5 Gift Ideas For Co-Workers

HaleCraft's Hand Soap

1. Soap. Who doesn’t use soap? The best part is that there are all kinds of soap out there. How about some guest soaps from a Etsy shop like HaldeCraft? (disclosure: My friend Lorena owns HaldeCraft, but the soap is awesome). They’re less expensive and probably better quality and you can even make a custom order if you’d like. Nothing’s better than a personal touch.

Uncommon Magnets

2. Stationery Items. Pretty stationery or magnets from a Zazzle shop like mine (shameless plug!) or an Etsy shop like Uncommon are a great idea, especially for your old-school co-workers who still write things like thank you cards. Magnets are great for both home and office. Simple gifts, but useful and thoughtful. Like you.

Cute Overload Calendar

3. A Calendar. Another practical but always well-received gift is a wall or desk calendar like the Cute Overload calendars. Who can resist all that cute? If cute won’t do, there are always great photography calendars or calendars for just about anything else you can think of. Just remember to keep it clean, OK? This is work, not the fraternity house.

Bath & Body Works' Wallflower

4. Fragrance Gifts. Just about every woman likes a nice scent. A fragrance gift like Bath and Body Works’ Wallflowers can be used both at home and in the office. Pick out a nice, universal scent like lavender (calming) or citrus (energizing). If they don’t like the scent you choose they can always exchange it for another.

Amazon Gift Card

5. Gift Cards. If you’re stumped, there’s always a gift card for their favorite retailer or Amazon. The only drawback is they will know how much you spent. But at least they can get exactly what they want. No one can argue with that. Not even the office Scrooge.

Featured photo by Creative Tools

Posted by Megan G. for Buy-Her.com.

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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

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This year, I’m being more bold.

The Kindle. From Amazon.com, to My Heart.org

I WANT A KINDLE.

I’m worried that I’m the last person in America to get one, and that if I buy it for myself, all sorts of alarms will go off and a parade of mockers will come out and point their fingers at me, so it’s a good thing to put on my “to be gifted” list.

I’ve resisted a Kindle for a while because of some prehistoric attachment to paper, and the love of “flipping pages” but I have to face facts:  I do  most of my reading on the train, and often I hesitate to bring a big, heavy book.  Because if it’s between reading material and a herniated disc, I’m afraid I’m going to have to go with health and safety.

And it doesn’t help that everyone I know who has one keeps raving about it.  And a few of my friends have even let me touch theirs.  It’s light and fun and the text is readable and I’m tired of lugging around my papyrus scrolls.

So, yes.  This holiday season I want a Kindle.  And if you could throw in some world peace, that would great.
The Kindle is available from Amazon.com.  Let me know if you’d like shipping information.

Feature image by Kevin Dooley

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Artisan Jewelry And So Much More

I love artisan jewelry. Last Christmas, my mother gave me a nicely fortified American Express gift card, so I decided to treat myself to a necklace that I’d seen in the Sundance Catalog, my usual place to get my earring and necklace fix. Unfortunately that necklace was sold out and there wasn’t anything else that I loved and could afford. I started poking around the Internet and eventually found Novica.

I got my jewelry fix. And a new, handmade leather purse that has the cutest little zip pocket in the back that my iPhone fits into perfectly. Plus I have a new place to roam around to hunt for glass vases, area rugs, sculptures, paintings and other handmade items. You could wipe out your whole holiday list in one shot. How cool would that be?

The best part about Novica is that all the merchandise is made by individual artisans from all over the world. Your purchase helps support artists in India, Chile,

Men's Bracelet, Bali

Mexico, Thailand, Bali, the Andes and many other countries. If you have any reservations at all about dealing with Novica, it may help you to know that this site is presented in association with National Geographic. That’s why I eventually bought a gorgeous peridot (my birthstone) necklace made by a lovely woman in India who actually included a nice postcard with my order. My leather purse came up from Mexico in under two weeks. The necklace took a bit longer, but not much.

Since those first purchases, I have received more Novica jewelry as gifts. Still love it. And when I’m in

the market for home decor, I’ll absolutely make a stop here. The prices are reasonable, you can, at times, get free shipping (but shipping’s not outrageous either) and they have a rewards program that gets you discounts on future purchases.

All that and you can help someone in a developing country make a decent living. Not bad for a few mouse clicks.

Posted by Megan G. for Buy-Her.com.

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You can tell they’re an iPhone junky because you know what kind of freaking cell phone they have. They don’t call you.  They “call you on their iPhone.”  They don’t lose their phone or their cell.  They lose their iPhone – except they don’t, of course, because iPhone users are rarely far enough away from their iPhones to lose it.

Shopping for an iPhone junky can be difficult, because they already have the whole world in the palm of their hand.  Just ask them.  But, there is something that iPhone users love even more than their iPhones: stuff to go with their iPhone.

5 Holiday Gift Ideas For People With iPhones

iHome clock Radio for iPhone

1. iHome Docking Station and Clock Radio

I did a review of the iHome Docking Station and Clock Radio back in September.  I still love it.  I’ve since run into several readers of this site who have added it to their own wish lists because a good speaker system and iPhone compatible alarm clock is hard to come by.

The problem with most “iPhone docking stations” like this is that they are  made for iPods, not iPhones, and so you have to put your phone in airplane mode to use it, or endure the annoying buzz of interference.  This system is compatible with every single iPhone, way back to the first generation (what I had until about 24 hours ag).

