Thoughtful gifts

Sometimes it’s hard to find just the right thing, especially for the person who “has it all”.  I have found the perfect gift for loved ones like that, who don’t need any particular thing, but maybe could use something from the heart.

Jen Lemen’s Trust Notes.

These come in a coin size envelope in rich chocolate paper, with 25 unique messages that will nurture your spirit. They are professionally printed on 100# silk cover, each note is half the size of a standard business card and features the cover photograph on one side and a handwritten, digitally reproduced message on the other. Each pack of Trust Cards comes beautifully packaged in a organza drawstring pouch.  What a great reminder of the blessings to come.

If you haven’t visited Jen’s blog, it is a treat for your spirit as well.  She’s a nurturer, with a kind  heart and a giving soul.  This is another situation where I’ve admired someone for a long time, and getting up the nerve to email her took a couple of days.  But the impression that you get from her writing is honest and true, she’s very kind and welcoming.

This is an excerpt from one of her posts:

That it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, busy or bored, worried or blissed out, that everyone of us can give, that everyone one of us makes the world a better place when we give (and receive) with all the tenderness and compassion in our broken, hopeful hearts.

That was actually from a talk she gave on charitable living, and it really speaks to me, really inspires me.  Jen is an inspiration.  She’s made it her mission to take care of her good friend Odette, and Odette’s family in Rwanda.  You can read that story here.  And if you’re able and inclined to do a little giving of your own, to make the world a little better, you can do that too.

Jen was kind enough to offer a pack of her Trust Notes to give to 1 lucky reader.  This would be a lovely gift for a dear friend, sister, mother, even a child.  Or keep them for yourself, for those days when you need some inspiration.

To Enter to Win:

Open to US addresses only. One entry per person, but you can earn additional entries.

• Leave a comment here telling me how you’re feeling blessed right now.  In this season of giving, sometimes we feel more stressed than blessed, but I’m sure we can all find a blessing today.
  
• Mention this giveaway on your blog.
• For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway.  Leave your Twitter name in your comment.

For each thing you do leave 1 comment ( 1 comment telling me how you have been blessed today, 1 comment for a tweet, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)

This giveaway will end Friday December 12 at midnight CST.  This giveaway has ended, the winner will be announced shortly. Thank you everyone who entered.

Thoughtful gifts

I really love to give and receive unique, one of a kind gifts that you can’t find in the mall.   So I’m thrilled to have this giveaway.  And very jealous, because I would love it for myself.

If you haven’t done so before, you really should check out Chookooloonks. Karen Walrond recently left her full time corporate career to follow her heart and concentrate on her writing and photography.  You can see some of her lovely photos at her online store as well as daily photos on her blog.  She’s got some beautiful framed mini prints with inspiration cards available, and I just noticed that she has a 2009 calendar in her online store too.  If you’re in the Houston area, she is also available for portrait sessions.

In addition to being extremely talented, she is very kind.  I don’t know her, I have never met her, but I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time, reading her blog and admiring her photography.  It would be an understatement to say that I was a little nervous emailing her.  I wasn’t at all surprised though when she responded quickly and warmly.  She has graciously offered one of her beautiful prints for a giveaway.

One lucky winner will receive an unframed 8×10 of this lovely print, on archival paper.

To Enter to Win:

Open to US addresses only. One entry per person, but you can earn additional entries.

• Visit Chookooloonks, browse around her blog then check out her online store and leave a comment here letting me know which of her mini prints is your favorite.  I know, it’s very hard to choose because they’re all so lovely.
  
• Mention this giveaway on your blog.
• For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway.  Leave your Twitter name in your comment.

For each thing you do leave 1 comment ( 1 comment telling me which mini print is your favorite, 1 comment for a tweet, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)

This giveaway will end Wednesday December 10 at midnight CST This giveaway had ended, the winner will be announced after they’ve been contacted.  Thank you for entering.

Good luck!

Oh, and if my husband happens to read this- honey, this would be a great place to start shopping for me, hint hint.

I’ve tried several times to give up my soda habit, and all I’ve really accomplished is developing a tea habit.  But something about being addicted to tea just sounds better than a soda addiction, don’t you think?  Adagio Tea has a great selection of flavored teas, and some really nice gift sets too.

I especially like these Hand Carved Tea Chest. The gourmet set comes with 24 tea bags, the premium set includes 30 tea bags, and they both come in the lovely wooden chest.  What a nice gift idea for that hard to buy for person on your list.

The Holiday Sampler includes samples of candy apple, candy cane, chestnut, cranberry, gingerbread and pumpkin spice.  Those all sound like something I would love. And not share.  Yum.

The wonderful people at Adagio Teas have graciously given a  Starter Set for me to give to one lucky winner!  This is their best selling gift item, and it includes a teapot and 4 tea samples.  You can choose from a variety of four packs.

To Enter to Win:

Open to US addresses only. One entry per person, but you can earn additional entries.

• Visit Adagio Teas, browse around and then leave a comment here letting me know which four pack you would choose if you won the Starter Set. Your choices are: Black, Green, Flavors or Herbal, and you can see which teas are included in each choice by clicking on Starter Set
  
• Mention this giveaway on your blog.
• For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway.  Leave your Twitter name in your comment.

For each thing you do leave 1 comment (ex. 1 comment telling me which tea four pack you would choose, 1 comment for a tweet, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)

This giveaway will end Monday December 8 at midnight CST. This giveaway has ended and the winner will be notified via email and announced after responding.  Thank you everyone who entered.

