Procrastinator’s Dream: Our Gift Closet Idea. Last-Minute Gifts Tips“0 Comments”
katia | 5:57 pm | March 10, 2008 | Birthday Gifts, Halloween Gifts, Thanksgiving Gifts, Christmas Gifts, Flowers, Gift Baskets, Chocolate, Gifts, Last Minute Gifts, TheGift.com
Nowadays, our hectic lifestyles can easily lead to gifting emergencies. Who hasn’t forgotten a birthday at least once? What about those unexpected visitor stopped who by with a gift, those moments where you are caught off guard like a that last-minute hostess gift for tonight’s dinner party? You can avoid panic in these situations by keeping a small stash of gifts on hand – and a gift closet offers the perfect solution.Creating a gift closet is an excellent and economical way to deal with last-minute gift emergencies. By keeping a diverse selection of gifts, you will never scramble for a last-minute gift again! In your gift closet, include a wide variety of items, suitable for friends and relatives of all ages, so it allows you to personalize gifts to fit each individuals’ interests and personalities.
Here are some tips for building your own gift closet:
- Do buy gifts out of season. When you see something that a friend or relative would like, buy it and save it for a future gifting occasion. Items such as accessories and jewelry never go out of season.
- Food gifts, such as homemade preserves, fine candies and high-quality vinegars or sauces, make great gifts for almost everyone on your list. And who doesn’t love fine gourmet?
- Gift certificates to book stores, music shops and department stores, or any other store your friends and relatives like are always appropriate. Many people think that a gift certificate lacks originality and creativity, but I am of the opinion that a gift is supposed to put a smile on the person’s face. So, no matter what you are giving, be it his/her favorite perfume or a gift certificate, your objective is to put a smile on their face.
- Don’t forget to include child-specific gifts, such as toys, art supplies or books, in your gift stash.
- Don’t be afraid to recycle a gift – just be sure to attach a note to the item saying who gave it to you, so as to avoid the embarrassment of passing it back to the original giver. But most important, don’t sit on a gift for too long either. It will be an embarassement if you give your friends or relatives a gift you got a year ago.
- Always keep gift bags, paper, tags, ribbon and other wrapping supplies in stock with your stash. We can never have too many of these things.
Go ahead and create your own gift closet. And pad yourself on the back after it. You are probably one in a few who will never be aggravated by a last-minute gift emergency 
Here is one site for great last-minute gifting solution:
Visit 1-800-FLOWERS.COM’s Same-Day Delivery gifts.
Get Sauced“0 Comments”
steve | 5:51 am | September 9, 2007 | Birthday Gifts, Gifts for Mom, Gift Baskets
My brother seems to have a knack for finding really, really great restaurants. A couple years ago, we all took a road trip to Florida, and along the way, he insisted on diverting us to Savannah, Georgia to a restaurant called “The Lady and Sons”.
I remember the night clearly. It was a beautiful night, and the city of Savannah was lit up beautifully. You could hear the clop-clop of horse-drawn carriages on the streets, and the streets looked like a scene from “Gone with the Wind”. The inside of the restaurant was the epitome of “southern charm”. The person serving us had a great big smile and a southern accent that just made you feel at home.
It was one of those restaurants where you spend three hours just trying to figure out how much on the menu you could possibly cram into a stomach with finite dimensions. If I recall, I ordered the famous crab cakes, but as much as I enjoyed my entree, I remember looking longingly at others’ plates. An amazing chicken pot pie with huge chunks of chicken. Fried lobster tail. Huge crab-stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon. And of course, the pecan pie.
I stuffed as much as I could, and then on the way out, made it a point to buy one of her cookbooks. To this day, it’s the cookbook I use the most when I’m in the mood for some “comfort” food. For all the kicking and screaming out there about “0% trans fat” and “low in saturated fat” cooking, there are just some times when you NEED to throw a couple sticks of butter into your cooking and just enjoy your life!
Of course, in the years since, The Lady and Sons has become a national treasure, as has its owner, Paula Deen. When I heard that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had signed Paula Deen to be one of their “Celebrity Chefs” a few months ago, and would be selling her gift baskets online, I didn’t wait long before I ordered a Paula Deen Cooking Basket for myself. It’s a great gift baskets with some of Paula Deen’s signature sauces, all in a great set that’s great to give.
This is one of those gifts that’s so popular that it seems to go in and out of stock almost continually. So pounce on it while you can!
What a dollhouse should be.“0 Comments”
steve | 8:38 am | September 7, 2007 | Birthday Gifts, Christmas Gifts, Gifts for Daughters, Gifts for Nieces, Toys
I will admit that I very much live up to my title of being a doting uncle. When you’ve got two nieces and a nephew who are bona-fide cutie-patooties, it’s very, very difficult not to be.
So when I went birthday shopping for my niece, Kristi, I wanted to get something really special. Unfortunately, these days, when you walk down any toy store or department store’s aisles, it’s difficult to find toys anymore that really teach old-fashioned values. Barbie’s gotta have her “fashion fever”, her “glam pool” and her “bling bling”. And let’s not start talking about those “Bratz” dolls–I’m no prude, but the “Bratz Babyz Night Out” outfits are enough to make me blush!
That’s what I really love about Hearthsong. When’s the last time you saw a real doll house like this one, made of real wood, not with plastic and lead paint. Check out all the furniture collections, and the happy family all ready to move in.
And the best part about this dollhouse is what it’s missing. A child’s imagination. In a world that’s filled with licensed cartoon characters and shoot-em-up video games, that’s often the one thing that is lost. And I admit, when I see my nieces coming up with their adventures, it makes me feel great (and provides some entertainment–the “dad” eerily share some characteristics with my brother).