Top TEN gifts for HOCKEY fans and players (2021 hockey gift guide)

 ***Disclosure -This gift guide contains some products I own, some items that I received for free and a few affiliate links. Please be assured that the opinions in this blog are 100% my own, and I've only included items I think would make fantastic gifts for hockey fans and players. Also, if you make a purchase using one of my affiliate links, you will not pay any extra, but I may get a small commission on your purchase. Thank you!***

If you regularly read my blog, you know that I am a hockey mom to three hockey-loving boys. Every year, there are several hockey-related items on my Christmas shopping list, so today, I am sharing my top 10 gift ideas for hockey fans and hockey players. There really is something on this list for all ages and budgets.

1) Gongshow Gear - My kids and I LOVE this high quality clothing line, so it's no surprise it made my top ten list. This year, my boys are getting a few Gongshow items, including these awesome winter hats. I love that they have styles to fit all their different personalities.

Gongshow also has a wide variety of games that make fantastic Christmas gifts. We have the sauce off game set and the saucer king game set. Both are a lot of fun!

2) Ollie Bots - These cute little wooden robots are made with love and tied together with hockey skate laces. The Ollie Bots project was started by my son's buddy and teammate (Oliver Smith) who sadly passed away at the age of 12 to a rare form of bone cancer. For a $20 donation, you can help raise funds and awareness for Ewing Sarcoma. Find out more here. 

3) NHL22 - If your hockey fan loves video games, you probably already have the latest version of this game on your Christmas shopping list. If you have it on your list, you can order it here.

4) Hockey books - Books always make fantastic gifts, and hockey books are perfect for hockey fans. Crossroads, No One Wins Alone, and Hockey Superstars 2021-22 (below) will be under my tree this year.

5) Personalized Hockey Ornaments - I love a personalized, handmade gift, don't you? I make these high quality tree ornaments in my online shop, and you can order them here for only $10.

6) Microfibre Sports Towel - Great for sticking in a hockey bag for an after-game shower. I ordered these towels for both of my sons that shower at the rink. Click here for the link to the one I purchased.

7) Bauer Mystery Mini Sticks - My youngest loves these, and they make a fun and inexpensive Christmas gift for kids. 

8) Wall decals from Oliver's Labels - Personalized wall decals make wonderful gifts for kids. And, and how cute is this large jersey wall decal? Use my link, and save 10% with code: EastCoastMommy.

9) Street Hockey Balls - These hockey balls are perfect for street hockey. Low bounce... and not too hard. They are my boys' favourites, and always find a way into their stockings. Check them out here.

10) Stinky Locker Celly Stickers - Custom stickers that look cool and allow kids to keep track of their stuff make perfect stocking stuffers. I love that there are options for players and goalies... and you can choose your own team colours, names and jersey numbers. Here are the stickers I ordered for my boys.

Cute, right? The stickers are waterproof and perfect for water bottles, cell phones and laptops.

AND... I have a special offer for you here. You can get a six pack for only $17... with FREE shipping. Just in time for Christmas!

And if stickers aren't your thing, Stinky Lockers has other stocking stuffers ideas for hockey fans too: hockey stick decals, helmet decals, custom ornaments, and magnetic dressing room signs. 

Any one of the these TEN products would make a wonderful gift for the hockey fan or hockey player on your Christmas list. My boys and I love all these products, and we've tried them all. If you have any questions, just let me know!

Happy shopping!

💗 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

DIY Boho Christmas Ornament

Recently, I've seen a lot of macrame and boho home decor, and I am loving the simplicity of the style. I made cute boho wreaths for Spring and Fall, and I thought it would be fun to incorporate the style into a Christmas tree ornament. This diy boho Christmas ornament would be a great craft for adults, but it would be fun for kids too.

To make this ornament, you'll need: wooden rings (from the dollar store), red yarn, white yarn, and scissors. 

1) Start by cutting a bunch of strips of yarn -- approx 30cm / 12 inches long. (I did 15 strands of red and 11 strands of white... but it will depend on the thickness of your yarn.)

2) Fold a yarn strand in half, and place the loop part inside the wooden circle.

3) Pull the ends of the yarn through the loop (and around the wood ring).

4) Pull the ends tight, and repeat until the entire ring is covered.

5) Tie the red strings together to form a hat. (Use the string you are tying with to make a hanger.)

6) Trim the pom pom and beard. 

Isn't it cute?

In the past, I have made yarn hat ornaments with my kids' classes and friends, and they were a big hit. I think next time, I might make these ones.

What do you think? Are you a fan of this style or not?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (You can find MORE ideas for easy and inexpensive Christmas family fun here.)

5 Easy and Inexpensive Gifts to Make Using a Cricut

Homemade gifts are fantastic because they are unique, customizable, and budget-friendly. And, if you have a Cricut, you can easily make wonderful gifts that the recipient will love. Today, I'm sharing FIVE easy and inexpensive gifts you can make using a Cricut.

1) Christmas Ornaments - Personalized tree ornaments make great Christmas gifts. For my boys, I purchased hockey SVGs from Etsy, printed them out on permanent black vinyl, and added them to wood slices. I also added their hockey numbers with white vinyl.

