Five Awesome Gifts For Mom

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and if your mother or wife is anything like me, she wants to feel special and appreciated. Seriously, giving birth is kind of a big deal. And even if she didn’t actually give birth to you/your children, she still has to put up with you people. An awesome gift will tell her just how special you think she is. Here are some suggestions:

1. Spa Finder Gift Certificate – Pampering is always a good gift. Always. A Spa Finder gift certificate is good at over 5,000 spas across the country. One tip: Make sure you check that there are participating spas in your area, just to be sure.

2. Sephora Fragrance Sampler – I love a good perfume, but what I think is good is not necessarily what the sales associate at Perfumania thinks is good. Take the guesswork out by getting her one of Sephora’s excellent fragrance samplers. It comes with sample sizes of 12 favorite or 10 deluxe fragrances for her to try. Once she chooses her favorite, she can turn in her voucher for a full-sized bottle. Genius.

3. Maid Service – Forgive me if I’m being sexist, but I find housework usually falls to the woman (if that’s not the case in your life, bravo, buddy, you win at husbanding), so a respite would totally be in order. Major maid service companies like Molly Maid, Merry Maids and Maids.com offer gift certificates, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find one near you.

4. Personal Stylist Appointment – Make a woman feel beautiful and you’re in. Gift her with an appointment for a personal stylist to help her pick one outfit that makes her feel amazing. Stores like Banana Republic, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and Macy’s offer this service for free. Just make the appointment and give her an AMEX or Visa gift card (make it generous) so she can buy the outfit. Don’t have these stores near you? Google “personal stylists” to find one in your area. They will charge a fee for their services, however, so keep that in mind.

5. A Porsche Convertible – Is there a car she’s always wanted to drive? Give it to her – if only for the day. Many larger areas have at least one exotic car rental place where you can get a Porsche, a Ferrari or Rolls Royce for the day. Send her out for an afternoon of shopping with her BFF or to great date night for just the two of you – in style. Weekday rates won’t cost you much more than a nice piece of jewelry, and it’s really a cool and original idea. You don’t even have to give me credit.

Featured photo by betsyweber

A Procrastinator’s Shopping List

Now that Christmas is over, I forget that there are other occasions that require gifts to be given. If I could, I would put blinders on and forget everything between now and then, but I can’t. I am a huge fan of mail order gifting and relatives are always telling me how wonderful and thoughtful my gifts are. Here’s the secret…I forget until the day before their birthdays and then spend 15 minutes swearing and kicking myself before logging on. I am not a flowers or plant gifter and I don’t really like sending gift cards. I prefer to make things a little bit more personal.

I know a lot of women are like me, so I’m going to clue you in on my favorite last minute gifts that send waves of delicious joy to your loved ones.

Last-Minute Gifts

Fairytale Brownies

These amazing brownies arrive via next day delivery to your friends and family in their signature purple box. The best thing about them is the variety of flavors! Regular brownies, peanut butter, chocolate chip, walnut, the choices are endless. Not only can you choose your flavors, you can also choose the size brownie you would like delivered. If you want to send someone an assortment of flavors without breaking the bank, you can deliver their Magic Morsels for as little as $20 a box! For a more substantial snack pick the Sprites and for a huge mouthful of flavor you can send their original brownies. Each of these are 3 x 3 inches of mouthwatering decadence. Not a fan of brownies? They also have assorted cookies and truffles to choose from!

Wolferman’s English Muffins

Perhaps the person you are celebrating isn’t a dessert lover. What then? Everybody loves breakfast! In that case, the best you can send are English m

uffins from Wolferman’s.

Everything I have tried from Wolferman’s has been fantastic. They offer a variety of English muffin flavors, jams and fruit butters, crumpets and other breakfast treats that will make anybody drool. The prices fit every gift size. Their gift baskets start at $19.95 and end where you choose to stop. You can use one of their preselected assortments or elect to make your own. Last year I sent my each of my Aunts a box of individually selected jams and fruit butters so that could all have the flavors they liked the most. Nobody was disappointed.

Shari’s Berries

If you remember to order a few days ahead of time, the hand dipped strawberries from Shari’s Berries can’t be beat.

