Hot Pink Scarves

Pretty hot pink scarves
Pretty hot pink & white polka dot scarf

Adding Hot Pink to YOUR Wardrobe!

Hot Pink adds a lovely brightness in the middle of winter when combined with black and/or denim. It also works really well with whites and cream colors in spring and summer as it adds a bloom to the outfit much like bougainvillea flowers bringing color to the vine.

The only problem with hot pink is that it is a very strong color. Adding hot pink to your wardrobe without it becoming over-powering can be a challenge, but here is an answer – Scarfs!

You can wear a hot pink scarf all year around – warm wool scarves in the winter and lightweight cotton scarves in the summer for example.

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Let’s Buy Some Hot Pink Scarves!

A scarf is a great way to introduce a strong color such as hot pink into your existing wardrobe and here I have a collection of scarves for you to choose from.

 Christmas Gift, Egmy Women Long Soft Thin Wrap Lady Shawl Chiffon Scarf Beach Scarves (Hot Pink) Plain Color Scarf, more than 30 colors, 76 KMystic Large Plain Solid Viscose Scarf (Hot Pink) Women’s Solid Hot Pink Frayed Luxury Infinity Scarf Love Lakeside-Women’s Must Have Solid Color Crinkle Scarf (One, Hot Pink) Flyingeagle Trade Jacquard Paisley Pashmina Shawl Scarf Stole for Women (Bright/Hot pink)

 

 

More Colorful Fashion Scarves

Sometimes you just don’t feel like wearing hot pink and that’s okay. I’ve found a couple of other colors which look great on scarves, you can see what I mean on the posts below –

Which Hot Pink Scarf is Your Favorite?

Are you a Hot Pink loving person? I used to have a gorgeous hot pink scarf, but I’m not sure what happened to it. At the moment I have a hot pink and black wool scarf that I can wear in winter – it really brightens up a cold day!

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

Do You Love History?

History & Books & LearningI do enjoy history, it was one of my favorite subjects at school and I especially loved reading up about the local history of the town I grew up in.   I still have lots of history books lying around that I enjoy reading and it’s been many years since I’ve left school!

I’m not sure what it is about history, but I love learning unusual or trivial things about the past, I also enjoy reading biographies of different people and I research my own family history as well.   I wouldn’t quite call myself a history buff, but some of my family do!

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I don’t have many historical articles written (a site I wrote on years ago that no longer exists had most of them), but I do have a few on hubpages which you’re welcome to check out.

The Children of Ferdinand & Isabella of Spain

Queen Juana of Castille Part One

Queen Juana of Castille Part Two

Juana the Mad’s Children

Maria of Aragon’s Children

Henry VII’s Children

England’s Queens

Mary I

Queen Victoria’s Children

As you can see the emphasis of these articles were European Royal history.

I also have a couple of Zazzle stores – Images of History and Looking Back in Time.

Images of History is a relatively newer Zazzle store and is based on historical images found in creative commons.

Looking Back in Time is basically a snapshot of the world in 1913.  I inherited a suitcase of photographs and images from my grandmother-in-law that were remnants of her trip from New Zealand to England via boat in 1913.  She took the trip so that she could be married in the same church as her parents.

 

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

Do You Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Valentines Day FrogsWell we’re nearly halfway through January which means that Valentine’s Day isn’t that far away.   If you’re a romantic at heart (or even if you just love someone who is) then you’ll be thinking about how to celebrate your Valentine’s Day this year.

There are lots of cool ways to celebrate from breakfast in bed to a romantic picnic lunch, cocktails for two in the evening or even a trip away.   The thing I love most about this holiday is that you can go all out or very low key and still have a fantastic time.   Did you know even Zombies can enjoy Valentine’s Day?   It’s all about how well you know your partner really.

There are a few things which I think are important to observe and one of them is the time honored Valentine’s Day card, a card is something that the most romantic of us will keep and look at in years to come to recall a particular Valentine’s.

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Valentine’s Day Cards

Here are a few cute Valentine’s Day Cards, but there are lots of alternatives if these aren’t your ‘style’.   Personally I love many of the themed Valentine’s Day cards like – Zombie Valentine’s Day cards or Geeky Valentine’s Day cards etc.

 

Be Mine Greeting CardBears Valentines Day CardTwo Hearts Card

Of course after the card comes the rest of the day and what that involves is going to be different for everyone….

