A great gift for any teen

I have found a very lovely little gift which can be on its own or a stocking stuffer! It is the Samsung Pebble mp3 player.
While there are a few different colours, I chose the white one as it actually looks like a marble stone. I believe I saw some black ones that also had a marble effect.
It is the size of an average rock, but much lighter and shinier!

The pack came with the MP3 player, earphones, USB adapter and an installation CD.
The Samsung Pebble is a pretty basic music player. Pretty much it has the Play, Pause, Playback, Volume and on and off buttons. I have found that my pebble mostly shuffles songs, however it doesn't always do it.

1GB is plenty of space for me, as I am a bit ADD with music anyway so I change my playlists frequently!
It imports music from a laptop/pc via the USB adapter which also serves as a charger. So you can get your music sorted on the player and charge it the same time.
My Samsung Pebble also came with this tiny clip so that you can clip it onto your clothes. And it doesn't look intrusive at all when you do! So that was another big plus.

I will be honest I am not the nicest person to my pebble. The poor thing has been dropped, kicked, thrown at hubby's head and it still soldiers on.
The side with the controls has a rubbery sort of feel and has darkened in color slightly (after more than a year) however the other side is scratch free and shiny as ever.

I have initially bought this because it was a 'cutesy' little player and haven't expected much from it but I am extremely happy with it!

DIY: Microwaveable Heat Pack

A heat pack I made.

Be it cramps, toothaches or muscle pains heat pack always comes in handy. During the cold winter months you don't even need to be hurting to make good use of a heat pack. These cozy bits are a perfect pair with a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate if you like) to keep you warm this winter. So instead of paying a ton for one at a store why not make an arts and crafts date with your pals and make a batch of them? Have some for your own use or to give away to friends and family. They make a great gift alone or paired up with some other goodies. They can come in any shape or color you can create with your hands. They can be created flat as a coaster so that they release a fragrance when a warm cup heats them, or as a favorite stuffed toy to warm up your little one during the cold nights. The following is a basic "how to" for a heat pack. Again, you can make it any way you like just apply the changes to the basic instructions and you are good to go.

What you will need to create your own heat pack:
- Bird seed, or some other small grain. You might not want to use things such as rice  as it is sharp and could poke out if a piece doesn't happen to be lying flat with the other ones.
- Fabric. Anything will do pretty much but when you go out to buy it ask the sales person (or Google it) whether it is microwave safe. You don't want your lovely creation to be a fire hazard now do you?
- Either a sowing machine or just the thread and a needle if you opt to do it by hand.
- And an optional touch of fragrance with dried herbs if you so desire.

How to create your own heat pack:
- First think of the design, shape size, etc. and draw it out.
- Fold the fabric (make sure you have more than enough when folded for your heat pack) in half with the face side in.
- Then transfer the design (exact measurements) onto the back of the fabric (not the side with the design).
- Cut the fabric according to the shape you chose, but not along the lines of the drawing, instead leave at least an extra inch.
- Either with the sewing machine or by hand, sew three fourths along the way of your design then stop.
- Turn the fabric inside out (or right side out more like!).
- Fill it up with your choice of seed and any herbs if you chose to do so.
- Sew up the remainder of the fabric to close up the hole. In this place I like to create a tag with my initials or the person's whom I'm giving it to...just something fun that will also cover up the difference you can see after sewing the fabric once turned out.
Your heat pack is now all set. You should give it a test drive. Pop it into the microwave for a minute, two at the most and see how its working out!

Homemade candle gift

Over the centuries candles have came a long way. From plain slabs serving a single, but very important, purpose to elaborate art pieces showing of craftsmanship of its maker. While we don't, in general, need them purely as a light source (except in extreme situations) we still use them in our every day lives.
They are given as gifts, used as mood setters or fragrance releases, as well as decor pieces. But with all of their multipurpose comes a price. Not only of monetary value, but the price of having to settle for the generic store bought as well for many of us. Quite a number of people don't realize how simple and fun it is to make your own candles and even better give them out as personalized gifts. Here I will show you how to make your own candles, the simple way.

What you will need to make your own candles:
- Paraffin wax. This can be bought at any of your local arts and crafts stores such as Michael's, Joann's or Hobby Lobby.
- Wicks, one per each candle you are making.
- A candle mold. You can either buy these shaped at the store or use make shift molds from plastic containers and pretty much anything that can withstand the hot melted wax.
- An optional touch gives adding the fragrance. These too are found at your local arts and crafts shop.
- Candle dyes in your choice of colors. These come in either the liquid form or as chips.
- A candle jar or a holder.
- A heavy pot and spatula.
How to make your own candles:
This process is fairly easy, however you need to use extreme caution as it can turn dangerous easily.
- First thing you should do is melt the paraffin wax in the heavy pot. If you can it is suggested you do this in a double broiler if not on nice heat while stirring so the heat would be distributed evenly.
- Once the wax is melted add your color and the fragrance according to the manufacturers specifications.
- Make sure you stir it in well.
- Now pour the melted candle wax into the molds carefully and add a wick to the middle.
- Once your candles are cooled you can take them out of the molds and you are all done.

