Why “obligatory”?

Well, every gift blog out there will be writing about Father’s Day at some point. So, in some sense it feels like this post is more of a “follower” post than a unique, “leader” post (and I’d like to think that most of our gift ideas are unique enough that they fall into the “leader” category).

I also decided not to simply regurgitate the list we have on this page of Father’s Day gift ideas.  (I will link to this post from that page though).

So, here are some gift ideas for Dad that should help get your gift brain going:

Image	Gift Idea	Price	Company
	Shaving Cream Heater	$29.95	Hammacher Schlemmer
	5 Device Recharging Station	$49.95	Hammacher Schlemmer
	Remote Controlled Beverage Buggy	$49.95	Hammacher Schlemmer
	Visiball Golf Ball Finder Glasses	$39.95	Sharper Image
	False Teeth Ice Cube Tray	$5.95	Amazon.com
	Outdoor Terrain Shoes	$70	Vibram
	Wooden USB Sticks	$129	Dynamism
	Who’s Your Daddy Sticker	$2.49	StickerGiant.com
	Best Dad Express Train	$79.95	GiftTree.com
	Wildlife Digital Motion Detection Camera	$69.95 & 99.95	National Geographic Online Store

Here’s to happy Father’s Day gift hunting!

Alcohol is one of those gifts that can be given at any time. Housewarming party? A bottle of wine will be fantastic! Birthday? I love Ketel One! First communion?

Vodka

Indio Wasabi Flavored Vodka - This Russian-style handcrafted vodka is made in Oregon by Indio Spirits owner John Ufford. They say it is sweet, clean and crisp and great in Bloody Mary’s or Martinis. I like the feeling of too much wasabi on a bite of sushi but I’m not too sure I would want to drink it. Price: ~ $26-$30.

Kauffman Luxury Vintage Vodka - This ‘ultra-premium’ vodka is so limited in production that you have to be put on a waiting list to buy it. They use only natural ingredients and the vodka is distilled 14 times! I personally like the glass bottle it comes in. It’s made by the Saint Gobaine facility in France and designed to be the same quality as perfume glass. Price: If you are lucky to get a bottle it will cost you $199.99.

Blavod: The Black Vodka - It’s vodka and it’s black. Perfect for…well I’m not sure what it’s perfect for (Halloween martinis or 30th birthday parties maybe) but I’ve never seen black vodka before. Blavod is made in the UK by Hayman’s Ltd and actually received pretty decent reviews. Price: ~ $20

Rum

Khurki Rum - Khurki is made in Nepal and comes in this awesome bottle (apparently a Khurki is a small knife). It is a medium-dark rum and according to the reviews is delicious mixed with Diet Coke. What makes it unique to me is a) I’ve never heard of it b) it’s made in Nepal (do they make liquor) and c) it comes in this great bottle. If you are a serious rum drinker check out the review on Scottes’ Rum. Price: ~ $19-$25

Old New Orleans Rum - Old New Orleans Rum is an ‘artisan rum’ produced at Celebration Distillation, the oldest premium rum distillery in the United States. They have several different kinds of rum (Crystal, Amber, Cajun spice) and each is made from only Louisiana sugar cane.The coolest part is that each bottle has an image inside its back label featuring a building or scene from New Orleans. Price: ~ $25

Pritchard’s Cranberry Rum - Cranberry rum doesn’t necessarily sound delicious to me but it does sound interesting. Pritchard’s is made with Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and is suprisingly still 70 proof. Made in Tennessee and bottled beautifully, it would definitely catch my eye on the shelf. They say its great over ice and that ‘cranberries love limes’. Price: ~ $28

Tequila

Clase Azul Reposado Tequila - The bottle itself (Talavera carafe) is pretty cool but this tequila is supposedly one of the top rated tequilas around. It is made in the Jesus Maria region of Arandas, Jalisco, MX and aged for a minimum of eight months. It has some great reviews but isn’t cheap. This is something you should give only to a true tequila lover. Price: ~ $80

VooDoo Tiki Blue Dragon Tequila - Blue Kiwi infused tequila is said to make a great Blue Martini, shot or mixed with sprite and a lime. Personally I don’t see how kiwi and tequila go together but maybe it’s like peanut butter and jelly. It is made by the Agroindustria Guadalajara distillery in Mexico but has headquarters in Boca Raton. Price: ~ $35

Ley .925 Ultra Premium Anejo Tequila - Their claim to fame is the “World’s Most Expensive Bottle”. With prices ranging from $25k-$225k for one bottle of tequila, this is definitely a high-end gift. The tequila itself is considered ultra-premium, made from 100% blue agave and aged six years. Price: Very expensive

Gin

Desert Juniper Gin - Desert Juniper Gin is produced in Oregon by the Bendistillery, better known for its Cascade Mountin Gin. The Desert Juniper is mirco-distilled from grains and juniper berries and filtered through lava rocks. It is said to be good as a martini or even a gin and tonic. Read the review on Spirits Review. Price: ~ $29

BullDog Gin - This is a London Dry gin made with poppy, lotus leaves and dragon eye. I don’t know what dragon eye is but I’m guessing its a plant, not an actual dragon eye. The Bachelor Guy gives a great review including several recipes to use with it. I like that the bottle has a little spiked collar. This would be a great gift for that tough guy in your life. Price: ~ $30