Creating Valentine’s Day Memories

Celebrating Valentines Day Some people like to send flowers, others prefer gifts that will last (and some do both!).   Then there’s the day itself – spending the whole day together can be wonderful, although not always possible.

A romantic breakfast in bed is a great way to start your day, but if you’re both rushing off to work a leisurely breakfast may not be possible – there are a few things you can do though.   Make your partner some toast and cut it into a heart shape for them – very cute!

If they’re racing out the door to catch the train then make them a tea/coffee in a new travel mug, you could even throw a breakfast muffin or something in a bag for them to eat…….add in a little love note if you like as well.

If you’re apart for the day then a romantic dinner is a great way to come together.   Dinner out might be nice, but if you have a young family and/or a tight budget you can always make dinner in a romantic destination at your place.   When the kids are in bed mix up a romantic cocktail or two and prepare their favorite dinner.   Turn off the lights and eat by candlelight and just enjoy each other’s company.

Of course if you both love movies you could just curl up on the sofa together and eat popcorn while you watch a movie together, if the weather is cool where you are even better because there’s nothing more romantic than curling up on the sofa together under a cosy rug.

Valentine’s Day Gifts

Not everyone gives gifts on Valentine’s Day, but any that are received are usually appreciated.   I find that some of the best gifts actually don’t have to be the most expensive either.   There are some great gift ideas for Valentine’s Day on this page – Romantic Gift Ideas.

For me you can’t go past chocolate, although I did love my heart shaped mug as well (I love my cup of tea almost as much as chocolate!).   My hubby is happy to get a massage or a back scratch so a book of vouchers for these is a great idea.

Sometimes the most romantic gifts aren’t roses, chocolates or jewelry, but things that show that you’ve been listening and/or know their loves and desires – zombie themed gifts, superhero themed gifts, lego themed gifts or something that they have really wanted for ages, but you weren’t able to get them for Christmas.

However you celebrate February 14th I hope it’s a great day for you and your loved ones.

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

Collectible Snow White Figurines

Gorgeous Snow White Figurines
Gorgeous Snow White Figurines

Are you looking for Snow White figurines? I have compiled a great selection of collectible Snow White figurines for you to look through. The Disney Princess who is ‘the fairest of them all’ makes a beautiful subject for these figurines that are enjoyed by young and old alike.

I have tried to feature mainly Snow White on this page, but there are a few figurines of the Evil Queen and the Seven Dwarfs as it seems quite inevitable to add these figures from Snow White’s fairy tale.

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Snow White Figurines from Precious Moments

Adorable Snow White Figures You Just HAVE to Have!

Here are some beautiful Snow White figurines from Precious Moments.  The figurines are made from bisque porcelain (which Precious Moments are known for) and are gorgeous enough to make you believe in fairy tales again!

Bisque porcelain is basically a white, un-glazed ceramic. It was commonly used to make porcelain dolls during the Victorian era right through until the 1930s. Bisque porcelain figurines are made from casts and what gorgeous casts they often are!

 Precious Moments, Disney Showcase Collection Bisque Porcelain Figurine Precious Moments, Disney Showcase Collection, Bisque Porcelain Figurine Precious Moments Figurine, Disney Snow White on Coal Car

Bradford Exchange Snow White Figurines

I think Bradford Exchange figurines are always exquisite and I haven’t been disappointed with the Snow White figurines that I could find.

 Disney Forever Snow White Bradford Exchange Bell Figurine Disney Happily Ever After Snow White Bradford Exchange Bell Figurine Bradford Disney Snow White Limited Edition Figurine

Lenox Snow White Figurines

This beautiful Snow White figure is made from hand painted ivory fine china and is accented with 24k gold. It is absolutely perfect for any figurine collector. Lenox prides itself on producing fine china collectibles from figurines such as the Snow White ones featured here to tableware and they are such an established company that no less than six presidents since 1918 have commissioned them to produce state services in their beautiful ivory fine china – like the china used in this figurine.

 Lenox Disney Showcase A Serenade For Snow White Figurine

Founded in 1889 by Walter Scott Lenox the Lenox company is renown for it’s fine pieces, including a wonderful range of Disney princess figurines.

Snow White’s story wouldn’t be the same without her friends – the seven dwarfs – as part of it. “Hi Ho, Hi Ho it’s off to work we go…” I used to love singing along that song when we were off on a family walk or any other excuse I could think of really!

