Valentines Day Gifts

So, Clueless Guy contacted me the other day with some advice on for him gifts for this romantic holiday.  He found an article on ESPN…. go figure…… with some helpful ideas.

Although the ideas are mainly for him, my personal fav that is a “for anyone” gift is the Apple !Pod.  And look above……. it’s pink!

I already have the video !Pod but I can honestly say that it never leaves my side.  I love the memory capacity and when I’m on a trip, I can also watch movies.  It’s a great gift for anyone who isn’t afraid of technology.  Sorry Mom, Dad, and Grandma…. maybe this gift isn’t for you.  Oh well, there’s always records.  Or maybe 8 tracks?  Do those still exist?

Someone sent us a comment a few days ago saying he saw a New York Times article about a company called PhotoFiddle.  So I took a look at the site, and it seems like it would be a great idea for a Valentines Day gift.  PhotoFiddle takes your pictures and turns them into an oil painting, with a bunch of different options.  Anything from black and white, kaleidescope, colored squares, film negative strips, or even collage, which is depicted below (not so well - I think they’re careful about people stealing images).  It’s a pretty cool site - would be perfect for couples.

I’ve started realizing more and more as time goes by, that the art of vintage is becoming more of a part of today’s style. The pastel colors, vintage jewlry, and iron rod accents may have once seemed old and decrepit, but are now antique and exquisite forms of decor.

The back to life vintage decor can be a lovely gift for any woman who enjoys antique jewelry, wall art, and/or photography. Out with the old…… and in with the antique!

I’ve been told by Hot Chick, female relatives, women I’ve dated, female friends, and all other female acquaintances that, believe it or not, women like jewelry. I know, I know. I’m giving you an earth-shattering revelation about women. You can thank me later. But with so many jewelry stores out there, where do you go? And for that matter, do you shop online or in the store? Personally, I hate going to malls, and when I’m shopping at any brick-and-mortar jewelry store, I get the feeling that a nice chunk of my purchase is going to the slick well-dressed sales rep.

So I’d rather go to a place online that doesn’t have the overhead. But there are about a million jewelry store sites out there. I did a quick search on Google for “gold jewelry”, and I found a site called Applesofgold.com. They have a very simple site to navigate, and it looks like they specialize in gemstone jewelry, gold jewelry, and a ton of diamond jewelry.

I’m sure they have other stuff that women like too - an absolutely huge collection - over 2500 pages indexed, so I’m guessing around 2500 products. That’s just nuts.

Do you ever go through your photo albums and think that you just can’t get enough of seeing your favorite candids?  There’s been some photos I have of family or friends that I know I could just stare at all day.

And, better yet…… I could stare at my favorite photo while staying all warm and cozy.  Ah yes……. a photo blanket.  It’s actually a neat idea and one that’s for anyone.  The neat thing is that TreasureKnit offers not only blankets, but pillows, bags, collages, and even towels.

Ah, yes, the carousel.  Clueless Guy, I’d have to agree.   It was a cool gift!  My best gift was actually mentioned in an earlier post.  I was lucky enough to get a new tempur-pedic bed with a new headboard and all.  It is so comfortable and has gotten very nice reviews.  The salesman that sold us the bed said that if you need to call customer service for whatever reason, there is only 1 of a total of 2 people on staff.  In other words,  they rarely ever get phone calls.

I’ve had the bed for about a week now and it’s been broken into quite nicely.  I have to say that if your bed is “killing” you at night, invest in a tempur-pedic and I think you’ll be very happy!

With Christmas now in the rear view mirror, it’s time to look forward to Valentines Day, only seven weeks away.  Are you ready?  Well, probably not, so we aim to give you some more ideas.

My favorite gift that I got for Christmas this year was something called a liquor carousel.  Basically it’s an easy way to pour up to six bottles with perfect 1.5 oz pours.  I’m not sure where it came from, possibly Sam’s Club.

Obviously this gift would be a perfect Valentines Day gift for anyone who enjoys a drink every now and then, and any other time between now and then.

What was your favorite gift?

With the holiday season upon us, I felt it necessary to re-mention a Spa Day for the women in your lives.  If you’re like me, than the holidays bring a lot of tension into the family and relationship.  The malls are insane with people, the lines are horribly long, the traffic…. let’s not even go there. 

Sending Mom, Grandma, girlfriend or wife to the spa to show them how much they are appreciated is the perfect idea.  We women will come home afterwards feeling so relaxed.  It’s only a couple of hours and if you are feeling extra giving, try cleaning up the house or cooking a great dinner for her to come home to.

Happy Holidays! 

I had a chance to join a wine of the month club recently, and I couldn’t be happier with it.  Usually I buy 2 or 3 bottles of wine each month anyway, but I have really no idea what I’m buying, other than it’s red.  I’ll go to Harris Teeter and pick out whatever red wine bottles are marked down the most.  Yup, definitely a connoisseur.  So having experts pick out wine for me is perfect, and I might even develop a taste for certain Merlots or Cabernets (”Cabs” for us experts).

The company I signed up with is GoldMedalWine.com, and they have three different levels of clubs based on your taste and your budget.  If your a big baller and you get bored if brushing your teeth with Dom, you may want to join the Diamond Club, which ranges in price from $150-$180 per month (although they limit that club to 500 entrants).  But if you’re like me and don’t have the discerning palate just yet and/or don’t have the budget, you’ll want to go with the $30/mo Gold Club.  But who knows, maybe I’ll be movin’ on up one of these days.

And for Valentines Day or Christmas, they have gift cards available.  This would be perfect to get that special woman who likes a variety of wine.  Or perhaps you know she likes wine, but you just haven’t been paying attention and don’t really know what kind.

Anyway, very happy so far - can’t wait to get more next month!

So, we’ve talked bout wine and beer of the month clubs, but what about all those coffee drinkers?  Like myself, if you enjoy a nice cup of coffee each morning than a different brand and taste might be a nice wake-up enjoyment.  You can choose from 3,6,9 or 12 month club memberships and choose from many different flavors. 

And, if you really don’t like coffee but you are instead a  cappuccino, lover, hey….. that’s okay too.

It’s actually pretty inexpensive and a nice idea for anyone in your family who are coffee addicts.