Tag: birthday

• Playmobil Farm and Tractor Gift- How To Transform It Into Something Extra Special

  

  Adults sometimes forget that when a children's gift  involves a kind of transportation, they should consider whether or not they should do anything about terrain.  Train and race car sets certainly benefit from terrain and tracks.  And when you are buying the Playmobil Farm and Tractor as a gift set, you aught to consider including a garden crop mat that would be in proportion with the farm and tractor so that they could be used together.   The  gift would become  extra special, some might say, even transformed!  This article will give you more details and even begin to describe how you'd make one!  It will also explain the significance of this Christmas scene from 1965 and the cardboard market.

  If you would like to know more about how to make a garden crop mat, I have a book available at Amazon which will walk you through how to do it, step by step.  

   

   

   

   

  May 21, 2013

  birthday, child, children, creativity, crop, farm, field, garden, gift, hand made, imagination, mat, Playmobil, present, special, toy, tractor

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• More Meaningful Birthday Party Decorations

  

  My dad is turning 75 tomorrow and we are having a little celebration at the house today.  I went to iParty to get some decorations and learned that the special birthday number balloons and decorations stop at 60!  I'm assuming the demand, historically,  drops off for these later birthdays.  But, with more and more of us being healthier at these later ages, perhaps we will see a change with what is offered going forward.

  Even if this does happen, or if you are preparing for an earlier or significantly advanced age special birthday, you may want to consider doing what I ended up doing with Dad's birthday, making a combination of store bought decorations with your customizations.

  These pretty stars were purchased at iParty for $1.75 each.  I went through pictures of Dad and picked my favorite ones.  These were then scanned, printed and glued to the center of the stars. Next, several short catchy phrases were created, printed and glued on.  It's  nice when you can rhyme.  For example:  "High Five You're Seventy Five!" and "Oh My You're 75!".

  To continue the star theme, a large mylar balloon was purchased for $11 which has room for adding the birthday number and the person's name.   These customizations can be added with a special marker or number and letter stickers.

  Decorations put together with this kind of thought end up being a special kind of gift for the person celebrating the birthday as well as  their friends and family.

   

  July 20, 2012

  100th, 105th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 50th, 55th, 60th, 65th, 70th, 75th, 80th, 85th, 90th, 95th, balloon, birthday, celebration, customization, decorations, gift, IParty, milar, mylar, party, present, special, thoughtful

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• Some Soaps Are So Nice!

  

  Did you know that there is a wide range of quality in soaps?  The same can be said for soap purpose.  All, of course, need to clean.  Some may be better at getting rid of very greasy grime.  And others could be great moisturizers.  Some  serve as a deodorant or perfume. 

  Among my most favorite soaps are  triple milled soap or French milled soap.   As I understand it, milling essentially involves combining a fatty acid (oil or fat)  with sodium hydrochloride.  This mixture then is dried into crystals which are rolled  three times between large stainless steel rollers.  When a paste has formed, it's put into soap molds and dried.  Milling  makes the soap texture really smooth and hard, which causes it to last longer.  And, it also distributes the color and fragrance very evenly. 

  I love to give this kind of soap for gifts.  Christmas, birthday, hostess, etc.  Adding some beautiful linen or cotton guest towels creates an especially lovely present. 

  Shop around before making any purchases.   You can pay a lot of money for just one bar of soap like this.   I've seen them as high as $18.  TJ Maxx has some great prices for soaps of this kind.   The bars shown here are only $3.99 – $4.99 there! 

  July 7, 2012

  birthday, cheap, Christmas, french, gift, Home Goods, hostess, inexpensive, italian, marshalls, milled, present, soap, t.j. maxx, TJ Maxx, triple

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• Video of How To Tie An Oblong Scarf Into An Ascot

  Ever wish you could see exactly how to make a great, classic scarf tie?  You've come to the right place!  Here is a wonderful one:

  
   

   

  May 2, 2011

  animal, birthday, Cougar, get well, gift, jungle, Just Because, leopard, present, print, sending flowers alternative, silk scarf, womens

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• What You Can Use To Reflect How You Feel Or Want To Feel Inside

  I'm not exactly sure why, but  I have always bought scarves  that seem to reflect how I feel or want to feel inside: happy, beautiful, vibrant, and special.    Certain ones seem to be so perfect year after year for those formal important things like job interviews or weddings.    But, I also like to wear particular scarves for fun, casual things, like apple picking in October or going to a surprise birthday party.  Wearing a scarf is uplifting for you and sometimes even for the people you are with!

  It's not that different for me when it comes to music.  I listen to music that reflects how I feel or want to feel inside.  So what I like in music is pretty distinct and diverse.   I am crazy about:

  • "Early" music from these periods:
  • • Baroque (1600 – 1750), which  includes the work of these composers: Bach, Handel, and  Vivaldi
    • Classical (1750 – 1825) which includes the work of these composers:  Beethoven, Hayden and Mozart
    • Romantic (1825 – 1900) which includes the work of theses composers: Brahms, Chopin, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky
  • Beautifully structured rock. There are too many groups to name.  But it starts with early 1960s material (like the Beatles) and even continues through today (Lady Gaga!) 

  Music in particular is so powerful when it comes to being able to affect how you feel.  I can have the most draining day at work.  But on the way home, if I listen to a piece of music that is hopeful, energetic, and/or positive, I'm just about guaranteed to be heading in that direction by the time the song finishes.

  My dad studied music at Boston University, both voice and instrument (clarinet). He taught music  in public schools to children for many years in Massachusetts and Maine.  Although I learned to play flute and piccolo in the 1970s (and here I am in this concert photo- the flautist in the striped shirt),  I have minimal skill.

  My sister Sharon sings and directs choral music and teaches music to elementary school children at a private school in New Jersey.  She went to Westminster Choir College, has sung at Carnegie Hall a couple times and sounds like Jessye Norman. It's such a gift!  The next generation of children in my family could yield a couple musicians. 

  And if not, we'll make sure they will know how to enjoy and use music as much as their parents do.

  June 29, 2010

  anniversary, Baroque, beautiful, beethoven, birthday, Classical, early, job interview, job meeting, mozart, music, occasion, occasions, party, Romantic, special, vibrant, wedding, woman scarf, women’s scarf, womens scarves

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