Because of consumer demand: cool gifts III…. December 11, 2008

Alright you chipmunks, ready to sing your song? Ready Simon? Ready! Ready Theodore? Ready! Ok…..because of demand for additional gifts ideas….I have more for you. Why, you ask?
Jessica wrote this: “Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas Donna! However…I think you need to change this to the top 12 gifts! It’s alright though…just 2 more wonderful gift ideas! Have a good holiday and happy shopping!”

Then Paul, (aka Simon) added” Yes Donna, Like Jessica said. You could do the twelve gifts of Christmas ! ! Have a great Christmas !!!”

And Katrina on the chorus..”Thanks for all of the fabulous ideas!!! I am convinced you have been to every store, boutique and restaurant in the Baltimore market. Oh…and while your at it…any good ideas for a reherasal dinner?? Roughly 50-75 people and we would like to keep it close to Mt. Vernon since the out-of-town guests will be at The Peabody Court and rehearsal will be at St. Ignatius Thanks much!!! I think you would be a good wedding planner.…”

You guys, it’s not that easy to come up with different ideas….especially when I have to now plan Katrina’s wedding…I’m already  on it. But I do have another couple of things up my magical sleeve!….Last  items, and this time I mean it. I think.

11. This one has lots of ideas inside it….a gift list within a gift list….it’s the lovely Jennifer’s Excel Rainman newsletter gift list…You can sign up for the newsletter if you like and get free Excel tips…I still don’t understand what Excel is, actually. Some of these gift ideas will be great if you have friends or family who live in NY…where she lives…and you’ll notice we have a couple of the same things…..great minds think alike, and we steal liberally from each other. (Oh, and if you are a great Excel spreadsheeter and looking to make some cash, they are looking for some help…)

 Just go to the Submit Request section of ExcelRainMan.com.

 

Excel Rain Man’s Top 10 Holiday Gifts  

1.  Personal cooking lesson and/or dinner with Tall Order - select a 4 course menu that suits your needs and taste and Tall Order Chefs will bring everything needed for a customized cooking class/dinner in your kitchen! (Learn more at www.tallorderonline.com)

2.  Gift certificate to The Kula Yoga Project - Best hipster yoga in NYC, and by far the most talented instructors around!  Every class is a great class (28 Warren Street near Church Street in TriBeCa) 

3.  Gift Certificate to Jack’s Coffee - Organic, Fair Trade, Shade Grown Coffee and so much more (West Village: 138 West 10th St btw Greenwich Ave & Waverly Place/South Street Seaport:  222 Front St btw Beekman St and Peck Slip)

4.  Dinner at Bobo - The West Village’s hottest new restaurant. Open every night for Dinner and Brunch on the Weekends (181 West 10th St at Seventh Ave South in the West Village)

 

5.  Gift Certificate for work requests and private tutoring from the Excel Rain Man. Sorry for the shameless plug !! (888-598-9992, info@ExcelRainMan.com)

6.  Personal Yoga lessons from Jen Guarnieri. What’s even better than yoga at a studio?? Yoga in your living room!! (Check her out online at www.jengyoga.com)

 

7.  Beautiful hand-made jewelry from Lark and Lotus -Designer Suzannah Murray finds her inspiration from the mysticism and culture of New Orleans, grown from West African Voodoo… Now you have to check it out! (Available Online and at 8310 Willow St, in New Orleans)

(AND I should add Suzannah is a Baltimore girl….and several of her beautiful creations donate to Habitat for Humanity and Susan G. Komen….DH)

8.  Reusable shopping bags from Gecko Traders - Skillfully crafted by a Fair Trade Co-op in Cambodia, these bags are made from recycled rice & feed bags. Perfect for Green grocery shopping! My future mother-in-law (Donna Hamilton) found this before all of the stores… as she does with everything!   

For more excellent and chic gift ideas (her famous list will be out this week), check out Donna’s blog ,… she even blogged ExcelRainMan!!
 
9. An engagement ring from Marisa Perry - What better way to suprise that special someone than popping the question over the Holidays!! (154 Prince Street in SoHo)

 

10.  The New York Times Weekender – get the best paper delivered to your door on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. (Save 50% @ www.nytimesathome.com)  

Ok, but there are more ideas people have sent me…I like these….don’t you love it when we gift-pool??

From Susan: ” We can’t change the smell, but we can help change the look of your UGGS. Check out these great new accessories for your boots. http://www.llove8.com

 

Dr. Kim Hammond-saving lives again!

And last but not least, you can give a gift that could save someone’s life. The always dashing Dr. Kim Hammond from Falls Road Animal Clinic brought one in today for us to look at …it’s a Fire Escape Smoke Hood,  that will allow you to breathe in a house fire, for up to 60 minutes.  You keep it where you can get to it, maybe in the bedroom. Every home should have one…maybe more than one.

