Amy's Web Log: November 2009

11.29.2009

Christmas List: For Her

1. Gift Card, Target, $YOU CHOOSE

Never underestimate the beauty of the gift card. Some may say it is a cop-out, but secretly wouldn't you rather pick out a fabulous piece of jewelry for yourself than have to return yet another set of pajamas or perfume you don't wear?

More awesome gift card places: Amazon, Crate & Barrel, Ikea

2. Charm Bracelet/Charms, Blue Nile, $30+

Charm bracelets make excellent gifts because you can continue to buy charms for other special occasions. Then your ideas never run out!

3. A Cozy Throw, Bed Bath & Beyond, $19.99

Anyone can use a good quality throw to curl up on the sofa on a cold winter night. You can find throws for all kinds of prices - depending on the texture. Just make sure you find one that's extra-soft & fluffy and big enough to wrap around in.

4. Print, Art.com, $9.99 (print)

Find a print of her favorite flower, favorite painting, favorite travel destination or a print of a place that is special to the two of you. You can purchase the print at a variety of prices at art.com. Art.com offers framing services, but you can save quite a bit of money if you find a frame yourself at a craft store, such as Michaels or AC Moore.

Your local art gallery will usually have cards designed by an artist. I sometimes buy a pack of those and frame several of the cards to give as gifts. You could also clip beautiful photos from a calendar or magazine such as National Geographic for framing.

The print above is Cédric Porchez's "White And Pink Orchid".

5. Tote Bag, The Container Store, $7.99 (each)

Not only are these totes good for the environment, but they come in handy for all the extra "stuff" she needs to carry around. The Container Store has some great deals on totes. The ones pictured above, "Reusable Totes", are made from re-purposed plastic bottles.

11.27.2009

Friday Find: Wood Elephant

Wood Elephant, World Market, $7.99

11.21.2009

Christmas List: For the Baby

1. Little Panda, Amazon, $9.99

This eco-friendly book and it's companion, Little Monkey, tell a sweet little story of the adventures of a little panda and his little monkey friend. Made of cloth, this book can tolerate little hands and little mouths.

2. Eric Carle's Penguin, Amazon, $14.99

We are big fans of Eric Carle's colorful world at our house. Grace has many of the books, the caterpillar stacking toy and the take-along caterpillar & lion chimes that fit on her carseat. The penguin, complete with Carle's classic colorful artwork style, contains a variety of textures and makes a parent-friendly crinkle noises.

3. Sit, Stay, Play Block Puzzle, Land of Nod, $13.95

The colorful chipboard blocks of this puzzle form a dog, canary, tortoise, goldfish, hamster and cat. Note that the product is listed for ages 3+, so be sure to monitor your little one or check with parents appropriately.

4. Luxury Plush Bear, Restoration Hardware, $16

Every baby needs a super-soft bear. Restoration Hardware's bear is tough to beat in that department. Right now, there is a price cut from the regular $20. Available in 7 colors.

5. Little Bird Snapsuit, Land of Nod, $16

I intended to avoid clothing on my list because so many people buy babies clothing! However, I could not resist this one. These super-soft, organically made snapsuits (or onesies) are wonderful. It is available for 0-12M. If you cannot resist the cuteness, and find you MUST buy clothes, onesies make a great choice. Grace wears them underneath her short-sleeved clothes for an added layer of warmth or sometimes simply as shirts. For many, $16 may be a little steep for a onesie. You can also find cute ones at your local Target for much cheaper.

(Back to List of Gift Guides)

11.20.2009

Christmas Lists

As Christmas rapidly approaches (35 more days!), I decided to put together a few little idea lists to help you find the perfect gift for all of those special people in your life.

In the current economy, gift-giving can be difficult. Prices add up quickly as you go down your gift list of names! My goal for these listings is for $25 and under.

You can find many, many great deals in the regular Friday Find feature. I will attempt NOT to duplicate products that I have already featured. I will start each list with 5 products, but I may add to a list as I encounter finds throughout the shopping season. As I put together each list, I will come back to this post and add the link below.

Stay tuned to see each list!

Here's what I have so far:

Happy Shopping!

Disclaimer

This blog features products on a not-for-profit base. This blog features (at my discretion) a) products I own & enjoy, b) well-reviewed products I stumble across online and c) products that trusted sources own & recommend. I do receive product suggestions and review those accordingly. I try to link to the product to the retail site that offers the best deal that I can find. I am not responsible for transactions with vendors dealing with the purchase of any featured item. If you would like to share feedback for any featured products you may do so at amyboyteblog (at) gmail (dot) com or in the comments section for a post.

Note that with any of the items featured on the site, the prices and availability are subject to change. Also, since the links are going out to retail sites, I have no control over whether or not the links are valid when you view this content at a later date. I do not go back and change links unless notified with the updated link information.