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Category: Gifts
Christmas Eve
A Gift Idea
No matter how early I start shopping for family and friends, there is always the last minute shopping, when the on line deadline makes it impossible to get that last gift on time. I create two lists for gift ideas. One is for family members that have giving me hints on what they like Santa to bring, since Halloween , and the 2nd list is names of friends, and people that I don’t know well, but I like to acknowledge their kindness, toward my family during the year. Our teachers, our mailman, three trash collectors, and three recycling collectors, and new friends, are on my 2nd list.
There are two facts I always keep in mine, when shopping on behalf of Santa. Everyone’s hobbies, and interests. It can be something new, like starting yoga, swimming, or traveling, or a life long interest like, writing, reading, gardening, and cooking. And when it comes to shopping for teens and younger adults in my family, I am always hoping to introduce them to a hobby, that I think they might enjoy to try, and experiment with. Since I prefer Online shopping. choices are limitless, and the fear of ending with dorky, absolutely uncool gift is close to impossible. The window to the world of young consumers is wide open through all the social media platforms, and with one search word it is easy to find the write gift, and read hundreds of reviews related to it. I know for me going off the Christmas wish list and purchasing that one gift that might start a life long interest is not going to be too risky!!
As I always have, every Christmas, I purchase writing instruments, journals, coloring books, and pencils, for many of my young family members. Helping them to discover their interest in the joy of writing with a beautiful fountain pen, and drawing and sketching with great quality pencils. Hoping they see the joy of writing in a notebook, or sketching their thoughts in color. Using other tools to express themselves, in peace and quiet, with the sound of their pencil against their notebook, without the distraction of popping texts, and emails.
I wish you and your family a joyful holiday season. 🎄 and I hope you watch and enjoy “ Looking For Gift Ideas” video on our YouTube channel, and please support us by subscribing. 🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁
Looking for a gift?🥰
I know we just left the holiday season behind, but Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days to give & receive gifts. Of course chocolate and flowers are the most appropriate, and common gifts, but for a special person I also consider perfumes or colognes.
I think flowers are appropriate for any occasion as a gift. It doesn’t matter what age or gender, happy or sad occasion, flowers are neutral, and thoughtful. It is a fact that Scents can have an effect on how we feel and think, and a wonderful familiar scent can bring us joy, help us relax, and helps us with feeling anxious.
A bottle of perfume or eau de toilette carefully researched and purchased for a special person can be a thoughtful gift. A gift that they will always remember you by.
Here is a video on a few of my favorite perfumes 🥰
Holiday Baking is on ❄️🍪🙌
Cooking and baking has always been a fun hobby that I have enjoyed immensely. I am an average cook that loves to experiment with cooking healthy meals. I enjoy baking, just simply because I am addicted to chocolate, and for me a lovely pastry with coffee, and tea is a trip to heaven and back☺️
This year, more than ever in my life 😥 I have been cooking and baking for my family, and now for holidays I have decided to bake new goodies and find my new favorites.
I started with :
Pizzelle 👩🏻🍳 every Christmas we enjoy eating these lovely lightly sweet giant snow flakes all day long when we travel to see grandparents. This Christmas I had to bake our own batch 😳 I pulled out my pizzelle maker which I had received years ago as a Christmas gift, and used grandmas’s recipe. After a couple of tries they came out perfect snow flakes 😋
Italian wedding cookies 👩🏻🍳 they are made with crushed almonds, and coated with powder sugar, and look like small snow balls. They are beautiful to look at, and are lightly sweet, and believe me when I say 🤣 you can’t stop at just one.
Cranberry bars 👩🏻🍳 using leftover cranberry sauce from thanksgiving meal, I baked these thick delicious bars with two flaky layers of dough, cushioning a layer of my chunky cranberry sauce, and a layer of walnuts. I am already thinking of making more of these bars with almonds. This is my absolute new favorite 👍
Peppermint bars 👩🏻🍳 I have always bought them as gifts for friends, and loved having them during holidays. This year never found the time to purchase them on time, so I decided to make some. Couldn’t perfectly layer the white chocolate over the dark chocolate, but the result was a swirl of dark and white with crushed peppermints that made little ones very happy to crush and spread over the baking dish. Easy, fun to make, and very delicious. Next time I will make it thinner, so it would be easier to cut, and I have more to eat👍
I wish you all happy cooking and baking💕please check out our YouTube channel. And please subscribe and leave your comments. I love reading them and sharing more videos with you. https://youtu.be/Qb8lgNMk8AY
10 Great books on Architecture, Art, and Design.
If these days you find yourself with some extra time on your hand, check out these amazing books, to read or give as a gift.
I am always looking for art books with great photos, and I found several on this list. I came across these books on architectural digest. Hope you find one you like to own👍
Happy Valentine’s Day❤️
I Hope you enjoyed a lovely day
A One of a Kind Farmers Market
With unique ingredients and organic recipes, the Santa Fe farmers market is one of the most famous markets in the Southwest.
We start by strolling through the beautiful market’s pastry and bread vendors, enjoying the natural colors of hand died yarns. The fragrance of lavender hand made soaps and moisturizers is very present.
Take a large shopping bag with you because you won’t go home empty handed.
Jolly cupcakes
Every year during the holiday season my daughter’s school encourages all students to contribute to their chosen charities.
Students, bake, cook, do crafts, sell paintings, just about absolutely anything their heart desires to make some money for their charities.
Marketplace at school is an exciting day, and a learning experience. Students get the chance to learn about helping others, organizing their time, creating something that others want to buy, and learn about marketing their products.
This year my daughter with her best friend decided on baking cupcakes with flavors of the season. Minty wonderland, caroling coffee, ginger bells, and fa la la vanilla. After spending an entire Saturday afternoon baking, they had 40 cupcakes ready for sale. And the night before the market, couple of hours was spend making beautiful, delicious frosting in holiday colors.
After driving to school, very cautiously, and an hour early to grab a good table, they were ready to sell.💰
The jolly cupcakes were a hit.🧁🧁😋👍
Fresh Herb plants as gifts
Herbs have a wonderful fragrant, and add so much flavor to any food. I have used herb plants as center pieces for many years, and this year offered them as gifts to our thanksgiving guests.
Rosemary and thyme plants are two of my favorites, and have a beautiful flowing shape. To cover the pots first wrap them with colorful gift wraps, and add ribbons and ornaments for more color and shine.
Herbs are also great hostess gifts.
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