gifts ready for giving

sandy at

is doing a gift basket giveaway & asks the question: are you organized or are you a last minute gift giver?

do you keep gifts on hand? i do. i have a box that i keep little treasures in.



i showed these rocks & burlap bags a couple of weeks ago.
just the next week, a friend came over for coffee & while she was here, her mother called her to wish her a happy belated birthday. i had no idea that two days before had been her birthday. so, while she used the powder room, i quickly popped a rock(that said joy) in a bag, stuck in tissue & tied it with a ribbon. was she ever surprised! & she loved it.

and when i'm traveling or just out & about, i'm always looking for things for special people. while we were in south carolina the other week, corrie and i went into the closest thriving metropolis, kingstree (population: not very many). there are a couple of very cute gift shops: the cabbage patch & donna's house. the cabbage patch was closed (it was saturday) but donna's house was open. she had a very nice selection of vera bradley things. and i found a vera bradley tape measure. how fun is that! the pattern is cupcake pink & you can buy it on ebay for 15.00 but i only paid 4.95. i'd show you a picture on ebay, but i don't know how to do that, yet.

well, my friend hilda is getting ready to move. and her birthday was coming up, so i knew it would be the perfect gift (actually, i hoped she wouldn't say"what on earth am i going to do with this?" she's a little outspoken & only speaks the truth.) she loved it & said a tape measure was actually on her shopping list. she's a very young 75 & her friendship is such a blessing to me.

anyway, back to gifts. if i find a book i really love, i'll buy 1 or 2 to give as gifts. a very good one to give is "the prayer of Jesus" by hank hanegraaff.

there's a wholesale gift store here in columbus called the flower factory. you have to have a membership to get in (churches, businesses & vendors only). i have a vendors license so i have a membership. whenever i'm there, i pick up journals, notepads, cutesy things to put in my gift box.

and i always have coasters & trivets & tissue holders that i've made ready to give, as well. oh, & dried lavender, too.

in years past, it was bottles of herb vinegar & jars of dried herbs & homemade soaps. but since we moved, i had to start a new herb garden & it's still pretty small.

and if (and that's a big if, at this point) i ever get around to making my burlap & canvas chalkboard tags they'll go with the gifts. if, if, if & when, when, when.

i have been known to regift. also. so if you've bought me a candle with a fragrance, i hope you aren't offended by the fact that i'll be regifting to someone who doesn't get a headache from the candle.

but - i'm really, really bad about waiting til the very last second to assemble things. it's 5 min. until time to leave the house, i'm scurrying around wrapping, writing a note, whatever. a major procrastinator, that's me. so it's a good thing i do keep gifts on hand, isn't it?

hurry over & tell sandy if you're organized. she has 3 different ways for you to enter the drawing: comment, tweet, & blog. wish i knew how to tweet :(

oh my goodness, it's 10:00 a.m. & i'm still in my nightgown & it's not jammie monday. i better get busy!

blessings-