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: Christmas Candy Hearts

While those candy hearts with messages on them have become so common around the Valentine's Day the truth is they aren't that great. We all love the cute idea but the cheap mass produced candies are faulty to the point that we might even feel bad giving them to someone! They don't taste that good, the messages are often faded, and the candies are mostly worn out or broken. So how can you preserve the adorable idea, personalize it and make the gifts last longer than a day? Easy, buy making these candy hearts for your darling out of polymer clay. They wont be edible but they will surely be cherished more than the originals were. You can even put your own short messages on them to surprise your loved one. And what is even better, now you don't have to wait for Valentines day to come around you can make a little twist and do these for your hunny on Christmas as well! 
What you will need to create your own clay candy hearts:
- Polymer clay in green and red, one block is about two dollars in your arts and crafts store, cheaper online.
- A straight edge knife or a craft blade.
- A few toothpicks.
- If you wish to make a mold of the hearts then you will need the Sculpey Mold Maker. If not then you can just shape your candy heart by hand.
- Red paint, tempera works fine.
- A super thin paint brush, or if you want just use the toothpick to draw on the messages.
- Baking tray and an oven, not a microwave!
- A list of short messages to put on the clay hearts.
- A packet of the actual candy hearts, for reference...and a snack.
How to create your own clay candy hearts:
- First make sure you have a nice clean surface to work on, you don't want hairs or other bits getting into your clay.
- If you are using a mold to create your hearts follow the instructions on the box for how to actually make the mold. Also make sure, when you are making it, that you press in the non letter side of the candy into it so you have a clean slate later on.
- In case you don't want to use a mold just form the hearts by hand, use the actual candy as reference. Its not hard and really you don't need a mold unless you are making a great number of them.
- After your hearts have been formed just let them sit a bit to harden, so they are not as mushy from your fingers.
- Alright now the messages, I personally do them with paint and a toothpick, freehand. Some people print them out then use rubbing alcohol to create transfers.
- Pick a short message and then carefully write it on the heart. The more unique and personal to the receiver of the hearts the better.
- Let the paint dry completely.
- Line the hearts up on the baking sheet and bake according to the manufacturers instructions.
The clay hearts are now complete. As for packaging, it all depends on you but here are a few examples... You can buy a pack of real stuff, carefully open it put the clay ones in among the real ones and re-seal the bag. It takes a little practice but its a nifty idea when you get it. You can also put them in small boxes from craft stores or in a Valentine's Day themed cellophane goodie bag.

DIY: Christmas Picture Frames

What better way to show off your Christmas spirit then to make a winter wonderland type of a picture frame? These are great as gifts or to be used for your own decor, and not only that they are so fun to make. If you are a family person you can grab your family members and have some together time making a few of these and putting each persons favorite photo in. If you want it is also a great arts and crafts project for a bunch of friends on a cold winter afternoon! If you are thinking this project is not for you due to your lack of creativity and skill in crafts you are mistaken. This can be done by anyone, from a toddler to a professional craftsman! Another thing to mention, as its so important to everyone in today’s economy, it wont cost you an arm and a leg and it makes a perfect gift so….hint hint.

Read more:DIY: Christmas Picture Frames

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.