I was on the lookout for new hip gift ideas today when I came across Lisa’s Chic Boutique.

The site is adorable and the stuff she sells is even better. She has some super cool purses, belt buckles, jewelry and wouldn’t you know, something for the dogs. Man, the store actually makes me feel pretty unhip with how cool it is!

My favorite thing on the site has to be the Marilyn Monroe Cigar Box Purse. It’s definitely unlike anything I have ever seen and it’s just so fun!

Here is an excerpt from the site:

“It is made from an authentic beautiful black “Saint Luis Rey Churchill” cigar box. A rare vintage postcard of Marilyn Monroe is laminated onto the purse and it has received several coats of polyurethane to help preserve and protect it…A lot of Tender, Love & Funk went into this Purse.”

Best part is, it only costs $59! You gotta love that! Get over there and see what other cool things Lisa has come up with!

I am feeling lazy today so I thought I would point you toward some great gifts other people are talking about:

• Art lovers take notice. Shawn at Everything and Nothing has the ‘Most Beautiful Book in the World‘. This $150,000 book titled Michelangelo: La Dotta Mano features photos of Michelangelo’s works.

• Kristin at Cool Mom Picks has a really cool ‘Baby Makes Three Necklace‘. The necklace contains three rings held together on a cable chain. This would make a great gift for the expecting mother!

• Know someone in your life who is just a little TOO paranoid? The Hidden Camera Detector they have over at Kaboodle would be a good solution. For $25 you can put someone’s mind at ease that there are no hidden cameras in their house.

• Violet has these Wobbly Cognac Glasses that would make a great gift for the alcohol aficionado in your life. They look fun and I bet I could spend hours watching it wobble around.

• Someone Spoil Me has The Rolling Stone Holiday Etched Wine Gift containing “two beautifully etched wines and a branded wooden gift box”. Of course the famous tongues make it.

All right that’s the round-up. Have a great weekend fellow gift givers!

Father’s Day is fast approaching and you may still be trying to figure out what to get for your pops. Well my dad isn’t a Red Sox fan and he doesn’t collect anything but like me, he does enjoy relaxing outdoors and having a few brews. And…every so often he ventures over to the neighbors house and hangs out by their pool.

The Cruzin Cooler may very well be the perfect gift for my dad. Heck, it may be the perfect gift for most of the men I know. This thing is awesome!

Here is an excerpt from the site:

“Cruzin Cooler combines two basic necessities of life, the ability to have cold food or a beverage handy along with the means to get somewhere, without walking”…”is available in gas and electric models, with a 10 mile range on electric models and 30 miles on the gas models. The cooler can be used for hunting, sporting events, races, camping, golf or even a trip to the grocery store to keep your food cold all the way home.”

You have to check out the specs on this thing!

The Cruzin Cooler is only $350 at Cabelas or you can find a distributor near you. (As a side note it isn’t legal everywhere but they do give a list of states where it is)

Just picture Dad cruisin around on this thing, cold beers in the cooler and meats for grilling in tow…man, my dad would be in Heaven!

If you are a frequent visitor to the blog then you are already familiar with my adoration of gourmet food (and of course alcoholic beverages. What you may not know is that I actually LOVE to cook.

My Mom is Italian so I grew up watching her prepare delicious lasagna and pasta dishes with her homemade sauce. While I haven’t gotten the sauce down just yet, I would have to say that I have become pretty good.

Now maybe it’s because I’m Italian or maybe it’s from watching my mom but olive oil is used in almost ALL of my meals. It’s so great to grill with and can add some awesome flavor to meat or veggies (plus a little bit of salt and pepper mmm)…but it can be messy.

That is why I bought the Chef’N Oil Wand!

This thing is great! Easy to use, cheap and keeps my hands and counter top clean! Here is a little bit about it:

“The new OilWand™ is an oil baster and brush with countertop appeal. Just fill with your favorite oil then give a light squeeze! The heat resistant silicone brush allows you to evenly spread the oil over a hot pan or your favorite veggies.”

It’s also dishwasher safe. Gotta love that! The OilWand is only $9.99 and can be found over at Chef Central.

Imagine your loved ones/friends receiving organic produce every week for 20 weeks in the summer/fall! And each time they receive their fresh bounty, they remember what a great gift giver you are.

I was recently flying on Delta Airlines and read an article in the Delta Sky magazine about community supported agriculture (CSA). The author, John Grossmann, described (wonderfully) how he and his wife had recently joined Honey Brook Farm’s CSA program by purchasing a “share” of the crop for the year (summer/fall).

I can’t emphasize enough what a great read that article is!!! (here’s the link to the article again for convenience)

And, I immediately thought - what a cool gift idea to give someone a share in an organic farm’s produce!

Basic Information

While you can easily find information about Community Supported Agriculture with a simple Google search, you may find some fairly dry information such as this Wikipedia entry. You can also find some more user-friendly information such as this very nice Squidoo lens on the topic.

How Much Does it Cost?

I’m not exactly sure how much Mr. Grossmann paid for his share, but in this article about a new farm program that Honey Brook set up in Chesterfield, PA, shares were going for $358 for an individual and $604 for a family (per season).

The Wikipedia entry referenced above indicates that shares can range from $350 to $500 for a season.

The Urban Ecology Center provides some indication of costs on this page. Here is the excerpt for your convenience:

The typical cost of a CSA share averages from $20-25 a week. As a shareholder, you pay up front for the entire season, which ranges from 19 to 27 weeks, depending on the farm. Share size also varies from farm to farm. Some farms offer “worker shares” exchanging work for a share of produce. Others have either convenient payment plans or assistance funds that can offset part of the cost of a share.

How Do I Find a CSA?

Here are a few resources for locating a CSA farm near you:

• Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association - CSA Locator (use the sort by state function to browse for farms in your state)
• Newfarm.org - Farm Locator (nice way to search their database)
• National Agricultural Library - CSA Resources

More Information

Some blogs published by local CSA farmers:

• Belmont CSA, Belmont, MA
• Claggett Farm, Chesapeake Bay, MD
• Eat Well Farm, Dixon, CA
• Smith Gardens Community Farm, Cochrane, WI
• Full Circle Farm, Carnation, WA
• Sackville CSA, New Brunswick, Canada

There are a number of books on the topic (available at Amazon.com). Here is one of them…

Eat well, my friends! -GiftGuy