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White Elephant Gift Wrap Free Printables | A Well Crafted Party
Christmas

White Elephant Gift Wrap Ideas + Free Printables

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I love a good white elephant gift exchange. It gives people the opportunity to mingle and laugh and sends everyone home with a gift! This year I’m attending four different parties with white elephant gift exchanges! One of my goals each time is to create a package that really makes people want to open my gift… and then fill the package with something that is sure to be stolen a few times. I created these white elephant gift wrap printables with the adorable illustrations from Lorats from Freepik.

This is the sixth day of my 12 Days of Christmas DIYs for 2018. Each day for the next twelve days I share DIY projects, recipes, entertainment, and more, that you can incorporate in your holiday season. Most will be super simple!

White Elephant Gift Wrap Free Printables | A Well Crafted Party

So, how do you play White Elephant? I am pretty sure everytime someone has described the game it has sounded complicated, but in practice, it is really simple and a lot of fun. I’ll share the rules I have always played by, but always run with the host’s rules!

How to Play White Elephant

  • All players must have provided a wrapped give of a determined value and/or theme. Most of the times I’ve played the gifts were valued from $15-$25. However, I have totally played with a $10 limit before and had just as much fun. I added in theme here because I’ve been to some white elephant games that set not only a price range but also a theme for a party. One of my favorite traditions is attending a mug swap with friends and we all get different mugs and then play a game of white elephant for the mugs.
  • Write down a number for each of the gifts and put all the numbers in a bowl/hat/box/what-have-you.
  • Have every person draw a number.
  • The person that receives the number one is a very special player. They get the opportunity to go first, but then at the end of the game, they have the opportunity to steal a gift that hasn’t been locked (more on that later).
  • Person one picks a gift and opens it. They make sure to show the gift to everyone present.
  • Person two then has the option to either open a new gift or steal the gift from person number one. If they choose to steal the gift then person number one gets to open a new gift.
  • Each gift can be stolen only twice. Once it has been stolen a second time (so it has reached its third owner) it is locked and cannot be stolen again.
  • You can steal a gift back that was stolen from you only if it was not JUST stolen from you and is not locked.
  • At the end of the game the person with the number one gets the opportunity to either steal or end the game. If they steal then the person they steal from has the opportunity to steal, etc. In that case the game goes on until someone ends it by no longer stealing. The gifts that have been locked may not be stolen.

white elephant gift wrap ideas

Tips for Great White Elephant Games

  1. Pick a gift that you truly love or think that others will love. Sometimes White Elephant games are called “Dirty Santa” and are gag gifts. Even in that case, go for the funniest gift available rather than the dud gift. No one wants to go home with a dud!
  2. Wrap it up nice! Make the gift look so fun that someone wants to open it up right away. It is fun to see your gift opened up and stolen. Plus, people really enjoy opening gifts. On that note, don’t make the gift too complicated to open. Everyone will be watching and time may be limited.

white elephant gift wrap ideas and free printables Free Printables White Elephant Gift Wrap Ideas

Free White Elephant Wrapping Printables

Below are some free (for personal use) printable gift wrap items to help make your white elephant gift extra adorable. I mean… if I saw a gift with cute little elephants on it at a White Elephant Party, well, I’d for sure pick it!

  • Download the White Elephant Gift Tags 2UP: These are the larger tags. Print on cardstock, cut out along red outer lines, and hole punch the top circle. Attach to your gift with ribbon.
  • Download the White Elephant Gift Tags 4UP: These are slightly smaller tags. Print on cardstock, cut out along red outer lines, and hole punch the top circle. Attach to your gift with ribbon.
  • Download the 8.5X11 White Elephant Gift Wrap: Print this out on copy paper using a home printer or, for better quality, print at your local print shop. This size is perfect for small trinkets.
  • Download the 11X17 White Elephant Gift Wrap: Print this on copy weight paper at your local print shop.
  • Download the 18X24 White Elephant Gift Wrap: Print as a color engineering print from your local Staples or favorite print shop.

Have you ever been to a White Elephant party? If so, what was your favorite gift?

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East India Co. for Portland Dining Month 2017
A Well Crafted Life

East India Company + Portland Dining Month

No Comments A Well Crafted Life

Each year I look forward to Portland Dining month, devour the menu of each restaurant a few times, and select a couple of restaurants to try a three-course meal for just $29. This year I was offered the opportunity by Travel Portland to try Portland Dining month at one restaurant and share that experience with you the readers! Part of my meal was covered by this opportunity. All opinions are my own. 

March Madness?

The month of march is basically a holiday for foodies in Portland. Portland Dining Month (PDM) gives guests an opportunity to try an array of restaurant specialties at $29 for a three course meal. Each March I try to pick at least two restaurants that I’ve not been able to try (or favorites I can rarely afford) and take the opportunity to enjoy a three course meal at an affordable price point. There is a whole rating system for my husband and I when it comes to restaurants participating in Portland Dining Month. We check out their PDM menus, reviews, and local blog coverage. Places that give choices on their menus get moved up on the list. Ones we’ve tried before get moved down. It is an ordeal. So far this month I’ve only been able to try one restaurant, a great choice if I do say so myself, but I hope to hit one more before the end of the month. Best thing about this game of chance? Everyone is a winner. SO many great restaurants to choose from!

