December is largely considered the month of gifting, but
here’s an idea that I think would be useful the whole year round—whether for
birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Veteran’s Day, anytime you’d like a
little way to say “I love you” to someone special.
To create, all you need are a few fillers, a cup, and about
10 minutes!
For this project, I chose three cups (a good sized manly one
for my Dad; a pretty flowered one for Mama, and a lovely shaped cup for my
sister Hannah.) I found them at Wal-Mart. Next, I headed across the store and
collected fillers: it being wintertime, I decided on hot chocolate, apple
cider, and toppers: several rich chocolates.
Once at home, I spread everything out and removed several
rather stubborn barcode stickers. (A fingernail brush and water works really
well for getting all that sticky stuff off, by the way!)
Determine what sort of arrangement you want in each cup. If
you use hot cocoa/cider packets, it helps to roll them up or fold to fit.
Place gently into cup, experimenting with various locations,
orders, etc. Make a pleasing arrangement that displays the contents. Then if
you chose little toppers, go ahead and stick those in where they’ll fit.
And there’s the completed gift!
What I love about this idea is that it demonstrates thought
(as all personalized gifts do) while bringing together usefulness (the cup will
last long after its contents have been enjoyed) and charm (the special contents
and the design of the cup.) I can think of so many variations to this that
would make those you love smile. For summertime, it could be a handled jar with
lemonade mixes, gumdrops, maybe sunscreen or chapstick even! A tea aficionado might like a tea kettle or tea pot with special tea bags, maybe a whole
leaf brewer, honey, etc. An ill person would appreciate a uniquely crafted bowl
with dried soup mixes, noodles, and perhaps a spoon.
Use the personality of the receiver to dictate what goes
into the gift. And remember that it’s not the cost of something, it’s the time
and thought you put into it.
I would love to hear about your simple, inexpensive gift ideas!
There are countless ways to express God’s love without breaking the bank, while
making someone’s day brighter. I encourage you to do all you can to share His
smile everyday.
