,