Secret Santa - 2014

Each year, my "Sensational 6" and I have a blast with Secret Santa.  FIRST, we draw names and then we spend two consecutive weeks delivering gifts in a sneaky fashion.  The third week we go to dinner, take a guess at who our Secret Santa is, and then we reveal who we have to one another.  We have been doing this for four years now.  I've had Jody, Ashely, Lisa, and now this year.... I had ERIN!  I like how it's worked out for me. I am glad I haven't had a repeat.  Unlike me, Erin has had me 2 years in a row.  This year, Jody had me though.  

We have a few rules with Secret Santa.  Week 1: deliver a gift that is between $5-$10.  Week 2: deliver a gift that is between $5-$10.  Week 3: bring a gift to dinner that is between $20-$30.  Do NOT spend more than $40 total.  Let's just say I have a hard time sticking to the rules, but I try.  

This year, like I said, I had Erin.  Here were the gifts I picked out for her.

Week 1:

 Just a simple paper bag, with a small printable snagged from pinterest, that reads "He Restores My Soul."

All of the gifts had something to do with "restoring" or the word "charge" to coincide with the passage in Psalms.  The first give was a "power bank".  "Enjoy extra battery life, for your cell phone, while you are on the go!"

 The card cling!

This "card cling" is a self adhesive pocket that sticks to the back of your cell phone for your license, cash, or a credit card when you are just running in and out of the store.  These two items were found at Hallmark.

 Candy Cane ChapStick.

Week 2

Again, another simple paper bag with another printable snagged from pinterest.  "This tag certifies that ERIN has been checked twice and was found to be NICE. ~Santa Claus"

What was inside the bag?  

A matching pair of earrings and a bracelet from Pier 1.  It was on clearance.  Sigh... I had to stick to the budget.  Okay, so I went over... but it was still on clearance.  She also received some snowflake ornaments, from the Dollar Tree, and a "Handmade by" stamp from Target's dollar sections.  

When delivered, I hung a "Merry & Bright" sign outside of Erin's house with some Christmas lights.  

 Week 3

The BIG reveal!!! Sadly and apparently, I give away who I have by the deliverance of the gift and the presentation.  Oh well.  It's hard pretending to be someone you are not just to try and throw your person off.  

I wanted WEEK 3 to include something store bought and something handmade.  Sticking to a $25 budget for the final week was hard, so since Erin is our Church Children's director, I used my budget for that and for secret santa to get her ONE nice gift.  Her store bought gift was a Clarisonic. She is a very practical and frugal person, so this is something she would NEVER buy for herself.

The handmade gift was a decoupaged "E" with photos of all of the "Sensational 6" girls on there.  The items you need to complete this beautiful craft is

1. A wooden Letter

2. Mod Podge

3. Paint

4. A Paint Brush

5. A Pack Of Flower Emellishments

First, paint the letter the color of your choice.  I chose the Eagles color blue because it is the color of Erin's dining room.

 I thought it was funny when I picked up the "E", the paper towel had a perfect "E" on it.  

The third step is to print photos and decoupage them onto the "E".  This is the hardest part. I got very frustrated with this part, but I am also not overly familiar with decoupaging.  I'd love to learn more about it because it really does create an amazing product.

Finally, add some embellishments! I added the flowers and some rope twine.  The end result isn't the greatest, but it was 1:00 a.m., at this point, and I was fit to be tied.  I would have liked to have added more flowers, but each pack was $5.99 and I was way past my budget as it was.

On the back, I used a "Handmade by" stamp and left my autograph.

I think Erin liked it! I told her if she needed to doctor it up, it wouldn't offend me.  That girl has the gift of artistry, so she probably saw mounds of flaws.  LOL!

The night before our dinner, I also delivered ONE last gift.  Okay, so I didn't deliver it, Erin's neighbor did. But I paid for it. Hehe.  Erin's FAVORITE cake is red velvet, so I picked up a red velvet mini cupcake from Bubblecake and had her neighbor include this note...