I love the fact that Lenox has so many of their Snow White figurines with one, some or all of the seven dwarfs (of course they also feature them all on their own as well)

 Someday My Prince Will Come, Limited Edition 1937 Lenox At The Parade With Snow White Lenox – Disney – Dancing With Snow White – New

Lenox even have a great Evil Queen figurine – “Try an apple dearie,” if you were like me you were telling Snow White not to eat the apple when you watched the movie and yet she did – why do characters never hear you when they’re on screen?

This figurine always reminds me of my god daughter when I see it as there’s a funny story that involves her and the Evil Queen……..

 Lenox Disney Showcase

One evening when she was younger her grandparents took her and her sisters to a maze that was made out of maize and where the Disney Princesses were on show. The girls loved exploring the maze and coming across the different princesses.

The evil queen was also there disguised with her basket of apples and what does my (always hungry) god daughter do? She helps herself to an apple and after she’s taken a big bite her grandfather leans over and says to her – ‘that’s not the poisoned apple is it? – apparently the apple was spat out so quickly it was amazing. Poor girl!

Jim Shore Snow White Figurines

Accomplished artist Jim Shore has been in partnership with Disney since 2005, adding his own style to Disney favorites such as Snow White. When speaking of his range – Disney Traditions – Jim says “I’m extremely proud of my association with Disney. I can’t think of a more important name in American popular culture.”

 Jim Shore for Enesco Disney Traditions Snow White with Castle Dress Figurine, 6 Jim Shore for Enesco Disney Traditions Snow White with Bird Figurine, 5.25-Inch Jim Shore Someday Is Today Snow White Prince Charming – Stone Resin 6.00 IN

Snow White Figurine From Royal Doulton

Royal Doulton are known for their bone china products which includes these hand decorated bone china Snow White figurines. Most people have heard of the name Royal Doulton, but the company’s original name was just Doulton until 1901 when they came to the attention of the Royal family and Edward VII gave them a royal warrant allowing them to change their name to Royal Doulton.

Whatever Royal Doulton product you have the name is synonymous with quality and it seems quite appropriate that a princess such as Snow White should be made into a china figurine by a company with such a regal name!

 Walt Disney Showcase by Royal Doulton Snow White Figurine

Snow White Christmas Ornaments

If you love Snow White you don’t have to just collect these adorable figurines, you can even get Christmas ornaments to adorn your tree with, take a look –

Snow White Christmas OrnamentsSnow White Christmas Ornaments

Snow White Christmas Ornaments are wonderful to hang on your Christmas trees. Snow White was my daughter’s favorite Disney Princess so she’ll always hold a special place in my heart……..Read More

Which is Your Favorite Snow White Figurine?

I find it way to hard to choose just one, I’d rather pick my favorite from each brand.  If I was pushed I’d probably go with the Lenox At The Parade with Snow White ornament as it features the seven dwarfs as well!

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

What is Affiliate MarketingI must admit when I first heard of the term affiliate marketing many moons ago I thought it was something like pyramid schemes – nothing could be further from the truth!   Affiliate marketing is basically the internet’s version of a salesperson paid on commission.

I bet you didn’t think I’d sum it up quite so quickly did you?  Well I will elaborate because I am known to enjoy talking and I’d hate to let anyone down by not waffling on a little bit 🙂

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I’m sure you’ve heard of Amazon – one of the biggest online marketplaces – well they actually ’employ’ affiliates and are generally a blogger’s biggest source of affiliate income (depending on the niche and whether or not the blogger lives in a nexus state, but I don’t want to get too bogged down!).  This means that if I decide to write a post about my favorite labeling machine I can link to it on Amazon and if you realize that you really need one to you can click on the link and I’ll be paid a small commission because I sent you to Amazon.   Simple really isn’t it?

Now Amazon is far from the only affiliate around, many companies who sell things online will have an affiliate program either run by themselves or run by companies who specialize in running affiliates on behalf of companies.

There are also a few companies who let you earn affiliate commission without even having a blog, these are used by influencers who sell via their email list or their social media accounts.

If you are interested in earning money online then why not start by checking my resource page where I talk about everything I use to earn an online income.  I also have a number of different articles about earning money online which you are welcome to browse.  I will be adding more over time (24 hours in a day just never seems enough time for me!).

