Gift ideas for those that are hard to shop for plus a giveaway!

We all fall into the trap of having someone near and dear to us on our Christmas gift list that we just aren't sure what to buy for them. Instead of getting sucked into the trap of just buying something to buy for them, I've rounded up a few gift ideas for those hard to shop for friends and family.

For the kids

My kids love Lego's. One of my son's favorite gifts last year was a 6 month Pley subscription.  It was not only a gift for him, but a gift for me too!  He would get his pley package in the mail with a new fun Lego creation and would be busy for hours working away. When he was done, we bagged the set up and dropped it off in the mail and a few days later another Lego set would show up at our doorstep. It was the best ever! The best part was that we didn't end up having a ton of new toys taking up space.  You can select a monthly subscription, 3 month subscription, or 6 month subscription.  

My 10 year old loves his Tinker Crate subscription! Talk about kids learning and not even knowing it! He made so many awesome creations and everything was already in the box, which I love because he can open the box and get right to work using the instructions to create whatever fun creation Tinker Crate has in store for him that month!

My creative daughter loves getting the Doodle Crate! She made her own rubber stamps, created a sculpture and had all kinds of cool supplies to use that we wouldn't have picked up at a craft store otherwise.




From now until the 30th, if you have never used Tinker Crate or Doodle Crate or any of it's affiliates before, you can try them for 60% off!

Today only {BLACK FRIDAY!} you can get 50% off even if you have ordered from any of the Kiwi Crate's before. Such a great deal! Don't think that I'm not ordering a few for gifts myself!

I also compiled this list of creative gift ideas for kids. Not a single thing cost over $20!  Every single item will inspire creativity and keep your kids creating for hours!

For her

In case you missed the list of gift ideas for creative people, you can find it here. You may not be crafty or creative, but someone you are buying for is. This list will be a no fail buying guide for you. Not a single item is over $20!

Buying and giving handmade gifts is one of my favorite things, but I don't always have to be the one hand making all of them.

I recently went to a sale with various crafters in the area and even though all of the items were all mixed together, I still gravitated towards everything that Jillian from JillianMade makes.  If you follow me on Instagram, you will remember how excited I was to order this super awesome cowl scarf. I've also got my eye on a plaid clutch too.  

Personalized gifts are always a hit. I love everything Lisa Leonard does. There are other great shops on Etsy filled with personalized items. 

For him

Games are tons of fun and a good way to get to know your friends and family better.  Bezzerwizer is a fun one for those trivia lovers. Snow lover? A new pair of gloves. Golf fan? A box of balls. Coffee lover? Pick up their favorite roasted beans.

Books are always a great choice.  Why not select one of your favorites.  My husband has really enjoyed Unbroken, The Martian, The Wright Brothers, and The Big Short.

We have several local brewery's and specialty distilleries. Think about treating them to a night out of tasting and then the chance to pick out their favorite growler.

For anyone

Perhaps you have a favorite photo of a friend or family member you could put on a canvas and give them for Christmas. I used Canvas Factory to create this canvas from a recent trip to Africa and lucky for you, they are offering a free 16x20 canvas with free delivery for one of my readers.  Simply comment below on the favorite gift you ever received. I will select one of the comments below randomly on December 5 and will announce the winner on my Facebook page. Make sure you are following or you will miss the announcement.

Sometimes, hard to shop for people are hard to shop for because they really just don't want or need anything. Don't feel obligated to buy them anything! 

Instead of getting your dad another tie he probably doesn't want {or need} maybe you could write him a note about how much you appreciate him or about a special memory that you have had with him and set a date to take him out to coffee.  Maybe your mom isn't very computer savvy but would like to put all of her recent pictures from her trip to Hawaii into a photo book.  You can offer to create a photo book for her. Or print off those pictures from her recent visit with the kids and put them into an album for her.  Here's 50 free prints that can get you started!

I don't know too many people who wouldn't love a Netflix subscription.  This is the perfect gift even if they already have a subscription because it will just add on to the one that they already have and allow them to enjoy streaming their shows and movies without any interruption. 

Consider gifting experiences rather than things. A young family might appreciate a zoo or children's museum membership, a family with older kids might enjoy movie passes and a treat out for ice cream. Last year my brother in law gifted my 16 year old son a trip to go go kart racing and out to lunch. They had a great time together and will remember those experiences far more than whatever widget you struggled to find at the last minute because you couldn't' think of anything!

If you have a friend or family member who is passionate about animals, consider making a donation to a local animal shelter.  Give the gift of time and offer to volunteer for a few hours where they volunteer.  For only $50 you can give the gift of clean water for life for someone in sub Saharan Africa who doesn't have access to clean water. Or consider giving a goat or a chicken to a family in need. Making a donation in a friends name is a great way to support something that is near and dear to their hearts.

Sometimes just giving your time and offering to help with something that is on their to do list, is the best gift of all!  So I want to hear it, what's the best gift you have ever received? Leave a comment below and be entered to win a free 16x20 canvas from The Canvas Factory.

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Father's day photo gift with Snapfish

There are so many photo sites out there now that it's hard to find the best one. I must be honest with you, for years I jumped between sites based on what coupon codes I could find and usually settled on the site with the best deals.  This method didn't always work out in my favor!  Sometimes, you really do get what you pay for!
I'm a big fan of giving personalized gifts.  Snapfish is launching an amazing new version of their site redesigned from scratch. They listened to their customers and you can tell! I was able to design a personalized gift for my dad for Father's Day and it took me less than 5 minutes! The new site is even available on your phone or tablet so you can design where ever you are! 
If you are my dad, stop reading now! You will spoil your surprise! If you aren't keep going so you can see how easy it was to make a personalized canvas from one of my favorite vacation photos.

Last year, my parents met our family in Maui for an extended family vacation. We spent our fair share of time relaxing on the beach and my oldest son actually snapped this picture of my dad, me and my husband shooting the breeze and watching the kids in the surf.  It actually ended up being one of my dad's favorite pictures from the trip {mine too!} so I decided to make it into a photo canvas for him.

I went to the Snapfish site, clicked on the canvas and decor tab, selected the orientation and the size and uploaded my photo.  That was it! In less than a week, my canvas was delivered right to my door.

I love how the canvas is wrapped all the way around with the image. I even get the added bonus of spending Father's Day with my dad for the second year in a row in Hawaii! This year, we are meeting up on the Big Island for a family reunion.

While we are talking about vacations, if you are anything like me, you are probably snapping most of your pictures with your phone.  I know I am! I share some pretty good stuff on Instagram and I'm guilty of leaving my pictures stuck digitally and never printing them off.  I am super excited that Snapfish offers square prints, perfect for those Instagram photos. 
Back to dad now...There are lots of great personalized gifts you can make for father's day.  Like a puzzle from one of your favorite photos, playing cards, magnets or travel mugs.  You can even make personalized luggage tags and phone cases!
You can also Join Snapfish Superfans! to share your pictures and projects and have opportunities to win prizes and rewards! I promise you, the new Snapfish site isn't the same one you used 15 years ago! It's much better! Give it a shot.  I promise, you won't be disappointed!

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