Gift Ideas under $12 for Little Chefs

While both of my girls enjoy cooking in the kitchen, Lucie REALLY enjoys it these days. I call her my little sous-chef. She's even started watching kitchen shows on TV for fun. Who knows if this is a life-long interest or a passing fad. But, I'm trying to embrace it now and enjoy moments in the kitchen with her.

Perhaps you've got a child (or niece, or nephew, or friend) who likes to cook too and for whom you'll be getting a Christmas gift. Here are a few inexpensive gift ideas for little chefs:

Make a Reversible Apron! Choose fabrics that your little chef will enjoy. I shared this reversible apron tutorial earlier this week.

Make a Love Spice Shaker Jar! Let your little one add that special ingredient at the end. This gift is practically free. Just reuse an old spice jar and embellish it with whatever you have on hand. I used scrapbook paper and Modge Podge. Instructions are available on Life as MOM.

Buy a child-friendly cookbook. Here are a few suggestions that are under $12:

• Food, Faith, and Fun: A Faithgirlz! Cookbook: I bought this for Lucie (sshhhhh...don't tell!). She saw it at the school's book fair and really, really wanted it. I'm not sure if I'll give it to her for Christmas or for her birthday since that comes right after Christmas. But, I know that she'll love it! It includes recipes for many different holidays as well. The "cornucopia" recipe for Thanksgiving was amazingly adorable!
• Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen: The librarian at E's school showed this to me. It looks soooo great. It has excerpts from classic children's stories and recipes that you can make together that are an extension of the story. It would be a great way to combine a storytime at home and a cooking lesson!
• Cook It in a Cup: Quick Meals and Treats Kids Can Cook in Silicone Cups: This cookbook comes with a set of silicone baking cups to use to create the dishes in the cookbook. So fun!

What would you give to the little chef in your life?

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For other money-saving ideas, stop by Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Make-It Monday: Child's Reversible Apron

Since 2010, I've featured "Make It Monday" on my blog during the holiday season. On the Mondays between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I share different ideas and instructions on how to make homemade (or partially homemade) gifts. My life is crazy right now, but I'm going to do my best to keep up the tradition. Stop by each week for a new homemade gift idea!

Today, I'm going to show you how to make an easy reversible apron for a child. I've got quite a dedicated little sous-chef here at my house. She loves using this little apron...and she looks pretty darn cute in it too. This is an inexpensive gift and a great way to use up small amounts of fabric that you might have around the house.

How to Make a Child's Reversible Apron

Supplies:

• measuring tape
• tissue paper to make pattern
• pencil
• two different fabrics (I used one print, one solid)
• scissors
• straight pins
• thread
• sewing machine
• masking tape
• safety pin
• ribbon or double-wide bias tape (stitched closed)

Directions:

Make the Pattern:
To make your pattern, you'll need the child's measurements -- the width across the front of the chest, the length of the top of the apron to the armpit, and the length you want the apron to be, and the width of the apron (usually the width of the front of the child plus a couple of inches).

Cut a rectangle out a piece of tissue paper that is as long as you want the apron to be and as wide as you want the apron to be. My rectangle started out as 18 x 15. Fold in half lengthwise so you get a skinny rectangle (18 x 7.5). Take half of measurement for the top of the apron and mark that along the top of the tissue paper from the fold. On the open side of the tissue paper, mark the measurement for the distance from the top of the apron to the armpit. Draw a line from the mark at the top of the apron to the armpit mark. Cut along the line. Unfold and you should have a shape that looks like this:

Make the Apron:

Trace your pattern onto two different fabrics and cut them out. I chose one printed fabric and one solid covered fabric.

Place the cut-out pieces with the right sides together, and pin along the edges. Mark the places where you'll want to leave an opening for the apron tie -- near the edges of the top of the apron and at the bottom of the arpmit side edge. I used masking tape to mark these places so I wouldn't sew over them.