Look at those things! The first time I heard about Shari and her amazing berries was when I received them as a thank you gift from a former client. I practically had to lock my office door to keep the beggars out.  In addition to the assortment of dipped berry flavors, Shari’s also offers dipped cookies, cake pops and delicious mini cheesecakes that can be added to any order or sent alone. Like my other options, these are available no matter how slim your wallet may feel. You can send a sweet Happy Birthday box of six HUGE dipped berries for $19.95 or if you feel more generous, you can splurge on an assortment of $50 or more. What does a candy maker know about baking cookies? I’m not sure if she bakes, but Shari and her berry fairies have great taste! Their cookies come courtesy of a partnership with Mrs. Fields, so there’s no way to go wrong with adding a few to your present.

No matter what the occasion, birthday, thank you or anniversary, any of these gifts will be a hit with the recipient and you will be hailed as a gift giving hero!

Gift Cards Get A Second Life At CardWoo

I am notorious for not giving gift lists to people who ask me for them. I just don’t ever feel like I know what to ask for as a gift and the people in my life who love me understand that my passions lie in food, music, movies, and quirky random objects that I’d never be able to articulate as a Wish List item but know I love them when I see them. For me this means that my loved ones really are doing the most thoughtful thing ever by giving me a gift card to an establishment where they know I can obtain these items.
But that doesn’t mean I never get a dud. I live in a different state than all of my maternal and paternal family and most of my friends. Sometimes they will send me a gift card to a store that is local to them but, oddly enough, in NYC or the closely surrounding areas that store just doesn’t exist. So when I heard about the CardWoo gift card redemption service it piqued my interest.

CardWoo is a company that buys your unused gift cards for a certain percentage. No, they don’t pay you 100% of the value of the card because, um, how would they make any money?, but they do give you fair market value! To send your cards in you can either print a postage label from their site or have them send you an all expenses paid kit to send your card to them. If you change your mind about the sale you can let them know in writing and they will return the cards to you. On the flip side, if you need to buy a gift card but don’t want to pay full price they offer the cards that other people have sold to them at a discount to you, anywhere from 1% off to over 20% off. Choose from their always growing selection of cards. And since the holidays just wrapped up, right now is a great time to both buy and sell the unwanted cards. Some cards are even offered for sale as an eDelivery so you can start using those cards right away.

Caveat: The Terms of Use page indicates that CardWoo will not accept “VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS OR DISCOVER GIFT CARDS or Gift Cards with expiration dates or fees or depreciate in value or a Gift Card with a redemption value over $1000.”

To learn more about selling your unwanted gift cards and buying gift cards you actually want at a discount, visit CardWoo!

Feature photo: Steven Depolo

Zagat Smartbox: The Perfect Gift for Couples

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a way to get away with giving one gift to a couple.  Because, seriously, in this economy, giving individual gifts does not make mathematical sense. Especially (again, if you’re like me), you usually have no idea what to get the person your friend is married to/shacking up with.  I mean, what? Soap-on-a-rope? Whiskey?  A new Sharpie?

Who the hell knows.

The Zagat Smartbox is a great choice.  I’ll be honest, I had no idea what it was (although I was, of course, familiar with the Zagat restaurant guides.  And I’m even hip enough to know that the accent in Zagat is on the second syllable.  And by “hip enough” I mean that my pronunciation  had been corrected enough times for me to finally pay attention).  But once I received a Zagat Smartbox of my own, I was very yes, please! about it.

Here’s how it works.  You get a booklet along with a card.  It’s in a box.  That looks very smart.  The booklet describes the restaurants in the City that are participating in the Zagat Smartbox program.  The NYC booklet contained over  47 restaurants.  Each page has a write up about the restaurant and a description of what the Smartbox entitles the two diners to.  (It’s usually the standard appetizer, main course, dessert.)  The Smartbox recipients then call the restaurant, announce their good fortune and make a reservation.  They proceed to the restaurant, with the gift card, for a night of dining.

What’s really cool about this is (besides the fact that everyone loves a night out) is that the recipients don’t see the value of the card, they just know that they’re being treated to a night out for two.

Win-Win.

The Zagat Smartbox is available for several major cities including NYC, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, San Francisco and Chicago for $99.

Disclosure:  I have been provided with the Zagat Smartbox for NYC free of charge.  I’m trying to figure out if I can go to a restaurant by myself and eat both portions.  I’ll keep you posted!

REALLY Last Minute Gift Idea

Have you ever googled “last minute gift ideas” and found suggestions that included the words “shipping and handling”?  Whenever that happens to me, I think that those people obviously do not understand procrastination.