Ummmm....fudgey brownies!

No, actually brownies are last.  Not just any brownies….no, no, no!  In fact , I just heard two people (whose judgement I respect)  discussing these very brownies  today and how fabulously fudgey they are…just the way brownies should be. Lady Baltimore Brownies  are the creation of Joan Allen, from her Grandmother’s treasured recipe…they come in chocolate SINsation, chocolate peanut butter, Gran Marnier macademia, and decaf espresso. Made fresh and shipped to you pronto, a pan that serves 15 is $37.50. How good are they? When Joan was getting her car detailed, she told a woman about her brownies, as an older gentleman sat a few feet away. “Usually when women eat my brownies they just repeat the same nine words..’Oh my God, oh my God,oh my God.” The man took two dozen…he hadn’t made his wife say that in years! Ba-tump-tump!

Happy holidays everyone….

Top Ten Cool Holiday gifts: Part II December 9, 2008

Alright , my pretties, it’s time for part two of my cool gift list…and not a moment too soon. Great food, jammies, vanilla latte booties…you know you love it.  Read on…

They look like Chewie from Stars Wars boots!

5. The gift of cozy…we all need it now and then…especially now. Vanilla Latte Spa Booties?….Coconut Lime Mink body wrap? …you can find them both at Wishwrap.com. Pop them  in the microwave and then wrap up for a blast of the tropics, scent and temperature wise-booties are $40, the wrap-also $40. Wish wrap  lets you shop by occasion  or recipient…they have some really interesting gifts, like bamboo baby blankets, “just soap and water”(grapefruit/aloe soap printed with “save water” and “shower with a friend” along with  bottle of rosewater-$25), And something else I like, everything comes “wishwrapped” at no charge, either in a pretty brown box or faux silk bag, both of which are reuseable(the ultimate recycling). $10 flat fee shipping….

Walnut Apple Cake!!

6. Something you don’t have to cook yourself! Call Cafe Germaine….they can do it all, from appetizers( mini corn fritters with red pepper dipping sauce, French Country pate’…mmmmm ) to  main courses like chicken and leek pot pie(sounds so comforting) and desserts, like the Apple Cake with bourbon sauce(keep your fingers off).  These women can cook up a storm…Mary has worked with Woffgang Puck and was catering manager at The Harbor Court Hotel…not too shabby….and Germaine  has worked with the beloved and legendary Morris Martick! They can make a holiday gathering a breeze, or just do dessert for your family.

All kids need jammies!! And so do the rest of us....

7. Pajamas. The Today Show had a segment on The Great Sprout Tuck-In yesterday, about how something as comforting and basic as jammies, many kids don’t have.  And that’s just wrong.  The Great Sprout Tuck-in is providing clean soft pj’s and books to thousands of children who would otherwise do without either. When I think about how much I love my jammies, and all the sweet jammies my children have had over the year, it’s sad  think of children who have nothing warm to change into at night. 

8. Weekend subscription to the New York Times. You know, The Baltimore Sun has shrunk and shrunk and shrunk….so that I’m finished reading the paper, especially on Sunday, before I’m ready to finish reading the paper. Is that all there is to a newspaper? So, I decided a nice present for myself (and maybe some others) is the weekend edition of the Times. Oh, and if you want to more about what Sam Zell has done to the Tribune Company… wow…oh, and those people who took the buyout? They are now standing in the line of creditors waiting for money as the company files for bankruptcy. That’s a dirty rotten shame. Take a load off Fannie…..take a load for free.

9.  Sorry about that…I got bitter for just a second, and speaking of bitter….I am reading a book think loads of you will enjoy, especially given the current economic climate, (which stinks, if you hadn’t noticed). . Bitter is the New Black  from author Jenn Lancaster(who also wrote Such a Pretty Fat) is a recommended gift, especialluy for the women on your list. It’s  about this woman who was living the high life and spending money (on things she shouldn’t have-she admits), who hits hard times when she loses her job after 9-11. Jen has been called irreverant, abrasive, outspoken, and she has a wicked sense of humor. You can visit her world at Jensylvania.com.

All the Better to Kiss You With!

10. Hmmmm…something simple, somthing sweet smelling, something girly……how about All the Better to Kiss You With lip balm?? As a confessed lba(lip balm addict), I’m always looking for the latest and greatest. This trio of certified organic balms are non-petroleum based, come in vintage recyclable tins, are  100% cruelty free, and the fragrances of Pepperminty, Lavendar Vanilla and Chai Mandarin sound delicious. Single tins are $5.99, an eco gift box  of 3 is $17.99….and when you click on their link the most soothing music plays. I’m listening to it right now!!(What is it?)

