My friend Shannon is SHARING her recipes! This is not small. She’s one of those cooks who makes even the simplest of dishes taste better. She even inspired me to bust out the measuring cups more often than not this past week.

This gift card idea is a tribute to her new Blog, Lucy Jane’s Best. I gotta say, it’s a cute one.

Ingredients

• 1 Measuring Cup (any size)
• 1 Bag of Chocolate Chips
• 1 Gift Card
• 1 Cello Bag
• 1 Ribbon
• Immeasurable Gratitude

Directions

Throw Chocolate Chips in measuring cup. Plop measuring cup in Cello bag. Thread ribbon through hole in gift card backer and tie around bag. Add a heartfelt note with “Gratitude Beyond Measure.” Any gift card will do. A cooking store gift card, if appropriate for the recipient, would be the cherry on top of this delicious idea.

Substitutions

Substitute a measuring cup for any measuring device. And again, any gift card will work. But some fun combos include:

• Ruler with Gift Card to Office Supply Store (Great Teacher Gift!)
• Yardstick with Gift Card to Craft Store
• Measuring Tape with Gift Card to Home Improvement Store
• Sewing Tape Measure with Gift Card to Fabric Store
• Stop Watch or Distance Gauge with Sporting Goods Gift Card (Thanks Coach!)

Buy a Different Gift Card with a Target Gift Card

I took my son to Target so he could redeem one of his birthday gift cards. But with ALL the choices (games, toys, clothes), he couldn’t decide what to buy. That’s when we discovered Target is now selling gift cards to other stores. (Thank you for finally getting on board with that Target!!!)

Imagine Michael’s delight when he discovered he could buy a Club Penguin Membership gift card with his Target gift card. This turned out to be the perfect choice because he loves playing Club Penguin but I won’t pay for his membership. (I save my money for the Wii and other games that encourage movement.)

How to Buy a Gift Card with a Gift Card

There are several website services that enable you to swap your gift card. But with those sites you would have to sell them your gift card (for less than face value) and buy a new one at a discount. Or cash in your gift card and buy whatever you want with cash. But it’s much easier to swap a gift card by purchasing a new gift card with the one you already have.

• The bad news: It only works if your gift card is to a store that sells other gift cards.
• The good news: There are many stores that sell other store gift cards–including Target, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Michaels, Safeway, Vons, CVS, Lucky, and hundreds of others. The key is to look for a kiosk. If you find the kiosk–you have options!

As gift card kiosks increasingly show up (and stores realize they can make money and drive customers to their store by offering this convenience), it should also be increasingly easy to pull off the Gift Card Switcheroo!!! Works for me!

Target Gift Card makes the Perfect Cupcake Topper!

Ally was so excited to taste the cupcakes that she didn’t even notice the Target gift card on top!

Hands Off!

When Ally helped my friend Kelly sell cupcakes at a fundraiser, she came home with a box of cupcakes as payment. She was thrilled, bragging to her brothers that she’d earned the tasty treats, telling all of us to keep our hands off them. She got even more excited (and a little bossier) when Kelly dropped off a second set of cupcakes for her to taste test. Only after she’d stuck a fork in nearly each one did Ally notice that the “Thank You” note on top was actually a gift card to Target.

Target Does it Right

Target does a great job of offering gift cards in a variety of styles, with a wide range of expressions–making it easy to turn their gift cards into fun vignettes of affection.

For Joy!

Ally honestly would have been thrilled with just the cupcakes or just the gift card. But the combo made her squeal with delight–and I’m pretty sure that’s what Kelly was going for. Thanks Kelly!

Be sure the recipient can buy something without spending her own money.

My sister-in-law recently gave each of my children a $10 gift card to Target. Though ten dollars isn’t extravagant, it can be used to buy a variety of things at that particular store. Matthew bought a book. Ally bought a shirt. Michael is saving up for a new Wii game so he put the card away in his wallet. (Good boy!)

The dollar amount you put on a gift card should give the recipient enough buying power to make a purchase without spending additional cash. Otherwise, your well intentions could turn into more of a burden than a gift–requiring the recipient contribute towards his own present or possibly not use the gift card at all.

That doesn’t mean you need to spend more than you can afford on a gift card. Stay within your budget, but choose a gift card accordingly. If your limit is $20, for example, then a gift card to Kohl’s or Jamba Juice, where low-price items are available, would be more fitting than a gift card to Anthropologie or Outback Steakhouse, both of which are more expensive.

Picking the right dollar amount is another way to show you put some thought into selecting a gift card.

Read all of my gift card rules:

• Gift Card Rule #1: It’s Not About You

• Gift Card Rule #2: Location, Location, Location!

• Gift Card Rule #3: Buying Power

• Gift Card Rule #4: Avoid the Gotchas

• Gift Card Rule #5: Something for Now and Later

Tonight we exchanged Christmas presents with my husband’s family. Each year, they shower us with a bounty full of gifts we don’t deserve. Clothes, toys, boots, and baubles, all done up in beautiful packaging with elegant bows. And yet, my almost-10-year-old daughter bounced out of her seat and screamed like the girl she is when she discovered a $20 Target gift card inside the present from Aunt Leslie. Literally shaking with excitement, Ally exclaimed to all, “I’ve been NEEDING some things at Target!” So cute. So honest. So excited. (So already bugging me to take her shopping tomorrow.)

Kids love gift cards for the same reason the rest of us do–they get to shop for whatever it is their little hearts desire. And since we don’t live lavishly, Ally’s heart desires many things. But there is absolutely no way I’m taking her to Target on Christmas Eve.  Though redeeming gift cards with kids can be a fun excursion and a terrific learning experience, the process also requires a little extra time and an extra measure of patience–two things I’m a little short on right now.  We’ll go after Christmas when we have a chance to think logically and shop leisurely.

I’ll let you know how it goes.