I spent this past weekend adding three unique pieces to my glass collection. These pieces are seen below. In total, I paid five dollars for these three pieces, quite a deal I would say, since the purple one is Italian blown glass.

Glass is something that I have always adored. My house is filled with it ~ from huge pieces of furniture and mirrors, to collectible antiques. This was not an easy challenge with two kids, one huge dog and a overly frisky feline. For years, I had to keep my collectibles hidden in boxes so that they would not get broken.  Now that the children have grown, I have started to place my collectibles back on shelves where they belong and I have begun to slowly add more pieces to them.

Collecting these and other similar pieces over the years has had a surprising benefit that I was not expecting ~ many of these pieces are now considered valuable.  While I did not start collecting to make money and I do not really care about value, I now try to put a bit more effort into what I purchase because I have come to realize the importance of the value of my collectibles for future generations.  We do not know how important and valuable what we leave behind may become.  When I first started, I was looking for pieces that I thought were nice, I now look for both beautiful and valuable items to add to my collections.

Tip:  always buy silver and gold whenever it is available, even if its junk pieces, at the very least, you can sell it to a gold or silver dealer when you have enough of it to melt.

Do not be mistaken, antiques are not what I buy, I buy things that I want to add to my collections and hope that I find more valuable pieces. If your going to purchase antiques, you will have to spend hours doing research to make sure the piece is authentic.

Collections do not always have to be authentic as they turn  somewhat valuable on their own, due to the fact that you have a variety of pieces.

I have many different collections, but the largest of those are glass and candles.  Candles are hard to maintain value because once you light them, they are no longer useful.  Nothing looks nicer than a candle lit room.  It is always a hard decision whether to use them or not.  Personally, I always light them because the container is what adds most of the value to it.  I also have many smaller collections including; elephants, ceramics, fairies, famous quotes and salt and pepper shakers.  The salt and pepper shakers and elephants were actually my mother-in-laws collection and when she died, it was passed down to me, but in her memory I like to add to them once in awhile.

Do it yourself crafts, printable design photo albums and scrap booking are also very valuable collections.  Did you know that one of the most valuable priceless pieces in history was a Navaho quilt blanket?  Can imagine walking into get your craft appraised only to find out it is a priceless artifact that should be preserved in a museum.  It can and it does happen.

Part of being a crafty person and enjoying do it yourself projects is because I see the world from a different perspective.  With each piece I hold someone else’s story in my hand and that inspires me.  Never stop creating wondering things and collecting things that mean something to you, you never know if one day they will mean the world to someone else.  I hope that I have inspired you to think beyond your craft and see the value in what you do.

Blown Glass Circa 1960

Yesterday my family held a surprise dinner party for me because things have been a tad gloomy around here since my mother died.  The party was meant to boost my spirits and I cannot tell you how amazing it was to know that so many friends took the time to spend a few moments of their time with me. These are the things that life is made for and the moments that I live for. I will forever be grateful for the tons of laughs and special gifts that I received.

I loved every gift however, one particular gift captured my heart in a way that I cannot explain and not only because it came from my daughter, but because it showed me that she does know me rather well.

I was very proud of her attempt at creating this for me.

The gift I am talking about is a do it yourself plastic cube that my daughter turned into a family  memory block.  My daughter is not the most creative person, in fact, she fought me tooth and nail growing up to not have craft time, because she disliked doing them. I was touched that she took the time to create this by hand for me. The white and red sequence on the top matches my bedroom and while, I personally would have placed a printed design from Boutique Printables into the cube and made it a bit more colorful, I love it just the same.

I was in tears when I saw it, literally the thought is what counts when it comes to a gift like this.  What she said next was more than a mother could ever hope for.  She said, “Mom, I know I hated doing crafts when I was a child, but I always loved the things you make and often wished I could.  I decided to give it a try, it was fun and I realized that do it yourself gift making is contagious and I will try to do it more often.”  Knowing that I inspired my child to be creative ~ priceless!