Leaving an opening at the bottom and where your tape is marked, sew along all of the edges, skipping over the areas where the tape is. It should look something like this:

Remove tape and turn right side out. Iron flat. Place the tape on the same openings along the top and sides of apron. Topstitch along the edges of the apron, closing the bottom of the apron and leaving the tape-marked spots open.

Stitch a seam parallel to the armpit side edges of the apron to create a casing for the apron strings, like this:

Remove tape. Pin a safety pin to one end of whatever you're using for your apron strings -- ribbon will work. (I used double-wide bias tape that I stitched closed.) Use the safety pin to help you thread the apron string through the bottom side opening, through the casing, and out the top. Then, loop the string down through the casing on the other side. The apron string can be adjusted to fit over the child's head. You can add a knot in the string at the bottom of the casing to help prevent the string from pulling all the way into the casing.

Other Sewing Projects that Make Great Gifts

• Flaxseed Heating Wrap
• Reuseable Fabric Coffee Sleeve
• Fabric Journal Cover
• Fleece Scarf with Pockets
• Fast Felt Purse

Make It Monday: Felt Flower Hairclip

Valentine's Day is upon us! Each year, I like to give my girlies a little Valentine's Day gift. Since they will be getting plenty of candy as school, I usually avoid candy gifts and typically opt for homemade gift. Last year, I made them some sweet little heart-shaped flax seed bags that can be used as a "heat bag" or an ice pack of sorts. This year, I made them some new Felt Flower Hairclips.

As you might imagine, with two little girls in the house, we like hair accessories. Honestly, I'm not a talented hairdresser, for myself or for my girls. I'd rather brush their hair and pop on a headband (aka "crown") or hairclip and call it good.

At our house, we do have a preference for flower hairclips. When Lucie was just an itty bitty, I made my first felt flower hairclip to keep her crazy bangs out of her face. It was easy to make -- I just glued together two flower shapes cut from felt, added a couple of felt leaves on the back and a rhinestone in the center of the flower. She wore that clip all the time. It was just about the only hairstyle that I could do with her hair. 

This past December, I shared how to make a simple Satin Flower Hairclip. These are a bit fancier...and a bit more dangerous to make since you use the flame from a tea candle.

My latest version of the flower hairclip is simple. To make them, you'll need the following:

• felt in at least two colors - one for the petals and one for the leaves
• scissors
• hot glue gun
• metal hairclip 

Instructions:

Using the flower petal felt, cut out eight ovals. Mine measured about 1.5 inches by 1 inch. Then, cut out five felt circles. Mine measured 1 inch across. Using the leaf felt, cut out a couple of leaves.

Apply a small bead to the bottom of a felt oval and press the sides together. It will pucker the petal a bit. Do this to all of the ovals.

Take one felt circle and apply glue around about 1/4 of the circle. Press the puckered end of two ovals onto the glue. Repeat all the way around the circle until all eight petals are affixed to the circle. You now have the base of the flower.

Take a felt circle and fold it in half, and then in half again. Place a small drop of glue on the pointed end of the folded circle. Press onto the center of the flower. Repeat with the other circles until you've created the center of the flower.

Flip the flower over and apply a line of glue where you want your metal hair clip to go. Open the clip and glue on the top side of the clip. Slip the felt leaves between the two prongs and make sure they adhere to the backside of the flower.

Make It Monday: Satin Floral Hairclips

I love it when I learn how to make something new from a friend. My dearest friend Jillian taught me how to make these little beauties. Every time I see one of my girlies wear one, I think of Jill and that is a very good thing.

Today, I'm going to share with you how to make these Satin Floral Hairclips for Make It Monday!

These Satin Floral Hairclips are really easy -- and inexpensive -- to make. They are also versatile. You can use them as a hairclip, of course, but also as a gift package topper or if you add a pin it can be worn as a broach.

First, a disclaimer here. This craft is of a somewhat dangerous nature because it involves using fire. Please use caution. I am not responsible for any mishaps that may occur while replicating this craft. Boom. There it is.

