OK, you have a sports fan, music fan, or theater fan you want to give a gift to. And it would be great to send them to the game or the show.

But, what if they’re busy that night?

If it’s too hard to figure out your gift recipient’s schedule, or if you’re not sure what kind of event they would prefer to go to - just them them a gift certificate to choose their own tickets!

There are at least two places I can think of that have a wide variety of ticket types, and offer gift certificates:

StubHub -		StubHub Gift Certificates
TicketsNow -		TicketsNow Gift Certificates

Maybe they’ll bring back their ticket stubs for your collection…

I just came across this website - Torchsong Studio - while using Stumbleupon.

These handmade glass vessels would make a very nice, unique gift for someone that likes unusual jewelry:

The vessels are hand-blown by “Maryanne” (read her blog for how she does this). Maryanne describes the vessels as:

“The vessels (on this page) are all hollow, built on the end of a mandrel. Most have cork stoppers which effectively seal the tops so that they will hold liquids, or whatever you choose to put in there, securely. Sizes vary, but most are 1 to 1-1/2″”

The vessels appear to be priced in the range of $30 to $40 (as of the time of this post).

The images above represent specific products that may not be in stock when you visit the site because everything is handmade and the availability depends on what Maryanne has recently created.

Here’s a nice alternative to some of the junk that is out there for girls in terms of toys, magazines, books, websites, etc…

The Beacon Street Girls offers a series of fiction books written for girls ages 9 to 13 (although my 7-year-old daughter can not only read the books, she enjoys them - and they give her a flavor for what older girls are thinking).

The first book in the series is Worst Enemies/Best Friends:

Description:

Charlotte Ramsey is the new girl … again. After causing the biggest cafeteria blunder in history, Charlotte’s assigned lunch partners, the very stylish Katani, irrepressible Avery, and super-friendly Maeve, can’t wait to dump her. Can it get any worse? Absolutely! Nobody is talking, and Katani wants out of the group. What a mess! Can the girls become true friends or will they remain worst enemies forever?

The latest book in the series is BSG Special Adventure: Freestyle with Avery:

Description:

Go West, young girl! Avery’s off to see “the Snurfman” (aka her dad) in Colorado! She can’t wait to show off her skills in the first annual Telluride Snurfer Snowboarding Competition. But the Snurfman’s got a few surprises in store. And when Avery meets Crazy Kazie, the 13-year-old all-star boarder, and her evil cat, Farkle, Avery’s not so sure these surprises are so snurf-tastic after all. At least there’s Jason, a way cool kid with a secret … a secret almost ready to be released into the wild.

Here is an excerpt from the Beacon Street Girls “About Us” page:

The Beacon Street Girls® (BSG), a consumer/entertainment brand committed to the health and well being of girls 9-13. The mission of the company is to provide the kind of positive role models and empowering messages that help girls believe in themselves, whatever their challenges. The BSG brand crosses socio-economic barriers and provides problem-solving tools within an entertaining format that girls can apply to their own lives.

The Beacon Street Girls are five best friends: Charlotte, the dreamy, global girl; Katani, an intelligent fashion diva; Maeve, the lively redhead who wants to sing, dance and help the world; irrepressible Avery, athletic and outspoken; and Isabel, the artist with a sense of humor.