Helping you un-stump your brain and find the perfect gift
Anniversary Gifts
Snow Globes Not for the Faint of Heart
Jun 26th
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:
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Give Them a Share of Organic Bounty
May 22nd
Purchase A Seasonal Share of a Community Farm’s Produce as a Gift!
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| Yummy Organic Vegetables! | Map of Community Supported Farms, courtesy of LocalHarvest.org |
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 crop 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
- Lexington Community Farm, Lexington, MA
- Smith Gardens Community Farm, Cochrane, WI
- Full Circle Farm, Carnation, WA
- Sackville CSA, New Brunswick, Canada
(I’m thinking that Mom might really enjoy this as a gift on Mother’s Day!)
Eat well, my friends! – GiftGuy
Wish On A…Pearl Necklace?
May 5th
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!
Sage Advice on How to Buy Your Wife a Gift
Apr 23rd
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:
- Listen To Her
- 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…
Beautiful Earrings. Beautiful Gift. Beautiful Cause
Apr 15th
I – love – earrings. They are fun. They have character. They add elegance. They add charm. They can make or break an outfit. Plain and simple.
Earrings (in particular dangly ones) have become huge over the past few years with celebrities wearing everything from simple hoops to huge elaborate masterpieces. Where you used to have to go to a jewelry store, you can now find fashionable earrings just about anywhere (Have you seen Target’s earrings these days?). Earrings are fun and can make a great gift.
Ok MsGift but what makes earrings such a unique gift? People have been giving them for years.
I am not talking about just ANY earrings for that special someone, but earrings from one Joan Hornig.
Joan Hornig is a jewelry designer who not only creates beautiful pieces but donates ALL of the profits made to charity. The best part is that she doesn’t donate the profits to just any charity, she lets YOU choose which one you would like to donate to. (See her foundation page for more information on the charities supported)
She has everything from necklaces to bracelets to charms to jewelry with special messages. I personally would LOVE to receive a pair of earrings from here.
To note: The earrings (and the rest of the jewelry) are not cheap. The prices range from $325 to $2500. But when you know the person receiving them will be happy and you know the the money spent will make 50 people happy…it makes it worthwhile.
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