Shopping is not one of my favorite activities. I enjoy peace and quiet, so I try to stay away from the mall. That’s why I’m excited to roll out my Holiday Shopping Guide. My hope is that this will become an annual event. I’ll be highlighting some gifts that I have either given or received and loved, and also a few things that I have discovered online that would make wonderful gifts.

I’ll be posting a few items each day between now and November 12.   And of course, there will be giveaways. So you can sit back, relax in the peace and quiet of your own home, no crowds or chaos, and do some peaceful holiday shopping.  And maybe win something great in the process!  Enjoy.

For Women

I’m not a big jewelry fan, but I love simple, elegant pieces.  Lisa Leonard makes the most beautiful hand-stamped jewelry, I have a hard time picking a favorite from her shop. Her designs are not only gorgeous, but works of art.  Almost of of her pieces can be customized too.  I could really get used to wearing Lisa Leonard jewelry. (yes, that is a not so subtle hint for my husband)

You Can Enter to Win!

Enter to win this beautiful Tiny Squares necklace here.

One of my good friends loves Vera Bradley, so I know what I’m getting her this Christmas. The hard part will be choosing which lovely bag to get.

Here are some of my favorite Vera Bradley items:

• Daisy Daisy Mini Hipster

Java Blue Small Tic Tac Tote
• 

• Frankly Scarlet Mini Hipster

Andrea at Superhero Jewelry is having a holiday sale! I love her beaded necklaces, and there are so many to choose from.  My favorite is the Joy necklace.

All the beaded necklaces are $20 off right now, so It’s the perfect time to get a Superhero necklace, either for a special someone or for yourself.

For Children

I have sons, so until my niece came along I didn’t get to buy girly things. You can imagine, after years of trucks and dinosaurs, I was ready to shop for some pink, frilly things.  My niece is almost 8, the perfect age to do some cooking with her favorite aunt. I love sweets, so this Cupcake Maker from Walmart will be perfect for both of us.

You Can Enter to Win!

Enter to Win this adorable Gourmet Cupcake Maker here.

When my kids were preschool aged they loved their Step2 Soft & Sturdy Foam Blocks.

My oldest would play with them for hours, building castles, forts, mazes and bridges.  He started building with my husband and soon was making his own masterpieces.  With 2 boys, I loved that they foam was pretty indestructible and didn’t make a good weapon, not that my kids every threw their toys at each other.

Check out the Amazon.com Holiday Toy List for more great gift gift ideas.  You can shop by age and by price.  I find that as my kids get older, it’s so much harder to buy for them, or to give other family members gift suggestions.  Searching by age is really helpful, and with this Toy List you can see the toys in action.

My youngest son wants a pogo stick, he’s actually wanted one for years.  Anything that gets him moving, he wants.  I found this Super Pogo 1505 Pogo Stick

My oldest son, while insisting that he’s too old for toys, still likes Bionicles. He’s built them for several years now and we somehow managed to keep all the pieces together, so he can build his own designs too. He’s been looking for the LEGO Bionicle Jetrax T6

Another toy that’s very popular at our house are the Scene It games.  Scene It comes in many different versions, but the one they want this year is the Scene It? Nickelodeon Edition DVD Game

Gifts for Everyone

Turn your digital photos into a
stunning photo book.

If you’re like me, you have tons of photos lying around, waiting to be put in albums or scrapbooks.  Or waiting to be uploaded from your camera to your computer.  Picaboo will help you transform those pictures into beautiful photo books, which make great gifts for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even for yourself.  This is something I really need to do, I’ve been taking more pictures and I want to share them with family members.  And they’ve got a great holiday special going on right now, buy 1 photo book get 1 free.  It’s the perfect time to take advantage of that, and get those special pictures organized.

Years ago some friends of mine gave me some Big Train Spiced Chai to try.  I was certain I wouldn’t like it, because I’m picky, and because I had no idea what chat was.  It was love at first taste.  I had a hard time finding this until I finally found it online.  I’ve given this as gifts to my mother, to my mother-in-law, to my boss, basically anyone that I don’t know what to get, I give this.  And it’s always a hit.  You cannot go wrong with this Big Train Spiced Chai, 1.9-Pound Cans (Pack of 2)

I’ll have more Holiday Shopping Guide items posted tomorrow, and more giveaways.  Isn’t this more fun than battling the crowds at the mall?

Enter to Win!

To win this beautiful Tiny Squares necklace:

Open to US addresses only. One entry per person, but you can earn additional entries.

• Visit Lisa Leonard Designs, browse her shop and then leave a comment here letting me know you favorite piece of jewelry her shop.
  
• Blog about this giveaway on your blog.
• For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway.  Leave your Twitter name in your comment.

For each thing you do leave 1 comment (ex. 1 comment telling me your favorite piece of jewelry, 1 comment for a tweet, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)

This giveaway will end Friday December 5 at midnight CST.  This giveaway has ended. I’ve emailed the lucky winner and as soon as she gets back with me I will post her name so we can all be jealous. Thank you for entering to win!

You Can Enter to Win!

Enter to Win this adorable Gourmet Cupcake Maker.  Leave a comment here telling me a fun holiday tradition that you and your family enjoy. Open to US addresses only. One entry per person, but you can earn extra entries.

To earn extra entries:

• Mention this giveaway on your blog.
• Send a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway (leave your twitter name in  your comment)

For each extra thing you do, leave 1 extra comment. (ex. 1 comment with your holiday tradition, 1 comment that you blogged about this giveaway, and 1 comment that you sent a tweet about this giveaway)

This giveaway will end on Wednesday December 10 at midnight CST. This giveaway has ended and the winner will be announced soon.  Thank you for entering.