There. The list is finished. Don’t thank me..your adoration is enough.

Top Ten Cool Gift Ideas: Part I December 8, 2008

I recently got this email from my son in New York…”Hello queen of cool gifts…. Have you seen this little toy? “

The Netflix Player by Roku: http://www.roku.com/netflixplayer/?utm_source=nflx&utm_medium=nrd&utm_campaign=v2

My reply: “Not only have I seen it, I blogged it about 6 or 8 months ago.” Good try though. I have somehow gotten the reputation in family as the finder of cool and unusual gifts.

Last year's find....but still cool...

I think it all began with the Lego Ipod docks I found last year before they were everywhere. And maybe the enchanting Tea Forte creamer and suger set…it is sooooo sweet, even though my creamer is broken-sniff. Oh, and I found a place where you can try out squash rackets, kind of like Netflix, only you’re getting squash rackets in the mail, at Squashgear.com.

OK, ready for the list..part one? Here we go!

1. For my hair stylist whose husband is always losing her tools…and she’s handy…a pretty tool set by the V & A(Victoria and Albert Museum…found it on sale(a little bit) at Zanadia. Clever, and a limited edition item…get it quick. Zanadia, btw, has lots of cute gift ideas and free shipping over $55. I love free shipping.

 

Great market bag....

2. If you want to go green this year(or want your family members to, like I do)…think about giving reuseable bags…it is very chic these days. At resueablebags.com you will find a dizzying array of bags at all price ranges. I really like the one in the picture…it’s very popular in Europe, and it collapses for storage, as well as having a zipper pouch for your keys and wallet. I sent a few “more basic” less expensive bags to my younger sis in ‘bama, for her birthday this week…she called me and said in her southern accent,” I just went to Walmart and used my bags….I felt so green!!” It’s a start….it’s a start. Can recycling be far behind? UPDATE: FLAT $4.95 SHIPPING, AND ENTER CODE FRIEND10 TO GET 10% OFF!! (ends the 15th) 

Yummo-crab cake sliders!

3.For the foodie on your list, how about some cute little crab cake sliders, from Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes? A new, Maryland twist on the popular slider hamburger that you can send mail order. This is a great website if you want to send some Maryland style food to your family in California, or even Alabama, or Hagerstown! Who wouldn’t like getting some crabcakes delivered…and the company is right here in Maryland…they even have a stand in the Annapolis market.(Their cream of crab soup is sooooo decadent.)update: Just got an email that their standard shipping for $75 or more is $10.95…enter code CB10 at checkout-expires 12/12!

 

A space age airmail wallet??

 

3. A website called CuffArt.com has just tons of cool, really different gift ideas(including an amazing variety of cufflinks, like some made from certified Memorial Stadium seat wood or the 8-ball ones below), for all wallets. And speaking of wallets, Cuffart has them made from a micro fiber material called Tyvek….lighter than water, yet incredibly strong.

8-ball cufflinks...$22.50-fun!

It expands and contracts depending how much(or how little these days) you put in it. $18.50(what’s not to like)….and they also come in other patterns like 3-ring binder paper, graffiti, and comic book. I might get one for myself. Pretty cool. And 25% off right now.

Need to do some window shopping??

Oh, and if you want to spend more, Cuffart also has actual windows from a Pan Am Boeing 707….seriously. Sure, it’s $1500, but how many other people will have one?

Time for a change watches.....

4. If you’re looking for something unusual, like the blingy, Obama “Time for a change” watch above…visit the American Visionary Art Museum , like I did yesterday…the place was packed.

Remember these? $2.50 sticking stuffer...

Ohmigoodness, such fun, offbeat things at their Sideshow Gift Shop…
from fun little stocking suffers, to actual artwork! And they told me they have sold over a thousand of the Obama watches . Not everyone will want to wear their vote on their wrist, but for those of you so inclined…they have all sorts of them….and here’s the best part. They’re $12.

I said, "Baby Girl!!"

5. Some people say don’t get a pet for Christmas, but if my sweet daughter had not insisted we get a rescue cat last December, we would not have Baby Girl(about whom many, many songs have been written) providing much furry love in our house. Baby came from Charles County Humane Society, but the S.P.C.A. also has so many dogs and cats who need a good home. (Baby just jumped up by me…to provide her support for this idea). Obviously, you need to choose wisely, and make sure someone wants a pet, and can provide proper care, but don’t go buying an animal, when there are so many that need homes, at shelters. And if you don’t need a pet, think about giving a donation to the S.P.C.A. in someone’s name…now, that’s a great gift, especially for the person who already has everything. And they need your help. Baby has been such a blessing. Love that cat!

Wow…that’s enough for today….the rest of my list tomorrow!! I have much, much more….