Last minute gift ideas, to me, means I’m on my way to their house and am hoping to pick something up along the way.

And I’m running late.

Obviously you are much better prepared than I am and you would never desperately scan the shelves of a drugstore in order to find something, anything!, to toss into a gift bag for a holiday gathering or birthday party.  So this really last minute gift idea is purely for your entertainment.

And my survival.

REALLY Last Minute Gift Idea: The Recipe Gift Bag

1. Grab an index card and write down your favorite recipe.
2. Stop at the grocery store and purchase a gift card to cover the cost of the ingredients.
3. Check out the kitchen items aisle and buy a tool used in the recipe.  Cookie cutters, zesters, flour sifter, silicone muffin pans – something cheap but slightly “specialized” for your recipe so it looks like you put some thought into this!
4. Buy a reusable grocery bag – you can get them at the cashier – and put it all inside. Eco-friendly and creative!

The best part about this idea is that you can easily adjust it to fit any budget and personalize it to be used over and over again.

And that’s how you do procrastination right.

Photo credit.

5 Gifts for Minimalists

I may be one of the few people in the world who hate when someone asks, “what do you want for Christmas/your birthday?”

It’s not that I don’t like people buying me presents; it’s that I don’t like people buying me crap.  And my threshold for what constitutes not crap seems to be higher than most people’s.  I’m very picky about the stuff that I let accumulate in my life, and I’m only getting more picky with age.  I don’t want candles or bath salts or kitschy home decor items.  I don’t mean to be a bitch, but owning stuff means having to clean, put away and make room for stuff.  I try to ensure that the stuff I will end up cleaning, putting away and making room for is stuff that is really, really important to me.  Scented candles?  Not even close.

What do you get a minimalist crab like me?  Of course, you can always give gift certificates and “experience” gifts.  But if you absolutely have to have something to wrap up in pretty paper, try some of these gift ideas.

5 Great Gifts For Women Who Hate Stuff (Or Call Themselves Minimalists)

1. Great sheets

I love sleeping in other people’s houses when they have better bed linens than I do, especially because I almost always end up going cheap on my own sheets.  A gift of high quality sheets would get enjoyed over and over again and is really a gift of every day luxury.

Style & Co makes a 300 count cotton percale sheet set that is soft, durable and easy to care for.  Available at Macy’s.

2. Leather driving gloves

These leather driving gloves from Saks ooze cosmopolitan style and they’re practical!  Fingers get cold!  A quality pair of gloves will last a woman years.

3. A Miche Bag (and shell, or two)

My mother has one of these and I am craving one of my own.  I need to get rid of the closet full of handbags I currently own, but a girl still  needs a purse!  This lets me be fashionable without taking up any space at all.  You see, the Miche bag allows you to change the outside of your handbag while reusing the same base over and over and over again.  If you haven’t heard of this yet, checkout their site.  Then buy me one.  Please.

4. E-reader

Whether it’s a Nook, Kindle or a Sony, an e-reader takes the bulk of a bookshelf and puts it into a slim, portable reading device.  A Nook may be the best bet for your favorite minimalist if she likes to lend and borrow books or make use of her local library.  You can find refurbished Nooks on eBay at a significant discount.

4. Handmade soaps

Bath salts?  No.  But soap?  Even minimalists wash up and handmade soaps will get used and be loved.  They’re also relatively inexpensive.  LUSH makes the absolute best soaps (and other body products), but you’ll get a better product if you purchase in store than you will if you order online and have to have it shipped.  Bath & Body Works is a satisfactory substitute if necessary.

5. Scarves

I may be pruning my closet in preparation for my big trip around the country, but I am keeping every single one of my scarves.  A collection of colorful scarves prevent minimalists from walking around in the beatnik black uniform.  Bonus? You get find tons of great colors and fabrics for a steal all over.  Target is my favorite place for scarves (and tights!).

Gifts For Her: I Feel Pretty Edition

Sometimes a girl woman just needs to feel pretty. That means something different for everyone, but here are a few things that just might make perfect gifts for her.

Five Gifts That Will Make Her Feel Pretty

1. Lush Bath Bombs – Did you know it actually gets cold in South Florida? Well, at least I get cold, and there’s nothing I like better than soaking in a lovely, warm, fragrant tub. One of my biggest complaints in this area has always been that even the priciest bath additives can leave me feeling dry. Not these little beauties – they are packed with moisturizers. And they fizz when you put them in the tub. And they smell yummy. And? Not expensive. Great stocking stuffer. My picks: Butterball and Geo-Fizz.