The iHome docking station lets you play music over the speakers with impressive sound quality.  It also lets you wake to and fall asleep to specific playlists.  On top of that, it’s a great alarm clock that allows you to set two separate alarms and designated an alarm for a 1, 5 or 7 day schedule (no more accidentally waking up early on Saturday or forgetting to reset the alarm for Monday morning!).

The iHome iP9BR Clock Radio for iPod is $81.88 right now on Amazon. ($79 if you get it in silver.)  Buy it here.

2.  Mophie Juice Pack Case – Rechargeable iPhone battery

Juice Pack rechargeable battery case

This is something I don’t have and want desperately.

The biggest downfall of the iPhone is that the battery isn’t removeable, so heavy users can’t buy extra batteries to keep charged.  The Juice Pack addresses that problem by giving you a fully rechargeable battery that doubles as an iPhone case.

Like I said, I don’t have this and have never used it.  But reviews online as well as reviews from people I know who have this product say that it doubles the battery life of your iPhone.

You can charge the case and the iPhone simultaneously and switch the case’s power source on and off to decide if you want to save your extra battery life for later.

The juice pack will add a little bulk to the iPhone – more than a simple silicone case – but the extra power you get is worth it for someone who uses their phone constantly.

Amazon offers a variety of colors for the juice pack that will fit the iPhone first generation, 3G and 3Gs.  Click here to see the full range.

wireless head set for iPhone

3.  Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Another “don’t have, want badly” product for me. I’ve been looking forever for a headset that works for music and phone conversations, and isn’t plagued with reviews about a short product lifespan.

This looks to be the answer I’ve been looking for.

The Sony DRBT160AS Bluetooth Stereo Headset is perfect for iPhone users who like to run or workout regularly.  This headset gives you the ability to listen to music and take a call (although obviously not at the same time).  Headsets that do both can be difficult to find for the iPhone.

The “behind the head” design is ideal runners and the wireless aspect makes it perfect for just about anyone.  It’s also going to provide much higher sound quality than the stock ear buds that come standard with iPhones.

The Sony DRBT160AS Bluetooth Stereo Headset is $81.95 on Amazon. That’s more than $40 off what they’re charging at the Apple store for the same product. Buy it here.

4. iPhone Armband

armband case for iPhone

Speaking of people who run – an armband case is pretty much a necessity if you’re the type of person who works out while listening to music on your iPhone.  Otherwise you end up trying to shove your iPhone down the back of your pants.

Trust me on this – not. comfortable.  Also not comfortable?  Having to dig down the back of your pants to retrieve your slipping iPhone while you’re in the middle of a packed gym.

Ahem.

ANYway, the Tuneband from Grantwood Technology uses a silicone case to secure the iPhone in place.  The case has a screen protector, but still allows you to access all of the ports and camera.  The band itself is stretchy velcro to fit most arm sizes.

Another fun fact: it comes in lots of pretty colors!  (Oh, and navy or clear if, for some odd reason, you’re not into pretty.)

The Tuneband is designed for the 3G and 3GS iPhone models.

(Hint – it’s cheap and a great stocking stuffer idea.  Jared.)

The Tuneband Armband with Silicone Skin and Screen Protector is just $16.99 at Amazon. Buy it here. (in pink, if you’re my husband.)

5.  Go Groove FlexPod: iPhone FM Transmitter and Car Mount System

FM Transmitter Docking System

This?  Is a freaking awesome device.

You plug the device into your car’s cigarette lighter (or power source if you have a newer, snobbier car) and put your iPhone into the cradle.  Your phone is now charging.  Yay.

BUT, more than that, the FM transmitter lets you play your music from your iPod through your car stereo’s speakers.  For those of you unfamiliar with the idea of an FM transmitter – it works good.  You should have it.

For those of you who know what I’m talking about – this is one of the more advanced models of FM transmitters and seems to have a strong locking system that makes it easier to find (and keep) stations available to play your music.

Added bonus: it turns your car into a bluetooth device for phone calls.  When a phone call comes in while you’re listening to music, the music fades and the call options come up on the screen.  Accept the call and you’ll hear the voice via your car’s speakers.  End the call and you go back to the music you were listening to.

The Flexpod (that’s the official name of this thingie) also has a USB port so you can charge other USB powered devices through it.

The entire iPhone cradle is held up on a flexible gooseneck device so you can hold your iPhone steady at multiple angles.

You can watch a video on how the entire thing works here.

The Go Groove FlexPod Car Mount System is $34.99 on Amazon. Buy it here.

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If only ever party invitation we got came with a link to an Amazon Wish List!

Alas, no.  More often than not we have to use our own noggins and try to guess what would make the perfect gift for someone else’s new home.

10 Housewarming Gift Ideas:

Alora Ambience Reed Diffuser

The rental company that manages my friend’s new home used these amazing reed diffusers.  It was the very first thing we noticed when we walked into the house.

The verde scent smells like fresh cut grass and makes you feel like you’re standing in a clean home on a crisp spring day.

It’s to die for.

It’s also expensive as hell and not the kind of thing most people would buy for themselves.  Even in my own home I stick with Bath & Bodyworks Wallflower units.  I’m ashamed to say this – but these smell much better than anything I’ve ever used before.

Available online from Alora Ambiance.

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Today we’re going sappy and sentimental.  And what is more sappy and sentimental than a Mother’s Day Gift that you can put your name on?  It’s like homemade but better because the materials won’t attract bugs.

Heart Bookmark by Things Remembered
$12.00

Yeah, $12.  My mom is one of those people who still reads real live actual books made of paper.  This is something thoughtful and pretty and useful that most readers don’t think to actually buy for themselves.

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Read the rest of Mother’s Day Gift Ideas – Personalized Gifts With Your Name On It

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