Tips:
- It is suggested that its better to use an electric vs. gas stove. In case you have a mishap with the wax and it gets out of the pot there is less chance of it catching on fire on an electric stove top, wheres the gas one would make it catch in flames.
- You can add in non flammable objects to your molds before you pour the wax for fun effects.

Spa gift basket

Moms, more than anyone appreciate handmade gifts. From the time their child brings home their first finger painting as a gift their heart grows fond of anything their child does. This Christmas can be the time when you combine her love of a personal touch with something she will actually be able to use and enjoy. Why not give her a lovely home made gift basket? They can be assembled by people of any and all skill, filled with store bought or handmade items and always full of love.
One thing all moms could use is a bit of relaxation so why not set up a spa like gift basket accompanied by a "coupon" for a day off. One day, just for her to have the house all to herself and relax away.

What you will need to assemble your spa gift basket:
- A basket, you can use a bread basket rather than one with a handle. Plain ones come in either square or round shapes and go well with any assortment.

- Some tissue paper.
- One home made soap, for instructions on how to make read: "How to make soap".
- A set of home made bath bombs, for instructions on how to make read: "How to make bath bombs".
- A home made eye mask, for instructions on how to make read: "How to make an eye mask".
- A cheap MP3 Player, you can get one online for under fifteen bucks.
- A sponge or a loofah, opt for non colored natural looking ones instead of the bright pink or blue sponges.
- Hand towel, they can be bought without a set and are cheap so get a good quality one at your nearest store.
- A pack of chocolates, try the Dove Promises. There is something luxe about Dove and their chocolates really are high quality.
- Some clear plastic wrap.
- A bag of seeds, this is optional.

How to assemble your spa gift basket:
- The first thing to thin about, before even making any of the hand made contents, or buying anything is the color palette. Thoughts of spa make us think of relaxation, of mild natural colors that are easy on the eye. Colors with some contrast such as light greens and browns (espresso brown for instance) is a pleasing color combination. Basically anything that reminds you of nature and calmness.
- Now with all that in mind go out and buy or create the components of the basket.
- Load the MP3 player with soothing and relaxing music.
- Once you have all of your pieces its time to package them.
- Line your basket with a few pieces of tissue paper, crinkling and the paper falling out over the edges is ok!
- This part is optional, if you want you can either use your left over flax seed or buy a bag of bird feed that doesn't have an odor and has brownish coloring such as the seeds below seeds. Pour the seeds into the basket, on top of the tissue paper.

- Now assort your towel, soap, bath bombs and rest of the stuff by sticking them into the seeds.
- Once assorted you want to wrap it up, you can use either clear cellophane wrap if you want a roomy crinkly effect, or you can use clear wrap (the kitchen kind) for a compacted sleek look.
To make the coupon you can print out a template and by using either Paint, Photoshop or other similar programs type in your offer. Type out something along the lines of "Good for one stress free afternoon" or think up your own line. Stick the coupon into the card you will be presenting along with the gift basket. This is sure to be one of the more appreciated gift she has gotten in quite some time.

Homemade holiday food gifts

Homemade holiday food gifts are not only great because, well everyone loves food, but also because food is so versatile. These gifts can be made to fit any holiday, with tons of colors, and all sorts of different themes. A holiday themed homemade food gift is fail-proof; everyone will just adore it!

One of the most important parts of food-based gift giving, next to a great tasting treat, is the personalization. Imagine the difference in getting a plain plate of cookies, or receiving a nicely packaged (don't worry it is not expensive, nor difficult) box or gift baggy of your favorite cookies, with maybe a note or a card attached, in the least. Quite a difference, is it not?!

Goodhousekeeping.com

There are many ways to package your home made food gifts. If, for instance, you are giving away things which are in jars maybe, such as home made jams or jellies, you could do a variety of gift baskets. If you are making home made candies, then the gift baggies are a nice choice to be considered. If you are giving a larger amount of candies, especially if there is a variety of flavours and types, then you could do gift baggies in the gift baskets. In case you are making cookies, cakes, fudges, or any other desserts similar to those, you could use some of the lovely and adorable paper boxes that you see in crafts stores. Either way you desire to wrap it the effect will be a lot greater than your plain packaging, and it is also budget friendly (very important in today's economy!).

Another way for you to personalize your homemade food gifts is to make sure you know what the person likes. You do not want to give a chocolate-lover the vanilla fudge! On top of that, keep the gift recipient in mind when decorating, especially if it is cookies that you are making. Icing is very versatile. You can write the person's name, greetings, an occasion related message, or draw something that relates to them.

When you get your gift baggies, baskets, or boxes from the arts and crafts store, make sure to grab a greeting card (finished or blank ones), or some blank tags. The tags are a wonderful way to show your artistic side and create a uniquely presented gift for your cherished ones. If you have time, and feel up to it, please don't shy away from making a hand made greeting card, or writing a cute note to the recipient.

You do not, by any means, have to make great elaborate creations, or be a chef or a baker such as the ones you see on the television these days. After all it is the thought that counts. Well... that and it still would be nice if it tasted yummy on top of that thought!