India Trading Company — Great Indian Food in Portland, Oregon

Setting up a reservation for India Trading Co. was simple, but I am glad that I did it! When we walked up to the door the place looked empty, however what we couldn’t see was a fairly full restaurant dining room just past the bar. We used OpenTable through the Portland Dining Month website so that our reservation also helped to make a donation to Oregon Food Bank (more on that below) and it literally took less than two minutes to get our reservation for a Friday night.

 

East India Company - Indian Food in Portland, Oregon

We haven’t had Indian food in years. YEARS. That is seriously shameful. I love Indian food but have only ventured to make it on my own one time. We kept talking about going back to one of our favorite local restaurants, but with the kiddos it has been difficult due to the spice levels of my favorite dishes. My husband prefers milder dishes and I personally enjoy medium to spicier flavors. This was the perfect date night opportunity and we now added another local restaurant to our favorites list.

 

East India Company Cocktails - Rangpur Chill

 

We started our meal out with something that isn’t on the PDM menu… cocktails! We love trying house-recipe cocktails. I had the Rangpur Chill, a refreshing and spicy combination of gin, chilis, and cucumber. My husband enjoyed the Harabi Lassi that features a Saffron infused vodka, lassi and mango. Both were delicious. His sweeter and mine spicier… kind of like us, really.

East India Co. Portland Dining Month Menu

 Let’s talk about the menu for a bit. As I said before, I like options on my Portland Dining Month menu. It doesn’t mean I won’t order off menu. I will and did on this occasion. But, I really like to stay true to the form of Portland Dining Month and try out the selection that was given! East India Company had two choices of appetizers and two choices of entree. The dessert came with THREE different flavors of Kulfi. YUM.

East India Company Grill and Bar Portland Dining Month Menu 2017:

First course (choose one):

Papdi chaat: mini crispy poori and spiced garbanzo beans topped with curd, tamarind and mint chutney
-Or-
Bhel Puri: puffed rice with sev, tomato, onion and potato, tossed with a tangy tamarind sauce and green chutney

Second course (choose one):

Navratan korma: vegetable blend of ginger, raisins and creamy cashew gravy, served with saffron rice and tadka dal
-Or-
Chicken tikka masala: chicken marinated in yogurt and spices with tomato masala sauce

Third course:

Kulfi Trio of mango, cardamom and chocolate

East India Co. Tikka Masala

For the Portland Dining Month menu we chose to eat the Bhel Puri first course, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Kulfi. We then went off  the PDM menu and tried the Tandoori Khumbi which were grilled mushrooms marinated in five herbs, with ginger and lemon and a spicy Tamarind-Date Chutney. We also tried, on recommendation of our server, something completely off-menu! We did their Korma (“a characteristic Indian dish which can be traced back to the 16th century. The flavor of a korma is based on a mixture of spices along with cashew nuts, fresh ginger, green chilies and cream”) with lamb. It was amazing and SPICY. I always like asking the servers favorite. They are almost always in the know about the best menu (or off-menu) dishes. We also added garlic naan to our order. Naan is perfect for getting all the amazing sauces from the dish into your mouth.

We loved the entire meal, but I have to say my favorites were the grilled mushrooms and the chicken tikka masala.

East India Co Kulfi

More info on Portland Dining Month

Portland Dining Month, now in its eighth year, returns to the Rose City this March with a host of new restaurants serving up three-course dinners for just $29 every night of the week. Portland Dining Month, a Travel Portland initiative, gives visitors and locals the opportunity to try Portland’s fan-favorite restaurants and newbies on the scene at a significant discount.

This year, more than 120 restaurants have joined Portland Dining Month, with award-winning chefs preparing three-course prix fixe dinner menus. New additions to the 2017 roster include buzzworthy locales Tusk, Bar Casa Vale, Headwaters, Jacqueline, La Moule, Rue and Wayfinder Beer, as well as classic Portland standbys Huber’s Cafe, Higgins, Jake’s Grill, Mother’s Bistro and Paley’s Place. A full list of participating Portland Dining Monthrestaurants and their menus can be found at PortlandDiningMonth.com.

“Portland has become a world-class culinary destination, which is evident in the seemingly never-ending creativity and fresh concepts that Portland chefs bring to the table,” said Jeff Miller, Travel Portland president and CEO. “Portland Dining Month is the perfect opportunity for locals and visitors alike to try a new restaurant or old favorite while celebrating this incredible food destination.”

Reservations That Give Back 

During Portland Dining Month, diners are encouraged to make reservations online through PortlandDiningMonth.com. Once again, Portland Dining Month will partner with Oregon Food Bank, making a donation to the hunger-relief organization for every reservation booked through the OpenTable links on PortlandDiningMonth.com.

