My Favorite Gift...And It Didn't Cost Anything

     What is it? This was a Christmas Gift from my daughter a few years ago. It is a memory jar. It is something that I would grab on the way out of the door if the house was on fire. I actually made one for my parents a few years ago and a couple of years later, my daughter made one for me.

     You really only need a jar of some kind. It can be a decorative jar with a fancy bow, or a plain jar with a piece of ribbon around it. I promise you that the person you give it to will treasure the gift.

     All you need to do is spend a few days making a list of memories you share with the person/people you are giving it to. They can be good memories or even sad memories, the point is that they are special memories that will make the person who reads the note stop, smile and remember. Cut some small strips of paper (scrapbook paper is a good option, but computer paper works). Write a memory on each piece and fold it in half. Fill your jar. It is more difficult than you think, so allow a few days to really think about it. I went all the way back to my earliest memories with my parents, my daughter did the same...she just didn't have to remember as far back!

     The above note (I told my daughter what I was sharing) was in my jar. My daughter was very ill on a Disney vacation when she was 5. While our luggage was staying in an expensive Disney hotel...all four of us spent several days and nights at an Orlando hospital. I slept at the foot of my daughter's bed. She was fine, but it certainly is a memory for our family.

     My daughter is 25 and she moved to Orlando 2 1/2 years ago, to work for Disney. I guess the experience didn't ruin her opinion of WDW. She is a remarkable young woman and we have a very special relationship. In other words, I miss her like crazy...but, she is living her dream and that makes me very happy. On days when I'm really missing her, I just pull a little note from the jar and somehow she doesn't seem so far away.

Curling Ribbon + Cello Wrap = Gift

I learned in my 20’s that you can make a gift out of about anything if you package it correctly. You don’t really have to spend a fortune on a gift, you just want the recipient to know that you were thinking of them. I always keep a roll of cello wrap (you can pick it up at Wal-Mart, Target or any similar store). I also keep an assortment of curling ribbon in various colors on hand all the time. I can’t count the times I have pulled out the box of ribbon and transformed something I had in the house, or something I picked up inexpensively into a clever gift.

You can mix the colors for special occasions. I use white with pink or blue for baby gifts; red, white and blue when I'm taking a treat to the hostess of a 4th of July party, orange in the fall, red and green during the holidays and so on.

I found this leaf dish at Wal-Mart for $2.50. I added a few pieces of fall colored chocolate, pulled out my cello and ribbon and turned it into a great little birthday gift for a friend.

I always use a generous amount of ribbon of different lengths. Curling the ribbon is simple. As you can see, I simply placed my thumb under the ribbon and drag the scissors under the ribbon, leaving a curled tail.

Dressed up in Mardi Gras colors are 6 homemade oatmeal cookies. (The recipe will be posted here in the near future). These make great party favors for your guests, or can be used as holiday gifts for friends and family with red and green (or blue and white) ribbon. For very little money, you can make several gifts.

You can also dress up a wrapped package. This box is wrapped in a grocery bag that I cut into a flat piece of paper. It was transformed with a bit of ribbon into a beautiful package for my sister’s fall birthday.

You can use this technique to wrap bottles of body lotion or shower gel, various homemade food items, a package of flavored tea or coffee or any small container filled with seasonal candy. You don’t break the bank, and you make someone happy. Who can ask for more than that?