A few days ago, I found out friends whom I haven’t seen in over 30 years were on their way to Oahu. They were going to be checking into the Aulani Disney Resort which is just a few miles from my home. Due to Covid, I wasn’t able to greet them at the airport with leis as I would have liked to do. So, I decided to surprise them by dropping off a little welcome gift at their hotel.

My first instinct was to call my friend Cindy and order some custom made cookies as a welcome gift. However, I knew that Cindy probably wasn’t baking because she has been so busy working on the Kamehameha Schools Virtual Ho’olaule’a.

So rather than call her, I went to Longs and purchased an insulated Hawaiian print bag and filled it with local snacks for them to enjoy during their stay.

I used the insulated bag as my inspiration to design a neutral pineapple welcome card to go along with their surprise gift of aloha.

Below you can see how I used Basic Black, Early Espresso, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake Card Stock on my card to coordinate with the tropical print on the insulated bag.

The Stitched Triangle Dies also provided me with a fun way to create an interesting panel to run down the left side of my card front.

You’ll never believe what happened a few minutes after I delivered this gift bag and card to the hotel! My very busy friend Cindy called me and during our conversation I found out that she WAS in the middle of a cookie order. I told her that I almost ordered some Hawaiian themed cookies but I knew that she was busy and time was short. When I inquired what kind of cookies she was in the middle of making, she just laughed as she texted me this photo.

”Would something like this work?”, she asked with a smile, totally knowing what my answer would be. “YES”, I said excitedly. “Do you have extras?” “Of course I do”, she replied. So the next day, I went to her house and picked up an assortment of these GORGEOUS creations!

Even though I had already left a welcome gift at the hotel, I couldn't resist not blessing my friends with some of Cindy’s special cookies.

I took these cookies over to the resort the day before my friends traveled home. I wrapped them in a large cello bag, tied with a simple ribbon. I designed a new sweet and simple pineapple tag using a die from the Hippo and Friends Dies. This is the same die set that I used to make the larger pineapple base in the neutral pineapple card pictured above.

I used brighter colors on this little pineapple tag. I used the Tulip Builder punch to make the crown and the Small Bloom Punch partnered with the Confetti Flowers Border Punch to make the brightly colored flower accent. The sentiment on this sweet little pineapple comes from a new set called Oval Occasions.

I am so thankful to have a friend like Cindy who creates such incredible treats that are handmade from the heart. I am also thankful for the opportunity I had to see my friends faces light up as they received a second unexpected gift of aloha.

Cindy puts her heart and soul into everything she does. For the past several weeks she has been working around the clock on the Kamehameha School’s Virtual Ho’olaule’a. Before I close today’s post, I want to invite you all to go and check out this amazing fundraiser. I donated a large basket full of Stampin’ Up! supplies that you can bid on as a part of the silent auction. If you want to bid on my basket or any of the other amazing packages, the auction site opens March 25th at noon. To access the fundraiser website, click here KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS VIRTUAL HOʻOLAULEʻA 2021.

My friends said they had a fabulous visit to Oahu. That makes me so happy!! I hope my unexpected gifts of aloha were a small part of helping them to experience the aloha spirit and letting them know that they are loved.

With Aloha,

Cindy

Gift of Aloha

Stamped With Aloha

Gift of Aloha

Pink Pineapple Paper Pumpkin

True Love Clear Block Photo Frame

Stamped With Aloha