If you have any questions then please ask away, I’ll try to answer them promptly and if the answer isn’t straight forward then you may just inspire a new blog post 🙂

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

Halloween T-Shirts

Now I love t-shirts as you probably already know because I have a whole blog dedicated to them!   They are one of the most comfy items of clothing to wear in my opinion, but Halloween to me is about dressing up, my hubby on the other hand prefers not to dress up which is why I looked at some cool Halloween t-shirts.

If I decide not to dress up for Halloween I think I’ll have to wear this tee with a pair of jeans –

There are lots of cool Halloween t-shirts available in fact I’d love to wear a number of them in the lead up to Halloween, but when it comes to replacing a Halloween costume I think the one above is a winner. There’s a number of good options, but there’s something about the addition of the barcode to the design that I think really sells it. The one featured is a woman’s t-shirt, but it’s available in a number of different styles for men, women, children even babies so be sure to check it out.

I must admit I did find a t-shirt that was a close second because it made me smile, but in the end the one above was my favorite.   Just in case you wanted to see what other ‘t-shirt pretending to be a Halloween costume’ could make me smile it’s this very basic design –

Between you and me, however, I WILL be wearing a Halloween costume…………I just have to decide which one to go with as there are just soooo many ideas and only one Halloween a year

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out What is Affiliate Marketing? If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

D20 Necklaces – A Perfect Geeky Gift Idea

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A 20-Sided Dice Necklace Makes a Great Gift Idea

I was casually browsing ThinkGeek.com, as you do, and I came across this simply gorgeous necklace. Now I’ve seen D20 necklaces before, but I loved this, what do you think?

20 sided dice stainless steel necklace
20 Sided Dice Stainless Steel Necklace

This necklace is made of stainless steel and comes on a rope chain, they say it’s unisex, but to be honest I think as it is it seems more female than unisex. Having said that I would buy a black leather cord necklace and pop this necklace onto it for a totally different look that I think would definitely say unisex. I’ve done this with a couple of necklaces in the past and it’s great to create two ‘different’ looks with one pendant.

One of the reasons I like this is that it is a piece of jewelry, but some people do prefer to use their actual D20s in their jewelry and there are plenty of options for that. Me, myself and I however love jewelry as jewelry so we’ll stick with this one!

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out What is Affiliate Marketing? If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

Lou16 & The 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon!

6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon & Lou16
Purchase the Kevin Bacon poster here!

I may be revealing my age by asking if you’ve ever played the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, but I have to say that I’ve played this lots of times over the years and my husband and I are pretty good at it even if I say so myself!  I’m using the idea behind this game to explain Lou16.com.

As I’ve explained on my Who is Lou16? page I grabbed this url planning to make a site that would act as an index for my articles around the web.  I also wanted to have a place to muse about things.  Now I don’t advocate listening to too many people when they’re offering advice, but I had an overwhelming number of people saying that I need to focus on just a few areas that I can write about on this site instead of randomly writing about anything.

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I must admit I have always found that niche sites work well for me so I can’t fault the critics.   I decided to write about gift ideas, zombies and dolls, I then decided I’d add some how to make money online articles as well.  Well apparently these four things aren’t related enough – what do they have in common?   Well for one thing I like them (well I don’t like zombies as such, but I do like zombie television shows, films and gift ideas!).

To keep everyone happy I thought I should get out a notepad and relate them all together using the idea that you can relate anyone back to Kevin Bacon in 6 moves.  What could be difficult to relate each of these four things together in 6 moves?

  1. A great gift idea can be a doll, whether it’s for a child or a collectible doll or figurine for an adult.
  2. The Living Dead range of dolls embraces zombies (they also make great gift ideas).
  3. Zombies are popular so writing about them can help you make money online.

Forget the six steps, I’ve done it in three.   Can you put the different subjects together in another way?  Comment below and play six steps of separation with me!

Now I could try and take each subject and relate it to Kevin Bacon, but…… oh okay then.

Dolls – Kevin Bacon plays Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: First Class, Tonner have a range of collectible X-Men dolls.

Zombies – Kevin Bacon was in Friday 13th where he worked with Tom Savini (special effects), Tom Savini had just done special effects on the cult Zombie film Dawn of the Dead.

