Holidays
The Best Way to Make a Mother’s Day Wish List
When I was a kid, I gave my mom a unicorn wallet for Mother’s Day. She asked me, “Is this a gift for me or for you?” Looking back, the number of unicorns in my [read more]
Articles by Mandi S
DIY + Handmade
Thank You Note Etiquette: DIY Marbled Handmade Cards to Express Your Gratitude
The art of the thank you note. Always appreciated but so frequently forgotten. Saying a sincere thanks can absolutely make someone’s day, so why do the ones I send often feel so obligatory, especially around [read more]
Birthdays
DIY Minecraft Party Ideas for an Interactive Gamer Boy’s Birthday Without Screens
The surprise of creating a pickaxe, or mining your first ore. Figuring out how to light your first fire. Discovering the meat explosion that comes from a pig. Realizing how to swim—and learning never to [read more]
DIY + Handmade
Crafty Homemade Gifts That Toddlers Can Make to Playfully Inspire the Joy of Giving
My little cousins, 2 and 4, are preschool crafting fiends. They come home with pages upon pages of pasted art, funky scribbles, and other staples of the toddlers’ craft repertoire. When I enter their kitchen, [read more]
DIY + Handmade
Goodbye Winter Blues: 5 Mood Boosting DIY Projects for a Weekend of Self-Care
Last weekend, I had all of Saturday and Sunday to myself. My partner was traveling and I was, unusually, caught up with work for the week. I should have been thrilled with two largely empty [read more]
Parties
Be Our Guest! Bonjour to Imaginative Beauty and the Beast Disney Dinner Party Ideas
When I heard the opening arpeggio of that familiar piano tune and saw the dark, wistful castle again for the first time in years while sitting in a silent movie theater, I got tears in [read more]
DIY + Handmade
Snow Day Winter Crafts and Games: “Cool” Boredom Busters That Warm up Imaginations
Puffy snow-quality coat? Check. Mittens clipped to coat? Check. But wait—where’s her hat??? Getting my niece ready to play in the snow takes a full 20 minutes of hunting down winter accessories and struggling into [read more]
DIY + Handmade
Creative Packaging Ideas to Add Pizzazz and Personalization to Gift Cards for Teens
As a young adult not far from her teen years, I remember exactly how it feels to be gifted free stuff. Free meals, books, and hobby-related items always made for a fantastic day in my [read more]
Gift Giving
A Year of Simplicity: How to Embrace the Minimalist Gift Giving Trend of 2017
Wandering aimlessly through the mall, I hunted for the perfect gift: an item that would be useful and beautiful—something that says, “I care about you,” without saying, “Here’s another knick-knack that I know you probably [read more]
Holidays
The Year of the Rooster: A Traditional Chinese New Year Celebration for 2017
A few years ago, my college pal Amanina, known as Amy to her American classmates, wasn’t able to make it home to Malaysia for Chinese New Year. She was clearly bummed—it’s the most important day [read more]