Giving

This week has proved to me that it really is about the ACT of giving, more than what you give ... and I think the care and thought behind it is also something rather than the actual thing as well.

There are five girls here helping my boss out with the bridal shower this weekend. I don't have a TON of extra money since we have so much going on with the actual wedding ... so I went online and I found a recipe for orange spice tea. I love that stuff... did you know it's made with Tang?! I then went to the dollar store and found five pretty substantial and super cute coffee mugs. One was pink, one was green with some ivory, one was a taupe with pretty flowers, one was light blue and dark blue with flowers ... you get the picture. Also at the dollar store they sell groups of silverware. I picked up 6 spoons (packed in 3's) with a cute pattern on them. My grand total at the dollar store was $7. I went to the store to get the ingredients for the tea - my grand total was $7. $14 divided by 5 is $2.80 each.

In a big bowl, mix up :

1.5 cups of Tang
3/4 cup of instant tea -unsweetened
1/2 cup of instant yellow lemonade
1.5 cups of white sugar
2 teaspoons of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon

I put these in small food baggies (you can buy at Hobby Lobby). I tied with the maroon ribbon I'm using on the wedding programs. I put the little baggie and spoon in each mug, then wrapped it in cellophane (like a gift basket would have) ... also found at the dollar store for $1. I pulled the cellophane up like you would a sack ... I tied them off with strips of a maroon bandana I had cut up. Those were $.87 at Hobby Lobby ... and I think one bandana was used for the entire five cups. I also put in a personal thank you note into each one.

For like $15 I had five beautiful gifts and WOW, it has gone over like gangbusters. First of all, they love the tea ... I'm having to email out the recipe to everyone... and now they all have decided this is the perfect inexpensive Christmas gift for the neighbors, your kids teacher, the mailman, etc ... how many cookies and brownies can we REALLY give away?

Anyway, it's the small thing in life that count ... and just the effort I guess, was appreciated more than anything. Also the entire project from start to finish, once I had all my supplies, took about 20 minutes.

It was so much fun, so inexpensive and so well appreciated!

Try it!

Karyn