Empty Nester Gift

Oh friends...our time with our kids is so short!  Yes, I know you don't want to hear that when you're knee deep in toddler-hood or even in the middle school moodiness...ugh.  However, both my kids are now in high school and I'm feeling the crunch to spend every possible moment soaking up their presence, teaching them every skill they still need for life, and smothering them with love and attention--- which of course you know they appreciate so much?!? 

 (I'm sure you can read between the lines, here.)

So, when my friend was feeling sad and lonely from sending off her baby to college, I just had to take her a little bit of love.  
(Note:  Some may want to include a bottle of wine and a box of tissues with this gift.)

It's a quick and easy little 'thinking of you' gift to give to any empty-nester.  It takes just a few supplies, starting with a craft nest.

I don't know if you've ever been shopping for craft nests before, but there are a ton to choose from--even when it's not spring!
Take a look at these affiliate links from Amazon. 

Place Dove chocolates (playing on the bird theme) and/or
Baby Ruth candy (playing on the baby theme) into the nest.
Sugar Babies candies would also work.

Print out one of the empty nester tags onto cardstock.  

Click here to print your own tags.

Trim tag and tape onto a wooden skewer cut in half.
Stick skewer into the nest.

Hand deliver and love on your friend. 

Here's a few more gifts for friends dealing with hard times.



Cheer Up Gift



When the Trial is Over Gift


Foot and Toe Surgery 'Punny' Card



Hip Surgery Gift




Lap Band Surgery Cards



And maybe you're now looking for some college care package ideas?  Take a look at these:
Stick With It!                                 College Blues
           

Orange Survival Study Sack        Brighten Up Your Semester!
          


SMART Gift Bag                      Caramel Apple Dippin' Kit
         


SNAP To It!                                        Bear Themed Care Package
      

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50th Anniversary Candy Gift

This summer my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! 50! Yikes! Doesn't that sound like such a huge number?! They didn't want anyone to make a fuss over them. No party, no big bash, no family cruise, no special trip...I mean, really? I wanted to do 'something', even if it was just a small token of love.

I decided on a few small things to celebrate.
(Affiliate links are in this post to help you locate items.)

First, I decorated up one of my favorite party decor items--my Lightbox from Heidi Swapp.  These simple boxes really add to any celebration, all you have to do is change up the letters.

Then, of course the chalkboard needed some anniversary signage and balloon love. You can find LOVE balloons, here.

Next, I baked up some sugar cookies. Number cookies placed tightly together on a cookie sheet, bake into beautiful double digits.
Get number cookie cutters here.  

I ordered this 50th anniversary frame and put in my parent's wedding picture and current picture side by side. Aren't they the cutest?

I wanted to give my parents a 'gold' gift to go with 50 years--you know how you're supposed to give gold for the 50th, right?  Well, the more I got thinking about this, the more I realized they really needed a 'silver' gift...as in silverware!  After 50 years, one should really try to update their wedding gifts, if you know what I mean? I searched for a box of 50 pieces of silverware, and found it--perfect!

And then I decided to get a little crafty.
50 candies wrapped up in 50 memories.

Of course this idea could work for any big number, not just 50.
To make your own:  you'll need 50 Hershey's Miniatures chocolate candies, a glass jar, paper, tape, a pen and of course 50 memories!

Take a piece of scrap paper and make a template that folds around the miniature candy bar. You want the paper to cover the label completely. Once satisfied with the template, cut out 50 pieces of scrapbook paper the same size. I used pretty double-sided paper, but it's not necessary.

Now, the hard part! Coming up with 50 memories!  You would think this would be a breeze, but I was a child for most of these years of my parent's marriage! Some years were definitely harder to come up with memories, than others.
Write the year on the top of each paper label, then write something that happened during that year. It helps to make a list on notebook paper, first--then write on the papers.

Memories included family births, trips, new jobs, moves, special happenings, school changes, etc. etc.

Once all the memories are written down, it's time to wrap them up.
Wrap each memory around a chocolate bar. Fold tightly and secure with a small piece of clear tape.

Place candies in a jar and add a tag with instructions to peel off the labels and read them.

My mom ended up putting these candies in my dad's lunch for about a month.  He was told to bring home all the labels so she could read them.

Here's some more posts you might enjoy.

Sweet Anniversary Gift-- A drink for every year.



A Rustic Wedding Reception

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Wave Themed Teen Bedroom

Hello!  I thought I would try to get another post out before the back-to-school madness hits around here. I've been wanting to share my teenage daughter's beach themed bedroom for awhile, now. It's always a bit sad to watch your child grow out of their little kid room and want something a bit more sophisticated. However, this room still has plenty of playful touches that doesn't feel too grown up.

We decided to go with a beachy 'wave' theme.  My daughter picked out her favorite color--a soft blue. Paint color is Soothing Blue by Valspar. 

The surfboard belonged to my father-in-law. It was in bad shape, so we gave it a couple coats of paint and leaned it against the wall.We chose to put mirrors in this dark corner niche to add more light to the room. These wavy mirrors are from IKEA. (They don't sell these mirrors online, but here are two other fun options. Click here and here.)

This inexpensive canvas wave print is from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

On one wall, we framed out a rectangle with basic molding and painted the wall with magnet paint.  After a couple coats of the magnetic paint, we covered it with BEHR's semi-gloss paint in the color called, Wipeout. (This is the same color we used on the surfboard.)

The wooden tags were found at Michaels.
Small green and blue buttons were hot glued to magnets.

A few other art pieces and an old skimmer board were hung on the wall by the bed.

Beachaholic pillow came from Joanns.  Bedding is from IKEA.

The drapes, pillow shams and the recovered chair were made out of fabric from two IKEA twin duvet covers. We fell in love with the bold stripes and the blue and green colors. I cut up the duvets and with some simple machine sewing, made them work perfectly. (This particular duvet cover is no longer available at IKEA, click here to see more options.)

We ordered the vinyl 'wave' scripture from here.  Have you ever put vinyl lettering on your walls?  It's super easy and looks amazing!

 I love how this verse goes perfectly with the room's theme.

The fabric draped on the ceiling is to look like waves.

Simple clear-colored tacks hold up the lightweight fabric shades (these were found at IKEA.)
Light fixtures are from here.

and the best part...
My daughter loves her room! 

Other posts you might like:


5 Things to Learn from a Professional Stager



Red and White Room- Baby to Tween


Linking up to: Lindsay'sSweetWorld, 

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