Gifts – C’mon you could mention any Kevin Bacon film on DVD would make a great gift idea, or even a DVD set of The Following!   Okay here we go – Kevin Bacon is married to Kyra Sedgwick who was in the closer with J.K. Simmons who was the sherrif in the movie The Gift!  Is The Gift close enough to gifts?

Making Money Online – Kevin Bacon was in Beyond All Boundaries with Jesse Eisenberg who starred as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network which was about Facebook, one of the most prominent companies who are making money online.

If you enjoy Kevin Bacon’s movies then you might like his television series – The Following.  I absolutely loved this series.

 THE FOLLOWING S1-3

 

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

DIY Unique Gift Ideas

DIY gift ideasMaking gifts yourself can be extremely satisfying. They can also mean a lot more to the recipient.  In today’s economic climate diy gifts can also help to take the strain of gift giving out of the budget…..all it takes is a little organization and some ideas which you can find here.

I have managed to compile a selection of beautiful and thoughtful gifts for you to make that are sure to make an impact on the person you are giving them to.

I have always found that any gift I make myself has been extremely well recieved because people recognise the effort that has gone into it.   One year I spent goodness knows how long cross stitching a picture of a barn owl which I then framed for my mother (she collects owls and over the year has received everything from ornaments to jewelry) – her face when she unwrapped it was priceless!

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Bath Gifts

Bath gift ideas from bath milks to bath saltsGifts for the bath are welcome as baths are seen as a luxury, it is a time when you are not being hurried along; a time when you can just relax. A little bath hamper is an excellent idea and one of the things in it simply must be the Chocolate Bath Milk.

Chocolate Bath Milk

  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 cups milk powder

Mix the ingredients together and fill pretty containers or even just little taffeta bags. For any chocolate lover this would be really appreciated.

A lovely hamper for pampering a mum would be the Chocolate Bath Milk, a chocolate bar or small box of chocolates, a small bottle of bubbly and a champagne glass. If mum doesn’t drink replace with a box of flavored coffee sachets and a special mug.

At Christmas time you can’t go past Candy Cane Bath Salts for a touch of festive spirit, these are a great gift to make with your children as they love the stripe effect and they make nice gifts for teachers.

Candy Cane Bath Salts

  • 3 cups Epsom salts
  • 3 tsp sweet almond oil
  • 9 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 1 drop of red food coloring 1 drop of green food coloring

To make the bath salts you need to separate the three cups of Epsom salts into three bowls. Place 1 teaspoon of almond oil into each of the three bowls then add the drop of red food coloring into one of the bowls and the drop of green food coloring into another of the bowls. Put 3 drops of peppermint essential oil into each bowl and mix well. You should be left with one bowl of red salts, one bowl of green salts and one bowl of white salts. Cover the bowls and leave for a couple of hours.

Once that is done you will need some jars with lids, to get the candy cane effect you simply layer the salts in the jar – one layer of red, one of green, one of white and repeat. Once you have filled the jars wrap a piece of ribbon around it with a gift tag shaped like a candy cane (or an actual candy cane).

Stuck on You Gifts

Magnetic Gift Ideas

Magnets make great gifts, you can make them yourself or if you have small children you can get them to help. You have a couple of choices in how to make them depending on the type of magnet you want.

Magnetic Sheeting can be used for ‘flat’ magnets. Purchase the magnetic sheeting and then take a picture that your child drew or a photo that you want to use. I prefer to laminate pictures or photos first for easy cleaning, then simply glue onto the back of the magnet and cut to shape.

One of the beauties of this one is that you can cut it to the shape you want ie making a heart shape around a picture of you with the person or whatever you are using.

Round Magnets are another way to go, these can be purchased at your local craft store and are about the size of a coin. Next you need to get something to put on the front and this is where you can really have some fun.

  • Polymer clay
  • Cross stitch cushions
  • Scrapbook shapes
  • Tiles
  • Beaded animals, angels, snowmen

The list is limited only by your imagination and they can all be stuck on using an appropriate adhesive.

Edible Gift Ideas

Good Enough to Eat!

Baking gifts are another thoughtful gift. A favorite thing to make is fudge, another might be chocolate truffles or mini Christmas puddings.

Fudge

My easy peasy, no-fail fudge recipe requires the following ingredients:

  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 bag of chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Place the sweetened condensed milk and the chocolate chips into a saucepan and gently heat until the chocolate has completely melted and the liquid is lovely and smooth. Next take off of the heat and stir in the vanilla. Now pour the mixture into a greased pan and allow to cool. Once it is cooled you can cut it into pieces.