This simple dollar gift meant more to me than all the wonderful gifts that I have received in my entire lifetime.  When I saw the picture of me holding her as a baby, it just made the gift even better and it inspired me to write this today.   It is amazing with a dollar plastic cube, some old family pictures a few decorations can do to make the perfect gift.  I suppose in some way that is why people simply love our personalized designs, you can do amazing things with them.

What will you create today?

Most people are aware that “Vapour rub”or “gelled menthol” is a very popular topical over the counter medicine that is used to treat mild breathing ailments. However, most people do not know that this product has several more practical every day uses as well.

In fact, menthol can be used for a variety of different things including; healing insect bites and helping horses to focus. Yes it is true, before a race, riders often help the horse to focus by placing a tiny amount of it under the horse’s nostril. Menthol has a strong scent that hides the odour of other horses and keeps the horse’s mind on the race and not on the foxy beauty next to it.  That is quite an interesting fact, don’t you agree?  Menthol has also been known to open sinus cavities and help people to breathe more easily.  This is what it is most commonly used for. 

Growing up, I was a sickly child. Mum always had menthol lying around the house, because it was literally the only way I could breathe. She would place a spoonful of it near a steam humidifier and this helped considerably. If it were not for the many nights I spent with an open bottle of menthol in my room, I probably would not have survived my childhood.  I can still remember her saying its perfectly fine to drink it, so long as you only use a little bit and you dilute it in water. This always made me feel uneasy since I knew that I had also taken a hot bath with the very same stuff, the night before. Mum was always coming up with new uses for it, however, mum’s remedies were always the best.

What I know now, that I did not know then, was that mum did not invent these remedies,  she just knew what ever other mum did, that there was a whole lot more to menthol than meets the eye.

Here are some examples of what you can do with Menthol.

• Applying it to your feet provides night-time cough relief. Generously rub menthol all over your feet and cover your feet with socks, your cough will eventually subside because the heat from your socks will create vapours.
• Rubbing it on your chest allows you to breath more easily if you have sinus problems.
• Menthol not only opens your chest, it also helps to relieve sore aching muscles.
• If you suspect that you have nail fungus, rub it on your toenails, it will turn the nail black and eventually kill the fungus. As your toenail begins to grow, it will grow off and you will have fungus-free feet, if you continue this regiment.
• Cats and dogs do not like the smell of menthol, if you put it on places that you want to deter your pets from scratching or peeing on, this will help.
• Other known medical uses for menthol include, helping to remove splinters, easing headaches, healing minor cuts, burns and infections and it aids in preventing insect bites.
• Insects also dislike the smell and it is a natural insect repellent.

Epsom Salt Foot Rub:

While menthol is not a wonder drug, it can offer mild relief to someone suffering from colds, flu and other minor aches and pains. Menthol makes the perfect starting gift for a home-made get well gift basket.  It is very expensive, therefore, if you want to make more than one basket, you may want to create smaller fancy decorative jars and place some of it into the jar instead.

Make the jars and gift basket complete with personalized printable labels from Boutique Printables.  Printable labels like these add the perfect touch to any gift basket.  You can simply modify them to say “Get Well.”

If you want to make the basket even better, add jars or bags of Epsom Salts. Epsom salts go a long way to providing some of the same relief as menthol and can be used alongside it. There are a great deal of uses for Epsom Salts as well, but that is a story for another day.

Here are some other things you can add to a get well basket to make it perfect:

• Fruits and juice
• Vitamins
• Chicken Soup
• Over the counter pain reliever and cough medicine
• Lemon and Honey 
• Special Teas
• Cough Drops 
• Thermometer
• Mineral Water
• Books and Magazines
• Slippers and blankets

Nothing says love more than a remedy from mum and a personalized “Home Made Get well gift basket.”

Modern marriages and parenting is more about the building of a partnership; men are taking a more active role in the family and as a result, there seems to be a more logical progression towards hosting Jack and Jill bridal showers and Mom/Dad type baby showers for couples than there used to be. I, for one, am thrilled about this, it never really made sense to me to have the Dad of the new born baby sent away only to return later to pack up all the gifts.  How unfair is that?