Inserting a baby hat into a plastic bulb, and adding personal details with vinyl, is fantastic idea too!

2) Personalized Drinkware - Bottles and glasses are practical and useful, and they are really fun if they are personalized. I made water bottles for my son to give with his friends, and their names and the logo for his YouTube channel. It's also easy to customize wine glasses, beer mugs and coffee cups.

3) Home Decor - A Cricut allows you to create simple and inexpensive signs, wreaths, and other home decor items. Search Pinterest for ideas, gather some supplies from the dollar store, and get to work!

4) Gift Baskets - Personalized reusable containers filled with goodies make THE BEST gifts. I like to personalize popcorn bowls and s'more buckets. Cute, right?!?

5) Personalized Jars - Upgrading dollar store jars with a Cricut is a wonderful way to create a personalized and thoughtful gift. It's a lot of fun to make personalized cookie jars for the baker in your life. Memory jars are fantastic too!

Aren't homemade gifts the best? I love a unique gift, and the Cricut machine makes it extra easy. Which of these Cricut gifts are your favourite? I love them all!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

DIY HOCUS POCUS Tiered Tray

I love decorating a tiered tray for each holiday, and Halloween is no exception. It's the perfect time for a few easy and inexpensive DIY projects.  This year, I decided to spend an afternoon decorating my tiered tray with a "Hocus Pocus" theme. Check out the simple Hocus Pocus DIYs below.

1) Hocus Pocus Mug - I found a tiny black expresso mug at the dollar store and used my cricut to write "Hocus Pocus" on the outside. If you don't have a cricut, you could use a dollar store glass marker or alphabet stickers.

2) "I Smell Children" Rolling Pin - I found a toy rolling pin, and I painted the ends black and the main part white (using dollar store craft paint). Then, I added the words "I smell children" with my cricut. You could also use alphabet stickers or a sharpie.

3) The 3 Sisters' Brooms - I am absolutely in love with these little brooms, and they are really EASY to make. For each broom, I started with a foam paint brush from the dollar, and I ripped off the foam. Then, I wrapped yarn around my hand 20 times, tied a piece of yarn 3/4 of the way down, wrapped the yarn around a few times, tied it again, and cut the loops at the bottom to make a tassel. I finished by using hot glue to attach the tassel to the paint brush handle. (If you have never made a tassel before, you should watch the video I made here.)

I made three different brooms, and I added the names of the sisters from Hocus Pocus to the brooms with my cricut, but you could also use a sharpie or alphabet stickers.

4) "The Black Flame" candle - This was the easiest DIY ever. I took a glittery dollar store (battery operated) candle, and used black craft paint to paint the flame. Easy peasy! 

5) Scrap Wood Bookstack - I love book stacks on tiered trays, and I made this "Hocus Pocus" version using three equal sized blocks cut from a scrap piece of wood. I painted one piece white, one black, and one orange. Then, I added the words "Amuck Amuck Amuck" using my cricut (but you could use stickers, a sharpie, or a paint pen). 

Then, I stacked the wood pieces, wrapped a piece of twine around the books, and secured the twine with hot glue. I think they are my favourite item on my tray. They are tiny and adorable!

Aside from the items I crafted for my tray, I filled in the blank spaces with a few dollar store trinkets. What do you think about my DIY Hocus Pocus tiered tray? 

I also made a little video detailing how to craft all the items on my tiered tray. You can watch the "how to" video here.

It looks adorable on my hall table, and I think it would be great decoration for a Halloween movie night. Don't you?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the 50+ Halloween Crafts, Recipes, Decorations, and DIYs here.

EASY Jack-O-Lantern Lava Lamp

Sometimes simple ideas are the best ones, and this DIY Jack-o-Lantern lava lamp is a fantastic (and easy) Halloween activity. It's a lot of fun, and you likely already have everything you need in your cupboard.

To make your own Jack-O-Lantern lava lamp:

1) Make a face on a stemless wine glass with black electrical tape.

2) Add water and food colouring.

3) Add a layer of oil to the glass.

4) Add an alka-seltzer tablet to the glass, and watch the reaction. 

5) The tablet reacts with the water, and the water and oil don't mix. So, you end up with the orange water bubbles create a cool "lava lamp" effect in the oil.

Check out this this 56 second video. You can see the full reaction at the end. Cool, right?!?

My boys and I have been making DIY lava lamps for years, but I absolutely love this Halloween version. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the 50+ Halloween DIYs, crafts, activities, and treat ideas here.

FREE (printable and frameable) Halloween Lyric Print

Don't you love an easy and inexpensive way to add some fun decor to your home? I have the cutest FREE Halloween print for you today. I designed this simple piece of artwork using the lyrics to one of my favourite Halloween songs, and I think it turned out fantastic. What do you think?

Recognize the song? Yes. You guessed it... it's Thriller.

To download and print a copy: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 picture.

I put my Halloween print in a black wooden frame from the dollar store. It looks really high end beside this dollar store lantern picked up yesterday. You'd never guessed this little vignette only cost a few dollars.

What do you think of the Halloween "Thriller" print I designed? Let me know (in the comments) how you plan to display it in your home.

Happy Halloween!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the 50+ Halloween Crafts, Recipes, Decorations, and DIYs here.