Materials Needed:

• Costume Satin - the feel of this can vary. What is shown here is of a stiffer nature. While it was easier to cut, I do prefer the feel of a softer costume satin. Feel free to experiment.
• Scissors
• Tea light & match
• Needle & thread
• Rhinestone or other embellishment
• Hot Glue Gun
• Metal hair clip

Instructions:

1. Cut out three satin circles of diminishing size - Large, Medium and Small. Make sure that your largest one is bigger than the hair clip you want to use. You don't want to be able to see the clip on the finished product.
2. Light a tea light. Very carefully melt the edges of each circle by holding the fabric close to, but not in, the flame. This will keep the fabric from fraying. Then, hold the circle above the flame to pucker the fabric. Repeat this over several parts of the circle. Be careful not to scorch the fabric (or light it on fire, obviously).
3. Once your circles are edged and puckered, stack them on top of each other by size with the smallest on top. With your needle and thread, stitch the three circles securely together. Tie off on the backside.
4. Use the glue gun to adhere a rhinestone or other embellishment in the center of the flower.
5. Cut out a small fabric oval shape that is as long as the prong on the hairclip. Seal the edges with the tealight just as you did the circles. Then, sandwich this between the two prongs of the hairclip.
6. Apply some more hot glue to the back of the flower where you want the hairclip to go. Place the hairclip and the fabric oval securely over the glue. The fabric oval will prevent glue from sticking to the other prong of the hairclip...you know, so it will actually open as a hairclip.

Hints:

• To make a circle easily, fold a square of satin into fourths, hold onto the folded corner and cut an arch from one side to the other. Open up, and you've got a circle.
• Speed up the preparation by making several circles at one time. Just stack layers of satin and cut multiple circles at once. They don't have to be perfect since you'll be making them uneven with the fire anyway.
• While little girls love these hairclips, I don't recommend that you let them get anywhere near the fire. However, you can involve them by letting them pick out colors of the fabric and embellishments.

For other inexpensive homemade gift ideas, check out my archive of other Make-It Monday posts. For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Make It Monday: Paper Bead Necklaces

Welcome back to Make It Monday! Over the next few Mondays, I'll be sharing some ideas for homemade gifts as I have done the past two holiday seasons. (For ideas from the past years, check out my Make It Monday page.)

Today I'll be sharing a little tutorial on how to make a super-inexpensive (but cute) gift -- Paper Bead Necklaces!

Made with stretch elastic, these necklaces are a versatile gift. Depending on the length of necklace you choose to make, you can wear it as a long necklace, a double necklace (equal lengths or unequal lengths) or wrap around your wrist several times to make a bracelet.

You can make these out of magazine pages or any scrapbook paper you have laying around. The size of the bead will vary by your choice of paper and the size of your triangle. The necklaces shown here were crafted out of triangles that were 6-inches in height and made out of thick scrapbook paper. You can also add traditional beads to your creation. I chose to use some very inexpensive glass seed beads alongside my handcrafted paper beads.

Best of all, you really don't need any special tools...just a little time and patience.

Materials Needed:

• Scrapbook paper or magazine pages in the colors of your choosing
• Scissors (or paper cutter)
• Toothpick
• Glue Stick
• Modge Podge
• Paint Brush
• Stretch Bead Elastic (I found this for $2 at Walmart)
• Conventional Beads (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut your chosen paper into long thin triangles. The length of the bead will be equal to the bottom of your triangle. I used triangles that were 6 inches high and 1-inch, 3/4-inch and 1/2-inch at the bottom.
2. Apply glue stick to the side of the triangle strip that you do not want showing. Don't put glue at the fat end because that is where you will place the toothpick - you don't want the toothpick to stick to your bead. There you will place the toothpick and roll the paper tightly around the toothpick into a bead.
3. Press the bead firmly to secure the glue. Use more glue if necessary. (Note: Thicker paper will be more difficult to hold its shape.)
4. For bead durability, apply at least three coats of Modge Podge to each bead. Allow to dry 15-20 minutes between each coat. Allow to dry completely.
5. Unroll a length of beading elastic that is as long as you wish your necklace to be. Do not cut the elastic just yet. This will make it easier to keep the beads on as you strig them. String the finished beads in your desired pattern on the beading elastic. When all of your beads are on the elastic, take the cut end and tie it to the other end of the elastic that is still attached to the spool. Double or triple knot to secure the necklace. Snip the elastic off of the spool.

