By Shanea Thompson
A wedding favor is a great way to say thank you to your guest that attend you special day. One of the best ways to do this is to give them something edible. A fun and inventive idea is to create a dry ingredient mason jar recipe. Below is a instructions on how to create 1 wedding favor.

Materials:
• 1 mason jar with rim
• 1 piece of fabric cover jar (any type of cotton works well)
• 1 piece of twine or raffia to wrap around the lid and secure the card
• 3”x5” card
• pinking shears
• paper punches
• colorful markers
• scissors
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Combine the following ingredients into a large bowl; flour, baking soda and sugar. Add this mixture to the mason jar first, then add in the chocolate chips and finally place the brown sugar on top.

To close up your wedding favor place the piece of fabric over the top of the jar and screw the rim over the jar while holding the cloth in place. Cut off the edges that are sticking out from under the rim using pinking shears for a nice finished look.

Make the label for the favor. I folded a 3″ x 5″ piece of paper in half. Then, using the marker, write a message to your guests thanking them for coming to you special day on the front of the card. You can then use the pinking shears to shape the card edges for a bit more of a decorative look. On the opposite site of the card finish writing the rest of the recipe directions and ingredients:

• 3/4 cup softened butter.
• 2 eggs.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Mix and drop cookies onto greased pan.
• Bake 8-10 min at 375 degrees.

Punch a small hole in the corner of the card, and tie, it around the favor.

This is a fun craft that can be used in so many ways. I have seen thease tissue paper flowers at birthday parties’ weddings and picnics too. The kids and I decided to make one for each of the grandmas to brighten their day. After we cut and folded the tissue paper flowers we sprayed each with a small amount of perfume to make them smell good too!

Tissue Paper Flower

The craft project below is perfect for little ones ages 2-6. 

Materials:

Tissue paper
Scissors
Pipe cleaners

1. Cut the tissue paper into rectangles about 5” X 8”.
2. Cut the ends of each rectangle using decorative scissors or allow your child to cut the ends in a design of their own.
3. Stack 6-8 sheets of tissue paper on top of each other making sure to alternate colors if you have more then one color to work with.
4. Gather the tissue paper in the middle of the rectangle and wrap the pipe cleaner around it.
5. Fluff and crinkle the “petals” of the flower up so that it fills in the flower.

Don’t forget to stop by and see all of the other fun kids craft ideas we have at http://www.tigerandlilyboutique.com/Kids_Craft_Projects

Have fun!!!

So you’re attending a baby shower and you don’t know what to get the new mom. You want something that’s practical and something that the new mom will appreciate, but you also want something unique and memorable. You might even browse the internet for some ideas, but nothing quite seems appealing to you. Why not make a gift basket? I know what you’re thinking. I’m not creative. I don’t have the time. Rest assured, it’s not that difficult, and it won’t take much time.

Gift baskets are very popular today and indeed a wonderful gift idea for a new mom. Or, you can do it yourself by putting together all baby items that you like for the baby. Here’s how you can make one:

1. First decide on the size of the basket that you will use. A very large basket may be difficult to fill, so a medium sized is recommended. Usually, craft stores sell baskets of different sizes, shapes and colors. Shredded tissue paper and raffia make great fillers to be layered at the basket’s bottom, alongside with baby towels and blankets.

2. If you do have a large basket, you can easily fill it up by choosing bigger items as well, such as crib comforters, stuffed bunny or teddy, pillows or crib bumpers.

3. Take into consideration the baby’s gender, when selecting items to put in the basket. For a first baby, there will be many things that he will need. Having to look at a baby registry if the mom to be has one, can help a lot, since you will know what the baby really needs. If there is none, you could always ask the mom what else she needs for the baby.

4. Consider having a theme. Decide what you’ll put into the basket. You can load the basket with everything pink for a baby girl or everything blue for a baby boy, or what about having Pooh or a dinosaur design. A bedtime theme basket filled with story books, music CD, blankets, pillows, pajama, musical crib mobile and a teddy bear can be a wonderful idea. Be creative and let your imagination soar.

5. Here’s another great idea. Instead of using a basket, a baby tub, a diaper bag, a small laundry basket or a trunk can also be used.

6. For a tub, you can fill it with baby bathing accessories, such as soaps, towels, bubble bath, powder, baby shampoo, lotion and bath rubber toys.

7. For the trunk, you can fill it with baby’s keepsake book, monogrammed items, receiving blankets, heirloom items, a picture frame and an inspirational book all about mom and baby. You can also place a little inspirational note containing all your wishes for the baby, to add a more personal touch to your gift.

8. For the laundry basket, you can fill it with cute slippers, diapers, baby comb and brush, booties, and baby clothes.

Hopefully, this has given you some ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Baby gift baskets make great baby gifts because you can give the new mom lots of items you know she’ll use and cherish.

If you decide that making your own baby gift basket is not an option for you, you can always purchase one already made. There are several online baby gift stores that sell unique baby gift baskets.

Article by:
Dana Williams is the founder of www.DanasGiftBasketExpress.com, an online baby gift store, specializing in diaper cakes and unique baby gift baskets. Sign up for Dana’s free 5 day ecourse “Baby Showers Revealed” at www.BabyDiaperCakes.biz.