I love giving homemade gifts. They are my favorite because they mean so much more, are really inexpensive to make, and are unique. Have you seen any glass storage jars like this in stores?

These are super easy to make. For the next few times you make spaghetti or chicken fettucini alfredo, save the glass jars that the sauces come in. Peel the labels off (I use a little “Goo Gone” as they are sometimes hard to get all the way off).  Purchase glass drawer handles from a craft store (I like Hobby Lobby best, but you can go where you wish!). Use a hot glue gun and attach the drawer handle to the jar.

These are super cute in the kitchen and make for pretty storage of things like noodles, coffee beans, oats, sugar, and more.

Homemade gifts make the best presents. They are so much more special and meaningful. I’m going to make this project for the special mothers in my life for Mother’s Day. It’s coming up in May already!

I found this project on Pinterest for making homemade decorative candles and there was never a link attached to it, so I had a little experimenting to do to make this.

Here are the instructions:

You will need plain pillar candles. White works best because then you are able to use any color you want for decorating. You will also need a varity of colored permanent markers (this doesn’t work if they aren’t PERMANENT). Gather sheets of wax paper and a hair dryer as well.

Draw a design using the permanent markers on the wax paper, but keep in mind that whatever is written will be BACKWARDS on the candle after the transfer, so if you have any writing that you want to do, make sure that you write it backwards. Wrap the wax paper around the candle as shown in the picture. Make sure it doesn’t slide around! Turn the hair dryer on, and hold 8-10 inches away from the wax paper/candle to transfer the design.

If you have kids in summer school this year, they probably aren’t happy about it. Who wants to sit in school while all of their friends are playing outside in the beautiful sunshine? It’s probably not fun to be inside learning while everybody else gets to do fun, summer things.

That is probably exactly how teachers feel that teach summer school. They are used to having a break during the summer and when they teach summer school they are unable to have a break.

This is a great gift idea for teachers that are teaching summer school as a thank you at the end of summer classes. All you need is a mason jar, ribbon, alphabet magnets or pieces, and some flowers. Tie the ribbon around the lip of the mason jar and fill it with the letters. Then add the flowers (I would opt for artificial flowers since the flowers will die without water). It’s easy to do and they will appreciate the gesture. This will look great sitting on their desk the following school year!

This is a very easy to do gift that is homemade and very thoughtful. Cupcake bouquets are a treat for both the eyes and the mouth–Yum!

Cupcake bouquets are easy to make. First, get a planter pot. You can decorate it if you choose to give it a fun look. You can also buy them in different colors and with designs if you want to save a little time. You will also need tissue paper, 10-12 frosted cupcakes (you can use whichever recipe you wish), toothpicks, and a Styrofoam craft  ball (you can find these at many craft stores). Make sure the ball fits in the top of the planter pot without being too large or too small–measure it before purchasing!

First, place the ball on the top of the planter pot. Then, evenly stick 10-12 toothpicks into the Styrofoam ball about a half inch into the ball. Next, add the cupcakes. You can do this by sticking them onto the toothpicks (this is what holds them in place). The toothpick should not come through the top of the cupcake. If it does, push the toothpick into the Styrofoam ball further and try again. Add tissue paper to the spaces between the cupcakes as shown above and you are done!

This makes a great thank you gift or an “I’m thinking of you” gift.

‘Tis the season of graduations! There are so many graduation parties coming up. Our refrigerator is covered in graduation invites to celebrate with our families and friends. There are a few college graduation parties and several high school graduation parties to attend.

Since I’ve graduated high school and attended college, I feel like I have experience in what a person needs to get through and maybe even love college! It’s important to have the right supplies to get through those late night study sessions when you are cramming for an exam the next day. This is a gift basket idea to give a high school grad going on to college.

You will need to get a “basket”,  or I used a cloth bin from Target. I filled it with: a coffee mug, sunflower seeds, a snack, ibuprofen for stress headaches, note cards, pens, highlighters, a pocket guide to their area of studying, and a handheld game to relieve their mind for a few minutes when they need to take a study break!

This is a cute, creative way to send somebody off to college and is something they can use. You can modify and take off with this idea as much as possible, get creative with it!