This recipe can be adapted by adding in all sorts of things such as chopped up cherries, sultanas, apricots or nuts.

Once you have your fudge cut up you can wrap each piece in colored cellophane – at Christmas time I like using red and green cellophane for a festive look and then pop a few of them into a basket or add a couple to a hamper of other goodies.

Another idea is to buy a plain box, cover it with wrapping paper and pop the fudge inside.

Chocolate Truffles

Handmade chocolate trufflesThese are always a hit with my friends as we all love our chocolate!

  • 1 packet malt biscuits
  • 1 tin sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
  • sprinkles

Crush biscuits, add cocoa, coconut and condensed milk and mix well. Place in fridge to cool for at least an hour (I usually leave it overnight). Roll teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls and cover in the sprinkles.

Pop them into mini cup cake papers and put them into decorated noodle boxes for a great gift.

Mini Christmas Puddings

I have never made these, but there are a number of Christmas pudding recipes around and making little ones are a great idea. If I was doing it I would wrap them up in some calico and wrap a ribbon around it – excellent for adding to a hamper or gift basket.

Special Art for Grandparents

One Christmas I brought a blank canvas from a local art store and let my then 2 year old daughter loose with some paint. Definitely an abstract painting! It was absolutely loved by her grandparents however and still has pride of place in their family room!

Another idea if you have a couple of children is to buy a canvas and paint it a solid color. Next using a different color paint get each child to put their hand or foot prints onto the canvas (use a different color for each child). Using a black marker pen write the childs name and the year.

Go Green

Gifts that grow - herbs, salad greens, vegetables or even fruit trees.When our friends moved into their dream house (they had been buying and selling their way up to this day), we gave them a lime tree! There is a story attached, the four of us all enjoy a corona (beer)on a hot day and we like to have a lime wedge in the neck of the bottle.

Anyway a lovely young lime tree and a six pack of coronas went down really well……..so well in fact that they gave the same thing to another friend of ours when they moved into a new house (beat us to it!)

Another great idea is to plant a variety of lettuces into a terracotta bowl – they can pick them one leaf at a time so this would be great for a single person.

A herb planter is another idea that is really appreciated by people who love cooking as you can’t beat fresh herbs.

People who only have a small backyard or balcony, but who would love to grow their own fruit and veg might appreciate a hanging basket with cherry tomatoes and/or herbs.

Reindeer Dust

A great gift for your children to give their friends at Kindy or primary school is reindeer dust. This is really easy to make and has become a tradition in our house.

Basically it consists of oatbran and glitter, I think my original recipe called for a 50/50 split, but I tend to use a little more glitter now maybe 60/40 (I don’t really measure it!). You mix the two ingredients together and using cellophane make little bags to pop some in and tie off with a ribbon. Print instructions on a card that’s also attached to the ribbon and you have a great gift idea.

What are the instructions? Well you need to sprinkle the oatbran onto the lawn and the glitter helps to guide the reindoor so that they land safely and don’t miss your house 🙂 By morning the glitter and oatbran have usually blown away, but it doesn’t matter if they haven’t because Santa has been which means it worked! My dd won’t go to bed on Christmas Eve without sprinkling the lawn with the Reindeer Dust.

What gifts will you be making this year?

I’ve given you a few ideas, why not let me know which if any you’ll be using for your present giving this year.

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.

Michael Jackson Collectible Dolls

michael jackson collectible dollsThere are some great Michael Jackson collectible dolls available because as I always say -You know you’re famous when someone releases a doll in your image. When you’re a superstar of Michael Jackson’s stature then there are collections of dolls made!

Michael Jackson dolls are fast becoming ‘must have’ collectibles since his death in 2009. From the easily recognizable Michael Jackson Thriller Doll to a Michael Jackson OOAK doll.

If you know a Michael Jackson fan (and don’t we all?), or are one yourself then a Michael Jackson doll would make a fabulous gift.

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Michael Jackson Thriller Dolls

The album Thriller catapaulted Michael Jackson to superstar status and the MIchael Jackson dolls began to appear.

In 1984 there were four Michael Jackson, Superstar of the 80s dolls issued and this Thriller outfit doll (available to purchase below) is one of them.

