Baby Shower Invitations

"Only when you give from the heart
does it make the giving whole."
- Stephen Richards

Cute as a Button Baby Shower Invitations

I love doing things for people.  So when I was asked to make some baby invitations, I thought, why not give it a shot.  They all were time consuming, so I don't think I could ever do this on a large scale basis, but they were a lot of fun!

I stuck to the mommy to be's colors of green and gray she chose for the nursery.  As I had never done this before, I hit the internet and tried to recreate some professional designs.  She chose the first invite, which was the easiest to duplicate, so I was thankful for  that as she had about fifty people invited.  

Equipped with a hot glue gun, I used a variety of card stock from Michaels for all three as well as embellishments and stamps.   I found the glitter buttons in the sewing section, the gray stickie gems in the sticker section, the little green stars in the tack section.  I printed the text off my computer.

Grieving Basket

"Give yourself entirely to those around you.  

Be generous with your blessings.  

A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal."

- Steve Maraboli - Life, the Truth and Being Free

Recently, a coworker lost her father, and unfortunately a few months prior she lost her brother.  I wanted to do something to let her know i was thinking of her and something that would provide her a semblance of comfort during such a difficult time, and an idea immediately came to mind - a grieving basket.

There is a wonderful store in Temecula, CA called Lady of the Lake, with lots of spiritual and metaphysical trinkets (I could seriously live in this store).  With just a bit of time, I was able to put together a basket brimming with a plethora of healing and soothing items.

Grieving basket

Included Tazo calming, decafinated tea, from Starbucks; an Archangel stone; Healing stones; Dahlila McKnight's Memory roots to plant in memory; a Reiki Energy Charged Healing candle; Hope Bath Salts; and Little Messages of Comfort book from Barnes and Noble.

We are both teachers, so I wrapped it up in ribbon from our school colors.  She had taken bereavement, and this was a pleasant surprise awaiting her when she came back.  It brought strength, relaxation, and comfort during such a sorrowful time.

Why I Give

“I must be willing to give whatever it takes to do good to others. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me, and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.” 

― Mother Teresa

I love giving.  I love shopping for gifts for others, but more importantly I love making homemade gifts.  Giving makes me happy.  I feel fulfilled when I give to others, when I show the ones I love they are important to me.  I get a thrill knowing I have done something thoughtful and selfless for someone else, something to make the sun in their lives shine a little brighter, or the rain to cleanse rather than drench.  In this blog, I would like to share all my gift ideas and hope I encourage and create ideas for you to give to others as well.  Enjoy and feel free to steal ideas or pin, just please provide credit to the blog.  Thank you and start giving!