2. Swarovski Harley Crystal Earrings - I’ve always wanted diamond studs, but whenever I shop for them the price makes me throw up a little in my mouth. Seriously. I could buy airline tickets to New York AND hotel for those prices. No thank you. And that’s where these little beauties come in. I have the smaller pair; I just need the larger pair (I have multiple ear piercings) for the perfect set. Did I mention these are only $59?

3. Bliss Eau De Toilette – I got a sample of this in my last Sephora order and it IS Bliss. At least for me. I am forever trying to find a “t-shirt and jeans” kind of fragrance, one that’s clean, light and “weekendy.” This is absolutely it. If you’re unsure of her fragrance preference, try Sephora’s sampler, which I reviewed last year. This year it includes the Bliss fragrance.

4. Origins Ginger Burst Body Wash – One of my favorite winter scents is Origins’ Ginger Essence. A woman once remarked that I smelled like a cookie whilst I was wearing it and a man chimed in with a wholehearted, “Yes, it’s wonderful, isn’t it?” In other words, guys dig it. I would love to layer that smell by washing with this yummy body wash and then following up with the body cream.

5. A Spanx Turtleneck Top (or two) – Nothing makes me feel sexier than a black turtleneck. It’s true. I own a long sleeve version and a sleeveless version. The only thing that would make me feel hotter is if those tops actually made me look a little more lithe – that’s where Spanx comes in. OK, they’re a bit pricey, but remember all the money I saved you on those earrings?

Featured photo by: LYDIA and her SALAD DAYS’/Flickr

Dear Santa, Now That’s Entertainment

I will be honest, money has been tight for me and the girls this year.  So tight, in fact, that included on the list of “things we’ll have to learn to live without” was cable television.  For about 6 months now, the girls and I have been without television, watching only DVD’s at our house.  (We get to Keep up with the Kardashians on weekends at Brian’s, so we’re not completely out of the loop). So, Santa, until I’ve lived in the new house for a few months and until I have a handle on how expensive my utilities are going to be so I can determine if I can afford cable television, please send me the following for my entertainment.  I don’t want to appear as though I live under a rock when joining in the water cooler conversations at work.

Entertaining Holiday Gifts

First, send me the Complete First Season of Glee. Glee has become a surprise hit with a Glee Club doing covers of Broadway Show Tunes, to Classic Rock. People everywhere became hooked on Glee, (proudly announcing they were in fact ‘GLEEKS’).  I will be honest, Santa, when I saw the first episode or two, I was not overly impressed.  But since hearing some of the songs on XM radio, I have to say, my interest is piqued.  If I’m going to jump on the Gleek Bandwagon, I might as well jump on from the very beginning.

The next on my list?  A little known television show that I have loved since the very beginning.  The Good Wife.  Julianna Margulies plays the wife of a State’s Attorney (Chris Noth) who has been disgraced with a sex scandal and is locked up for abusing the power of his position.  Both Julianna and Chris are amazing in this series and with the loss of my cable, I’m sort of out of the loop.

The final series on my wish list Santa, is my guilty pleasure.  I am almost ashamed to admit that I adore Carrie Bradshaw and her girlfriends.  I wish I could sit down and write like Carrie, had the unabashed c0nfidence of Samantha, the logic of Miranda and the romantic hopelessness of Charlotte.  I would love nothing more than to curl up on the sofa with mug of coffee, a warm blanket and Sex and the City in the DVD player.  Sex and the City the Complete Series, would make plenty of my Saturdays dreams come true.

Hostess Gifts for the Holidays

Ah, the holidays. The hustle. The bustle. The shopping. And the PARTIES! Getting together with family and friends, in my opinion, is the whole point of the season. I love to entertain and I love going to parties. But with every party, you may find yourself in a last minute conundrum because your mama raised you right, and she taught you never to show up to someone’s house empty-handed. But what’s an appropriate hostess gift? And where do you get it? Fear not! We at Buy-Her want to help you. It’s what we do.

The best thing I can say is RELAX. It’s not that hard, really. You don’t have to make the perfect statement in your gift. A hostess gift is simply your way of saying “Thank you for your hospitality!”  In my opinion, you can’t go wrong choosing from one of these three categories, all available at stores you are probably going to on your holiday errands anyway!

