***I keep forgetting to announce the winner of the $50 Home Goods/TJ Maxx gift card here on the blog. I put it on Facebook, but guess the holidays are making me a little scatterbrained! The lucky winner is comment #80–Kristin R.–and her card is in the mail to her as I type. Thanks so much to everyone who entered!***
Less than two weeks until Christmas! Are you all finished with your shopping? I’ll be done by the end of this weekend, or else!
It seems like every year I get caught needing a small and fast gift for someone. I like to give a little something to our neighbors, Sunday School teachers, Bible Study leaders, the kids’ tutors at their homeschool enrichment program, the mail lady, my decorating clients, friends, ballet/karate teachers, and, wow, the list sometimes seems endless. While I love and appreciate all of them, a $10 gift card for each of them would break my gift budget, and there’s no faster way to ruin the holiday fun!
So, because I love you and I want your holiday to be happy and stress-free, here’s a list of my favorite small~but fabulous~presents. If I include a recipe, I have USED IT repeatedly and can vouch for it:
1. Peppermint Bark, from the recipe on the McCormick Peppermint Extract box (even though I often use Trader Joe’s or Watkins extracts). The recipe is {here}. Here are my changes: I use 12 oz bags of Wilton’s White Candy Melts (buy them in the cake decorating aisle) and microwave them. I then use red food coloring only and stir it in along with the peppermint extract. I spread the mixture into a foil-lined jelly roll pan (1 bag covers 1/2 of the pan) and sprinkle the top with crushed peppermint. Once it’s hardened I package it up–presentation is everything! 
1 bag of candy melts equals two finished gift bags, in my world. I make this every. single. year. Enjoy!
2. Homemade liquor–the key to surviving the holiday! See my blog post{here} for recipes for yummy homemade limoncello, raspberry vodka, and kahlua. There’s still time to make them! Plus, there’s a link to cute homemade labels for you to print out and use.
3. Rhinestone Monogrammed Ornaments: This was a Pinterest favorite for me this year, and my go-to gift. I bought the ornaments on 50% sale at Hobby Lobby, along with ribbon, gorgeous silver hangers, and the silver letter stickers (I found mine in the scrapbooking aisle). I made a couple of dozen of these (they were a little simpler than the ones pictured below). Here’s a link to a great tutorial at the Creativity Exchange: {rhinestone monogrammed ornaments}
Rhinestone Monogrammed Ornament by The Creativity Exchange
4. Homemade Bath Salts: My recipe is {here}. Give these with an old silver spoon from the thrift store tied in the ribbon for extra pizazz!
Homemade Lavender and Ginger Bath Salts
5. Homemade Sharp Mustard: My recipe is {here} and it is fast, easy, and GOOD (thanks, Aunt Diane!). Amy made us printable labels to dress up the finished product.
Sharp Mustard Recipe
6. Bath and Body Works Foaming Anti-Bacterial Soap: I buy these in bulk at the beginning of the season (Twisted Peppermint is my favorite). When you buy them 7 for $20 and use a coupon, they’re a great deal. Pair them with a cute guest towel and you’re good to go! Or, buy the candle and use this free printable from our girlfriends at For Chic Sake to monogram it! (They have other gorgeous free printables that would make great gifts, too.)
Customizable Candle Wrap from For Chic Sake
I have a few other go-to ideas, but I’m thinking maybe I should do a Part 2 to this post so I don’t overwhelm you! In the meantime, this should give you a good start on last-minute gift ideas.
Thanks for stopping by!