 Michael Jackson Superstar of The 80’s ” THRILLER ” Outfit Doll

This doll portrays MJ wearing his ‘thriller’ outfit complete with a microphone, posing stand and the infamous Michael Jackson glove.

The doll stands at 12 inches high.

Michael’s Thriller costume is definitely one of his iconic looks and is also an iconic look of the 80s when he first became known as the King of Pop!

These fun vinyl figures were also produced to represent Michael Jackson’s Thriller stage. The two represent Michael Jackson and Michael ‘Zombie’ Jackson!

 King of Pop Vinyl Figure Michael Jackson King of Pop Vinyl Figure Michael Jackson

 

They certainly make a fun gift for any Michael Jackson fan and/or collector.

Michael Jackson, Superstar of the 80s Dolls

Along with the Thriller outfit doll, 3 other Michael Jackson dolls were produced as part of the Superstar of the 80s collection.

The four were Thriller, Beat It, American Music Awards and Grammy dolls.

 Michael Jackson “Superstar of The 80’s” Beat it Doll Michael Jackson Superstar of the 80’s Grammy Awards Michael Jackson American Music Awards

Michael Jackson doll outfits were also released for the Superstar of the 80s collection. This allowed you to just purchase one of the dolls and interchange the outfits instead of having to purchase all four dolls.

Michael Jackson Beat It Collector Figure

This collectible figure comes with it’s own stand and, approved by the Jackson Estate it bears a striking resemblance to the King of Pop during his 80s pop chart domination.

 Playmates Michael Jackson 10 Beat It Collector Figure

One of the cool things about this doll (besides how good it looks that is) is that it has 37 points of articulation.

In layman’s terms this means that you can pose this Michael doll in lots of different poses which is pretty awesome.

Michael Jackson – Billie Jean Doll

One of a collectors series of MJ dolls made by Playmates that also includes the Beat It Michael Jackson figure above.

 Playmates Michael Jackson 10

Like the Beat It doll above this one is also fully articulated which means you can pose it in a number of different ways including mid-moonwalk!

Michael Jackson ‘Bad’ Doll

Michael Jackson followed up his Thriller album with another hit album Bad. He adopted black as his outfit of choice leaving the red alone.

There are a number of different ‘Bad’ dolls that you could add to your collection, but I really like this one by Hottoys. Besides the realistic looks of the doll this doll also comes with two sets of clothes depicting both the “Bad” costume featured here as well as the “Dirty Diana” costume.

 Michael Jackson Bad 12″ Figure By Hottoys

The best part about this doll, however is that it has what’s called P.E.R.S or Parallel Eyeball Rolling System. What this means is that after you’ve decided on what pose you want this doll to hold you can also change where his eyes are looking which is pretty cool.

How it works is that you lift up the back of the dolls head and move his eyes with a joystick style controller, when the eyes are in position you simply close the back of the head and your Michael Jackson doll is looking exactly how you want him to look!

Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal Doll

I have only managed to find Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal figures on eBay so my advice is when there’s one available act quickly!

Michael Jackson Billie Jean History Tour Doll – Rare Collectible Michael Jackson Doll

This rare and realistic doll is made on a 1/6 scale and has 38 points of articulation which (if you’ve been reading) you’ll know means that you can pose it in a lot of different positions.

 1/6 Scale M Icon Billie Jean History Tour Michael Jackson Figure

This posing is even easier as the doll also comes with 3 different sets of hands which means that you can choose the hands for the pose from a pointed finger to a hand that can hold his fedora.

It comes complete with a full ‘Billie Jean’ outfit including the famous glove and white socks as well as a display stand with a Michael Jackson nameplate – just in case there’s anyone in the world who doesn’t recognize him!

OOAK Michael Jackson Dolls

Along with the Michael Jackson dolls that you’ve already seen there are also the OOAK doll. OOAK means one of a kind and these dolls only come up occasionally so keep checking back to see what’s available.

 

Michael Jackson Action Figures | Michael Jackson Collectible Dolls

Hi I’m Louanne aka Lou16, welcome to my blog! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links which means, at no cost to YOU, that I might receive compensation if you purchase something through a link on my site. In the online world this is called ‘affiliate marketing’ and is a very common way that bloggers make their money, if you want to find out more then check out this post to find out what is affiliate marketing and how we make money on this site,  If you want to see my full affiliate disclosure and the other ‘legal stuff’ then click here.