Three super easy and sure-to-please gift ideas you can assemble in minutes
Hello everyone! It’s officially November and before we know it, holiday shopping will begin in earnest. Are you ready? Are you a last-minute “there’s plenty of time” shopper who scours the aisles just days before Christmas or are you a list-maker with a closet full of gifts just waiting to be wrapped? Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle?
Me, I’m a list maker. I am also guilty of picking up gifts or components for gifts well ahead of the holidays because they fit in with my big ol’ master plan. I am also guilty of changing my mind at the last minute and going off in a completely different direction. Ah well.. Such is the life of the planner. LOL
I know it seems early for this sort of thing, but really, if you ARE a planner, this is probably pretty timely. If you’d rather put things off for a bit, that’s ok too. This post will be here for whenever you are ready! If you’re still with me, I have a few ideas for you that I think you might like and I promise they really don’t take a ton of time to assemble. I’ve curated all of these ideas from Pinterest, which as I am sure you are aware, is both a fountain of ideas, and a huge rabbit hole. I figure if I am going to get lost for hours somewhere, I should at least have something to show for it, so I am pointing you toward a few ideas that I think are pretty easy to do. The three I am featuring here are all from one fantastic site called One Good Thing. Jillee has some of the cutest ideas and they’re easy to do. Finally if you want to visit my Giftacular Ideas Pinterest board, there are lots of other ideas saved there.
So, let’s get started shall we? Of course, to begin you need something to put your goodies in, but the good news is that you can use lots of different things. Some you may even have on hand already. Any of these ideas will work in baskets, small wooden crates like these that you can find at Michael’s (Here’s a tip for ya, use a coupon!) or, like the photos show, a big glass jar. You can get the ones that look just like the ones pictured below at Target, and I’m sure other places carry them as well.
Who are these gift ideas for exactly?
Oh, I am so glad you asked! These ideas are perfect for any of the following:
- Couples who have everything
- Couples and singles who are just starting out
- Friends
- Hard-to-buy-for Teens & Tweens
- Relatives
- Neighbors
- Co-workers
- Gift swaps/exchanges
- you get the idea… pretty much anyone on your list!
For the Baker
I love this idea and I used it a couple of years ago for my daughter in law. She’s quite the clever baker so I thought she would enjoy a jar full of cookie makings supplies. I kept the cookie mixes to the dry varieties because I didn’t want to have to refrigerate the jar. Keep that in mind if you try this one. Jillee shows the refrigerated kind of cookie dough in hers. I also tied a cookie cutter to the ribbon I used around the neck of the jar and added a couple of others inside along with the sprinkles, a couple different rubber scrapers and the cookie mixes. You can also add in a cute kitchen towel, a pair of oven mitts, an apron or anything else that your baker would like.
This would also be a fun idea for teens or fledgling bakers. Give them the supplies and then schedule a day to get together with them and teach them the ropes!
For the Snackers & the Guys
I really love this one because I have a LOT of guys on my list and they are the absolute worst to shop for. No amount of begging, pleading, bribing or cajoling will get them to make a wish list and then their enthusiasm is somewhere between lukewarm and I really don’t care. Grrrr. I figure I can’t really go wrong with this sort of idea.
This one is made up mostly of snack items and beverages. If you can lay your hands on some authentic glass bottle coca-cola you can dial in on a little nostalgia while you are at it. Pair your bevvies with some beef jerky, chips, dip and maybe some microwave popcorn and you’re set. Heck, toss in a DVD too while you are at it! If your target recipient is 21 or older, swap out the soft drinks for a couple bottles of fancy beer instead. Ta da! No more grumbling from the man cave!
For the Ice Cream Lover
Ok, really, who wouldn’t love this one?
Ice cream for many is a year-round treat. Even up here in the frozen tundra that we like to call home, so this jar of goodness seems like it would be a sure-fire winner and if you want to add in some extra special toppings consider including these oh-so-yummy sauces from Ghirardelli or tuck in a few alcoholic ice cream topping recipes from Yummily. Yum.
Other ideas include paper ice cream bowls like these cute Christmassy ones from Hobby Lobby. Those appeal to me because those ready-made cones are kind of fra-geee-laaay, and the cups aren’t. Of course you will want to include various types of sprinkles (extra points if you put them in the fancy tins) , chopped nuts (as long as allergies aren’t a concern) and a can of Whipped Cream. The recipient will have to supply the ice cream, but other than that they’ll be set.
Still looking for more ideas? Well, as I mentioned earlier I have saved to my Giftacular Ideas Pinterest Board a boatload of other ideas for gift giving and of course be sure to check out all the other fantastic ideas over at One Good Thing too.
I hope you’ve found some inspiration here today. I am now off to compile my lists. It’s what I do… *wink* Catch ya later!