This is a great craft to do with your kids. Although crafting the beads may be too difficult for very young children, even preschoolers can help create patterns and string beads onto the elastic. Working together to make a gift makes the gift even more special.

Looking for more homemade gift ideas? Check out these Satin Floral Hairclips or my Make It Monday Archive.

Do you have any homemade gift ideas? Share in the comments.

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This post is linked to Frugal Friday. For other money-saving ideas, visit LifeasMOM on Fridays.

Make-It Monday: Personalized Shirts

Okay, I admit it. I slacked off. I neglected to post an idea last week for Make-It Monday last week. I'm so sorry!

My excuse? Well, things got a little nuts with our road trip to Oregon, the ensuing recovery period and then the preparations for my hubby's bday and our first family trip to Disneyland. Sadly, Make-It Monday slipped through the cracks. But, I'm back today with another gift idea.

But first, let's recap the previous Make-It Monday ideas:

• Homemade Playdough Set
• Family Calendars
• Morning Out Kit
• Romance Kit
• Pizza Night Kit

Today, I'm returning to the child-theme again. I confess, I haven't actually made this particular gift, but I have been the recipient of two, or rather my girls were. It's a super-cute and frugal gift - personalized shirts!


When Lucie was born, Naomi, an out-of-state friend, made these cute t-shirts for the girls. Being a mother of multiple kids herself, Naomi not only sent a shirt for the newborn baby but one for the big sister as well. Although they may be low in cost, they are high in the cuteness factor!

All you need is a plain white shirt, a pencil, a needle and some colored embroidery thread. Rather than using just a plain Hanes t-shirt, Naomi used shirts that had a more stylish looking sleeve. I think that they were probably only a few dollars -- I bought some similar ones from Walmart when Ella was little and I remember them being inexpensive.

Directions:

1. Using the pencil, lightly sketch out the child's name on the shirt using small x's. You could look for a cool looking font on the computer and try to replicate it by hand. (Naomi used a more girly-looking script that I just love!)
2. Using the needle and thread, cross-stitch over the small x's to form the name. For more visual interest, use different colors for each letter.
3. You can wash the shirt to remove any visible pencil marks.

Cyber Holiday Shopping Ideas

I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving and time with your loved ones. We just had a whirlwind trip up to Oregon and back in less than a week. It was good to be with family but the drive from California is a killer.

Hopefully, you were able to drop in yesterday for Make-It Monday for the 4th week of homemade gift ideas. I'll continue posting some ideas up until Christmas for those looking for a handmade touch to their gifts. However, now that the holiday shopping season is officially on with the passing of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I thought that I'd share some ideas of gifts that are handmade...by other people. I confess, I know all of the artists described below and have seen their work first-hand. Actually, I own something from each of them and love what I own. If you're looking for a gift with a special touch, why not check out their sites to see if there is something to your liking?!

Artwork by Peter K. Mathios: We are blessed to have Peter in our family. He truly has a wonderful talent. Over the years, I've seen many of his paintings up close -- they are truly amazing. He is the 2009 International Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year AND his one of his painting recently tied for 7th place in the 2010 Federal Duck Stamp Contest. Yes, original paintings don't really fall in the "frugal" category. But, his art is a great value. He sells large original pieces as well as prints. I love his new "Ending Rain", a 16 x 24 giclee print ($285) - seen above! Oh, and his "Spring Chickens", a 7 x 11.5 giclee print, will be available in January ($195). I so admired the original and I'm excited that it is now available as print!