Let’s face it, some bachelor and bridal parties can get way out of hand and end a marriage before it even starts.

Jack and Jill events help to avoid these types of situations from ever happening, because the bride and groom are both part of the celebration. Men are also encouraged to join in the festivities and this can mean a great deal more gifts for the future couple and or for the baby to be. It just makes a great deal more sense than drinking to the point of a wedding hangover ever did. Who ever came up with that idea?

The trend towards unisex type events creates a whole new challenge on how to decorate.  I have been asked many times, how do I decorate for a Jack and Jill type event? I thought it would be easier for me just to show you some examples.

While decorating is relatively the same, you may want to add a bit more masculine colors such as black, yellow and white.  This is a spectacular example of how even masculine colours can be elegant and appealing.

Less is more! Too many flowers and details will make the event seem all about “her.”  The trick is to create a balance of him and her like in this photo, the hearts make it hers, the drinks makes it his.

Lastly, make it neutral and make it fun.  This arrangement is just FUN, fun fun!

Do not forget when planning a unisex party to make sure the thank you gifts and party favours are created equally.

• Do you often make baked goods, crafts or home made gifts and decorate them with printable designs?
• Are you an avid scrapbook creator?
• Do you know what printable designs are used for?
• Can you use software programs like Photoshop, pic monkey or WordPress?
• Do you spend a great deal of your free time online?
• Have you heard of social media websites like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter?
• Can you use a few extra dollars in your pocket each week?

If you have answered yes to any or all of the above questions, you are probably the type of person who should be making money online.

Creativity is a hot commodity in this fast paced technological world of ours and it is only going to get bigger as the demand for more creative ideas grows each day. I never imagined that I would be running my very own online business simply because I have a tendency to “think outside the box.”  Some days I am truly amazed at how far I have come with little more than a passion for creative thinking and writing. For the first time in my life, I am doing something that I love and I could not be happier.  Oddly enough, I owe all of this to an illness that left me with little choice, I could not leave the house for weeks at a time.  That illness has since faded, but my business and passion for what I do continues onward.  I used to wake up every day dreading going to work, now I wake up each day ready to work.

Life is all about how you look at it, if you imagine your life like one of your craft projects,  you will begin to see that you can shape it into anything that you want depending on what you add to it.

If you are a crafty individual who can bake, create, write, draw or teach others how to do it, there is a way for you to make money online.

While you may not get rich, you can still make enough money to live comfortably and never have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the business world.

I believe that if your going to be on the computer all day long, you might as well make it worth your while.  Day in and day out, I see countless people wasting themselves away on the computer playing games, sharing music videos and posting silly cat pictures while complaining that they do not have enough money to live.  While I will not get into politics of that and I do not judge others, I will simply say that if some people put as much energy into working online as they do playing online, there would be no reason for them not to have money.

Here are some ways to make money online with little more than a bit of creative know how:

• Creating Graphic Designs
• Crafting Printable Designs
• Writing blogs, articles and website content
• Creating E-books
• ScrapBooking
• Do it yourself tutorials
• Blogging
• Social Media Management
• Affiliate Marketing or Reselling
• Typing and data entry
• Call center and technical support operations
• Order processing
• Virtual Assistants

None of these jobs entail having little more than a computer, some creativity and a bit of determination.  The hardest part about starting an online business is researching and getting it started, but once you do, I can promise you will never go back to working for someone else ever again.  My gift to you this mother’s day is my knowledge and I hope that you will use it to create your very own online business success story.  Boutique Printables is a true testament to the belief that even a stay at home mom with a simple zest for creating simple graphic designs can be a success.  Boutique Printables is a collection of many creative minds, each with their own individual talents and success stories.

Have you met our designers?

It is definitely time to get your best baking recipes out and start baking treats for mother’s day. Nothing says mother’s day quite like a homemade cake, however, it really depends on the health of your mum. If your mother is slightly older, you may have to consider dietary concerns such as sugars and fats alternatives when baking.

Adding some boutique printable cake toppers and printable designs like the ones below will personalize the cake and add that special added touch.

