Here are a few fun ideas from the past week:
- Krista, my sister-in-law, made a couple hundred suckers for Eliza’s wedding. Suckers are a family favorite, especially since Krista puts gumballs in the center of her suckers. What a clever idea to make your own blow pops. I’m going to do that next time.
- For a new baby gift to a family of six children I gave the gift of “keeping the brothers and sisters busy” instead of something new for the baby. I supposed that they already have plenty of baby clothes as the new baby is brother number five, so I filled a little plastic crate with $tore items like bouncy balls, old maid/crazy eights/matching cards, silly putty, rubber band bracelets, sidewalk chalk, blow pops, book with cd and stickers, and pixie sticks. (I had hoped for a treasure chest look or feel, but it more resembled the guts of a piñata.) I added a gallon of ice cream and some ice cream cones, too. The little kids were so excited when I delivered it along with supper to their family.
- I went to the post office a week ago and Postmaster Phil laughed when he saw the package. He said, “I always love to see what you’re going to try to send through the mail.” I was relieved that he didn’t think the idea was stupid, and even more relieved when my niece received them and then went straight out to buy some to send to her friends. I saw the idea on Givers Log to mail a pair of flip-flops as is with the address written in a permanent marker on the inside sole of the shoe. Phil weighed them and affixed the postage. The only thing was that I forgot to send one flip-flop one day and the other flip-flop the next day so that she got a random surprise one day and then could anticipate receiving the other. Someone at the post office tried to be helpful and put a rubber band around them so that they arrived together. My niece didn’t know it was supposed to be any different and loved the idea anyway.
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| www.justsomethingimade.com |
- The last idea is to run a paper lunch bag through your printer. Who knew? I love the free graphics from Just Something I Made and she suggested the idea. I tried it and printed a tomato on a sack. Oh, oh, oh . . . the possibilities are endless.
9 comments:
What great ideas Janey Payney!! You are so thoughtful- those kids have now become Janer Payner's for life!!
Had a blast last nite- we need to do that again!!
Okay - so I have to know about these homemade suckers. Are they melted chocolates in molds, because I can do those. Are these ones candy though, (instead of chocolate???) If it is candy, can you pretty please email me the recipe? Maxwell is having a candy birthday party in a few months and I would love to do these!
that paper lunch sack idea is WONDERFUL. What a great idea!
I'm sorry Marie. I should have included the sucker recipe
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/2 Cup water
1/2 tsp flavoring
food coloring
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water and cook over medium heat until 300 degrees (or the hard crack stage). Take off heat and add flavoring and food coloring. Pour into greased molds with sucker sticks. Drop gumballs into the hot suckers. Let cool.
I hope that helps.
If you don't have sucker molds, we used to always just pour little puddles of the hot syrup onto well greased cookie sheets and add sucker sticks. They aren't as thick, but they are just as good.
You are simply amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
I asked Krista how she made her suckers look creamy instead of clear and she said, "in the cake decorating section you will find a plastic bottle of white food coloring (looks like a bottle of acrylic paint). I think it is just suppose to be used for frosting , but it works for suckers. You have to stir it really quickly after you put it in."
Thanks Krista.
I'm going out to buy paper bags today. Love it! I'll be back in town Sept. 1-9. Hope to see you!
I will definitely have to remember the gift for the older children. Every mother knows that that is the best gift the mother could receive, too!
I love the idea of printing on paper sacks. I have never done it, but I want to!
I've printed on paper sacks before and one time I printed invitations on them. I'm with you "the ideas are endless....."
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