For someone who wants an original for the price of a print, his original small daily paintings are perfect. I love his new "High Skies Mallard, 5 x 5 acrylic ($245) - seen above.

For those on a budget, you can get a sampling of several of his paintings with his set of 4 Thirstystone Coasters featuring Waterfowl artwork (only $20) or his Birds book that features over 60 color images ($40)!

Ebooks by Jessica Fisher (aka FishMama): My big sister Jessica has three downloadable ebooks available -- all food related. You can download them instantly and create a gift around them:

Cooking with Kids or Pretty. Cool. Cakes. : Download the ebooks ($4 each or $6 for both) and have them bound for $3 - $5. Then, add onto the gift with cooking utensils. Target has a child-size baking kit (rolling pin, cookie cutters & whisk) for just $2.50. A child-size apron would be great too! I recently created a rather large gift basket for a Silent Auction around these two cookbooks. Check it out here for some other ideas of what you could include.

Muffin Kit: I saw this on her blog LifeAsMom the other day and I just LOVE it! This $1 download is a super easy and frugal gift idea. The download includes the recipe, printable gift cards and instructions on how to make a Muffin Kit.

Bedazzled Hair Clips by Jamie: Jamie is my other wonderfully, creative big sister. Everything she creates is just beautiful. I have one of her hair clips and it adds just a bit of "fancy". (Okay, so really it was Ella's hair clip and I've swiped it.) Jamie also uses high-quality Swarovski crystals in her hair clips. You can pay big bucks for something similar in a department store...but just $7 (plus shipping) through Jamie's etsy shop. You could even use one of these hairclips as a gift AND as a creative way to decorate a package.

And speaking of Etsy, it is a great place to shop for handmade items and support a small business owner! They make it easy to find just what you want. There you can search by category or even by color. Say you have a sister who loves chartreuse. Just type chartreuse into the search engine and up pops items from all categories with that word in their listing. Even if the word search doesn't lead you to the perfect item...it might lead you to the perfect shop. And even if you can afford something that you see, browsing might give you the inspiration you need to make your own handmade gift.

Make-It Monday: Romance Kit

Welcome to Week #4 of "Make-It Monday" -- a place to get some ideas for homemade or semi-homemade gifts. Over the past few weeks, I've shared some ideas for gifts for the young children, family members and ladies in your life. Well, what about gifts for men?!

Yes, that was my very question last year! For the past few years, we have been gifting my husband's family members with homemade or semi-homemade gifts at Christmas. Usually, we come up with an idea and make different versions of the same gift for each person or couple. Well, last year I had plans to make "Morning Out Kits" for the ladies in my husband's family as well as for one of my sisters. Although their husbands might have enjoyed a coffee gift card, I didn't see them enjoying a fabric coffee sleeve or embellished journal. So, I had to get creative. I needed to create a gift that would be welcomed by a talented wildlife artist, a former youth pastor turned assistant director of a consulting company, computer systems administrator, and a general contractor. They've got various interests but one thing in common. They love their wives. So, I enlisted my husband's help and created a Romance Kit!

In our version of the kit, we included:

• A card explaining the gift (authored by my husband -- I didn't think it would come across as well if it came from me. You know, a woman telling another man that he should romance his wife? Yeah, that's a job better suited to my husband.)
• A mini bottle of champagne. You should be able to find mini bottles of nicer bottles of champagne in a liquor store or somewhere like World Market or BevMo. However, you should be able to find a 4-pack of Cook's champagne at your local grocery or drug store...at least in California you can.
• Some chocolate. My preference is Lindt Lindor Truffles or Ghiradelli Squares are nice too! You can buy one bag and split it among several gifts. Or, a mini box of chocolates would be great too. See's Candy sells a small Mini Holiday Fancy Box (through fundraisers) that would fit the bill nicely.
• A candle. I purchased a multi-pack of small tea light candles in glass holders and put one in each gift. Right now, candles are going on sale at drug stores. You should be able to get them very inexpensively - probably even 50% off for holiday scents. (I think Rite Aid has that sale going on this week.)
• Massage Oil. You can purchase a multi-pack of six small bottles (0.5 ounce) of KY Touch Massage Oil in various scents.