Here are my personal favourites from the Boutique Printables mother’s day collection:

Remember there are sugar substitutes that will baking for special diets a whole lot easier. As a diabetic myself, and self professed prophetic lover of chocolate, I had to learn the fine art of sugar substitution. While I have yet to find a recipe that truly works for me, I have made some pretty interesting new recipes that I have become fond of.

Baking tip for sugar substitution:

When using these types of sugar replacements, baked goods are dryer, therefore you need to add some form of liquid in order to keep the cake from drying out. Many people suggest using a small amount applesauce ~ unsweetened of course! The reason is because the sugar substitute does not melt like sugar and therefore it tends to dry out quicker.

Mum may not tell you that she wants a cake, in fact mums often say, “I do not want or need anything.” This is because mum does not want you to spend your money on them, but if make a cake, you won’t really have to.  If you cannot afford a gift, this is the best alternative.

Trust me, it is the one time of the year when, as a mum ,you are looking forward to it, because you did not have to bake it yourself. A small gift, dinner and a homemade cake is the perfect way to celebrate mother’s day.

I thought I would show you some mother’s day cake inspirations to inspire you to make your own creations. These are sure to invoke a “WOW” out of any mum and that is priceless!

While these may take a bit of time to make, a gift like this comes from the heart and your mum will know how much time you spent making it just perfect.

Party favours and thank you gifts are often seen as something that you provide for the women who attend events,but what if the event is a sporting banquet or golf tournament? In this case, there will be more men than women in attendance and you will need to plan accordingly.

via: http://www.incasagifts.com/A93002-Love-Is-Party-Dish-L.jpg

How do you address the issue of who receives party favours and thank you gifts when it comes to events? When preparing gifts for events, I always follow the standard rule of thumb and I try to stick with creating or buying more neutral type gifts.

The gifting rule is loosely based on the theory of probability and goes something like this:

The norm is to provide one gift for each single individual and/or couple. If you have 100 people in attendance, you may only have to provide gifts for 75 people if 50 of them are in a relationship (attending as a couple) and 25 of them are single. You will have to give one gift to each of the 50 couples and one gift to each single individual.

How do you determine what kind of gifts to provide? That is pretty simple ~ the female receives the gift in a couple situation, so most gifts can be female oriented.

You could easily make these with Boutique Printable chocolate wrappers

This is important to note when it comes to deciding which gifts to offer because if you only have a small set of gifts for men, you will most likely be giving them to the single men in attendance.  

Let us take a typical event scenario where you can split your guests into male and female. Chances are, when you do this, you will come out relatively even, it will not be exactly 50/50, but there will not be a huge significant difference. If you split that group even further, you will most likely end up with 60% of those individuals being in some form of relationship. That leaves the rest of the guests being 40% single. The single individuals can once again be split into groups that are probably going to be 20% male and 20% female. Men who are coupled, are expected to give the gift to his escort, girlfriend or spouse. This translates into the ratio for men type gifts being at only about 20-30%, under normal circumstances. The men’s factor is often ignored at events and this is really unfair, you should offer gifts to the men who attended as a single person afterall, they did pay for a ticket just like everyone else.

It is interesting to note, if the event is a sporting event or golf tournament chances are the ratio is more likely to be, 45% individuals in relationships, 35% single males and 20% single females. When it comes to sporting type events, the majority of gifts should be male oriented and the female is expected to give up her gift. The same scenario applies only in reverse.

In the best case scenario, you should create 30% male oriented gifts, 30% female type gifts and the other 40% being neutral gifts. If you keep to these strategies, you will most likely never miss giving a great gift to anyone.

Tips:

• Stick to neutral type gifts and you will never have to worry about this ratio at all.
• Throw in an extra 10% for kids, because there are always one or two lingering around.  
• This number will be significantly higher when the event is child and family oriented.  In that case, every child should receive a gift and you should plan accordingly. That means you will have gifts to provide for attendees and children.

Here are some ideas to what gifts you should provide for each category of individual.