 

 

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Creating and Keeping Blogging Goals in 2016
Blogging

Blogging Goals – Make & Achieve Your Goals!

1 Comment Blogging

The freshness of the new year is starting to wear off now that I seem to be able to remember to put 2017 on all my paperwork. While I am still feeling good about my resolutions and blogging goals for the new year, I’m not feeling the fire to accomplish my goals quite as intensely as I was around the 1st.

I often see bloggers (including myself) starting strong in the new year and then petering out as the year gets going. It is natural after all, but I am trying my best to not let that happen again this year by setting achievable focused goals.

I published the 2017 Free Printable Blog Planner earlier this month and have just now started working out exactly how I want to put MY personal blog planner together using the sheets. In putting my book together I’ve decided to take some of the sheets that I use often and explain how I use them here on the blog.

Tips for Creating and Keeping your 2016 Blogging Goals

How to make achievable blogging goals:

 

Do I want 100,000 page views this month? Yes, of course. Is it really feasible when I’m currently averaging around 20,000 in a month? No, probably not. I am pretty sure the biggest downfall of New Year’s Resolutions is that often we set unachievable dreams as our goals for a year. Then, when things don’t really start to pan out as quickly as they need to so that we hit that dream, well, we give up. Do I want to be debt free? YES, that is the dream. Is it possible this year? Not unless I won the lottery, and well, that didn’t happen. Is it possible that I pay off a few credit cards so that I am well on my way to living the dream? Absolutely. When taking the time to sit down and write out my goals I do the following steps to help make sure that they are achievable:

  1. Write down the dream: Where do I want my goals to eventually lead? I want those 100,000 page views in a month. I want to be debt free. I want to lose 50 pounds. Whatever your dream is, write it down and get that out of the way.
  2. Go through the steps (goals) that need to happen in order to achieve that dream: I then think about the steps that need to happen in order for me to achieve that dream. For my page views it may be writing regular content and becoming more consistent with my postings. Steps may include guest posting or being featured on blogs that I admire. Whatever those steps are, I write them down in detail and in order in which they need to happen. Those steps then become my goals.
  3. Prioritize the steps. In writing out the steps I try to write them down in the order that they need to happen in order for me to reach my goal. However, sometimes, a lot of items could help me reach my goal and there is no discernible order so I need to prioritize those steps. In prioritizing the steps I think about which items are easiest to achieve and which will garner the best outcome. 
  4. Plan my course of action: Finally, I make my plans. What do I need to do in order to have consistent blog posts that will eventually help me reach the dream of 100,000 page views? I need to have a content calendar that I can follow and post on planned days. I then need to schedule out those posts on my calendar and get working on writing. Setting small, manageable goals such as a workable content calendar with weekly deadlines will go a long way in helping me achieve the steps that lead to me realizing my dream.

 

Creating and Keeping Blogging Goals - A Well Crafted Party

Ways to KEEP your blogging goals:

 

What is the use of setting blogging goals and spending time assessing and planning out your dreams if you aren’t going to work at achieving them? Sure, blogging can be a lot like dieting and while you know what is good for you it is easy sometimes to let things go at times. Heck, life can simply get in the way (see my entire last year with the pregnancy and birth of my second child). A few ways I help myself KEEP my goals throughout the year:

  1. Make small, manageable goals: As I said above, I like to take my dreams and really break them down into small steps that lead me to where I want to eventually end up. These smaller steps help make big dreams seem doable. When I achieve each of those smaller steps I have reason to celebrate and faith that I will eventually hit that goal. If I were to simply say, “I will hit 100,000 page views in a month this year” then each month that I don’t hit that goal would knock me further down in my faith in reaching that goal. However, if I say that I am going to consistently post two days a week for three months and then hit that goal I will see progress and feel more confident that I will eventually get to those 100,000 page views.
  2. Set deadlines: Maybe it is because I was trained as a journalist, but deadlines motivate me like nothing else. I set deadlines to reach certain goals in my calendar with reminders that email me at certain intervals before the deadline so that I don’t forget. I will also put up checklists on the wall (washi tape is an awesome way to post goal sheets for a reminder until a goal is hit!)

Blogging Resolutions

One of my favorite pages from the 2017 Free Printable Blog Planner is the Blogging Resolutions page. It has area for 5 big goals or “dreams” that you have for your blog, space to break those dreams into steps, and a place to mark a deadline for the goal. There is also a short description of how to make a S.M.A.R.T goal. Sign up for my newsletter to access your free printable blog planner including the blogging resolutions page as well as access to all of the subscriber only printables and posts.

 

Is starting a blog on your resolution list? Or perhaps moving to self-hosting is? Check out my post about starting a self-hosted blog for tips on how to move from planning to starting!

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What are your blogging goals for 2017? Comment below!

Edited and Updated to include the 2017 Blog Planner! 

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