This makes a pretty frugal gift if you make several of them and spread the expense across them all. Plus, there isn't really much handmade about it at all -- just buy the various items, write a card and package it up.

It would also be a good gift for newlyweds or new parents who need time to reconnect. You could easily turn it into a Date Night gift by throwing in a gift card to a restaurant and an offer of babysitting. What parent wouldn't love that?

I'm not sure how many of my recipients actually used the gift (yeah, I didn't ask), but it was good for a laugh. Especially, when they read the card that was authored by my husband (here's what he wrote):

Okay, here's the deal.

Your wife has received a "Woman's Morning Out Kit".

She thinks this gift is for her, but in reality when she comes home she will be ready for an...

EVENING WITH HER MAN.

It is in fact, just part 1 of 2 gifts designed for you, her husband.

When she comes home, she'll be all fulfilled and warm inside from all of her introspection and self-reflection. Now is the time to turn on the charm and use your kit:

Have the champagne chilled, the candle lit, and the chocolates and massage oil out.

Oh, and make sure the kids are in bed or at their friend's house.

Good luck and have a Merry Christmas!

Make-It Monday: Family Calendars

Welcome back to Make-It Monday where I share with you some ideas for homemade (or semi-homemade gifts)! Last week, I talked about an easy Playdough Kit for kids. Today, I'm going to talk about a gift that I have enjoyed receiving AND giving to others -- Family Calendars!

Years ago when she was a new stay-at-home mom with a limited budget, my sister Jessica made calendars for everyone in our family. Using the scrapbooking supplies she had at home, various family photos (some old, some new) and computer software, she created personalized calendars. She even added all of our birthdays on it as well. I absolutely loved mine and still have it to this day, 10 years later. This page in particular got me -- me as a baby with my Grandpa John and sister Jamie. Old family photos are soooo wonderful to intersperse with more recent ones. They can just inspire an "ahhhh" and bring back special old memories.

When my husband and I were dating and he was a starving graduate student, he enlisted my help in creating calendars for his family. Together, side by side, we crafted similar calendars for his parents and siblings. On a funny sidenote, Brett strategically placed a photo of a particular family member and his then-girlfriend strategically early in the calendar betting that they wouldn't last through to the end of the year. (They didn't.) When he put OUR picture on the December page, I said "How do you know we'll still be together in December?" he just smiled and said "We will." Little did I know that he'd propose just a couple of days later!

Anyway, as expected, the calendars were a hit with Brett's family and they requested them again the next year. Since they weren't reuseable in the way that we originally designed them, we decided to change the format somewhat the following year. We designed the month name/photo page with photo corners so that the photo could be swapped out in future years. The actual monthly calendar was printed on a separate page, trimmed down and affixed to the bound calendar with photo corners as well. Then, in subsequent years, we could just gift them with additional calendar pages and indivdual photos rather than scrapbooking an entire calendar. It allowed us to continue the tradition without having to labor over the details.

For a basic calendar, you need:

• 13 pieces of thick cardstock
• computer software to design your calendar
• scrapbook paper for embellishments
• family photos
• glue or photo corners

1. Design the calendar on the computer and include important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
2. Print the calendar on 12 sheets of cardstock (landscape orientation). Collate the pages and place another blank piece of cardstock on top. The blank piece will be your cover page.
3. Decorate the cover page and the individual month pages with photos, quotes or verses and the name of the month. (These will be the blank sides of the calendar pages.) It's always nice to coordinate your photos with events in the month.
4. Have the calendar bound at a store like The UPS Store, Staples, Copy Max or FedEx Kinkos.

