When I think 4th of July I think beer, fishing, fireworks and smoking a cigar outside.  Nothing better than smoking a nice big stogie while hanging out with your buddies.

Here are four rare cigars you wish you could be lighting up this weekend:

Arturo Fuente Opus X Cigar (Dominican) From Cigars.com “The Fuente OpusX is one of the rarest cigars in the world. It is elusive to almost every smoker because of its limited production…the OpusX has a world-renowned reputation for quality and class. It is full bodied with a rich and robust flavor.”You may be able to find them at various smoke shops or online but they go quick and aren’t cheap. Famous-Smoke.com offers a box of 22 for $750 and Cigar.com offers a small sampler for $150!

Partagas 150 Signature Series “Don Ramon” cigars (Dominican) The Partagas is created by master cigar maker Ramon CiFuentes and was made to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the brand. According to ThompsonCigar.com “this is probably the world’s hardest-to-find cigar”. Prices range from $158 for a box of 5 to $950 for a box of 20.

Punch Rare Corojo Cigars (Honduras) Not as rare as the Partagas but limited due to its rich, reddish wrapper leaves that are only grown in small quantities. According to Cigar-Review.com “Rare Corojo cigars are made with extra rich, dark Sumatra wrapper leaves that are grown in the mountains of Ecuador. The filler is a rich blend of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos.” Tinderbox has prices ranging from $98 to $138 for a box of 50.

La Aurora 100 Anos (Dominican) Very rare and pricey, “available to only a small handful of suppliers, the La Aurora 100 Anos is one of the highest rated brands ever made. Each 100 Anos utilizes only tobacco that is grown and rolled in the Dominican Republic…one of the worlds only cigars to use 100% Dominican Tobacco” Only 300,000 were produced and won’t be made again. A box of 25 will run you about $300

A few weeks ago I went over to my friends house to hang out and BBQ.  We bought burgers, sausages, hot dogs and chicken.  We were ready for a feast!

There was one problem, we could not for the life of us get that darned charcoal to light!  It was windy and the matches kept blowing out and the self-lighting charcoal or whatever it was really wasn’t self-lighting.

You know what would have helped?  This crazy 60 Second Charcoal Starter from Hammacher Schlemmer.

“…this is the barbecue starter that ignites charcoal in 60 seconds without requiring the use of lighter fluid, allowing you to start grilling in five minutes. Similar to the heat-focusing technology used in paint-stripping hot-air guns, the charcoal starter emits hot air at 1,290° F, providing a constant, precise flow of heat from the tip of the unit”

The 60 second charcoal grill starter has a lifetime guarantee and even comes with it’s own stand.  It will run you $79.99 but just think…lifetime!

This would make a great gift for that BBQ expert this 4th of July or a really late father’s day gift!

The Shopping Blog has a good post about red, white and blue bagels from Bruegger’s that will be available this upcoming Thursday and Friday.

Bruegger’s is one of my favorite places to get a bagel (jalapeno cream cheese mmm) and it makes me like them more that they are doing it for charity.

Here is what the Bruegger’s corporate site has to say:

“Bruegger’s will offer its New York-style, hot-from-the-oven red, white and blue swirled bagels to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday and help the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of patriotic bagels will benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.”

Find a Bruegger’s near you and give some patriotic bagels to your friends this July 4th weekend!

To some, snow globes are those gifts you get and think, “Now what do I do with this?”.  But to others they are fun to collect and can be gazed upon for hours.

While snow globes aren’t exactly unique unto themselves, there are some pretty awesome/hilarious ones that are.

Martin & Munoz have created a line of hand-crafted snow globes featuring scenes you would not typically find in a snow globe.  For instance, the travelers collection contains scenes of a man with a giant spider behind him or a kid being held over a well by one foot.  There is an island scene with people walking on stilts and another of a man being held at gunpoint. They are really quite interesting and make you think about what you are seeing.

They also are limited in numbers and hard to find.  I did come across some at Unica Home but I am not sure of the availability.  A warning, these aren’t your typical snow globes in looks or price.  Each one will run you about $750!  Here are some additional ones:

Robyn Klauer from Georgie Designs contacted us about a great gift idea her site offers.  We all know about fruit of the month, wine of the month and book of the month clubs…but how about a Ring of the Month club!?

Available in 3, 6 and 12 month options, this is a great idea for someone who is into jewelry (or even better, order it for yourself and give away the ones you don’t want!).

Each ring is handcrafted and sent in a beautiful package featuring the ring of your choice.  Not sure of the recipients ring size?  Georgie Designs will send a gift card notification beforehand along with a ring sizer for them to email or call back with.  Then they will have their ring in 1-2 weeks.  Perfect!

The prices are reasonable for handcrafted jewelry with the 3-month club at $128, 6-months for $256 and 12-months ranging from $498-$558 (choice of silver or gold).

Go visit the site today and sign-up for the ring of the month club…remember, jewelry is always a great gift!