Old Raj Gin - What makes this gin unique is that it contains saffron, a very expensive and rare spice not traditionally used in gin production. Old Raj is distilled in Scotland by William Cadenhead Ltd. and due to the saffron has a pale yellow color. It is considered premium gin and is not found in a ton of places. Price: ~ $65

Whiskey/Scotch

Hankey Bannister Blended Scotch Whiskey - Mainly I think the name is funny but apparently this is actually pretty good. Hankey Bannister whiskey is made in the UK (dates back to 1757) and they offer four types (blend, 12yr, 21yr and 40yr). I am not positive where you can get this in the states but you can order it online and have it shipped. Price: ~ $25 (not including shipping)

Glenfarclas 50 Year - I am certainly not a whiskey or scotch expert but this one is pretty cool and sounds like it’s good. This 50 yr was made to celebrate the Bicentenary of the birth of the first John Grant. The cask was hand-selected and only 110 bottles were made making this a rare bottle. I doubt there are many places to get this but I did find one place. Price: $5,999

Loch Dhu Black Whiskey - From what I have read it’s really bad. But it is black whiskey which I have never seen before, making it unique. Some quotes from the internet include, “It tastes like cigar ashes mixed with vodka and moldy blackberry jam” and “my guests were mostly disgusted by Loch Dhu“. But who knows, maybe its not as bad as these people say. Plus I don’t believe the 10yr is being made anymore. Price: ~ $45-$60

Well those are some of the most unique brands of alcohol I have found and hopefully they will make a great gift for someone. If you have any others that you know of feel free to comment and let me know. Like I said, MsGift likes alcohol…but for the record she does not condone underage drinking!

Kimberly Foley of Wee Can Shop contacted us about her site and in particular a REALLY cool product they sell…

The Wish Pearl Necklace by Lucoral

The Wish Pearl Necklace includes a mollusk shell and a sterling silver necklace with a heart pendant. Well that sounds kind of weird. What is so exciting about it?

First off, the mollusk shell contains a cultured pearl that has been growing for 3-5 years.

Second, it’s what you do with the mollusk shell and necklace that makes it special:

• You hold the wish pearl shell
• You make a wish
• You open the mollusk shell
• You put your pearl in the heart pendant
• You have a beautiful necklace featuring your very own wish pearl
• Your wish comes true (ok I can’t guarantee this but…)

They have four different colors of pearl to choose from (white, cream, peach, gold and lavender - each with their own meaning) and the cost is only $24.99 plus FREE shipping.

I think this is such a great gift. Everyone loves making wishes and everyone loves a thoughful gift. The Wish Pearl Necklace is a great gift idea for girls, moms or girlfriends. It is jewelry, fun and sentiment combined.

*You could even have it before Mother’s Day if you buy now!

We were recently contacted by Dee Boswell of DeeBozzz, who creates unique, one-of-a-kind silk scarves. (she used our Suggest a Gift contact form)

Dee suggested we take a look at her scarves to see if we wanted to review them.

Honestly, my first thought was “do I want to review scarves?” Interesting enough? Unique enough?

But, after taking a look, I:

1. Saw how beautiful the scarves are
2. Realized how unique they really are
3. Thought that they would make lovely gifts for women & women who are art lovers
4. Noticed that Dee can make custom pieces for you
5. Decided that I was late in getting a Mother’s Day gift idea post out (although we do have a nice list of Mother’s Day Gift Ideas on the site)

Here are some of the scarves that jumped out at me:

Dee let us know the following about her products and company:

[Dee creates] silk scarves, silk shawls, and silk apparel. They are all hand-painted, and one-of-a-kind.

The mission of this fiber art company is to “create beautiful and unique designs through the art of silk hand painting and dyeing”.

What makes these accessories so different is that they are so unique. Every scarf and wrap is fashioned by hand from beginning to end. Patterns may be similar, but every scarf is one of a kind! They have a luxurious feel, yet they are easy to care for.

I create my wearable works of art in my Toronto-based studio.

Dee also has a nice blog and videos of how to wear your scarf. Small business owner, great products, blog, how-to videos… you can see why I decided to write about this.

If you do purchase something from Dee for this Mother’s Day, you will also have a nice story to tell Mom about how you found a cute site called GiftStumped and found unique, hand-painted scarves created by an artist in Toronto. She just doesn’t need to know you almost waited until the last minute!

Derek Semmler, the author of The Man Page at the Sparkplugging Blog, recently wrote an article titled The Unofficial Guide to Buying Your Wife a Gift.

Derek admits to these past gift-giving faux pas:

• Lingerie (who’s the gift for, anyway?)
• Truffles (when she was dieting)
• Clothing (of the wrong size)

The Unofficial Guide has a basic, two-step process:

1. Listen To Her
2. Ask Her

Of course it’s not that simple, so I’ll let you read what Derek has to say for yourself (and there are some fun comments on his post too).

At the end of the Unofficial Guide, there is the basic assertion “If she isn’t happy with the gift, then you did something wrong.” True.

Then again, you can always get a little gift-idea help from reading the GiftStumped blog!

Take a look at our Gifts For Women category for some inspiration…