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  • Gift It/Get It

    The Big Holiday Gift Guide for your office mate, your mom, your man and the hostess. I used that awesomely huge site, TheFind.com to find the best prices on my favorite gifts, plus a great sweet idea for the whole family from my favorite one stop shop, TJ Maxx.


    Does your Hostess love to toil in the dirt and let you enjoy the fruits and vegetables of her labor? Then give her a sassy new set of garden tools and add in packets or seeds or flower bulbs. Wild and Wolf Garden Tools for $35 from AldeaHome.com


    How about a red hot beret or be pretty in pink because it doesn’t matter what time of year it is. Hat’s are all about attitude. Wear it slouchy all year, cover up messy hair or pack it for your trip to Europe. From Kanokwalee for $42 at Etsy.com

    If you don’t have the time or patience to pull out your knitting needles, but want a gift that looks homemade. You know what I’m talking about-a gift that looks like you were crafty on par with Martha Stewart then check out these stylish needlepoint belt buckles from Needle You for $35 from Etsy.com


    Cubebot Made from sustainably harvested cherry wood, Cubebots’s powerful frame can hold many poses, and his elastic-band muscles and durable wood limbs make him impervious to breakage. When it’s time for him to rest, he folds into a perfect cube. An enduring classic that will withstand generations of play. $35 from Michelevarian.com

    More than just an overnight guest? This is the pricier gift for the person who’s home is offering you shelter for the holidays. This gets you—“Sure stay again next year.” For $98 you can choose from a variety of simple monograms to bold stripes and shapes to monogram on a stylish tote from Shopiomoi.com. This is also an Oprah favorite and now it’s mine as well.


    Hand over the party as a gift. From dysfunctional bingo to a spitball dartpad your gift will guarantee plenty of laughs. If there’s drinking involved offer an opportunity for everyone to let their taste buds do the judging with rate that wine and beer tastings and even the hangover kit. These are fun, inexpensive gifts scouted on TheFind from $3-14 by Knockknock.biz.


    Bring the sweets to your sweet friends in multi flavors like Candied Bacon, Cinnamon Pistachio Carmel Fleur De Sel and Red Velvet. MacaronParlour.etsy.com-box of 6 for $14, box of 9, $20


    I’m a fan of giving a useful gift, but with a twist. On Etsy.com I found Aheirloom and their wooden cutting boards that they cut to shape like your favorite state. So if your mom left her heart in San Francisco order her a cutting board in the shape of California and they will burn a heart where San Francisco would be in the state. For $40 the guy or gal who gets the gift can serve up everything from cheese to fruit to prosciutto.


    Channel your inner George Forman for sweets by baking up cupcakes and bring along the easy how-to item that made your job easy. And let me share a shopping tip. Before you purchase a gift do some online research. You’ll likely scope out some great deals. I found this Babycakes cupcake maker on TheFind.com for a variety of price points from $24-40 so of course I chose the lesser price and saved cash to put towards ingredients.


    This is a small gift that’s buzzing with sweetness. This silver honeybee will make someone’s morning cup of tea and yogurt that much sweeter. It’s an adorable and quite sophisticated way to scoop out a little syrupy goodness. It’s just $42 from Delight.com.


    I love to personalize gifts whether it be monogramming or engraving. But this time, I was looking for something that had to do with a gift for “the cook.” So, I scanned my favorite shopping site, TheFind.com and by searching for personalized gifts I found this serving dish from RedEnvelope.com. You can choose up to 20 letters and for $49.95 you got a gift that compliments your friend who loves to cook.


    My simple tip for party goers is when it’s a bigger party always bring two bottles-one for the party and one for the host to enjoy. BUT then I found this cool gift. It’s an electric wine opener with chiller for $30 from JC Penney. Most electric wine openers cost $30 alone, so scoop up this gift and listen for the oohs and aaahs as they quickly open up a bottle of wine and offer you the first glass.


    There’s nothing more frustrating than a hostess having to spend all her time in the kitchen while the guests enjoy the party. So when it’s your turn to bring the chips and dip rather than bringing it in Tupperware which means your hostess has to search for a way to serve it plus wash and return your containers later- Bring the dip and chips in a serving dish that you gift to the host. I found multiple styles all affordable for $20 from Kohls.com.


    This is the ultimate mini kit filled with 16 essentials to cover just about every fashion mishap and more like fashion tape, clear nail polish and stain remover. It’s a great stocking stuffer and ideal for the office grab bag. They come in a variety of shiny pops of color and when you’ve used all the essentials, which will take awhile, you’ve got a stylish little coin purse. It’s just $12 from MsandMrs.com. You can also find them at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

    I find TJ Maxx to be a great one stop shop for so many great items. And for perfect last minute shopping I’m a huge fan of shopping the gourmet food aisles.

    My latest tradition is to give a pretty packaged big chocolate bar to everyone at the family dinner festivities. I set a bar at each place setting.

    December 9th, 2010 by Ali

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