A little box

Need a small package for that little something you just picked up for Valentine's Day? Patricia at A Little Hut has got you covered! Pick up the template for her little boxes and gift cards here for $3.99 each. Cheaper than Hallmark! (via Poppytalk)

Flower Power

Love it a lot just posted this sweet little lidded jar from Whitney Smith. Perfect for your best friend's wedding shower or even as a gift for grandma. $44.00

Sexy, Classy, Comfy

Delight's deal of the day completes my idea of a fun night at home --- BBC Jane Austen Movie Marathon, Pint of Ben & Jerry's, and a slinky cashmere robe. This robe definitely outdoes those cheesy 3/4's that you can get over at Vicky's, but is still sexy enough that it'll leave your man wondering what's underneath (even if that man is only Mr. Darcy [sigh]). $113.57 if you pick it up today!

Make your own cookbook

Know anyone who's ever wanted their own cookbook? My friend Paola sent me over this link from the New York Times about a new venture from Conde Nast and Kamran Mohsenin - Tastebook.com. Through this site, users can create their very own cookbooks, using up to 100 recipes from Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Epicurious, and other chefs. You can even add your own personal recipes - which is why I really like this concept. The book comes in a hardcover binder (you choose the front image and the title) and allows you to add chapters that are tabbed for easy access.

How much does all this cost? $34.95!

For gift-giving purposes, I suggest gathering up the family's favorite recipes and creating a cookbook using the family name (ie, The Smith Family Recipes) and gifting to all the chefs in your clan. This would also be great for showers, weddings, and office parties.

Thanks for the tip P!

Mixed Tapes: The Next Generation

One of my favorite things to give and receive has got to be the CD mix. The CD can be themed with titles like "X-mas", "Winter" or "Let it Snow"; or they can be themed to a particular type of music or upcoming event. Zeichen press gets this, and has come up with an array of awesome CD sleeves that would be the perfect compliment to any CD mix. Some favorites are below...pick them up, along with their other fabulous stationary, at the shops listed here. (Found via Indie Fixx.)

Gift Debate: Milk Mumu: Appropriate or scary?

I think the Milk mumu ($27.99, found via IndieShopping) over at Etsy is a great concept - not only does it keep all of your bits from prying eyes, it eliminates any uncomfortableness that you or others might feel you while you are "taking care of business." I think this is an awesome idea and a lot of moms would be all over it...but do you think it would be appreciated as a gift (say, for a baby shower) or could it be interpreted by the giftee as the equivalent of you saying, "Keep your you know what's out of my face"? Also, how do you explain what it is to that person? Maybe it's the kind of gift that you should only give to yourself? I'm torn. Does anyone else have thoughts?

At any rate, Milk Mumu has lots of fabrics to choose from, and I think the idea is pure genius!

Asian Inspiration at Horchow

While super-sheik Neiman Marcus retailer Horchow may be a bit out of my budget, they do have some nice once-in-a-lifetime gifts for weddings, showers and engagements. And if nothing else, they provide inspiration for your next trip to Homegoods.

These "Asian Treasures" would impress even your most critical giftee.

Antique Food Basket, hails from 1850-1870, $190.00

Antique Grain Barrel, circa 1850-1870, $300.00


Antique Drum, 100-120 years old, $379.00 (marked as a "special" HA!)

Bachelorette-orama!

As mentioned in my previous post, I attended a friend's bachelorette party this weekend. Normally, naughty gifts like lingerie are gifted at bridal showers, but it seems that (in CT at least) bridal showers are dying out to wedding showers only, where gifts come in registry form. Personally, I agree that a separate bridal/wedding shower can be a bit much.

However, every girl needs at least a few nighties, so my friends and I decided to go shopping at Victoria's Secret. The girls that I was with found two very cute slip/pantie (eww I feel dirty just writing that word) combos, but all I could find were a bunch of short shorts with words on the butt (didn't that trend end a couple of years ago? I thought people were starting to realize that writing on your butt isn't flattering? No?). So, on to plan B: Anthropologie.

I ended up getting her this slip, which I thought was too adorable, and wearable on nights other than, well, you know, those nights. It was a steal---$38 bucks! I was going to get a book with love quotes/poems, but I saw this book by Lauren Child (whose website is ridiculously awesome) and thought "Now that's Lindsay." And what better occasion to give a book about a princess and her pea?!

The other bonus for shopping Antropologie---they have seasonal ribbon and gift tissue so I didn't even have to worry about the wrapping.