If you don't have computer software to design your calendar easily OR if you're not all that great with preparing documents on the computer, check out my 2010 Printable Photo Calendar Kit in my Etsy shop. It's a printable PDF that includes the 12 monthly calendars plus different options for the cover and month title pages for just $4. Want to add your own personalized dates? A personalized version is also available for just $7. Plus, you can print as many copies as you like!


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For other money saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at Life As Mom every Friday for one of Jessica's tips as well as links to other bloggers' ideas!

What I've been doing...

I've been meaning to blog. Really, I have. But earlier this year, I signed up to be "Room Mom" for Ella's preschool class and apparently that has some responsibilities! Every year the preschool has a Harvest Party & Silent Auction to raise much-needed funds for the school. It is a lot of fun for the kids and the main source of income for the "extras" that the school couldn't otherwise afford. As Room Mom, my job was to put together a gift basket to donate to the Silent Auction. Inspired by my sister's e-books, I decided to do a Cooking / Baking with Kids basket. Once I got the idea, I was obsessed with it and constantly thinking and deciding what would be the most judicious of our $55 budget. This is what I came up with:

In the basket, we were able to include:

• "My Recipe Book" Binder: I collected a recipe from every student in the class and put it in a small binder with category dividers and extra recipe sheets.
• Bound copies of Fishmama's Guide to Cooking with Kids and Pretty. Cool. Cakes (thanks Jessica for the donation!)
• An adjustable AND reversible child-size apron. I made this little baby myself. I'm not the world's best seamstress, but this apron was a cinch to do and turned out adorable. It has alphabet fabric on one side and chartreuse green on the other.
• Cook It In A Cup: Quick Meals and Treats Kids Can Cook in Silicone Cups with 6 silicone cups
• Cooking utensils including a Fiesta Head Chefs Whisk. I LOVE the Head Chefs. They are a bit pricey ($10 per utensil), but they are hilarious! It was a splurge item for the basket but I couldn't resist it's cute little bendable arms & legs and suction cup feet.
• Polder Upscale Chicken Kitchen Timer
• A "Love" Shaker: This is just a little salt shaker that I adorned with stickers that spelled LOVE. Parents and kids can use it to shake a little of the special ingredient "love" into their recipes.
• Menu Planning Notepad & Recipe Cards
• Cookie Cutters
• Serving Tray (used instead of a basket)
• And not visible in the photo were measuring cups & spoons, individual pizza pans, kitchen towel, mini rolling pin

Although it took some time out of my schedule, it was pretty fun to do and I was pleased with the results. Since I had some extra fabric, I was able to make an apron for Ella as well. She was quite thrilled with it. An apron with some cooking-themed items like those listed above would make a great gift for any "little chef".

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Peet's Coffee

It was almost ten years ago that I was introduced to Peet's Coffee and Tea. Back then I was a typical starving college student at UCSB and had just returned from a year abroad. In the year that I was gone, Peet’s had arrived in Santa Barbara, and my sister Jessica and her hubby Bryan had become addicted to the stuff. They had recently relocated two hours north of Santa Barbara and no longer had access to Peet’s on a regular basis. So, although I did not usually drink coffee, I became their supplier. Each time I went to visit them, I would bring a pound or two of Peet’s coffee beans in exchange for my sister’s homecooked meals. I’m not even sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way, I changed from a simple supplier of coffee to a Peet’s coffee drinker.

Unfortunately, we don't have a Peet's here in town. But, we usually stop at the store in SB when we're down there for a cup or to pick up some beans. For those not close enough to a store, Peet's is available online and provides fairly quick shipping. I don't often order online because I hate to pay for shipping. But, until May 6th you can get free shipping on a $40 purchase if your order includes something in their Mother's Day collection. So, if the mother in your life enjoys quality coffee or tea, consider giving the gift of Peet's! To view their Mother's Day collection, go here. To take advantage of this offer, enter coupon code 8MDGWEB in your cart at checkout. Details of this offer are available at www.peets.com