Hostess Gift Ideas

Booze
Now, if your host and/or hostess does imbibe, you really can’t go wrong with bringing alcohol. The traditional bottle of wine will never go out of style and if your friends drink wine, it will certainly be appreciated. But why not a bottle of champagne as something a bit more special for the holidays? People rarely buy champagne for themselves, unless they have a particular occasion in mind, but sometimes a glass of bubbly sounds just right and if you already have a bottle chilling in the fridge, it will make your day. Another option in this genre would be a nice liqueur, such as Kahlua, Frangelico, or Bailey’s Irish Creme. There are so many options in several different flavors for all tastes. If you go to a decent liquor store and ask for some recommendations, you will probably find something that is lovely and in your price range.

Flowers
I am a firm believer in flowers as a hostess gift. It’s relatively easy, perfect for when you don’t know your host/hostess very well, and can be surprisingly budget friendly. Around the holidays, seasonal arrangements are often made using pine and eucalyptus which are cheap. But please, for the love of god, do not stop at the grocery store on your way to the party and pick up some half dead pre-made arrangement full of carnations and filler flowers. Don’t despair however! You can still go to the grocery store. Most people don’t really fully utilize the flower department at grocery stores, which are often staffed with people who really know flowers especially if you go to one of the fancier, bigger stores. Go early, like a day or so in advance and talk to the florist about what you want.  The best part about this is that the grocery store florists rarely charge you a design fee – more likely they will just charge you the price for the stems they use plus the container. Ask them to put the finished product in a box for transport so you don’t spill the whole thing in the car on the way over.

Food
This is a no-brainer. A box of nice chocolates, some toffee, a loaf of your famous banana nut bread, or a batch of your grandmother’s handed-down-through-the-generations cookies in a nice tin or basket?  Easy peasy lemon squeezey. You could also do a little basket with some nice cheeses and crackers. Again, super easy to acquire and put together, and it won’t break the budget. You have better things to do with that money. Like buy yourself those killer heels you want to wear to the party!

As for presentation, that’s the easiest part of all! Lovely gift bags, either cloth or paper, that will fit a bottle of wine or other spirits are pretty much available everywhere. Target has a great aisle in their holiday section full of beautiful bags, boxes, wraps and tins that will help you add the perfect finishing touch to your hostess gift.

Featured photo by dps

10 Stocking Stuffers for Her Under $15

I like trinkets and trash, so stocking stuffers are my favorite part of Christmas. Have fun, don’t over think it, and take a look at ten of my favorite stocking stuffers for her (for the most part – some things are fun for all!) for under $15.

10 Stocking Stuffers for Under $15

1. Poochi Mini Pouches $10.50 – Super cute silicone pouches old-school bead closures that come in a rainbow of bright colors. Perfect for loose change, cosmetics or keys.

2. Snow in a Can $4.99 – Don’t live in a winter wonderland? Just add water and you’ve got yourself a white Christmas.

3. Jelly Camera Phone Filters $15 – Most of us use our camera phones more than our cameras, so why not take our camera phone photography skillz up a notch? These starburst, kaleidoscope and wide angle filters attach to your key chain and fit any camera phone with reusable gummy rings.

4. Holly GoNightly Sleep Mask $14 – Catch some zzz’s in this iconic sleep mask.

5. ila Pebble Personal Security Alarm $14.50 – Attach this little beauty to your key ring and if anyone calls your bluff just push the button and pull the ring to emit a 130 decibel siren that will sound continuously for 10+ minutes.

6. Sephora Color Wand Lipgloss $10 – Six mini lipglosses in one mega lipgloss wand? Yes, please! Comes in three color pallets and smells like mangos!

7. Holiday Smencils – Smencils make me feel like a kid again – and their holiday collection is irresistible! Smencils are made from recycled newspaper and packaged in biodegradable tubes so that holiday scents like sugar plum, holiday cheer, gingerbread, cinnamon, and candy cane stay fresh for up to two years!

8. Self Adhesive Mustaches $5.25 – Best. Holiday. Photos. Ever.

9. The Indie Rock Coloring Book $9.95 – Because coloring is soothing. And trippy. Don’t forget the crayons!

10. Holiday Socks $12.99 – No stocking is complete without goofy holiday socks for the entire family! Or you could get her something she wouldn’t beat you over the head with – like these moisturizing gel socks from Bath & Body Works.

« Previous Page — Next Page »