Neutral type gifts include:

• Candles
• Candies and chocolates
• Hair Products
• Nuts (peanuts,etc.)
• Alcohol
• Glasses and Mugs
• Playing cards
• Novelties

Men prefer things like:

• Coloring books & crayons.
• Puzzles
• Mini Games
• Books
• Writing pads
• Mini Craft projects
• Glow Sticks
• DVD’s (movies, music, etc)
• Surprize bags
• Stickers

I think these are pretty neat too!

Whatever choice you make, one thing’s for certain, you must provide some type of door prize, party favour or thank you gifts if you want your event to be memorable. People will never forget the event if they have something to take home from it. That is the real reason for the gifts in the first place, so that people will remember to come to the next one, they are basically a nice form of date reminder.

Which one seen throughout this article is your favourite? I personally like candles, so I am somewhat biased, however, I wouldn’t mind a plate like the one above to have my berries on.

I have often been asked, “What are printables designs used for?” I have yet to find the perfect answer, because the truth is, they are used for some many things, it is hard to actually define what they are. The dictionary definition implies that they are printable (able to print on a computer printer) designs created by a graphic artist for the purpose of visually representing an idea or thought.

While that sounds like a great definition, it does not really quite cover the extent of the uses and demands for printable designs.

When Boutique Printables was created, we had a single purpose for our unique design creations. We wanted them to be simple, elegant and customized for each different individual.  We have accomplished that and so much more. Individuals have been using our printable designs to create things we never even dreamed of for quite some time now and we cannot be more proud of our efforts.

Printable designs can be used for things like:

• Party and event decorations
• Party and event promos, invitations and brochures
• Wrapping paper
• Party favours and thank you gifts
• Bag and chocolate bar wrappers
• Banners
• Scrap Paper
• Paper Mache
• Printable Artwork
• Printable Crafts
• Decoupage
• Photo Album inserts
• Calendars
• Note Pads
• ScrapBooks
• Craft Projects

How about some homemade gift tags?

Or book markers?

As you can see there are many uses for printable designs, and many reasons they are so popular.  What are your reasons for using them?

Some Boutique Printables Inspired designs:

Mother’s day happens to be in the middle of May and it is also always around my birthday. I am very lucky to be able to celebrate both of these special moments at the very same time.

In Canada, it is springtime. When I am visiting my children and writing from this corner of the world, I often sit on my deck in the middle of the mountains in my small country garden admiring what nature has to offer.  For mother’s day, I will receive perennials and trees as gifts to grow in the garden.  It is what I want, I am not a huge fan of cut flowers, while I think they are beautiful, I also think they are not the best choice for someone who is committed to helping the environment, such as myself.

The plants and trees that I have received as gifts over the year,  grow each year and I know that my family enjoys watching them change with every passing season.  I am hoping that someday when my grandchildren are older, I will be able to tell them that I planted these flowers so that one day they would see the world as I have.

Fresh cut flowers can be turned into great craft projects and potpourri, this is true, but I simply prefer plants and trees because they will last a very long time.

Cut flowers will dry out within a week under normal circumstances, and when they do it always feels like the special moment is gone. At least, it does for me, that is the reason I prefer flowers that keep on growing.  Tropical plants, bonsai trees and herbs can grow inside the home and take little care and maintenance.  One of my favorite plants is the aloe plant because it simply is the easiest plant to take care of and it has great medicinal uses.

Cut flowers were the gift of choice for mother’s day in the past, but this has changed considerably in recent years due to efforts towards more environmentally friendly choices.  If you are a crafty person, why not try making some silk or paper flowers like these ones?  At the very least, you will not be wasting cut flowers and you can recycle.  Remember, mother’s day does not mean you have to buy flowers, it just means you have to buy something your mom will love. 

Think about what your mom would prefer before  you make the choice, and you will never go wrong. 

 This simple card says more than a dozen roses.

These paper flowers are just as beautiful as any other flower vases that I have seen.

It is not what you give that makes a gift special, it is how you perceive the person and what  you think they would like that does.  This year, think about how you can make or buy something different, unique and special as your mom for mother’s day.